What's That Smell? LINDEN BLOSSOM

In the "What's That Smell?" series,  I'll explain some of the less obvious perfume notes that crop up in many indie perfumes. Keep in mind my descriptions and comparisons are based on my own experiences and your impressions may not be the same. Perfume notes are NOT ingredients. They can be natural essences, artificial isolated compounds that imitate the natural substance, blended accords, or a combination. Therefore, the note you like in one perfume may be unrecognizable in another. As with all sensory, subjective things, your mileage may vary.

Linden blossom is one of the floral notes you won't find by visiting your local flower shop. Linden is also called "lime blossom." It's a beautifully bright, sunny, sweet, and sharp scent. It's reminiscent of honey, honeysuckle, and grass. As a perfume note, I think it needs to be balanced by deeper or smoother notes, as its honeyed vibes can tip dangerously into cloying or powdery when not used correctly. Used right, it smells like being outdoors in a park on a sunny spring day. It smells juicy, sharp, bright, and very sweet. Although it has a powerful sweetness, the greenish sap nuances make this note versatile, more so than honeysuckle in my opinion, because it can be used as a brightener in masculine blends too.

Perfumes featuring linden blossom: 

• Possets Linden Blossom Tea: Linden is the main note in this perfume, and it's at its most bright and honeyed. This doesn't actually smell like a cup of tea- it smells a bit grassy, green, and syrupy, like the pollen from a flowering tree. This blend really underscores the green vibrancy of linden, which makes the whole scent a bit more unisex. A woman or man could wear this, and it wouldn't be out of place.
• Deconstructing Eden Beloved: This is a more feminine scent, fruity, fluffy, and sweet. The apple and cucumber have a raw, vegetal juiciness that is only made more complex and interesting from the sweet green linden. I love how the linden functions as a fluffy sweet AND a bright green modifier here, because there are no contradictions or jarring combinations here, just seamless fruity-floral harmony.
• Deconstructing Eden Jealousy: Another DE scent, this one is far more masculine and powerful than Beloved. SO incredibly green, this fragrance is wild, jungly, fresh, and herbaceous. There's basil and figs, which have a raw green quality, and the touch of linden sweetens the blend without creating an overpowering floral impression. 

Deconstructing Eden Blanc Review

Brand: Deconstructing Eden

Availability: Formerly permanent, now discontinued, but she may bring it back (you can also check with owner to see if she can sell you even though it's not listed in store)
Notes: White musks, white mint, white jasmine and linden blossoms

First impression out of bottle: The sweetest, earthiest mint, like crushed peppermint leaf in a dewy garden

Freshly applied: Sweet white mint, like minty tea. Then I get a touch of sweet green from the linden blossoms. It never gets that honeyed scent that Possets' linden gets on me, which almost has a sticky pollen feel. This is a clean, refreshing, lightly floral blend with an eensy touch of jasmine. The swirling musks make me think of morning mist or fog, they are not powdery or perfumey, but rather kind of damp and natural.

Minty, misty morning

Drydown: The mint is halway between candied mint and freshly-crushed garden mint. The juicy greenness makes it feel like earth/a garden without actual dirt or grass notes. Someone on IMAM told me they got hardly any mint from this, which I was bummed about, but I'm so happy that it's mostly mint on me.

Love the earthy, cool mint character

After several hours: A whisper of minty musk. 

Longevity: Very bad. This scent disappears on me but I just spritz more on because I'm obsessed with it. I wish it lasted longer.
Sillage: Quite low after the first few minutes. It lingers a little on hair and clothing, and I need to spray liberally to get good throw, but as I noted above, the longevity leaves a lot to be desired. These are all very faint notes, so you can't expect the potency you'd get from a spicy oriental, but STILL. I want it to stick around longer. 

Would an [X] lover love this? I think this is a highly unusual scent and basically everyone should try it if it becomes permanent again. A mint lover might adore it (hello, I do) but other people say they don't get much mint. So it's kind of a toss up.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think a mint hater could come around to this, as it's a very faithful representation of realistic mint. Also musk haters need to try it, as this is some of the best musk blending I've ever smelled. Not powdery, grandma-ish, or cloying.

Where am I? It makes me think of Cinderella trudging home in the morning mist after the ball, her bare foot squelching in the fresh garden herbs, and a single sparkling glass slipper.

Where would I wear this? I love wearing this during the day, especially on hot days. It's no use wearing it to bed as it disappears almost before I fall asleep, but I find it to be a super elegant but fun daytime scent. Very youthful but not childish.