A few weeks back I had the opportunity to hear perfumer Stephen Dirkes discuss Blue Tea during a Sniffapalooza event. Before that presentation, the fragrance hadn't even been on my radar. On my skin, the opening immediately suggested a boozy rum butter cake accord, though that impression was fleeting. Within minutes, it transitioned into a beautiful floral heart where jasmine and gardenia took center stage. I was testing the fragrance outdoors in relatively strong winds, and every gust seemed to carry waves of the white florals around me. Throughout the wear, the lemongrass remained surprisingly prominent, providing a bright, citrusy backbone that kept the composition balanced and prevented the sweeter notes from becoming overly rich for me. The true highlight for me was the dry down. It instantly reminded me of the dry down of Kilian's Sacred Wood with its creamy cedarwood accord dusted with nutmeg and clove that evokes freshly cut cedar bark. The resemblance was striking enough that I applied Sacred Wood to my opposite arm for a side-by-side comparison. While they are certainly different fragrances overall, the character of the late dry downs shared a remarkably similar creamy, spicy woodiness. Also reminds me slightly of Jorum's Aborist in the dry down. Performance was equally impressive. I applied Blue Tea around 5:00 p.m. at the beginning of the online class, and by midnight the fragrance was still projecting its warm, woody base with little sign of fading. It was the lingering dry down, more than the opening or heart, that ultimately made the strongest impression on me.

So I wanted to call something out. Fragrance samples have either disappeared or gotten stupidly expensive. I have seen 2 ml samples selling for more than $10, which is absurd for most fragrances. When the Nordstrom Anniversary sale happened (and yes, I went for my free gift cards) I saw something was back that was awesome and helped fight this shift. Nordstrom now has free empty sample containers for fragrances and creams. They are in the women's fragrance section normally (or you can ask for one in the men's). You can fill them yourself or ask an associate to do it. I grabbed Jo Malone Oud & Bergamot, Bvlgari Man Rain Essence, and some Rénergie Lift cream. I am already a Nordstrom fan, so finding this made me very happy. It lets you wear something a few times before committing to a bottle, which is how sampling should work. However, it means less buying at Jomashop and Macys, as if I sample it at Nordstrom... I need to ethically pick it up there. If I like and buy it. Now they just need to start carrying The Harmonist.