Eau de Cologne Monday: Juliette Has a Gun Gentlewoman

Neroli? Orange blossom? Petigrain? I’m in! As a child growing up in Florida I was steeped in the scents of various citrus fruits and the groves surrounding my neighborhood, so these notes are somewhat comforting to me and I never grow tired of them. So when a sample of Juliette Has a Gun’s Gentlewoman crossed my path, my ears pricked up.

Alas, just afterward I was felled by bronchitis and was sniffing nothing for close to two months. But when my system got back on track, I had lined up quite a few lovelies to try, this one among them.

I’m a sucker for eau de colognes of all stripes, but often there isn’t a huge amount of difference between them. And from all I’ve heard and read about this line, I half-expected something sharp and edgy. But I found there wasn’t anything too outrageous going on.

Gentlewoman opens with an appealing but soft wave of citrus and bergamot, but not long after, the almond peeks through to sweeten and balance things out. Not a note that I wear much, but it added a novel, yet comforting effect to the mix, making the scent stand out a bit from other EDCs that I wear. The notes also list lavender but I didn’t detect any. The drydown eases into a soft, almost woody white musk that was pleasant, although I realize that white musks can be a sticking point for some people.

My overall impression was one of satisfying smoothness, a softly refreshing cushion of scent. I think the aptly named Gentlewoman a nice fragrance to live in, relax and enjoy, a perfect spray on those “Oh, what to wear?” days. I will happily use up my spray sample. But if you’re looking for a tangy, brilliant burst of citrus to wake you up or energize you on a humid afternoon, this may not be your speed; of course, there are lots of EDCs out there that do just that.

I’ve read that this is meant to be unisex, but on my skin it least, it leaned a bit toward the feminine. Gentlewoman might work well on some guys, but I couldn’t quite see my DH wearing this as he likes scents that have a slight masculine edge to them.

I had not tried anything from this line before, so it looks like I need to play some catch-up and try Miss Charming, Lady Vengeance and others.

Notes per Luckyscent: bitter orange, petitgrain, bergamot, neroli, almond, orange blossom, lavender, musks.

Have you tried Gentlewoman? Or what eau de colognes are your faves? Which are you wearing now?

Disclaimer: A sample of Gentlewoman was sent to me from the company. Also, just to let you know: My sample vial reads “eau de parfum,” as do photos of the actual product box, but press materials, interviews, etc., that I’ve seen talk about eau de cologne. So perhaps it’s an EDP that’s meant to evoke the spirit of an EDC.