CB I Hate Perfume – Cumming, Greenbriar 1968

Before I start – I believe my sample is of the original Cumming fragrance (which is extremely hard to find now) – Christopher Brosius has re-released this scent in his own water format and oil absolute (which apparently is absolutely no different!) called 2nd Cumming.

Cumming is surprisingly – really lovely! It opens with Brosius’ isntantly recognizable “dirt accord”, followed by – smooth leather, a rich boozy note, tobacco, rubber, a delicate smoke, all piled in at once into a gorgeous, but slightly restrained opening. It is extremely unusual (especially for a celebrity scent), but really lovely on the skin. The leather is worn and rugged, yet smoothed out into an almost suede like texture from the synthetic rubbery notes and the smooth honeyed tobacco. The smoke is literally a whisper, and the boozy notes a sweetened whisky stain rather than astringent and sharp.
The dirt (like most CB scents) retreats into the background relatively quickly, it is always an accord that starts out with pungency and then disappears, but it’s earthiness seems to round out scents and add that distinctive green edge.

Cumming becomes seamless – it is velvet soft on the skin, and a little bit quiet. Considering the huge personality of each accord that CB has used to create this, he has somehow hushed them all into something very refined and well-behaved. Whilst in all honesty I’d rather than screeching at full volume – it is has a wonderful presence, mature and formal, but with a real playful edge.

The fragrance’s life isn’t particularly long – the leather remains throughout, with a vanillic sweetness that resembles the leather treatment in the drydown of Dzing!, the dirt accord of wet soil and mushrooms hides extremely quietly at the base, whilst the sweet booziness and smoke remain harmoniously quiet but always there. I also get a powerful, dusty saffron presence from start to finish although it isn’t listed – it adds a little more stinky warmth to the fragrance.
All in all, a really great scent, it’s just a shame that after an hour, it is barely detectable.

Dirt again, crushed leaves, the dampness of cedar wood shavings, and a dirty patchouli open Greenbriar 1968. There’s the scent of cut grass in here – but more like hay – farm like almost. I also pick up a weird “breath” aroma in here too, a little bit of an “off” note that reminds me of sweat and soiled skin.

Greenbriar begins to re-arrange itself and get confortable after a couple of minutes, where similarly to Cumming, Christopher Brosius’ honeyed tobacco rises up to the top, paired with the fresh-cut hay note. A worn leather appears and the wood shavings becomes a mere whisper.

The most fascinating part of Greenbriar for me is a very light, delicate floral note that smells extremely familiar but I feel like I haven’t smelt it before. Trying to hunt this down, I came across Fragrantica where it lists “cotton flower”… the perfumer also lists on his website that Greenbriar contains the faint scent of “grease covered cotton overalls”. I actually kind of get this, and the delicate flower smells nothing like laundry, but more the slightly dusty scent of cotton. So how the hell do I know that cotton has a scent? Well, my hobby used to be designing and making clothes – and buying rolls of fabric hold this unique scent, similarly to how a library smells of books. But, the perfumer is also correct when he describes this accord as “faint” – blink and you’ll miss it, but when you catch it, it is beautifully familiar and homely.

What remains up top for the rest of the fragrance’s life is the green, snapped-twig scent, a honeyed sweetness of tobacco, all overlaid with a translucent, slightly soiled leather. Unfortunately, yet again, it is extremely light on the skin, almost undetectable after a couple of hours, with no throw of the skin.
I’ve said it over and over again – the CB I Hate Perfume line needs to be stronger, and set in alcohol… putting these creations in small dilution in water is a complete waste of this guy’s talent. I adore so much of the line, but haven’t bought one for the reason mentioned above. It’s a real shame, if he dropped his watery nonsense, my wallet would be empty
Both beautiful perfumes, but with a tiny life-span.

Cumming available in 100ml water/15ml absolute – $69 cbihateperfume.com
Greenbriar 1968 100ml water – $80, 15ml absolute – $95 cbihateperfume.com

CB I Hate Perfume – Just Breathe, I Am A Dandelion

Just Breathe  is a perfect designer release. It is universally pleasant, yet just about unusual enough to be considered unique.
It opens both green, and sweet – with an extremely synthetic and overtly loud green tea accord, that is more candied than natural and bitter.
Bizarrely, the opening reminds me of Secret Obsession by Calvin Klein – something I used to enjoy but would never wear.

The fragrance has a damp feel to it, and manages to pull of Brosius’ typical “soaked earth” feel but with the fresher scent of bamboo… having said that, I have no idea what real bamboo smells like. Given the list of notes (Bamboo, green tea, cedar), it sounds like a fancy body wash, and smells like one too. It has a creamy texture to it that is much denser than the fragrance needed to be.

Just Breathe verges on cloying, and the sweetness is like an intense fruit accord of peach and maybe even melon? It has the same fruit vibe as Saddle Warmer by Smell Bent – only SW is almost meant to be gross and it works well because of that – here however the fruit note smells like a cleaning product or an air freshener.
Some floral notes come in and out but are so translucent they are hard to identify. Maybe a cheap jasmine?

Basically, I don’t like this fragrance. It is probably the first CB I Hate Perfume creation that I have actually not found anything to like about. It was designed to “calm, balance and center yourself”, but it doesn’t do that at all – and thankfully it seems that many noses agree. Not a good effort.

And finally we find something great again!

The classic Soaked Earth accord opens I Am A Dandelion, sitting underneath a juicy, sap filled floral that without the name of the fragrance hinting at you – would be completely baffling and so familiar!

Before sniffing I Am A Dandelion, it’s almost impossible for me to think about what the flower itself smells like – one inhalation and it all comes back…

The floral accord has a wet, playful scent of sap, green leaves and an almost delicate smoky aroma. You can smell the gleaming yellow petals contrasting with the thick scent of rich mud and cut grass. Whilst the imagery goes hand in hand with Christopher Brosius’ marketing and direct name, the fragrance is undoubtably familiar and wonderfully accurate.

The perfumer really does excel with these green earthy fragrances – and maybe for some it can get a little tiresome, almost like a cheap trick throwing in that great accord to make something so joyous and real, but for now it does work; for me - I’m not tired of it just yet.
I Am A Dandelion is basically Wild Hunt without the mushrooms, but more sap and fresh greens.
It is linear, not particularly long-lasting, but a pleasure to wear whilst it lasts.

Just Breathe 15ml Absolute – $90
Just Breathe 100ml Water – $75
I Am A Dandelion 15ml Absolute – $95
I Am A Dandelion 100ml Water – $80 all available from cbihateperfume.com

CB I Hate Perfume – In The Library, Mr. Hulot’s Holiday

These are two CB I Hate Perfume fragrances that are pretty much considered some of his most popular, so I thought I’d pair them together as they are relatively simple fragrances that I feel kind of sit together well (they are also both part of the CB Experience Series).

In The Library opens with a subtle vegetal aroma with a hint of sweetness. The first thing that came to mind every time I smelt this was “coconut flesh”, and it still is. It has the aroma of coconut without being the typical sweet, creamy scent found in fragrances that always comes off as tropical. This coconut note is damp, and to me, true to life.

This is where In The Library confuses me. To me, it doesn’t smell at all like books, old books/new books, any type, I get no association with a library, or even fresh ink for that matter. Along with Brosius’ “English Novel” accord, is “Leather Bindings” “Worn Cloth” amongst others. If I’m honest, I don’t get any of this, which is really rare for me with a CB scent – generally I fall completely in love with the story and pick up everything and am fascinated by his perfect recreation of natural aromas. Here however – I’m not at all influenced by the story as it doesn’t connect with me when I smell In The Library at all.

Ok, so the coconut aroma is incredibly subtle, but it does linger throughout the life of this fragrance. When I’m used to this, I begin to pick up this damp/mildew kind of effect. I associate it with a sodden, kind of mould like scent – but to be honest, I don’t know what mildew smells like – but that is the effect that In The Library gives off to me.

It is pleasant, and that’s about all. If you pick up the leather and cloth and furniture polish then I’m extremely jealous. For me however, In The Library is all about coconut flesh and a dampness – which may come from the “Worn Cloth” accord. It is subtle to the point of having to bring your hand extremely close to your nose to begin to smell it, and that’s from the first spritz. It is probably my least favourite CB fragrance from those I’ve tried, but I can thoroughly understand its appeal.

At first, Mr. Hulot’s Holiday or MHH, opens with a typical, subtle calogne type of note – an aquatic mix of woods and citrus, but very delicate and restrained.
This gives in pretty quickly, and out comes a wonderful salty, sea air accord; not quite as acrid and seasoned as Profumi Del Forte’s Tirrenico salt, but more the scent of ocean stained skin.

If I’m honest – there really isn’t much to say about MHH, it is what it is – and it remains linear throughout it’s life. A salty sea breeze accord dominates, extremely subtle and close to the skin, yet with a subliminal warmth that you can’t help  but find familiar and comforting. It is the scent of your body after a day at the beach, only without any kind of tropical associations of suntan lotion and cocktails. Here the effect is more blunt, and slightly less dreamy and romantic. The direct effect of salty skin is further enhanced by the merest hint of driftwood, sharing an ever so slightly familiar mould vibe as present in In The Library.

There are a few listed accords I don’t pick up, the main one being “Old Leather Suitcases”, and I wish this accord was more present as I’d love to detect a musty leather beneath this, it would completely take this fragrance out it’s usual aquatic territory into something much more original for me. But unfortunately, whilst I think MHH is a wonderfully fresh, summer sea scent, it needed to be much more to match its story and its goal.
MHH is what it is, and a great example of a “salty skin” note, I personally need a little more But sometimes subtlety works best and many people seem to thoroughly enjoy this.

As I say with all my CB reviews, I really really think Christopher Brosius needs to drop his nonsense regarding water perfumes, and whack some alcohol in these. If he did, his bank account would flourish with hundreds of new buyers and that’s pretty much a fact. I, along with many people on the forums, agree that these fragrances just don’t pack enough impact. Brosius has exceptional talent that almost seems wasted once these are diluted in water, and his absolutes aren’t much better. It’s a real shame as this brand could be much larger and more successful and greater appreciated than it currently is. I hope one day he accepts this, but it won’t happen…

In The Library/Mr. Hulot’s Holiday 100ml Water – $75.00
In The Library/Mr. Hulot’s Holiday 15ml Absolute – $90 – all available from cbihateperfume.com

CBMusk (Reinvention) – CB I Hate Perfume

I have wanted to try this for a long time, and thanks to my recently recieved packet from one lovely Basenoter – I now have that opportunity!
Christopher Brosius basically says on his site that this is his take on what real musk smells like. He admits “Whether it does or not – I do not know”.
He goes on to explain how he hates synthetic musks and the like, so this is basically his concoction designed to smell like true animal musk…

CBMusk Reinvention has a beautiful opening. It’s a compelling and confusing mix of mushrooms (as present in his Wild Hunt), with his famous “Dirt accord” thrown in. On top of this realistic earthiness is a very sweet, almost caramel scent, which honey coats the fungal notes. There’s also some spice in the mix, a little bit of cinnamon and maybe nutmeg? Cooking spices really, which add some delicate heat.

It has this fruity/jammy quality to it, something really stodgy and dense, like a plum, or dates. That seems to add to the caremelized sweetness too and the combination seems like something that would easily slip into the Lutens’ lineup but with some Brosius soil and fungus thrown on top.

I kind of get the muskiness Brosius was aiming for, but I think even he knows this isn’t a musky perfume. I find it almost gourmand actually, it could easily be some exotic Middle Eastern dessert, one that looks a bit gross, smells funky, but you taste it and are like “Oh yeh that’s nice…sweet”. Quite underwhelming yes.

I’m not saying CBMusk Reinvention isn’t nice, it is actually quite good, but it doesn’t do it’s job – it rebels even from Brosius himself and takes a whole different direction. This is even more obvious after ten minutes or so when the mushrooms have worn off and all that is left is a stewed fruit and cinnamon smell with a slight musky undertone. Almost a seasonal pudding – warm, sticky and comforting. I start to pick up some green herbal notes too, something slightly bitter but yet again – culinary. It smells as though it could be an Arabian attar, dense, warm and rich.

Now, I do like this, but I can’t help but think – If I want a musk, there are much better musks out there. If I wanted culinary spices and stewed fruits – there are much better options out there. I actually wouldn’t want to smell like this at all, even if I do think the composition is successful as a gourmand (once the fungal dirty notes have vanished – which is very quickly). Even though I’m sampling in absolute form, the longevity isn’t great… Actually, maybe that’s a little unfair – it lasts a good few hours but with great subtlety, it’s a “press your nose to your wrist” kind of sillage.

All in all, it’s a very nice smell. But I’m pretty certain that if I pressed my nose to a deer’s butt - I wouldn’t smell Christmas plums.

CB Musk Reinvention 15ml Perfume Absolute – $105 cbihateperfume.com

Patchouli Empire – CB I Hate Perfume

Today, I received the most amazing package from an extremely generous Basenoter. Inside was a whole bunch of CB I Hate Perfume samples (including some I have been desperaatteeee to try!), and on top of those freebies, was a whole pile of other freebies: a bunch of synthetic musk ingredients, and some sample vials of different varieties of real ambergris tinctures! Amazing stuff.

So, I figured I’m going to take my time through these samples, but to be honest, I couldn’t resist cracking out at least one, giving it a wearing and writing about it. I have just loved all the CB’s I have tried so far, it is without a doubt one of my favourite brands and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to try more of these.

I picked out Patchouli Empire as my first write-up. To be honest, I hadn’t really looked into this one that much as I’ve been much more intrigued by the romantic stories of other series, and the more literal atmospheres of them. However, I’ve been craving patchouli like mad recently (and I don’t really consider my bottle of Intrigant Patchouli a real patchouli – there’s so much more to it). I’ve actually got a calculated blind of Borneo 1834 on its way, but that’s going to take some time to arrive

Patchouli Empire is apparently an all natural blend of five patchouli’s, and with my recent exploration into naturals – namely Aftelier’s brilliant line, I figured this would be a good starting point of this huge batch of samples!

Wow, this patchouli is completely not what I’m used to. It opens with a tart,  almost industrial citrus (bergamot), and a big crack of black pepper. It literally smells sour and medicinal, and the citrus mixed with what I’m guessing is this patchouli, creates a citrus/tea scent that is both bitter, and intense.

The black pepper dies down, and the citrus only just tones down a bit. The patchouli underneath is so different to what I expected, it’s not at all the dank, green, full of life earthy patchouli that I know, but instead has this fresher, leafy quality to it. It couldn’t be described as “hippyish” as it doesn’t have any of that delicious, masculine stuffiness to it – here the patchouli is much lighter, it has an aura like there has been patchouli here but not any more.

As time goes on, the more familiar patchouli does come forward, but never thoroughly. Yet this sour quality still remains, along with the bitter “tea leaf” quality. Underneath the patchouli (which to me doesn’t seem like the main player in this although I’m sure it is), are a bunch of woods. A rough shard of cedar (I think), adds an unapologetic prickle to the base, whilst I’m sure there is something slightly smoother in there as well, but I wouldn’t be able to guess – another wood is all.

The fragrance remains relatively linear. It is definitely not what I was craving, but surprisingly it does get a little more appetizing as time goes on, maybe I’m just getting used to it though. The scent is so familiar, but I have no idea what it is; definitely something you can encounter day-to-day – it has a kind of industrial cleaning product aroma, and the dirtiness that goes along with it.

I can’t say right now that I’d enjoy wearing this, I actually can’t think of when I ever would want to wear this, but I’m so glad I tried it. This has opened my eyes a little to what patchouli can actually smell like, I’d have never recognized it otherwise. As Christopher Brosius states on his site: “…quality plays an important part and I came to realize that there is patchouli & PATCHOULI. Depending upon its age, variety & origin, patchouli can be astonishingly subtle, rich & beautiful.” which basically says that such small differences in batches of patchouli, can have a completely different scent to others, and this is one that I wasn’t familiar with at all. I will keep trying this though as it is like nothing I have smelt before, and who knows – I may start liking this super sour scent.

So, I’m sorry that my first new CB I Hate Perfume fragrance review was a little so-so, but there is much more exciting things to come and things in my sample pack which after one little cheeky sniff, I’ve pretty much said “WOW” too already. I can’t wait to stick my nose into these further Maybe I’ll finally find one to settle on… or two…

Patchouli Empire CB I Hate Perfume 15ml Absolute – $105
100ml Water Perfume – $90 – both from cbihateperfume.com

Forest/Wild Hunt – CB I Hate Perfume

That is the one great thing about these water perfumes, there’s no waiting around for the sharp alcohol note to disappear before the fragrance blooms for you. With Wild Hunt, what explodes infront of your nose is filthy upturned soil, and the damp, mouldy stink of mushrooms.
I absolutely love it

Whilst it all sounds completely bitter and grim, there’s some kind of underlying sweetness that makes this a whole lot more wearable.
But before I get ahead of myself, this is all about the mushrooms, the wet soil, and the withering green foliage of leafs and broken twigs.
I may be wrong, but It feels like five minutes later, I’m picking up some fig leaves? I’m just getting that green/coconuty type of creaminess in the background which is giving me that sweet undertone, it may just be the dirty sweetness of the truffles though.

Wild Hunt is very linear, it stays just as dirty from start to finish, and retains that lovely damp/dewy feel, it feels as though your skin is still wet once the fragrance has dried.
I chose to sample this after my hunt for savoury notes in fragrances, particularly mushroom. I wanted Sombre Negra to have that pungent mushroom note, but obviously as you may have read in my previous review of it, it turned out it had been drastically reformulated and didn’t smell earthy at all, one of the most boring fragrances I’ve tried. Anyway. This really hits the spot as the best mushroom note I’ve smelt in a fragrance. Christopher Brosius is the master of green perfumes, and for someone like me who isn’t normally a fan, these are done just as I like them. Similarly to Memory of Kindness (green tomato leaf), the representation is so unbelievably accurate and intense that it’s everything I look for if I’m going green.

Unfortunately though, Wild Hunt doesn’t last very long. I hate to bring up longevity issues with the CB line as it has been said over and over again. This isn’t the case with all the waters; At The Beach 1966 lasts many hours on me, this however doesn’t. I have also tried the absolute, which didn’t smell quite as intense as the water perfume and didn’t last any longer.
I get around 3 hours at most from this fragrance. That may be alright for some, but right now, It’s just not enough for me to consider buying it. If this was an alcohol based fragrance that had a substantial amount of longevity, I’d consider it an absolute wardrobe staple. That title in the damp/earthy/vegetal category will have to belong to Totem Eclipse by Smell Bent for now.

All in all: Wild Hunt is a fantastic fragrance – if mushrooms and dirt is what you’re after. It is literal, completely natural feeling, bizarrely refreshing yet absolutely filthy, and a must try for fans of the vegetal skank!

Forest/Wild Hunt CB I Hate Perfume 100ml Water Perfume – $100 cbihateperfume.com

CB I Hate Perfume – Memory of Kindness, In the Summer Kitchen, Burning Leaves

3 new CB I Hate Perfume fragrances! Very exciting.
3 new first time sniffs I’ll also add, can’t wait to try these

Mmmm, In The Summer Kitchen opens very strange. There’s a whole bundle of vegetables, tomatoes, green leaves, earthy potatoes and bell peppers all come to mind. There’s something subtly perfumey and floral underneath it though.
Sniffing it again, it just made me laugh. How fantastic! It’s lovely and brings to mind exactly what the name says.
It smells when you shave the skin off of carrots or you smell soup being prepared. It is both raw and cooked, warm and cool.

This perfume makes me smile huge, I absolutely love it. It probably won’t be considered wearable by a lot of people, and similar to the other CB scents I’ve tried, the resemble places more than perfumes. They are familiar and emotional.
I’m so glad this does what it says, I didn’t want to be disappointed.

A lovely note I’m also picking out is banana skins, similar to how I did in Totem Eclipse by Smell Bent, a note that I thoroughly enjoy. A lot of people seem to note like this as the combination of vegetables and herbs and banana skins reminds them of a garbage bag! To me though, it’s not that putrid, it’s too “perfumey” underneath to be so blunt.
I mentioned herbs there, I forgot to add, there are cooking herbs in here, just a small bundle of I’m not sure what – basil, coriander, it doesn’t matter It all works lovely.

As it starts to dry down (which is relatively quickly it seems), a little bit of fresh wood comes through that may be cedar? I’m not sure I’m terrible with naming woods. It makes the composition a lot more stable and just when you feel like it’s too delicate and it will fall apart, the wood provides a sweet, sharp support.
After it has been on for around half an hour, a soapy dishwashing liquid type of note comes in and remains quite prominant. I actually find this quite welcoming as some consider the vegetable notes dirty, this cleans it all up for you

The fragrance is relatively subtle (by the way I’m trying these three in water perfume form as opposed to the oil concentrates), with not a lot of projection it seems, but it’s personal anyway, it remains close and a quick sniff will put a smile on your face

Mmmm again! Memory of Kindness smells just like my conservatory in the late spring when my Dad has the tomato plants indoors before putting them outside.

The main accord is a strong, green, tomato leaf. It is heady and fragrant and absolutely lovely. It is a sharp twang to it (exactly like if you rub your fingers on the leaves and sniff them) yet the perfume feel completely fragrance and almost “cologne-y”… I would recommend it as a great masculine!

There are bunches of fresh green leaves, some soil and earth and a sharp sparkly tomato leaf accord which is bright and sunny. This fragrance seems a lot more pungent than In The Summer Kitchen and is projecting a lot more. It’s extremely refreshing and I’d love a bottle in the summer, it’s a fantastic hot weather fragrance without the usual citrus and aquatic notes – something I have been really hunting for!
Having said there is no citrus, now I’m starting to pick some up, but it’s a sharp lemon peel note that goes beautifully with the tomato, no harm done

I really enjoy this, it’s probably more wearable than ITSK, and if it lasts well, I think I’d get a lot of use out of it, especially in the coming seasons. This is something I will test again and again.

Simple, subtle, and completely unique. A thoroughly enjoyable fragrance.

I actually ordered a sample of this for my partner after he thoroughly enjoyed the opening to Patchouli 24 – the extreme smokiness and the sweetness – but found it too much and a little too savoury (I think it just smells like smoked ham). I have to try it first though I can’t have it sitting here staring at me!

A very strange looking fluid – it’s like milk, translucent and white. Anyway.
Oooh much nice than I thought. Burning Leaves isn’t as horrendously smoky as I thought it would be, I was worried it would delve in the Patchouli 24 mode which was just too extreme for me. It is very smoky and slightly burnt smelling, but with this lovely sweetness underneath.

It smells like so many smoke related things as ridiculous as that sounds! It smells like a bonfire, like toasted marshmallows, my poor attempts at making caramel, and apparently burning leaves – maple leaves I’ve heard, which makes sense. There’s a slightly metallic edge to it which is quite strange, it’s very subtle though, not quite sure why I’m detecting that.

I like this, and I think my partner will, it’s a great alternative if other smoky fragrances like P24, Lonestar Memories etc are too much for you. It has a sweetness that keeps it from being dark and overwhelming, it is instead light and airy but persistent.
It seems to remain pretty linear which is nice, if you like the opening, it’ll carry on like that
Just due to my associations, I keep getting a marshmallow note which I’m really enjoying! It’s yet again a straightforward fragrance, quite simple, but I’m learning that sometimes simple is extremely effective.

A really nice surprise!

So happy I got to try these, I have been waiting ages to. None have been a disappointment, and I have realised how much the CB I Hate Perfume line has to offer. What lovely, simple and familiar fragrances. I have found none of them unwearable, and actually wish they were a little stronger (the water perfume argument again).
I will definitely explore more of this line, I feel like I’ve been missing out!

Beautiful, thank you Christopher Brosius.

CB I Hate Perfume Burning Leaves 100ml water perfume – $75
In The Summer Kitchen 100ml water perfume – $75
Memory of Kindness 100ml water perfume – $80 all available from cbihateperfume.com

At The Beach 1966 – CB I Hate Perfume

I am only just exploring the CB I Hate Perfume line. I have tried many of the Demeter’s and fell in love with a couple, not enough to buy full bottles of I will say, but I’ve enjoyed many, maybe fell in love was too strong a term. Anyway!
It seems he’s carried a lot of his ideas over to this brand – individual and unique accords which when layered (as he does with his completed fragrances) create endless possibilities. It’s a great concept.

I however prefer to have my fragrances completed for me already, unless of course I do want to just smell like an individual accord. The only other bummer about this brand is that the perfumes are water based… so no perfumer’s alcohol here. Now, there’s no denying that this has an effect on the power of the fragrance. This brand is known for their short-lived fragrances. After this reputation being pretty well known, I’d have thought Christopher Brosius would have maybe re-thought his “vision” and used his talent to create perfumes which would then be faultless… but there we go.
Most of his perfumes are also available in absolute form - a 15ml concentrated oil for more than the cost of the 100ml water perfume. I have tried a couple of these but my natural instinct with fragrance is to lavishly spray, so I shall stick to the waters as long as I can.

My first review here is of At The Beach 1966. The thing I love about these, no matter how cheesy they may be, is that I really love the stories behind the fragrances. They are totally relatable and he manages to create compositions which have an emotional reaction, even if it’s just a slight memory.

At The Beach 1966 opens with some tropical florals of a synthetic but pleasant tuberose and coconut-y vibe, which begins to mould together and blend into a watery-creamy consistency until it becomes a perfect suntan lotion accord. Now, Christopher calles this the “Coppertone” accord… I’m not familiar with Coppertone sunscreen but it smells like traditional sunscreen

Unlike my other reference sunscreen perfumes – Datura Noir, Beyond Love, Fire Island etc… this one is lighter, but still lovely and sweet, and glistens on the skin with a beautiful ozonic effect. As the concept of this perfume is an accurate beach memory, it wouldn’t be complete of course without the sea and some salt and that’s what comes next.
Supporting the sunscreen is salty, sea breeze – natural and refreshing. Melded together, these two accords work in complete harmony and it’s really lovely.

For me, At The Beach 1966 brings back memories in 2009 when I lived in New Zealand for 11 months: Having the beach on my doorstep and smelling the sea air even when in the midst of the busy Auckland city; Visiting the Coromandel Peninsula and swimming in Hot Water Beach with my Dad; Spending Christmas Day on the black sands of Piha beach, memories, memories. Literally, it smells as though I’ve dipped in the sea and can still smell the suncream on my skin (without the greasy residue!). The memories for me are great ones of course, and maybe I’m buying into the hype of the nostalgia this guy’s fragrances can create and the stories behind why he made them and such, but I can’t help but connect with it and thoroughly enjoy wearing it.

I’m not too sure when I would wear this, which seems to be a common quote amongst reviews of the CBIHP line, but I would definitely have a bottle just to enjoy on my own. I can imagine it would be amazing to splash on lavishly in the summer – something I never thought I’d say about I fragrance I enjoy (I’m normally into the darker/cozier winter types). It remains relatively linear, which is a good thing in this one, and remains true to the name – slightly tropical, and a true aquatic – something I would normally hate if it wasn’t put together so well!

This has the best lasting power on me out of the CB’s I have tried, and I could still smell it on my hand 6 hours later (with the sunscreen much quieter but still present, and the salty aquatics drying into my skin more so – it had more life left in it before I washed it off).

I’ll be working my way through the rest of the CB samples soon and when I feel comfortable in reviewing the rest, they’ll pop up on here too I hope I connect with them just as much…

CB I Hate Perfume At The Beach 1966 100ml water perfume – $80 Luckyscent