Fragrances tend to fall into two categories for me; those that make an immediate impact (either positively or negative), and those that take a while for me to get. Laconia, the latest scent from super-swish British brand Tom Daxon, fell smack bang into the immediate category. I knew from the first sniff that I liked it and that this wasn’t going to change. Yes, that’s a massive spoiler for this review, but I haven’t told you what it smells like so you will have to read on…
The Notes
Top: Lemon, Bergamot, Orange and Mandarin
Heart: Water Mint, Green Violet Leaf and Jasmine
Base: Sea Salt, Vetiver and Cardamom
How Does it Smell?
`Laconia is inspired by holidays in Greece and the lemonade drunk there. It’s a refreshing, uplifting fragrance that contrasts succulent citrus with a fresh sea breeze. So where do we start? Lemons! That’s where we start – a deluge of lemons. A swarm of lemons. A lemon truck overturned on the highway. A giant lemon rolling towards you in an ancient temple. You get the idea, right? It’s lemony af and it works. There’s a bracing, aquatic character to the citrus, almost as if it is a flood rather than a spritz, spraying forward with the testiness of lemon, the soft sweetness of bergamot and the juiciness of orange. It’s utterly refreshing and almost drinkable.
The next noticeable facet is greenery – it’s the few sprigs of mint adorning the glass, adding a sweet, leafy coolness. It’s also an aquatic sort of greenery, with the sweet, mineral softness of violet leaf (which seems to be having somewhat of a renaissance, this time in niche – see Miller Harris’ WANDER) brining a somewhat masculine vibe into play. There’s also a very subtle jasmine facet – a sort of green floralcy that counteracts with a touch of femininity, balancing Laconia as perfectly affable to all.
For me, Laconia is one of those super refreshing fragrances that you just want to keep spritzing to experience those splashing top notes again and again. So it’s one of those scents where you often don’t get to the base (because the tenacious citrus takes a while to let you get there) or when you do, it’s almost a reminder to spritz again. The base is a clean and musky, with a salty air. Cardamom adds some interest and warmth, not to mention a touch of sweaty exoticism, but not enough to derail Laconia’s clean act. Anyway, the fun isn’t in the base, it’s all up top so keep re-sprizting!
Laconia is a hard fragrance to dislike, after all there is nothing more attractive than a fresh glass of lemonade, and that’s exactly what it brings in olfactory form. On a hot day it’s hard to best it and with the heatwave we’ve been having, I’ve been relying on it! Laconia sums up the Tom Daxon brand perfectly for me, which is where everything is presented with clearness and simplicity so that what stands out are the fragrance compositions. Tom Daxon’s fragrances speak for themselves and Laconia speaks loudly with two words: “drink me”.
Availability
Laconia is available in 50ml (£105) and 100ml (£155) Eau de Parfum
Disclaimer
Sample, notes and quotes. Images are my own.
The Candy Perfume Boy 