Prosody London Pizzicato Bliss courtesy of Prosody London
Ever since I came across London-based organic, all-natural line at Pitti Fragranze 2019, I’ve been closely following founder and in-house perfumer Keshen Teo’s work. His perfumes are, quite simply, gorgeous. Prosody London’s Cologne Collection, released last year, is the second from the brand, and features a sextet of fragrances that shimmer like the sound of cymbals, holding on in the heat when other such fragrances fade into the torpor. My favourite of the six, Prosody London Pizzicato Bliss, is a luscious take on fig and quince with the dizzy, drunken beauty of falling headfirst into a flowery fig grove. It was one of my top ten fragrances of 2020 and may just be my favourite of the entire line so far.
Quince blossom, image via Flickr
Despite the designation “cologne,” the fragrances in Prosody’s second collection are substantial enough to wear for hours but light enough to sport when the heat is on. Prosody London Pizzicato Bliss is case in point: A full-bodied, golden scent that lasts for many hours yet never wears oppressively. The first spray is full of the gorgeous, heady perfume of quince blossom. It smells exactly like walking under a mock orange tree in full bloom on a warm day while eating a Nashi pear; sweet juice, faintly indolic blossoms and peachy-neroli scent of the tree flowers. In a few minutes, Prosody London Pizzicato Bliss begins to rouse itself from its luxuriant bower as the galbanum brings the sparky greenness of snapped stem. Breathing it in again, the perfume is as intoxicating as drinking fruit nectar spiked with chartreuse on a warm, still day. And I want more.
Sweet Peas and Figs by Edward van Ryswyck, image via Wikimedia commons
At the center of the fragrance is fig leaf; intensely fruity, milky and honeyed. Unusually, the lemon – nearly always a top note – starts to intensify alongside the fig. It’s a clever move, as the tart citrus bite tempers the fig from becoming overripe and blowsy.
The Garden of Eden by Jan Brueghel and Peter Paul Rubens via wikipedia
As the fig drips into the quince and galbanum, Pizzicato Bliss becomes a fragrance of lovely contrasting fruit and floral aromas. The galbanum and lemon act as ballerinos, lifting and balancing their more opulent partners. Hours later, my skin smells sun-warmed, tinged with off-center sweetness and honeyed fruit. The effect is soothing, luxurious, and absolutely lovely. It smells like the Garden of Eden before it all went wrong. I’ll be frank: I adore everything about Prosody London, from its elegant, vintage-modern packaging to the brand’s central ethos of delivering organic, all-natural creations of consistently high quality that could hold their place aside the French and Italian beauties that line the perfume counters of Bergdorf’s and Harvey Nichols.
Keshen Teo courtesy of the perfumesociety.org
But most of all, I love natural perfumer Keshen Teo’s work. With their distinct but subtle beeswax-floral signature, his pure botanical fragrances are distinctive, thoughtfully composed, and downright beautiful. Seek them out; try their samplers, you’ll thank me.
–Lauryn Beer, Editor
Disclosure I received my sample from Prosody London
Read Lauryn’s reviews of Prosody London Mocha Muscari and Rose Rondeaux and Jacinth Joquil
Notes: Quince blossom, Avignon petitgrain, Sicilian lemon, Tuscan fig leaf, Egyptian myrrh, Iranian galbanum.
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via Prosody London
Editor’s Note: Prosody London is now available in the USA. Use promo code FIRST15 and receive 15 percent off your first order
Image courtesy of Prosody London
Thanks to Prosody London and Prosody London USA, we have a draw for a bottle of Pizzicato Bliss for one registered reader in the USA or UK. To be eligible please leave a comment about what strikes you about Prosody Pizzicato Bliss, where you live, and if you are familiar with Prosody London all natural, vegan perfumes. Draw closes 3/27/21
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