Lignum Vitae by BeauFort London

Photosource: Bloom Perfumery

BeauFort London entices me with its noir design and nautical fragrance compositions. My first experience with this niche fragrance house was Coeur de Noir, a dark fragrance, a burning shipwreck in a bottle.

To my surprise, Lignum Vitae has a fresh citrus opening that does not evoke images of the sea. But being an avid lover of sweet gourmand citruses, Lignum Vitae is just right up my alley. 

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Unlike Davana & Vanille Bourbon by 100Bon, Unknown Pleasures by Kerosene and Falling Into the Sea by Imaginary Authors, Lignum Vitae has a charismatic masculine middle note that makes it stand out.

In contrast to the inviting fresh opening note, a slight leather undertone keeps the fragrance from leaning too feminine, balancing perfectly on the edge of unisex.
Wearing this fragrance, I experienced that female noses found this scent more masculine on me, whereas male noses said it smelled very feminine.

The dry down revealed a sweet lemon gummy bear with herbal notes of aromatic greens and slight notes of salt and marine, absolutely delicious.

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On paper, Lignum Vitae remains lighter, whereas it deepens and reveals a wonderful concoction of notes on my skin. It is a perfect fragrance for spring, but it is surprisingly fitting autumn and winter too.

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My only qualm with this fragrance is that it lacks the BeauFort London edge, a spearing note that evokes an image of the rough sea. The slight marine undertone is too vague and fades among the powerful citruses and sweet vanilla. I would love to add Lignum Vitae to my collection, but I find myself at a loss of reason when I already have Unknown Pleasures, Davana & Vanille Bourbon and Remarkable People, all wonderful and different fresh cistruses.