With the Queen’s Jubilee celebration this past weekend and with Father’s Day in a couple of weeks, I thought that this would be a perfect time to head to England…and who better to represent these grand and intimate affairs, but Roja Dove!
WHAT I SMELL: Burlington 1819 opens with a bright and juicy combination of grapefruit and lime that’s quickly met with a minty freshness making it light with a subdued brilliance. Soon after, a ginger note enters along with touch of rum making the perfume slightly soured and it’s here that the perfume begins to flatten and anchor itself to a more woody persona as it stays rather close to the skin making it more of a whisper than a shout. As it continues to develop, the mint seems to make a return along with a lightly sweetened tobacco which helps to dissipate any remnants of the earlier sourness. After some time, Burlington 1819 begins to take on an ambered warmth and this is where it unfolds and radiates. An added patchouli brightens the tobacco and makes for a beautiful finish. Burlington 1819 is a wonderfully muted perfume that creates for an easy masculinity.
From the Roja Parfums website:
“1819 celebrates 5 years of London’s Burlington Arcade being home to the flagship Roja Parfums boutique. An iconic British institution for over 200 years, the Burlington Arcade is an unparalleled destination for the discovery of opulence. Every step down the Arcade is a chance to discover something new. 1819 – the year it opened to the public – pays homage The Burlington Arcade being the perfect home for our award-winning perfumery, where the finest fragrances in the world wait to be discovered.” – ROJA DOVE.
KEY INGREDIENTS: Grapefruit, Lime, Mint, Ginger, Saffron, Oakmoss, Rum, Tobacco, Casmir Wood, Benzoin
Burlington Arcade linking Piccadilly with Bond Street showing fashionable society about to sample the delights of the arcade’s shops. Date: 1828.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: I won’t argue with Roja Dove’s inspiration as I can imagine the sights and sounds of the Burlington Arcade from days gone by.
THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE BURLINGTON 1819: inviting, warm, quietly-confident
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BURLINGTON 1819: No written reviews found.
BOTTOM LINE: Burlington 1819 is a masculine perfume that is subtle and classic and very easy to wear and I love that it’s rather quiet and unassuming. And as a Father’s Day gift, you can’t go wrong. A couple of sprays and dad will smell like a million bucks. Oh, and that bottle…fantastic!
- Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
- Scent: Amber
- Nose: Roja Dove
- Classification: Masculine
- Expense: $380 for 100 ml eau de parfum
WHAT I SMELL: Le Lion goes on the skin with an ambered bergamot and lemon that is tinged with patchouli in an opening that is is warm, yet light and inviting. There is no mistake that the DNA of Le Lion is aligned with Guerlain’s classic Shalimar. But to me, the biggest difference is the lemon and citrus which remains front and center which lifts the perfume up to something that is lighter, a tad brighter and much more approachable and easy to wear. Le Lion doesn’t morph all that much, but as it does wear, a puttied sandalwood makes it way under the other notes and the entire composition begins to lighten.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A chill lion. Modern; made for today.
The Scented Hound 