Ivy League
Bluehill Fragrances (2021)

All green that glitters
Ain't exactly Christmas trees
But may bear presents

For patient waiters
Seekers of sweet truth and a
Better class of mint

Da clean green machine
Don't need no stinkin' badgers
Down in da garden

Rootin' 'round in them
Spices, flowers, herbs and such
Might make a fine mess

Ivy lookin' down
That brick and mortar pawn shop
Fine establishment

Second story gal
Climbed up on her own she did
Wavin' to the crowd

If those bricks could talk
Nature on both sides might have
A story or two.

***

I blind-bought Ivy League mostly out of curiosity, as part of my love/hate relationship with green scents. My love for green stuff comes and goes, so I try to "buy into" my periodic days of infatuation, to maximize my enjoyment.

Dirty and weird greens wake me up and challenge me, but I cannot love them on my skin. Bitter greens get some of my love, but only for a brief time. I salivate over the bottles, and then say no.

Clean, fresh, and sweet greens, in contrast, are my periodic precious. I had hoped that Ivy League would stay in my Goldilocks zone, in that regard, and it does.

Brief moments of almost-bitterness grab my attention, but are eased aside by sweet, minty goodness, come to the rescue. Meanwhile, that vegetal ivy scent I sought, stays strong at all times, backed up by a chorus of clipped grass. Wild and untamed, ivy is a tricky thing - I know - but willing to share its beauty, in the hands of the artist, be they perfumer or groundskeeper. Clean and fresh floral notes never give up. Black pepper spices things up just right. The entire composition lasts and lasts.

My wife, lover of clean and green, alone or together, approves of this fragrance. I think I like Seabreeze more, with its aquatic facets, but the mint, herbs, pepper and ivy combination makes Ivy League a very interesting and rather unique offering.

Even the "mean green" crowd may want to investigate. This gal Ivy has a few surprises!