Penhaligon's

Sometimes I get so excited about trying the newest niche brand that I forget about the ones that have been around forever. Such is the case with Penhaligon's, an old English brand that I've left sadly unexplored. Today I'm attempting to rectify that by testing Lily and Spice. My expectations for this scent based on the name and the notes were big: madonna lily is not a shy scent and spices in perfumery tend to be tenacious. Much to my surprise, this scent is quite muted with not much sillage. The lily is soft and sweet, blended with vanilla. Clove lends some bitterness, but just a hint. There is purportedly saffron, but I cannot detect it. I think the scent would be improved if the saffron were more present, in fact. The lily fades a bit in the drydown, but otherwise I find it fairly linear. Overall, I would say it is a perfectly nice fragrance for those who like lilies - not so much for those who like spices. And for those who want a perfect marriage of the two, it falls a bit short of the bar set by Antica Farmacista's Casablanca Lily.

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