Lothair 
Penhaligon's (2014)

Lothair by Penhaligon's is the smell of freshness and vegetation, the smell of forests and meadows. Lothair is natural, but modern, dynamic, lively and intense. There is probably a bit of everything in it that can be associated with nature. It is fresh yet warm, watery yet green, woody yet spicy, airy yet aromatic.

In the opening, Lothair feels more masculine thanks to intense and fresh notes of juniper and lavender. These notes are accompanied by various other ones: fig and tea leaves and a number of woody notes, including cedar. In addition, the whole mixture is freshend up with citruses: juicy bergamot and delicate grapefruit. Besides before mentioned notes, somewhere in the background there is also a spicy, warm, vanillic and at the same time animalic, delicate mixture consisting of: aromatic cardamom, sweet vanilla, grey ambergris and musk.

As it develops, Lothair gets warmer, calms down and even becomes cosy. This is the stage when a beautiful cardamom-vanilla base with a whole lot of woody notes, delicate oak moss and also the sensual scent of grey ambergris and musk starts to shine. The whole blend still remains fresh though, as the aromatic, fresh notes of juniper, lavender, delicate green notes and light geranium are still noticeable.

Sweet, seductive and spicy opening. Not that far off from Eau des Baux. In fact, it's pretty close to EdB to my nose but not as sharp, more refined and also not as loud which may not be what some want. This smells so good that you'll want others to notice.

Feels like a nighttime scent, good for formal or casual wear.

The drydown kicks in with the vanilla and then gives way to the musky oakmoss at some point. All workday longevity with about 6 hours of average projection.

I have own this since 2014, when it was launched. Popped into Penhaligon's store at Wellington Street in London few weeks after it was released and just could not resist it. It was the beginning of Autumn and it felt the appropriate fragrance for that season. What ensued was a love story of magic and discovery that spread throughout the winter and into the spring (until the summer, when, I believe, this fragrance should be put to sleep before being awakened again in late September).

The depth of this scent is staggering in the sense that it is very, very complex and rich. It is definitely a winter fragrance that clings onto your skin and lasts for about 5-6 hours. A splash of fig can be felt during the opening and the base notes leave a very subtle and pleasant atmosphere - as is usual with any Penhaligon's perfume. It is now overpowering nor neutral. It is versatile and pleasant, without being a crowdpleaser. It is seductive if you're into the mood; a very casual chic fragrance to wear during the day, or a sophisticated accessory to wear on a night out.

It works as well as when you have family gatherings in December or when you wake up on a sunny morning in May. It is OK for work, perhaps too elegant and nice - unless you work in a very sophisticated environment, it is probably a bit too much to wear this in an office.

It can work during summer months as well, but beware that during hot days projection during the first hours might be a bit overwhelming and will not transmit a message of freshness.

However, it is perhaps one of the best things I've ever smelled and will always be at the top of my list.

It's a good fresh, rich, woody-musky fragrance which I wouldn't mind having as part of my travel luggage. Whilst I ordered the sample on the basis of the enticing description of tea clippers, varnished decks of ships etc, I can't actually smell any of these things in the fragrance and I doubt if anyone smelling it would produce those particular associations unless they had read the marketing pitch beforehand. It's not especially original either, a similar smell on the mass market would be Lynx Africa, though doubtless the essence here is of higher quality.

My first impression is that I really like Lothair! A very nice opening and a continued enjoyable wear for starters. I'm going to wear it tomorrow and will give it a full review then, but I like it so far!

2nd Wearing: Okay, so I wore Lothair all day today and paid attention to the notes. Loathair opens with a fruit vibe that switches to a sweet, powdery scent with a nutty note. At about thirty minutes it reminded me of divinity candy with peanuts. At the hour mark I noticed the wood emerging and I agree with Odysseusm, the woods do smell somewhat synthetic. At eight hours I was still picking up divinity candy sweetness with that slight peanut smell. Good longevity and sillage. I didn't like it all day as much as I did for just a short wear. Probably not something I'll buy a full bottle of.