One of the things which continues to surprise me is how much small changes can alter my feeling about a fragrance. Where this usually appears to me is when I get a flanker where there have small changes all of which form a more pleasing perfume. It reminds me how just the right amount of the right ingredient can change my judgement. Aerin Mediterranean Honeysuckle in Bloom is a flanker I like much better than the original.
Aerin Lauder
Aerin Lauder has overseen the creative direction of her line since its inception in 2013. It took a few years to find a more defined aesthetic. Since 2017 Ms. Lauder has found a space in the masstige market for her particular style of floral fragrances. The original Mediterranean Honeysuckle was one of those early releases which hadn’t quite gelled into a fully realized creative direction. Its biggest flaw was an omnipresent base of ambrox and musk which obliterated the florals. The other issue I had with it was there was more gardenia than honeysuckle when the florals weren’t getting stepped on. Honorine Blanc-Hattab was the perfumer back then as well as on this flanker. All the things I didn’t care for have been changed for the better in this new composition.
Honorine Blanc-Hattab
Both perfumes share the identical top accord. Which works because it is a good one. The brightness of grapefruit is given a fruity green veneer through blackcurrant buds. This is the scent of a sunny day in the Mediterranean. The floral heart is dominated by honeysuckle this time around. Mme Blanc-Hattab uses complementary amounts of tuberose and gardenia to add depth and definition. With the top accord it feels like a trellis covered with the floral vines in the sunlight. This is all because the honeysuckle doesn’t push back as forcefully as the gardenia did in the original. I braced myself for another ambrox onslaught because it was listed as an ingredient. I got something way more interesting. One of the transparent jasmine synthetics is paired with honey. It is a subtly animalic contrast to the florals while this jasmine creates an expansiveness. The ambrox is in a much lesser amount and adds in its dry woody effect pleasurably.
Mediterranean Honeysuckle in Bloom has 8-10 hour longevity and average sillage.
This is another example of the current style continuing at Aerin. It is one I hope has an appreciative audience at this point because I think they’ve worked to refine it to this. Once again, I find small moves can have big impacts on what I enjoy.
Disclosure: This review is based on a sample supplied by Sephora.
–Mark Behnke
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