Penhaligon's The Impudent Cousin Matthew and Penhaligon's The Ingénue Cousin Flora (Courtesy of Penhaligon's)
Launched in 2016 and expanding fast, Penhaligon's Portraits Collection has just been enriched with its 13th and 14th member: the twin characters – and scents – by the names The Impudent Cousin Matthew and The Ingénue Cousin Flora. For those unfamiliar with Penhaligon's Portraits (“a tribute to the English spirit", according to the brand), each fragrance of the collection refers to, and is inspired by, a fictional character belonging to a universe not unlike a British upper-class soap opera. As one can see from the detailed, humorous bios of these characters at the brand's site, they are linked to one another by blood relations, marriages, affairs or other passions…
Penhaligon's The Ingénue Cousin Flora and artwork by Kristjana S. Williams (Photo: Despina Veneti)©
The fragrances are hosted in sturdy, luxurious bottles, and each one's impeccable, heavy golden-tone metal cap is in the shape of an animal head (each animal reflects the essence of the respective human character). Packaged in boxes beautifully illustrated by artist Kristjana S. Williams, Penhaligon's Portraits are a real ornament to look at; the scents themselves are of high quality, with the first twelve releases ranging from spicy/woody to rich floral, and from boozy to leathery compositions. For the first time Penhaligon's adds two fresh, youthful, citrus-dominated fragrances to its Portraits Collection. Although The Impudent Cousin Matthew is being marketed as a men's fragrance, and The Ingénue Cousin Flora as women's, these two “citrus cocktails" are to be shared, and enjoyed, by everyone.
Lemon Head by Leah Saulnier ©
Penhaligon’s The Impudent Cousin Matthew’s bio informs us that the trouble with him is that he always seems to be at the wrong place, the wrong time: “He's never far away when things go awry. Educated, he gallantly takes the blame without contestation and is mildly surprised to cause such a nuisance for the actions of his delightful twin sister, Flora. And so he contemplates the sky, a dandelion, or a muddy gate for hours, to forget the latest bother with Nanny. He really can’t remember putting dead frogs in her bed, but if Flora says he did, why argue…?”. Matthew is used to taking the blame for sister Flora's mischief, for he knows they have roles: “he's naughty, she's nice.”
Penhaligon's The Impudent Cousin Matthew and Alberto Morillas of Firmenich©
Composed by Master Perfumer Alberto Morillas, Penhaligon’s The Impudent Cousin Matthew opens in the good-natured, easy-going manner of a delightfully breezy, refined Cologne Intense. Juicy mandarin, invigorating lemon and green/woody petitgrain are spiced up by a touch of cardamom; it's only a matter of minutes before the highly aromatic heart emerges, with notes of juniper, cypress and possibly other woods. The audacious, cheeky aspect of Matthew’s personality is represented by a rich, earthy patchouli base (resembling vetiver a lot), which provides depth, power and a long drydown. Mr. Morillas is undoubtedly a specialist of fresh scents, so it’s no surprise that Cousin Matthew is such a highly enjoyable, technically accomplished fragrance, with intriguing contrasts between juiciness and earthiness, luminosity and darker undertones. Listed Notes: Mandarin, Petitgrain, Patchouli.
Orange Crush by Leah Saulnier©
The Ingénue Cousin Flora, on the other hand, appears to be the wide-eyed innocent of the family: “courteous to the old, punctual for her riding lessons and a smiling angel around her ma-ma. Always a most valuable witness to the mischief of her twin brother Matthew, Flora is diligent in her reporting, and aims to be as helpful as she can”. However, there's more to Flora than meets the eye: “Her one true virtue, the meticulousness with which she hides her own guilty trail… But ask her brother, her twin. She's the master of spin!”.
Penhaligon's The Ingénue Cousin Flora and Christophe Raynaud of Firmenich©
Perfumer Christophe Raynaud created a citrus delight that opens with slightly tart mandarin and sweet bergamot, aromatically enhanced by touches of clove, mint and petitgrain. A comforting base of silky musk and ambery ambroxan emerges after the first ten minutes, but doesn't completely take over; the citrus effect in Cousin Flora lasts even longer than in Cousin Matthew, creating a beautiful contrast between acidity and creaminess. And even if the woody/musky base doesn't really seem enough to account for Cousin Flora’s hidden mischievous nature, that doesn't make the scent less vivacious, energetic or joyful. Listed Notes: Citrus Cocktail, Musk, Ambroxan.
Penhaligon's The Impudent Cousin Matthew and The Ingénue Cousin Flora (Photo: Despina Veneti)©
Sunny, breezy and ebullient, Penhaligon’s The Impudent Cousin Matthew and The Ingénue Cousin Flora combine an admirably long citrus cocktail effect with warm and woody bases; they are meant to brighten one's day, and they indeed succeeded in uplifting my spirits.
Disclaimer: I'd like to thank Penhaligon's for my bottle of The Ingénue Cousin Flora and my travel spray of The Impudent Cousin Matthew. The opinions are my own.
– Despina Veneti, Senior Editor
Penhaligon's The Impudent Cousin Matthew and The Ingénue Cousin Flora travel sprays (Courtesy of Penhaligon's)
Thanks to the generosity of Penhaligon's, we have a draw for a set of a 10ml travel spray of The Impudent Cousin Matthew and a 10ml travel spray of The Ingénue Cousin Flora, for one registered reader in USA or Europe. You must register here or your comment will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what you enjoyed most about Despina’s review, if you have a favorite from the Penhaligon's Portraits Collection or a favorite Penhaligon's, and where you live. Draw closes March 30. 2019
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