Liis Fragrance Reviews + Perfume TV
Spoiler alert - I'd wear every single one.
Before I get into the reviews I wanted to tell you about D.S. & Durga’s new show, Perfume Quest, which you can watch right here. It seems like there will be more since this was episode one. This was 35 minutes long and very fun to watch. You get to learn a little about how a perfume is made and the creativity that goes into building a fragrance. It’s ALL storytelling!! This is why I love perfume, it’s just telling a story in a different medium. And genius move for them to release the new perfume after the episode aired. D.S. & Durga already create playlists for all of their perfumes - how smart that they’re adding video to the mix. Check it out and tell me what you think. I have lots of thoughts but overall I’m a fan of them doing this.
Also! I have a short survey if you want to tell me some stuff for two upcoming posts, one all about home fragrances, the other about the scents our mothers wore. Would love to include your insights, so head here to answer 2 quick questions. Pretty please. 💕
And now onto the reviews!
Liis Fragrance - 5 Reviews
Everything I had seen and heard about Liis fragrances made me want to smell them for myself. And as luck would have it, my friend Donna gave me a discovery set for my birthday.
Started by two friends from Marin this label oozes Northern California to me. It’s made in California with what they call ‘conscious’ ingredients and organic sugarcane alcohol. There are no preservatives, dyes, phthalates, or sulfates. I do not have a problem with synthetic ingredients in perfumes and I think they’re often unnecessarily villainized by ‘natural and clean’ perfume houses so I appreciated how understated Liis is about this aspect of their brand. They don’t have a big CLEAN stamp on their bottles or in their branding. It’s subtle and cool. Which is exactly how their scents are.
There was not one of the five fragrances in the discovery set that I didn’t like. I’d happily wear all of them. My only gripe is that I wished they lasted longer. Staying power depends on ingredients, the wearer’s skin, and the environment. It will vary for everyone. It’s said that more moisturized skin holds a scent longer. All of the Liis scents only stayed with me for about 3 to 4 hours, in one case I could smell it on my clothes at the end of the day, but for most of these, I was pressing my nose in my skin to pick up anything by the afternoon. My guess is this has something to do with the more natural ingredients they use.
Apologies to all of my co-workers who I was a weirdo with while testing these scents. I love hearing what other people smell and I shoved my wrists into a lot of people’s noses last week. But also thanks to those who played along and didn’t run away from me. No promises I won’t make you all feel uncomfortable again.
Floating
Inspired by the weightlessness of a day without plans or obligations.
The words crisp and clean came up again and again in my notes for Liis scents. Floating is no exception. This one feels like walking through an apple orchard on the most perfect Spring day. It’s delicate, light, and airy and it puts my head in the clouds a bit. I got the peach up top immediately and then a punch of green apples and then that fresh linen and ever so slight woods in the dry down. This is such a clean, fresh scent. Perfect for Spring or Summer.
NOTES
Top: Bergamot, Peach
Mid: Wild Orchid
Base: Crisp Linen, Sequoia Wood
Lucienne
Inspired by new ways of seeing, Lucienne — meaning light — is an exuberant moment of clarity.
I’m going to start sounding like a broken record, but again my notes are full of ‘fresh’ and ‘light’. This one is more floral than Floating. It’s brighter too. I get transported to a big white wrap-around porch where someone in a frilly dress is pouring the best sweet tea and there’s green as far as the eye can see. There’s a surprising amber dry down and something aquatic to me - which no doubt comes from that marine accord in the base notes. I stuck my wrist in
’s face while wearing Lucienne and her words for it were “honey, clean, and lemony”. I doused this one on me in the morning and was happy to get a whiff of it on my clothes at the end of the day.NOTES
Top: Pomelo, Lemon Zest
Mid: Magnolia, Dragonfruit, Waterlily
Base: Crisp Amber, Marine Accord
Studied
Inspired by Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own — taking space for yourself to be thoughtful or creative.
I believe this is the most popular Liis scent and the one I had heard about the most. I think it was my favorite too. With the name Studied I expected a darker incense and woody smell but this is not that. Studied does have some nice rich depth but it’s fruitier than I expected, big gourmand vibes at top. It’s also velvety and cozy — the coziest of the bunch — it felt like a hug to me, like I was wearing a cloak in the middle of a lush green forest. I felt safe and protected in this one. Maybe that’s the ambroxan and cashmere - two of my favorite notes, they really bring the cozy. I would buy a full bottle of this. It also feels like it would transition nicely into Fall or Winter.
NOTES
Top: Pear, Ambrette
Mid: Carrot Seed, Orris
Base: Ambroxan, Cashmere
Bo
There is a coastal artist enclave where residents used to remove the road signs to get there — a hidden bohemia.
Bo is the most NorCal of the bunch and
picked up on it right away, she also immediately asked if it was named after Bolinas, a sweet little hippy town in Marin. Something I failed to connect the dots on even after reading the description. Randa described this one as “forestry and citrusy”. Her nose also picked up on the lemon pepper that comes from the elemi in the top note (new to me! I had never seen or smelled this note before).I got a strong hit of vanilla at first spray and then a plastic or leather smell I could not place - maybe that was the tobacco leaves? While I wasn’t an immediate fan at first spray I loved the dry down on this one. I got woody and churchy in a nostalgic good way not in a you’re a sinner way. Bo opens up in a big way and smells so nice on the skin, I just wish I could smell it more!! Hours later I got florals, vanilla, and amber. My second favorite of the five.
NOTES
Top: Elemi, Tobacco Leaves
Mid: Redwood Pine, Incense
Base: Guaiac Wood, Cedar, Vanilla Beans
Rose Struck
A study in contrasts and impermanence, a modern, reimagined rose.
Surprisingly this was my least favorite of the 5 - surprising because I am a huge rose fan and I thought this one would be in my top. I even saved it for last! Don’t get me wrong I would wear this any day of the week and it stands apart from the others in that it’s a little bolder but I find the others more complex and interesting. To be fair I am not a huge cassis fan and the cassis plays a big part in this one. Even after the dry down, I could get a whiff of it lingering there. I wanted the rose to show its face more in this one, I had to really look for it. If you love cassis this one might be for you.
NOTES
Top: Cassis, Tangerine
Mid: Matcha Tea
Base: Damask Rose, Rose Centifolia
Liis fragrances are perfect for the person who wants a close, intimate smell. Great for someone who does not want to make a big statement with their scent when they walk into a room. These would also make the perfect bedtime scent - something you put on after a shower before hopping into bed that just relaxes you out of your day. There’s something special about this brand. If you have any interest at all I highly encourage you to order their discovery set.
Thanks for reading and tell me about if you try any of these!
xo
Oh, how lovely. I'm wondering if you made it out to the Arab World Institute's "Perfumes of the Orient" exhibit here in Paris? It was sublime, opulent. While many scent stations delighted visitors, they somehow visually transported people's sense of scent into a dreamland of sweetness and musk and flower fields. Bewitching. A divine afternoon. :)