May Flower

May Flower is Abbey Perfumery's spring floral and it is better constructed than that description implies. Bergamot and jasmine open together, which is an unusual choice: putting a heavy white floral in the top alongside citrus means the jasmine is present immediately rather than emerging later, and it gives the first twenty minutes a heady, slightly indolic quality cut by the bergamot. Pink pepper occupies the heart and does the same job it does elsewhere in the range, adding a bright, rosy pepperiness that keeps the flowers from turning cloying. The base is where it separates from the average spring floral: patchouli and musk give it an earthy, faintly dirty grounding that the opening does not prepare you for, and the fragrance is noticeably darker at hour three than at minute three. That contrast is the most interesting thing about it. Performance is respectable, with the patchouli carrying it longest. Spring is the obvious season and it holds up in autumn. It works for office and casual wear, though the jasmine is assertive enough that a light hand is sensible in close quarters.