Perfume Review: Burberry London by Burberry

Burberry London (not to be confused with Burberry, a 1997 Burberry classic) is a recent release meant to “capture and celebrate the city of London and its distinctive sense of style.” It was created by Dominque Ropion, the author of Carnal Flower, Une Fleur de Cassie, Euphoria and Alien, and the bold, sensuous Ropion’s touch is certainly apparent in Burberry London. Having said that, on the scale of 1 to 10 of originality, beauty and wearability, where Une Fleur de Cassie would be a perfect 10, Carnal Flower an 8,5 and Alien a 1, Burberry London is a 2, no more. Burberry London starts deceptively soft and delicate, with a lovely accord of clementines and roses. The pairing of sweet citrus fruits and dew-sprkinled roses is truly delightful, airy and candied at the same time. And then, as far as I am concerned, things start going wrong. A very heady, very sweet tiare appears, overwhelming all other notes and completely taking over the composition. I don’t quite understand why tiare is included in a scent meant to represent London, but that is not really an issue. The issue is the unattractiveness, the aggressiveness of that heavy floral note. After the advent of tiare, all other ingredients become practically imperceptible. Forget the pretty clementine-rose accord, forget the promised peony; even jasmine, not a shy flower by any stretch of imagination, did not stand a chance against the incredible strength of tiare. Sandalwood and patchouli of the drydown? Forget them too. Tiare ruled supreme. Burberry London was heavy, basically linear and quite unappealing if not to say unpleasant. As it is so often the case with scents we do not enjoy, its lasting power was superb. Burberry London is available at Imagination Perfumery, $34.99-$63.99.