Fonteyn

Fonteyn is IIUVO's scent of a paradox: named for the ballerina Margot Fonteyn dancing in a 1970 recording while a hooded shadow follows her, purity against evil, back and forth. The UK house says the scent represents that complex combination existing together in a beautiful way. It opens with an initial fresh phase of grapefruit, rosemary, wormwood and cardamom, citrus with strong herbs in soft vermouth. It then mellows to a lightly floral, powdery heart that wearers call violet-dominant, with rose, blackcurrant buds and freesia. The base is papyrus, moss, vanilla, vetiver and patchouli on Virginia cedar, so the dry-down is woody and soapy rather than sweet. It is a quiet scent with low sillage and a decent but short presence, and one wearer loses it from the nose within half an hour. It wears best in spring, summer and autumn, and suits the office, leisure and daily wear better than evenings. Opinion is mild: most find it tasteful, bracing and pretty, a few find it fades quickly. It sits closer to an aromatic violet and herb scent than to a sweet floral, and wearers read it as unisex. Sold only as a 100 ml, it is worth a sample first, because the soft vermouth and violet are the point.