Benzoin
Blackcurrant
Litsea cubeba
Rose absolute
Rose oil02/04/2025
HelloFriend
16 Reviews
HelloFriend
2
A Bittersweet Goodbye
I'm a sucker for some good writing or a good story. I was drawn into No Way to Say Goodbye exactly because of that; the name is evocative, and the reason behind its creation had me looking for a bottle.
The fragrance lives up to its name; the sweetness of friendship and love, the bitterness of goodbyes. It is primarily sweet, though, and very heavy on the blackcurrant that dominates this fragrance throughout. It's not a fresh blackcurrant right off the bush and there is no tannin or greens to it, but a rather sweet, heavy, type of scent. It's like you took a deep whiff of a very thick, homemade jam.
The rose comes about at the heart, lending the fruit a floral characteristic that tempers the sweetness some. Of course, this fragrance remains very sweet (though, not sugary) but there is more dimensionality to it once the initial dry down passes and it warms up to skin temperature. At this point, a sort of resin quality also comes into play. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I'd say it's bordering on medicinal. It doesn't dominate the fragrance by any means, but really is a solid nod. I personally really enjoy this as it reflects the name and theme of the perfume so well, but I can see how others may find the acrimoniousness of it off-putting.
Sillage and longevity is quite solid, especially when sprayed on fabric. There have been a few times in my testing that I've sprayed onto my shirt before bed and can still smell it in the morning. On skin, it lasts about 4 hours for me. I'd give extra credit to the fact that the bottle comes in a very affordable 30ml ($50 CAD pre-tax in early 2025). More brands should really do this and I'm glad that Lush has a selection of the 30mls. Too bad it doesn't encompass the entire selection.
The fragrance lives up to its name; the sweetness of friendship and love, the bitterness of goodbyes. It is primarily sweet, though, and very heavy on the blackcurrant that dominates this fragrance throughout. It's not a fresh blackcurrant right off the bush and there is no tannin or greens to it, but a rather sweet, heavy, type of scent. It's like you took a deep whiff of a very thick, homemade jam.
The rose comes about at the heart, lending the fruit a floral characteristic that tempers the sweetness some. Of course, this fragrance remains very sweet (though, not sugary) but there is more dimensionality to it once the initial dry down passes and it warms up to skin temperature. At this point, a sort of resin quality also comes into play. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I'd say it's bordering on medicinal. It doesn't dominate the fragrance by any means, but really is a solid nod. I personally really enjoy this as it reflects the name and theme of the perfume so well, but I can see how others may find the acrimoniousness of it off-putting.
Sillage and longevity is quite solid, especially when sprayed on fabric. There have been a few times in my testing that I've sprayed onto my shirt before bed and can still smell it in the morning. On skin, it lasts about 4 hours for me. I'd give extra credit to the fact that the bottle comes in a very affordable 30ml ($50 CAD pre-tax in early 2025). More brands should really do this and I'm glad that Lush has a selection of the 30mls. Too bad it doesn't encompass the entire selection.
Cassrdgwy
