The husband is not a fan of it on himself but says it smells great on me. The ginger is chewy and at times a bit bothersome. While the first blast is that beautiful Lapsang Souchong (and it remains there for the entire wear of the perfume), there's also a lot of candied ginger and spice cookies dipped in the cup, spreading the cinnamon and anise aroma all around me. Tea For Two smells edible as much as it's a tea scent. Sometimes it even feels a bit incomplete without the drama. It might sound like a terrible combination, but if you consider the smoky and almost rubbery aspect of Lapsang Souchong, the black tea that is in the center of Tea For Two and the rubbery quality of tuberose it might make a little more sense.Įver since then I look for the tuberose whenever I wear or smell Tea For Two. I was all over the place with new discoveries. I can't remember what it was: L'Artisan's own Tubereuse, MPG or perhaps a drop of Fracas extrait. It's just an interesting fragrance, and that's about it for me.Years ago when I was first testing Tea For Two, Olivia Giacobetti's 2000 creation for L'Artisan I accidentally layered it with a tuberose perfume. It's not bad, but it's not something that I could see myself wearing, nor is it something I would enjoy on a member of the opposite sex. The only issue I have with this is that it is very elegant on one hand, and veering dangerously close to smelling like a country-style home does you know, the ones with Yankee Candles and potpourri sachets all over the place. This is unisex, but I think this falls a little more on the feminine side. It's what gives this perfume the spiciness and little bit of heat that it has. The ginger is a little overpowering at first, but becomes much more tolerable as it dries down. Tea, cinnamon, ginger, and honey are the notes, and that's precisely what you get. It conjures up a snowy evening in a country home in the woods. The feeling that this fragrance gives off is waaaay more intimate than that. "Tea for Two" sounds like two ladies drinking tea and eating finger sandwiches in a British period piece. I'm not a fan of the name of this fragrance, as it's a bit misleading. While outside, Tea for Two seems to augment rather than overpower the natural scents of my surroundings-which is especially nice on on an autumn morning. However, there is nothing overly sweet about the experience at all, as the further into the dry down we go, tea leaves merge into tobacco leaves and the experience is drier, with elusive wafts. In the heart, its as if tea has been served with some gingerbread and spiced cookies, which reminds me of how much I love to dip cookies and biscuits into a hot cup of tea. It is no statement fragrance, but it is no gossamer milquetoast that must be detected by burying one's nares to their wrist, at least for the first five or so hours. Much like Russian Caravan, Tea for Two is mellow and subtle. I first recall learning of Russian Caravan from purchasing the Twinings brand blend several years ago while perusing the various teas at Cardullo's in Harvard Sq, Cambridge MA. Its name originates from the 18th century camel caravans that facilitated the transcontinental tea trade, from tea-producing areas to Russia. Russian Caravan is is a blend of oolong, keemun, and lapsang souchong teas. I am reminded of a malty, sweet, smoky cup of Russian Caravan with a dollop of honey when wearing Tea for Two. Sometimes all the beauty is just in our heads. It is a teaching moment for me, and it could be a teaching moment for you, so today's lesson is: it's absolutely possible to look at the notes, read the reviews and imagine you'll love a fragrance, and end up not understanding it at all. I'm SO glad I got to sample it a few times - and each time it was a tiny disaster for one. This is a fragrance that gets so much praise here in Basenotes, and it smells like an unpleasant mess to me. There's way too much ginger, and that ginger is not fresh nor sparkling nor spicy, it's dusty and stale and leaves a sour aftertaste in my mouth. It smells foul and bad and medicinal and unpleasantly sour on me. But the truth is I despise how it smells, and I especially hate how this smells on my skin. I know, I know, Tea For Two is beloved by many, and you, dear reader, would probably enjoy it too. It's a perfect lesson about how dangerous it is to buy unsniffed and untried fragrances. If I could, I would have blind bought it as I was absolutely sure I'd love it - it has cinnamon and ginger and tea after all! I am thanking all seven heavens and all seven hells that I never found it for a good price.
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