Hello all,
I’m back again with another review, and today I’ll be discussing one of my favorite new fragrances – London by English Laundry! I bought a 100ml vaporisateur at Marshall’s in Harlem for around $15 and it’s one of the best investments in scent I have made in some time – let alone a blind-buy! And while I wouldn’t necessarily refer to it as such because my wife and I love the house and own most of their fragrances, I did not have the opportunity to sample it prior.
However, I knew I would love London before it even reached my skin! English Laundry has done it again – like one of my other favorites, Cambridge Knight, London is a genuinely well-balanced fragrance that brings so much to the senses at once. London opens sharply with a burst of blackberry and ambergris, the latter of which never seems to fade throughout the day!
While intense, at first, London quickly carries with it wafts of pineapple and juniper for about an hour before softening further into a fruit-forward bouquet of apple, jasmine, and patchouli. Like its opening, London’s drydown lasts for a considerable period before finishing with a light touch of musk and oakmoss.
On both my clothes and skin, London projects like a champion and can still be detected after 6+ hours!As an EdT concentration, some may find that it fades quickly in the summer months, but this is to be expected. Honestly, London is a genuine treat for me, and I find myself spraying some on the sheets or couch when lounging around just to remind myself of how much I love it – it’s hands-down the best penny-per-spray I have ever spent!
- Concentration: Eau de Toilette
- Primary: Blackberry, Ambergris, and Pineapple
- Secondary: Juniper, Musk, and Patchouli
- Tertiary: Apple, Oakmoss, and Jasmine
- Sillage: From its first misting, London projects strongly and for a considerable amount of time, but I wouldn’t call it overpowering as the sweet ambergris softens the fragrance’s profile throughout the day.
- Longevity: While I may complain later about how long London lasts, that’s only because I adore the fragrance and wish it could match the performance of some of its English Laundry analogues – it gives me a solid 4-6 hours on clothes and more on skin!
- Versatility: While a powerful fragrance, without a doubt, London’s broad profile allow it to work well in both hot and cold weather as well as various personal and professional settings, alike.
- Originality: While I am a big fan of the ambergris in Creed’s Green Irish Tweed, it’s a bit too bright and floral of a fragrance for me during the winter months in NYC, but the musk, patchouli, and blackberry in London make it a truly original fragrance for all occassions.
- Packaging: London’s box and presentation mirror that of English Laundry’s men’s collection, but its bottle stands-out from the rest due to its colorful branding.
- Price: At a discounter like TJ Maxx or Marshall’s, London can be had for roughly $15 and is worth every penny and more! I would even pay MSRP to re-buy it.
- Overall: London is truly one of my favorite fragrances – each and every note is given the opportunity to express itself whilst supported by a consistent base of ambergris. The only thing holding it back from being a true 10/10 for me is the EdT concentration – I wish it lasted just a bit longer!
- Score: 9.5/10.
Thanks so much for reading!
