Sydney Rock Pool
Arquiste (2018)

I get coconut sunscreen and Screamwood. The ambertonic takes over everything for me with a screechy rubbing alcohol aroma that gets stronger over time and won't scrub off. Anyone else sensitive to the Amberwood or Ambertonic (or "woody notes" or the generally unlisted wood boosting aroma molecule) should be cautious and sample this before buying a full bottle because all I can smell is woody scream and coconut lotion.

Hazy, minerally, unsweetened coconut with a hint of seaweed. Very different from what I expected. Yes, you could call this a suntan lotion scent, but it's so much more than that. It's truly an aura of relaxation around you.

Seashore scenery such as beaches and rock pools is something nearly everyone likes and is therefore borrowed to sell all manner of perfumes even if there is no real connection. I'm not too sure if that's the case here however as I've never been to Sydney or its rock pool.

Anyway it's very pleasant scent whose main theme is lactonic (coconut or gorse) with a subtle sandalwood shading and a gentle undercurrent of woody amber. The woody aspect recalls Serge Luten's Miel du Bois.

Another comparable scent is AOD, a rather nice sea beach offering from a company called Lostmarch in Brittany, so perhaps there is really something to this type of coastal interpretation.

I believe the fragrance originates from Givaudan, and it does seem to have that aura about it.

Maybe the greatest aquatic ever made.

When it's empty, the half moon of Bondi Beach resembles a sea shell or a coconut sliver, with its white strip of sand bending crescent around a blue water. But it's never empty. Bondi's always awash with people, it's always covered in tropical lotions, cheap and cheerful. If you can smell the sandalwood, it's because the furniture is sweating like the rest of us. If the salt glitters in the breeze above the beach, blame the harsh light, blame the hole in ozone, blame the sun for burning all the air out of the sky. If you can smell the kelp it's on the tide from the harbor. If you can smell the Jasmine, it's on the breeze from the botanical gardens.

Take a break, get a drink at Icebergs. Think about jumping in the pool. The ocean's right over there! But everyone knows the pool looks better from the ocean and the ocean looks better from the pool.

This takes me back.
Notes: Ocean air, surf and seaweed, good foreign suntan lotion and light florals over tropical fruits.
Sillage: solid.
Projection: good on warm skin.
Longevity: 6 hours