Though it was 30 degrees F outside when I woke up this morning, I didn’t crave an intense amber, wood or incense fragrance; I wanted sparkling citrus…citrus that would laugh at winter and say: “Your time is almost up, Withered One…flowers and warmth are on their way!” Smiling at me from the “perfume sample bowl” near my bed were two recent citrus-y perfume releases from Askett & English, each an Eau de Cologne — Askett Absolute and Askett Essential.

Askett Absolute includes notes of tea, mandarin, bergamot, cardamom, basil, rose, orange blossom, woods, amber and musk. Absolute opens with ‘bergamot tea,’ lightly sweetened and clean. A zingy orange blossom-basil combo appears in mid-development. (I do detect a rose note, not at all soft or feminine but clear and “ripe.”) Absolute ends with a slightly floral, sheer wood accord (let’s call it “summer amber”). Overall, Absolute reminds me of a ‘sweeter’ Tom Ford Neroli Portofino…

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