James Heeley fragrances seem to be designed for a man's man. They're not frilly or whimsical. They're strong, simple and clearly named. It's refreshing for a fragrance brand to be so, well, manly.
Figuier - Possibly the longest lasting fig fragrance that I've tried. I put it on in the morning and could still smell it late into the afternoon. When perfumes have such long staying power it suggests that they are largely synthetic. But that aside, it's a well-orchestrated fig fragrance. It's more potent than other fig scents, like Diptyque's Philosykos, which is softer, with more subtle layering. But all in all I enjoyed James Heeley's Figuier and will definitely wear it again.
Sel Marin — It was Chandler Burr's recommendation for Sel Marin in the New York Times a few weeks ago that prompted me to try James Heeley fragrances. Burr suggests that Sel Marin is a great fragrance for this summer. It's decidedly masculine, with notes including Lemon, Bergamot, Sea Salt, Algue, Vetiver, Birch and Cedar. I wore Sel Marin for the first time today, and need a few more days to really get to grips with it.
Esprit du Tigre — There are a lot of write-ups about this fragrance. Allegedly tiger balm was the inspiration for Esprit du Tigre. So far I haven't been able to bring myself to try it. Tiger balm is a potent smell, that's really difficult to shake off once it's on your skin. But perhaps Esprit du Tigre is not going to be quite as I imagine. The note are winter green, campher, cardamom, clove, black pepper, cinnamon and vetiver. Sounds lovely.
The other fragrances in James Heeley's range include Cardinal, based around the key notes of incense — frankincense and labdanum ciste. Cedre Blanc, is a cedar based fragrance, softened by notes of cardamom and cumin. Cuir Pleine Fleur is a leather fragrance. Leather is a note that just doesn't agree with me — it makes me want to gasp for breath. Iris de Nuit is depicted as "the seductive and delicate scent of Iris amidst Tuscan cyprus trees". The vivid description makes me keen to sample it. Menthe Fraiche is fairly self explanatory. There doesn't seem to be a description of Ophelia on the James Heeley website. According to OsMoz, the notes are orange, green stem, jasmine, ylang ylang and tuberose. And finally Verveine 's note are bergamot, lemon verbena, blackcurrant, jasmin and white musc. Makes it sound incredibly fresh.
The fragrances in the James Heeley range seem decidedly alpha male — lots of leather, mint, violets, cedar and woods in general. The packaging and design are unfussy with clean lines and no-nonsense names. I like the character of the brand and the couple of scents that I've tried so far have been solid.