Tonya Kidd-Beggs is the founder and creative director of Eliza Grace. Her ambition was to create a line of fragrances that tell a story, influenced heavily from her own childhood. Every fragrance has a story to tell, and every nose an individual interpretation, so let’s dive into the scent.
The opening is a beautiful combination of bergamot, Bulgarian rose, ginger, cardamom and green tea. The sharp bergamot note is smoothed out by the Bulgarian rose, whilst the spicy cardamom becomes light and delicate once combined with the green tea. Ginger adds a touch of sweet spice and intrigue, seamlessly delivering the wearer to the emerging mid notes. The rose is dusty and is almost gourmand like at times. Despite not being a listed note, I get an almond/marzipan note that makes the scent good enough to eat.
Despite not being a listed note, i get an almond/marzipan note that makes the scent good enough to eat.
As the bergamot fades at the top, the co-star of the show takes centre stage. A delightful honey tobacco note, a pipe tobacco note no less. Once again the blending is perfectly executed, as the rich and resinous tobacco note is encapsulated within the Bulgarian rose. Combined they create exactly the scent that Tonya describes in the fragrances story… “time spent in the garden and by the stream with her father and grandfather, as tobacco pipe smoke filled the air”. Cedarwood completes the mid notes, adding depth to a note lineup which are all vying for your attention.
As the fragrance progresses into the base notes, the rose and tobacco combination become increasingly prominent in the blend. Oppopnax adds a touch of sweet smoke, whilst patchouli adds earthiness. Yet once again, these notes are smoothed out with a buttery tonka bean note, whilst amber and musk complete the note lineup, adding warmth to the base.
In terms of performance, I got projection for 3 hours and longevity of 10+ hours, outstanding on my skin.
I have many memories of my own childhood, including time spent with my grandparents. Whilst this scent was created to bring Tonya’s memories to life, it’s served to evoke my own. Stories No. 02 is the rose scent I’ve long been waiting for. It’s light enough to be worn in the warmer months, yet has enough depth and power to take you through the winter. A rose that’s perfectly unisex, worthy of your time and attention.
Availability
No. 02 is available in 15/30/100ml for £50/80/120 from Eliza Grace
Disclaimer
I was gifted my bottle by Eliza Grace. I was not paid for this review, opinions and photos are my own.
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