Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Camellia

At once sweet and floral, the new limited-edition Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Camellia Fragrance is undeniably feminine and easy to wear. As its name indicates, this scent centres on the camellia (the previous special-edition Elizabeth Arden Green Tea scent featured the lavender flower).

Its creator, perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux, explains the inspiration behind this new fragrance:

“Ikebana is a far eastern traditional form of flower arrangement. The most elevated form of ikebana is known as chabana. The prefix Cha relates to its intimate relationship to the ceremony of tea. Very frequently the centerpiece for this flower arrangement is a very specific kind of fragrant camellia know as sasanqua. Its delicate fragrance combines peony, rose and mandarin tree blossom notes with a delicate tea nuance.

We reconstituted this elusive scent and infused it into the Elizabeth Arden Green Tea DNA as a starting point for this exciting but delicate fragrance.”

The fragrance is composed of:

• Top notes of bergamot, yuzu, lemon, green tea vapours and ume
• Middle notes of green tea leaves, camellia sasanqua, white peony, Chinese magnolia, jasmine and Mandarin tree blossom
• Base notes of angelica musk, white birch, moss and touches of sweet spices

I was given a press sample of this scent and have been using it for the past few weeks. I love the initial mingle of floral and sparkling accents, plus the dry-down is quite pleasant (nothing too oriental or piquant, thank goodness).

It’s a light scent that is soft, fresh and sweet, really. There seems to be an edge of calming green tea but for the most part, the sweetness comes through.

Unfortunately, this fragrance doesn’t last on me; perhaps in part due to the fact that it’s an eau de toilette. I loved it at first sniff, though and had hoped for a more lasting eau de parfum version. However, it is only available in the following forms:

• Eau de Toilette Spray (50 ml) – S$59
• Eau de Toilette Spray (100 ml) – S$83
• Honey Drops Body Cream (238 g) – S$34

Image source: Elizabeth Arden Singapore