WHAT I SMELL: London Funk opens with a fresh basil and bergamot with an interesting cardamom note that quickly slides right in. It’s fresh and inviting and really full of life. Soon, the perfume begins to warm and it feels like it’s beginning to sugar, like a concentrated sugar reduction as it’s not sweet, but rather vibrant and somewhat thick. And a short while after, a little bit of the “funk” begins to roll in. It’s just a slight undercurrent of something that I can’t distinguish that seems to be simmering under a woody note. It’s not unpleasant, but it’s almost as if you smell a little something off under the outside decking of a local pub. By this time the initial top notes have made their way out of the door a woody vetiver has entered becoming the main attraction. London Funk at this point really projects with hints of leather and herb (cannabis?) which seems to grow as I write. But the perfume never gets too funky and instead rides this high impact and slightly bitter woody mix that seems very familiar without being able to exactly put your finger on it. Overall, London Funk is a very tenacious perfume that keeps on giving for a very long time.
From the Vilhelm Parfumerie website:
The slap of a wood bat on a leather ball, followed by intense giggling and the sound of fabric rustling. It’s five o’clock at Biba in London and Jim Morrison is leading a young Debbie Harry astray with a Long Island Iced tea, and a game of cricket in the stock room. Can you smell all the possibilities that curled into a trippy London afternoon in the Seventies? They certainly could.
Top notes: Juniper, Basil, Cardamom, Bergamot.
Heart notes: Blackcurrant Bud, Driftwood.
Base notes: Vetiver, Yerba Maté, Cedarwood, Amber Gris, Sandalwood.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Like the back deck of the Atlanta Eagle bar. A mix of wood, leather, beer, smoke, plastic, sweat, cologne and lots of other bar related smells.
THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE LONDON FUNK: bold, vibrant, familiar (but how, I’m not sure)
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT LONDON FUNK: No written reviews found.
BOTTOM LINE: London Funk is more funky than funk. In reading what I have written about “What I Smell” my descriptors are pretty obtuse. But that’s because I find that London Funk is a perfume that’s hard to describe or categorize. What it is however, is a perfume that is not for everyday use and I wouldn’t recommend it for the office. It’s not that it’s not a pleasurable perfume, but as it has a large personality and I’m not sure one’s coworkers would appreciate it. But as for a night on the town at your favorite club…absolutely!
- Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
- Scent: Woody Aromatic
- Classification: Unisex
- Expense: Starting at $90 for 20 ml eau de parfum
WHAT I SMELL: 724 opens with a clean, fresh, floral infused bergamot tinged with sunny aldehydes. It’s soft, slightly fuzzy and very airy. It’s been quite some time where I have smelled a perfume that feels like it wasn’t introduced to the skin, but instead seems to float two to three inches off of the skin in a luminescent manner. As the perfume develops the bergamot begins to fade and the florals seem to dance lightly in a ballet of tender and quiet beauty. Even though 724 has a quiet demeanor, it does have a great deal of light and energy. After some additional time, a metallic note comes forward and creates a base for the light and sunny florals. And after some more time, the perfume begins to grow as the jasmine takes it’s place at the center of the perfume along with what smells to me like lily of the valley although I don’t see it mentioned as a note. It’s here that the perfume turns more to the humidity of the bath and with the addition of a sandalwood the whole creation begins to warm. In the end, 724 lies lightly sweetened on the skin with beautiful countenance.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: I realize the inspiration for this perfume is the city, but to me, with it’s light and and happy aura, it’s pure “dancing fairies.”
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Sunshine.
The Scented Hound 