Midsummer 2018

Picture: Midsummerroses 2018
Photo: Parfumista (c)

Midsummereve was yesterday. The summer solstice up here in the north is much celebrated and a national holiday. This year the weather (always a big question in Sweden) was quite good, rainy and cold (+9  C in the morning) and mostly sunny and quite warm in the afternoon followed by a chilly evening. The day was without rain, except in the morning.

This year (again) I didn't feel to wear florals to match the occasion. I couldn't think of any light high pitched flowery fragrance that was right for me. Instead I wanted something heavy, dark and dense so I went for Penhaligon's Halfeti, a dark rosy, dry spicy oud based fragrance inspried from the  black shaded roses which is/was grown in the turkish town named Halfeti.


Picture: The black rose of Halfeti
Photo: PR Penhaligon's

Halfeti is a fragrance that intriguing me. When I blindbought it about two years ago I was a bit disappointed, to much of the screaming, peppery type of oud. But still there was something that fascinated me with Halfeti and I went back testing it multiple times, I didn't want do give it up. Yesterday I finally find out the trick to avoid the overload of pepper/spice and how to hold Halfeti in check: One has to be very careful when  applying it, just using tiny half sprays at four to five points on skin. Full sprays is much too much. Applied in this way the dark, deep and spicy rose appears in a beautiful way, there are also a warm, dry and in the same time creamy sandalwoodaccord. Halfeti is difficult to understand and to tame, but it was certainly worth all the experimentering. The long process to evalute and to finally understand a complex fragrance is definitly some of the features of this fascinating hobby. Midsummer 2018 will be remembered as when I finally understand Halfeti.

Let's have a great summer 2018, combining the holidays with evaluation of the fragrance wardrobe!