Description
An aromatic, aquatic, and woody fragrance inspired by
the scents from land, beach, and water at a Pacific Northwest ferry dock. The nose
behind the fragrance is Ellen Covey. Available as a parfum extrait or EdP, Kingston
Ferry features aquatic notes, seaweed, cedar leaf, rhododendron, heather, lavender,
tarragon, blue chamomile, myrrh, and weathered woods. Released 2010.
“On a sunny morning when the fog is still hanging over the water,
take a walk down to the ferry dock and breathe the sea air, the scents of madrone,
rhododendron, heather, wildflowers, garden flowers, and cedar leaves from the land,
the sea-weathered wood pilings of the dock, and the sun-dried driftwood and charred
firewood from the beach.”
mendrov – :
This was less briney than expected. It smells of strong lavender and licorice-y tarragon mostly. There is a salted / seaweed aspect but it’s light. There’s a synthetic smelling ozonic oceanic accord like in aurore nomade. Unfortunately this scent gives me an instant headache. Both times I tried it.
1004 – :
This is not what I expected. This is a very heavy floral and herbal scent to my nose. After a minute or two, the driftwood comes through very strong, as it gets amplified by the earthy scents. It also has the dry, warm stone scent that is in Salamanca, which as it fades, does begin to mimic a salty air and warm sand vibe. This scent was recommended to me on the forum in reply to my request for an ideal beach-smelling fragrance, but it’s too intense and floral to fulfill my quest for a light airy beach.
SpacemaceMe – :
Aquatic scents is usually not my cup of tea. But this isn’t bad. It’s not a favourite of mine, but there are moments when this scent really takes me places and makes me feel comforted in a way.
It’s a very atmospheric and evocative scent (like many of the perfumes from this brand). And it is extremely well made. I usually find aquatic perfumes to be too thin and watery smelling, too fresh – but this scent has a lot of substance and a certain kind of thickness, like a foggy feeling, to it.
It starts off a bit harsh. I can smell salty, wet seagrass, engine oil from a ship and something very patchouli-ish, that in this particular blend smells a bit like guano (sea bird droppings). It’s a very natural smell. I can feel the sea breeze in my hair and hear the seagulls crying when I sniff this perfume.
The saltyness lingers, but the harshness goes away, and leaves room for softer, floral notes. It smells like a meating of ocean and land. Like you’re on a boat (a ferry if you will), and heading for shore. The salty sea breeze is still prominent, but when the ship comes closer to port, whiffs of sand, driftwood and green hills filled with wild flowers starts to emerge, slowly and softly.
I’m taken back to the time when I travelled from Calais to Dover by ferry, when I smell this. It’s a lovely memory for me, and I love this scent just for reminding me of that trip again.
I can detect chamomile, which really softens the saltness in this perfume, and in the heart of the scent a very mild and well rounded lavender blooms. I’m not very fond of lavender in perfumes, but it works for me here. It just gives the scent a cool, almost moist, foggy feel, that still smells floral.
Sillage is medium, and longevity is 6-8 hours.
I’m tempted to buy a small size (5ml) of this, just to sniff it now and then. The scent has atmosphere and a sense of movement, which I really like. 🙂
Haemul – :
The salt is a bit too biting on my skin, but wow! what a sensory experience. Truly does feel like a real-to-life ferry ride. Not my cup of tea though. The herbaceous elements do soften it a bit. Leans a little more masculine to my nose.
UNSETEMUME – :
my bf is on the lookout for a new fragrance, so i thought i’d try this out and see if either of us liked it. well, he doesn’t and says he only smells licorice, and it is a lot more herb-heavy on him and stays that way. but i really love this. it really does have this strong but not unclean saltiness, and the kind of herbaceousness in this isn’t really like anything i’ve smelled before in an aromatic leaning scent…
within a few minutes, it turns to heavenly soft florals with a bit of lingering, almost anise-y tarragon and a little less woods. i don’t often go for aquatic types but the saltiness keeps it interesting. the bf never got to the floral stage that i did but i think even if it had it would still be very workable on men.
sillage is low-ish, and i think it lasted me maybe 5 hours or so, maybe a little more
Tandarrosse – :
Herbaceous and salty. Very calming scent, but the salt adds a bit of a bite. Well done! Unisex but maybe leans a little masculine.
decmaks – :
Ok, I am fully convinced that I am at the dockland area, moreover, in Kingston. This fume is just more than a perfume. It is more like a video projection to me. That impressive.
Vera1958 – :
I feel like I’m walking along a beach boardwalk- smelling snatches of the salty sea breeze, but also the dry, grassy dunes, washed-up driftwood, and somehow even the warm sun overhead.
I’m not very interested in aquatics, but this perfume is AMAZING! Kingston Ferry is a very unique but accurate aquatic that is easy to wear, unisex (leaning masculine) and a pleasure to smell. A definite must-try for every OO, aquatics, or fine perfume fan.
metr0p0liten – :
Kingston Ferry is quite simply remarkable in it’s structure. The driftwood note here is very distinct, and along with seaweed (not fishy!) is evocative of agarwood or oud in its saltiest and driest presentation. Incredibly, its this note that reminds me of the cystine note in Costume National’s Scent Intense.
The lavender and tarragon provide a wonderful bracing Pacific Northwest facet, just like wind whipping off the salty grey docks and stinging the nose ever so slightly.
Woody, salty, dry, and tasty. I feel like a dog with its head out the car window tasting the air during a grey, overcast coastal drive. Somehow uplifting in a melancholic kind of way.
Deseabbabow – :
WOW, I don’t know how I missed this House previously, I’ve seen it many times but I’ve never ordered because the prices are not too high, and I thought that for such low price this cannot possible incredible. WOW was I wrong! So far I’ve tried about 6 fragrances by this House, and they were all mind blowing great quality and just an amazing experience! I’m a total fan now!
This one as others had mentioned is something unusual and brings back memories that I can’t quite place my finger on. It’s hard to describe it, because you cannot pick apart separate notes, but it’s a beautiful fragrance and I definitely recommend you trying it out!
The packages are beautiful, a lot of thought goes into it, even for the 5ml spray bottles, they also always send free samples ( mind you, other way too expensive companies who I’ve ordered a full bottle from ( hint hint House of Matriarch ) didn’t send me any free samples ). So to see such great quality of fragrance, plus good quality of packaging and thought put into this brand, I’m very very impressed!
ПиратНИ – :
Aromatherapy in a bottle! Without looking at the notes I could not tell what is in it… It is so different from anything I smelled before. However, with help I recognize tarragon, lavender, cedar and aquatic component. Kingston Ferry is such a serene and tranquil scent and so pleasant from opening to drydown. I love it and will order a full bottle.
lelaElurilm – :
Oh god, I’m just too amazed to write anything intelligent. I just sampled thin on my skin moments ago and I’m just in love. It’s so uplifting, fresh and invigorating!
nut66 – :
182) Kingston flood
A truly original fragrance, a composition combining the extreme, hyper-salted watery to the flowery-resinous.
it is successful? The opening is so complex and mixed I feel like opening a can of product on which was indicated a red skull + a small animal dropped into it by accident a few days ago.
The scent becomes pleasant directly in the heart with a beautiful floral complexity but waves of marine aquatic notes come sometimes overwhelm everything, leaving behind them dead fishes in the middle of the wild herbs. This tidal movement actually ended up giving me seasick. The base is more stable but at this point I’ve decided to stay ashore.
Un parfum vraiment original, une composition mariant des extrèmes, de l’hyper-salé-aquatique au fleuri résineux.
Es que c’est réussi? L’ouverture est tellement complexe et mélangée que j’ai l’impression d’ouvrir un bidon de produit sur lequel était indiqué en rouge une tête de mort + un petit animal tombé dedans par accident il y a quelques jours.
Le parfum devient directement plus agréable en coeur avec une belle complexité florale mais des vagues de notes marines aquatiques viennent parfois submerger le tout en laissant derrières elles des cadavres de poissons au milieu des herbes folles. Ce mouvement de maré fini par réellement me donner le mal de mer. Le fond est plus stable mais à ce point j’ai déjà décidé de rester à terre.
Floalcove – :
Experiencing Kingston Ferry was definitely a journey. During the 3 hours it lasted, it literally felt like i was sniffing 3 different fragrances. This was one of the few times that i wish my cologne was linear and that’s because the opening was my favorite. I got to be honest, the heart smelled like expensive bug spray. Take that comment for what it’s worth. The woody-floral base definitely saved this scent from being a total disaster.
uipo98 – :
this is quite the masculine fragrance on me, herbs herbs herbs! and salty air is all I get. If you love the aromatic smell of everything about the seashore, the herbs and flowers, driftwood, and seaweed; get it. you won’t be disappointed. Not quite my style, but wow is it ever a great deal, and unique! It is so fresh, flowery, and woodsy in the drydown, like the smell of warm salt air baking on the rocks in the sun. oh my… this may call for a FB! I’ve never smelt anything quite like it. Very unique, dry yet salty and wet! The myrhh is a turn off for me, it just overwhelms on my skin. but it does round out the fragrance and give it a lovely resinous base.
smesmable – :
Love this. I just got my sample in the mail and am ordering a bottle. It’s the beach in late summer/early fall I have been looking for a scent like this, it reminds of a rainy garden at the same time. I didn’t think i would like the green mix with the aquatic but The green is just the perfect amount, not too light but not overwhelming either. You can definitely smell the saltyair, and the spice. The scent made me reminisce, just for that it deserves the sale.
slavaazov – :
A surprising, and very welcome, “warm” aquatic ~ I’m officially impressed!! Not your generic, banal, sharp, citrus/floral aquatic…. This aquatic is warm, woody, salty and green. The wood notes are ever present, giving it a rounded warmth, while the watery salt note is prominent – it reminds me of a barely warm sea breeze, the kind where the salt haze sits just off the coast. It has a slightly wet feeling, that reminds me of seaweed on the beach, yet a kind of smokey element as well that I can only attribute to the myrhh. The cedar and tarragon give it a fresh but not cool, green overture, white light, barely there gentle florals linger. I could see myself wearing this in early spring or autumn. I’ve always avoided aquatics, but this one will definitely make it to my collex as a full bottle. What a wonderful fragrance gem!
karibo – :
I’m not familiar with the Kingston Ferry in the Pacific Northwest, so it was odd that this fragrance brought out such strong scent memories for me. It reminded me of summer vacations spent at a mountain lake, which was surrounded by deep pine woods. One whiff of Kingston Ferry took me back to long days full of laughter and devoid of responsibilities spent out on the water.
As far as specifics go, KF is a clever mix of aquatics and greens. Straight up marine fragrances often turn me off, but KF lacks the added citrus and other fruits that spoil those frags for me. Instead, it has a sharp twist of tarragon and chamomile that is much more satisfying to my nose. KF wears close but is quite long-lasting. Made with obvious care, and priced with reason.
Thank you, Fragrantica for the sample of this great little gem.
5letov – :
This is another of Dr. Covey’s Scents of Place that really describe the olfactory landscape of a specific location. I have been on the Kingston Ferry too many times to count and this IS the smell of the Puget Sound at the ferry dock on a cool morning. When I first tried this sample I just smelled it in the bottle. That didn’t work at all. I could only smell the smoke, salt and seaweed until I applied it to my skin. Immediately the fresh watery element appeared, then the flowers and finally the tarragon, myrhh and lingering woods. I can definitely imagine this as a masculine fragrance. I would wear it in the Fall.
afrasiyab – :
This surprisingly new marine scent, I expected something salty aromatic, but it’s green and great, even warm… and aquatic.