Fizz Pop Gone (Scent Review: Penhaligon Juniper Sling)

When I was in London last September, the big new perfume release was Penhaligon's Juniper Sling. It was everywhere - posters, underground ads. But since Penhaligon's is not hard to find over here, I kind of ignored it. Of course, as soon as I got home, I found out that it might take a couple of months for it to get here in the States. And then I became *obsessed* with sniffing it. All I knew then was that the scent was based on the gin and tonic cocktail. It does open like that - there is a gin-ny (Angelica?) twang int he beginning, but it is also pepperry (kind of like Absolut Pepper) that makes it cold and dry. It projected fizz, kind of like what I envisioned seltzer water would smell like. Then it kind of disappears, and then you get the heart notes of sweetness. I can't really pinpoint what makes it sweet  - cinnamon? juniper? brown sugar? Oliver Crespe blends it well that t's not fruity, nor amber-ry... just sweet. And I kind of like it. But then it disappears again. I have a big problem with its longevity and strength. I don't know if my nose just gets so used to it, or it's just weak. Perhaps it's the latter, because Penhaligon's guides that the scene should be sprayed liberally. I don't really love it, and find myself not reaching for the scent much. However, I do like it when I have it on, and today - a hot, sweltering kind of a summer day - it provided a cool respite. But then, again, it was gone too soon. I'll always remember this as my london scent that never was.