Lily of the Valley Penhaligon's 1976 Eau de Toilette

Lily of the Valley is my favorite floral, and I have many versions of it, but Penhaligon's is the closest to the actual, freshly opened flower in my opinion. It's as fresh and green as spring itself - AND it has excellent longevity, rare in a LOTV fragrance.

I think Lily-of-the-Valley may just be one of my favourite notes of all time. A traditional staple and classic in perfumery, this is yet another example of a Lily-of-the-Valley perfume (one of the many soliflore iterations of this note).

One thing which strikes me about this Penhaligons creation, is it's projection and longevity. Unlike other Lily-of-the-Valley fragrances, this one projects and lasts for longer than others (in my experience). The smell it'self is a green, bitter one with a soapy floral vibe (as is quite common with this note, due to it's prevalence in soaps). I can faintly detect the chorus of ylang-ylang, jasmine, oakmoss, bergamot & sandalwood, but the overall blend is so well put together that it just comes across as a green, soapy perfume (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Overall, if you are someone looking for a no-frills Lily-of-the-Valley scent (and know what to expect) then this is good value because of lasting power and projection (about 3 feet I would say, with a lasting power of at least 4 to 5 hours before fading. To my experience it is somewhat linear, but for what it delivers it has it's own merits. This could even be an all seasons fragrance in my opinion. Not bad.

I hated this at first. The opening was so hard to explain. Synthetic? Shoe polish? Burnt plastic? I just know I didn’t like it. But after spraying, it’s grown on me. This is fresh and clean, with a vintage edge. Funny when I walk around I get wafts of it, and I think I smell vanilla/birch beer/rootbeer. Then I smell my wrist and only smell lily of the valley. What a bizarre experience. I find this to be a more traditional, fresher, greener take whereas Lucky from Chanel has a more modern and sugary lean. As time has been passing though… I think I kinda love it. As time passes and I move around more, the weird anomaly I described is less significant and I do get a fresh, very dewy spring garden.

Update: so I'm wearing this a second time around, and the opening from my sample isn't nearly as astringent and unpleasant as it was the first time (still not great though). I don't get any soda accords this time, just lily of the valley. This is more green and robust still compared to Lucky and I stand by my other notes! Still really lovely, just a bit one-note (as it was intended).

... this fragrance would have certainly pleased me!
Fortunately, I have finally gotten to know it!

The sample had been lying in the testing box for a long time, and I kept choosing another scent instead. Good things take time!

This delicate "tinkling" would have appealed to me as a young girl, still unsure in my fragrance choices - but I have always found flowers very enchanting.

As a young woman, excited, with a white veil and long dress, it would have suited me well and accompanied me into a new chapter of life.

As a young mother, uncertain, often sleep-deprived, and trying to do everything right, it would have surely done me good.

Later, when I faced a "pubescent horde," the delicate little bells would have certainly brought a smile to my face time and again. "It's not so bad! This time will pass too!"

And now, middle-aged - or perhaps already beyond? - my focus is once again on the essentials, letting "five be five" without further ado, I appreciate the delicate lily of the valley all the more.

Fresh and green, delicate and dainty with the slightly sweet hint of geraniums, which I enjoy in fragrances, they herald the new season. I can detect a splash of lemon and a hint of oak moss.
But the main actors are the little white bells, dancing joyfully and lifting their white dresses.
They are not loud, they are exuberant, they lift my spirits and make me smile.
They dance for many hours and then rest on their sandalwood bed.

Even though time passes, the years go by - one thing I know for sure:
"The next spring will surely come with sunshine and all the beautiful flowers!"

For a few days, we explored Saarland. This also included a personal meeting and getting to know a lovely perfumer. Unfortunately, I had caught a bad cold, which meant I could neither taste the cake that dear Clivia served us nor smell the wonderful perfume collection. The cake and collection were truly tempting, but I smelled and tasted nothing, nada, nüscht. Is there anything worse?

Manifesto 2015 was sprayed, a vintage Giorgio from Giorgio Beverly Hills was held under my nose, certainly not weak fragrances, but there was nothing to be done, my nose was being a diva: Oh no, not today, no, not always how you want, no...

And as lovely perfumers are, they filled bottles and rummaged through the fragrance cabinet, where did I put it... this one is a duplicate... hmm, this is also something nice, etc. Richly gifted, I left. Now I am back home, the cold has finally subsided, the sniffles are "only" rattling in my bronchi, and I have been sniffing various scents again since today.

Lily of the Valley by Penhaligon’s, after my lily of the valley mishap with Diorissimo, I am a bit more cautious. With the first spray, a delicate, light green lily of the valley rings in accompanied by a juicy lemon. Fresh, unobtrusive, cool, but not aloof, this lily of the valley scent is. There is no loud bang like with Diorissimo, but only a restrained chime, as befits such a delicate little flower. The lemon quickly disappears, but the lily of the valley remains present throughout the entire scent journey, nothing feels artificial or piercing. A fragrance for the first spring days when the sun peeks through the clouds and one suddenly notices that the leaves of the trees are finally green again. A charming women’s scent; I find it hard to imagine lily of the valley on men, it’s also a bit old-fashioned, but without mustiness or mold. Sillage and longevity are weak to medium; after about 3 hours, the delicate chime ends in a slightly woody note and fades away, what a pity. Therefore, I waver between 70% and 80%, oh what the heck, 80% is fine, I’m generous, I can smell again.

Thank you dear Clivia, a revenge in the form of a care package for the world’s best dog in Saarland will follow.....