Halfeti by Penhaligon's

Photosource: Penhaligon's

Halfeti by Penhaligon's is a superb oud. It is an amazingly balanced unisex fragrance; it is neither too feminine nor too masculine.
The fragrance has noticeable notes of cypress, oud and cedar. It is very light despite being so wood-heavy.

Halfeti reminds me of going mushroom hunting in late September, in the early hours of the morning when the forest is still foggy and cold. The crisp morning air and pine trees are bottled up in this notorious fragrance.

The base of vanilla and tonka isn't overbearing, to me it is hardly noticeable, but the sweet gourmands accompanied by the lightness of bergamot are what keeps this oud fragrance in check for me.

~

On my skin, Halfeti opens with a strong liquorice note, not my favourite. The fragrance is much more masculine and I am quite surprised how differently it performs on paper than on my skin. After dry down, Halfeti is an elegant oud and a couple of hours in, it sweetens up and the vanilla becomes the main accord along with leather and saffron.

~

On paper, the fragrance deepens as well over time. Saffron gives the fragrance an element that I also find leaning more towards a masculine fragrance, especially in combination with all the other notes.

~

It is no wonder that Halfeti is so famous, it is a beautiful, continuously evolving fragrance, but it performs very differently on skin than on paper, which is why I would recommend trying it on yourself first.

Be forewarned, you cannot help but love it.