Sartorial by Penhaligon's

A classic, high-quality scent that is very neat and elegant. The only drawback is that it projects almost nothing. I understand that one doesn’t expect such a perfume to make a loud statement, but it should at least be noticeable. Otherwise, it’s all positive. I recommend it for spring or autumn; it gets lost in winter, and there are better options for summer.

Sartorial changes my mood. I only wear it on cold days when I want to look serious and contemplative; otherwise, it bothers me. It smells nostalgic, like old-school cleanliness, reminiscent of the smell of my childhood home when I was with my grandparents. It’s a clean scent, lavender-based, with a metallic touch and a sweet note… it’s not fresh but not heavy either, smelling of impeccably freshly ironed clothes. It’s brilliant because it evokes memories, it’s a journey. Furthermore, it is a Penhaligon’s best seller that best honours the brand’s aesthetic (unfortunately, English Fern no longer exists). By the way, I don’t understand the comparison with Brut; to me, they have nothing in common 🤷

British subtlety is something very special, much like Sartorial. Delicately spiced, it possesses an elegance and dry lightness that leaves a subtle mark. I believe they took great care in its creation to ensure no ingredient altered the structure. The result is masterful: the fragrance pyramid has a certain risk with cardamom, ginger, pepper, violet, patchouli, and myrrh… it’s easy to fail, but not here. It is a breath of old-time masculinity and elegance adapted for today. From the start, it impresses with its coordinated and unusual concept, a fine note that blends with an earthy nuance. As it develops, the violet complements a subtle mentholated sweetness. The pepper is used with mastery, enhancing the heart without falling into powdery notes. The play of textures is brilliant: fabric, paper, leather, wax… it evokes craftsmanship at cutting tables and ironing machines. It recalls exquisite manners of past decades. It is a mature fragrance that doesn’t feel outdated or boring, but it lacks a bit of presence.

Sophistication and neatness… a masterpiece. This is the seventh art. I love it because it is so subtle and pleasant that it feels like your own body scent, but that of an angel or a god from Olympus. All the notes are well-gear-ed; I perceive a honeyed fougère thanks to the honey. I advise perfume lovers to try it once in their life.

I love it. It is one of those perfumes that I feel the need to wear always. As a lover of fougères, I say it is a modern reinvention of a classic style, much like Tom Ford did with Beau de Jour (for me, one of the best current fougères). The opening is explosive, spicy, and slightly citrusy. There is something aniseed about it, though it is not declared. The dry down goes to the classic concept of the style, on the same wavelength as Loewe Pour Homme but without such a citrus load and very similar to Azzaro Pour Homme, yet more refined and less sweet. The longevity is good, over 8 hours. There are moments when it seems it is not there, but it remains. The pleasure of putting it on straight after a shower is a delight. A very modern classic.

Simply, for me, this is the Holy Grail of perfumery, the end of the road. I say it as clearly as that. To my taste, the best makeup on a woman is that which is not worn or not noticed. Sartorial is exactly that: it doesn’t smell like perfume. It smells like super-clean clothes. It smells SO beautiful, SO clean, SO cosy, that people won’t know if you’re wearing perfume or if you are the cleanest person in the world. People will wonder if you showered with waters from the springs of Zeus’s daughters or if your clothes were washed by a choir of archangels. It is the olfactory expression of an obsession with cleanliness.

Another scent from Penhaligon’s that, without reinventing the wheel, has a ‘I know it smells really good’ quality and, following the house’s ABC, is elegant. It is a honeyed lavender but not a sweet, floral, green, mossy… it has an endless number of nuances. You can perceive the quality and care Penhaligon’s puts into every fragrance tested. The performance is not very high and the price is there. I feel something metallic (or I want to feel it when I declare it) and spices. As a whole, it denotes elegance without being invasive, cleanliness that dresses but is not for everyday use; it smells like a classic scent but not old. It is a very good proposal; what escapes me is the price-to-performance ratio. I do not want it to buzz more, but I miss greater longevity as after a few hours it feels skin-scented. Still, it is a very interesting option. It does not move well in hot or extremely cold periods. For formal occasions or office days to feel good. More masculine.

Total barbershop fragrance, like entering a classy, elegant barbershop with woods, but everything modernised. It is in no way old-fashioned. It is a mix of luxury shaving creams with a honey frame around it. Very few recreate the barbershop scent like Sartorial. Without excessive projection, its longevity confuses and can seem as if it doesn’t last, yet it does last hours. It leaves a short trail, and whoever approaches will think you have just stepped out of the shower and had a good shave and haircut. I don’t know to what extent women will like it, as it is a scent ‘between men’s things’. Nevertheless, every man will like it and identify it as ‘this gentleman has had a VERY good recent shave’.

Oh, a rare and complex perfume. I was told it has an ironing effect, and I share that: that hot steam over fabrics. It has many metallic notes, though not as obvious as lemon; I associate metallic with something cold and distant, and here it is subtle. In this modernist take on the fougère, you can detect the hidden lavender and a more present oakmoss, but with so many nuances and shifts, it does not bore the younger generation. At the start, there is an ozonic freshness and sweet beeswax that fits well, although the freshness tends to fade quickly. A leather note enters, which I am not a fan of, alongside woods. Later, things relax and a faint honey appears by surprise, along with the usual (oakmoss and that ironing accord which could be lavender and metals, I am not sure). If that were not enough, I detect a floral note which other lists identify as cyclamen, though I am not certain. It is a rare bird and an experience to analyse; later you may or may not fall in love with it; it has not won me over. Regarding performance, I thought it would be poor due to its low profile, but it lasts around 10 hours or more.