Description
Created by Master Perfumer Olivier Cresp, Equinox Bloom plays with an olfactory palette inspired by the delights of high tea, accompanied by the heady bouquet of the first sweet Spring flowers. Delicious notes of Chantilly, Frangipani and Brown Sugar are blended with violet leaves, orange blossom absolute and jasmine sambac, rounded with the deep, Oriental richness of Benzoin Siam and Ambrox.
“During one of my recent visits to London, I enjoyed an incredible brunch in a smart, refined place, where the magnificent atmosphere of the rooms, furnished with opulent floral compositions, ensnared my senses almost at once. While admiring the floral scenery, my brunch included delightful toasts topped with honey and marmalade and these gourmand facets inspired me to bring to Equinox Bloom a trendy, modern inflexion to the generous floral bouquet. To me, this luxurious and abundant refinement reflects Penhaligon´s generosity in fragrances in a perfect way.” – Olivier Cresp, Perfumer.
A subtle, sweet treat from Penhaligon’s, Equinox Bloom plays on series of favorite traditions and pleasing transitions – day to night, Winter to Spring – offering up a delicious and distinctive blend of gourmand and floral infusions to truly delight the senses.
Equinox Bloom was launched in 2016.
tttfff7 – :
There’s no denying that I have a bit of a soft spot for the house of Penhaligon’s. There hasn’t been one Penhaligon’s fragrance that I’ve disliked, and that’s saying something. I have heard a lot of great things about Equinox Bloom, so I thought it about time that I tested this 2016 release.
Much of Penhaligon’s line is very ‘prim and proper’. Equinox Bloom steers away from the usual conservative soliflores this house is known for and experiments with a heavy dose of brown sugar. This fragrance smells like white vanilla frosting on my skin. I find its sweetness oddly appealing and somewhat refreshing.
Dancing playfully alongside the brown sugar; orange blossom, frangipani and jasmine provide a creamy white floral touch. Equinox Bloom is a fragrance I would recommend to young women wanting to venture away from gourmands and explore the white floral territory. Equinox Bloom is a brilliantly composed white floral without being an assault on the nose.
Those that adore sugary-sweet fragrances should definitely add Equinox Bloom to their list of fragrances to try. With such exquisite packaging and excellent longevity, this fragrance is an absolute must. I personally still prefer Penhaligon’s more demure floral offerings, but I am very glad to have been given the opportunity to test this stunning feminine perfume.
ivanhohlov.don – :
I find it really interesting that someone connected this with Donna Karan Gold. That one happens to be one of my current favorites and it is spiced oriental lily where I agree with the note votes that this is primarily plumeria and brown sugar. However, I can see where they are similar in style — both have a strong floral supported by a gormound note and an understated resin.
dragon iluxa – :
Forget about anything spring or British from this fragrance, because Equinox Bloom smells more like a torrid Tropical fruit salad with cane sugar and frangipani added.
It took me a while to get accustomed to it, maily because its effect changes from area of application and weather conditions. Yesterday, for example, it was a greenish, almost raw or acidic stem that was picked too soon before its bloom. Today, instead, on a warm but windy Italian spring day, I get soft and fresh blossoms immersed in a salty-sugary coffee creamer from my chest, but from my wrist I definitely get brown sugar and cream.
I don’t know which one I like best, but I see where some people might find this fragrance a little off-setting or unbalanced.
Anyway, the tropical aura that I get from this is to die for. It reminds me of my beloved PG’s Tubereuse Couture (the brown sugar note, mixed with tropical flowers, is identical), but the flower composition is tamer and more blended (I smell some gardenia that’s not listed and the fresh and wild frangipani note is very mouthwatering).
Although I wouldn’t recommend blind buying this (verging on the edge of uber-sweetness and tropical richness, it may not be for everyone’s tastes), I think it is a worthy creation and I personally enjoy it very much.
cktpsfyutkf123 – :
This one has really beautiful packaging. I get tea, brown sugar that at times smells like maple syrup on me, buttered toast, watery greenery, florals. I also get a soft muskiness. It’s not nearly as sweet as I expected, in fact it’s salty-sweet. Creamy, sweet-salty and rich, almost buttery but cut with the watery florals and greenery and that soft musk. I find it a slightly odd smelling gourmand, but an intriguing one that should be sampled if you like gourmands. It has good sillage on me. Test before you blind-buy in my opinion.
vitorio – :
Oh what a gem! Smells like high tea, I can clearly see where the inspiration came from.
On me smells like a combination of black tea with brown sugar, frangipani and jasmin. Soft, warm and tender, elegant and classy. Spring vs afternoom tea fragrance. Simple, yet so beautiful.
Love the cute bottle too.
byzilo – :
Sweet, shy, white floral…very spring/summer…like a basket of flowers on a table with afternoon tea…lots of sunshine coming in the windows…I like this, and I am not a big white florals kind of girl…
indeliafady – :
I received this from my husband as a Christmas gift. It is perfect for Summer; sweet , yet gorgeously soft floral. It only lasts a couple hours on my skin, however, the opening is so lovely I’m happy to regularly respray.
tedacom – :
A silky dressed english young lady is walking in a spring sunday afternoon… this is what comes in my mind when I smell Equinox Bloom. A flowery gourmand fragrance completely different from the gourmand fragrance I smelled before. I really enjoy it.
Avril Lavigne – :
I received it as a sample, been testing it all day long and so far I am not impressed at all, I mean its not bad, but to my nose and taste its just average, nothing really special, smelling it doesnt create any image in my mind as do other fragrances that I like, plus for this price I would expect something more memorable
VOLFTOR – :
Love at first glance …spray! This well belanced niche fragrance, it’s what I prefer of Phenaligons perfums. It’s so different from all Phenaligons! It’s young,sparkling, joyous, an energetic opening for sure. Cheer you up.I love it.
Appena spruzzato è stato amore a prima vista. Un apertura decisamente energetica, primaverile che toglie l’inverno da dosso. Una fragranza ben bilanciata, solare, allegra vivace. Mette il buon umore! I love it!!
HermitSpb – :
Someone mentioned an excellent balance. That is what I was expecting from a fragrance that has “equinox” in its name.
To me the whole composition seems messy.
Opening is divine – heavenly sweet sugar and creamy plumeria surrounded with a thin white floral veil. Alas, after a sweet and creamy opening, some weird, salty nuances start to appear. I have to admit, my skin chemistry doesn’t get along too well with ambroxan, so I could be biased here, but I smell the same kind of a dry down on a paper. A little bit salty, a little bit metallic accompanied by some faint sweet (but not fresh) floral smell. Like frangipanis got picked while they were still blooming and then left to dry for a few days, along with some violet leafs.
I really liked the opening though. The gourmand facets were indeed quite refined, gracious and not in-your-face.
mahgo – :
I am quite undecided about this perfume after sampling on numerous occasions. Its definitely sweet and sugary. I once asked a friend to give me their thoughts. They said it smelt like boiled vegetables. Since they have said that I cannot help but smell it too. The opening has a smell that reminds me very much of green vegetables being steamed. The good news is that this goes away quite quickly on my skin and the sweetness takes over. Often during the day I capture the smell in my imagination of various fragrances. This is one that often catches up in my imagination.
I think the major issue with this is it’s complexity. Oliver Cresp is an amazing perfumer. I love his Juniper Sling and love how it switches from Juniper to Cherry and sugar. I feel that Equinox Bloom also transitions quite well in it’s various stages. After 10 minutes the sweetness really does begin to develop.
From a wearer’s perspective this is an interesting creation. I feel it’s similar to Ostara in the fact that is is a fragrance of stages. Not all are enjoyable yet you have to experience each to get to the next.
This is a fragrance that I would not purchase at this stage as I do not feel it is amazing and well suited to myself. I think its one that’s well suited to someone artistic and slightly more European. Although based on England I feel that it is slightly more cultured. It in no way reminds me of English Tea. Instead it reminds me more of a french cafe. I think the problem with this perfume is that it is trying to say too much and suffers from a lack of identity. Maybe its a scent I will grow to love in time but for now I will keep on sampling until I get the voice in my head telling me to invest in a bottle.
Fant0m4ik – :
Still deciding if I am in love with, or revolted by this fragrance. As cmarie mentioned, it is an odd chimera. Slightly gourmand? No… definitely gourmand. But is it food with flowers, or flowers with food? As in, which element stands out most? That depends on which part of journey you’re talking about. The opening is probably equal parts flower and food. Fresh, flowery, sugary, cakey. It is pleasant – but not for long. As soon as it settles it comes across as strong and sickening. The juxtaposition of food and flowers is stomach-turning, at least for me. It is at this point I can detect a huge number of notes bouncing off each other, not really blending. Jasmine, sugar, cake batter, frangipani, banana, tea, green notes, rose, hortensia, etc. It is fleetingly intoxicicating and attractive. Particularly when I did not directly sniff my wrist. Holding my nose up to the place I sprayed was like “too much”. When the drydown happened it was much more bearable. Even enjoyable. More flowery than foody. Fresh, creamy white flowers on something green, with sugar and cakes in the background. The frangipani is prominent. The rest of the drydown is soft and classic. An “interesting” creation.
Bobbygrls – :
I thought Penhaligon’s only had old-fashioned scents, but this is very modern.
It’s also complex and belongs to the niche category.
I can sense neroli, jasmine and orange blossom, which create the “bloom” factor and frangipani and other sweet notes that make it sweet.
I think that’s very interesting how it’s balanced between fresh white flowers and sweet gourmand notes.
Even if you are not a Penhaligon’s fan, this is worth a try.
Жена Бегимота – :
Sweet/floral,delicate and almost gourmand. Start with neroli,then become covered with delightful floral notes. A few minutes later evolves jasmine, which gives the fragrance a touch of softness and innocent,very delicate. He feels the spring,its harmony and beauty. This beautiful parfum in my opinion.. contains all this … very evocative and well done, definitely much different than other. I really love this perfume❤!!!
Sillage: 6.5/10
Longevity: 7.5/10
Scent: 9./10
Overall: 9.5/10
artem24 – :
I was intrigued by the lovely description, but it’s not for me. Strong, musky, syrupy sweet, powdery, warm. It made me feel nauseated. I thought I would like the brown sugar base note but it wasn’t what I expected. Sharp, almost.
nikita098 – :
I received this as a sample with a purchase of Malabah. I was surprised at the strength and sweetness of this. The first thing that you smell are the brown sugar and the florals. But there is definitely an Oriental base. And I am also getting a green/herbal note, too. I believe it must be the violet leaf and hortensia. To me the green notes and the base keep this from being just another gourmand. I like it and may make it my going out fragrance, as it would be too potent for my conservative workplace. And my normally oblivious husband noticed I smelled good.
silver2140 – :
Equinox Bloom is an odd chimera of a fragrance. I’m not sure what it’s trying to be; some ad copies say it’s inspired by springtime blooms, others put more of an emphasis on the concept of afternoon tea. It certainly smells a little confused. This strange mix of ideas results in a peculiar fragrance: a fresh, sugared-gourmand floral. To me it’s equal parts early spring blossoms and sugary lemon tea. Each whiff I get seems different: sometimes it’s the freshly bloomed flowers against a cold spring air (almost crisp, like a florist shop smell) and sometimes it’s the sweet brown sugar. These two scents don’t mesh very well, they seem to sit more side-by-side as opposed to merging into one cohesive fragrance.
All in all, Equinox Bloom is interesting, if a little strange. But I did enjoy experiencing it.
dreyiqt119 – :
Just gave it a quick glance today in the apothecary department of London’s most famous department store.
The visuals and displays are always amazing, but I have to say this one does not excite me.
It is utter 1980ies “Tutti Frutti” overdose of sweetness.
Must be on trend, then, sugary sweet perfumes for the youngens, I take it.
Olivier Cresp has produced lots of flops of late with notable exceptions in the past: Angel by Terry Mugler, Attitude by Armani, and Dune pH by Dior, to name a few.
Sadly this won’t be an exception! Next!
ArhangelXXI – :
It smells extremely familiar…like a floral variation of some of the praline-centered Parfumerie Generale creations. And I like it. I find my primary complaint about Penhaligon’s perfumes is that they are anemic, limp, blink-and-you’ll-miss them things. But this is stronger and more interesting than most of their offerings, and definitely a welcome change in tune while simultaneously remaining loyal to their pastoral-England aesthetic (despite the fact that the flowers are ones you won’t find in an English garden). The floral notes juuuuust avoid smelling old lady-ish. The sugar, while definitely intensive, doesn’t go over the top. Excellent balance. Perhaps they’re using better quality raw materials. Either way, well done!
One spray will do you just fine. This seems like a perfume that would be very easy to over-apply.