Kensington Apothecary – Capri 1966 EDP

Kensington Apothecary has been on my radar for a while now.  As a beauty blogger, I became aware of the brand some time ago through their skincare line.  I was impressed by the founder’s use of natural ingredients and their commitment to community.  When they made the decision to launch their first fragrance collection, Expatica Scent Collection, I was immediately interested.  I was fortunate enough to be able to obtain a sample of one of the three releases, Capri 1966 (“Capri”).  Capri has been described by the perfumer as a “tomboy floral”.   Of course, many of us in the fragrance community no longer consider fragrance male or female, however, there can be made some distinction in notes of scents which were traditionally identified as owning to male or female.

If you’ve followed my fragrance blog, you already know that I personally love a scent that tells a story.  In the case of Capri, the perfumer is sharing her vintage daydream in a fresh and modern way.  We are being taken back to a moment in time when “Grace Kelly (is) stepping off a sailboat in the harbor at Capri wearing simple linen pants and espadrilles, her windblown hair only partially tied back in a plain cotton scarf”. 

The fragrance opens with a bright and sunny freshness.  I get a slightly green citrus white floral.  There is a natural balance between a slightly sweet, slightly spicy bergamot against a lightly herbal petitgrain.  I get a twist that seems to be a lemon-orange blend with a honeyed finish.  Unlike other fragrances I have tested that wear on me with a citrus or lemon note(s), Capri manages to create these notes without heading into what I dub “furniture polish territory”.  Instead, the notes sing with a sense of place; your feet are firmly placed in the Mediterranean with the sun gently warming your skin.

As Capri wears, I retain the opening green citrus florals and an orange blossom melds with jasmine creating a light and playful white floral accord.  Again, these notes create a sense of place. There is a wispiness to the florals which give them lift and create the illusion of a breeze off the water dancing across the blossoming flowers and trees.

Capri is further elevated and rounded out with underpinnings of sage, nutmeg, and green tea against a woody canvas.  There are hints here and there of the spicy, the herbal, the warm, and the woody.  It is at the same time vintage and modern; sophisticated and playful.  The dualities help to recreate that snapshot in time and still let the wearer tell their own story.

Capri 1966 wears on me with soft projection for roughly 4 – 5 hours.

Notes:

Top: Bergamot, Petitgrain, Orange, Neroli

Middle: Jasmine, Sage, Orange Blossom

Base: Cedarwood, Nutmeg, Green Tea

Perfumer:  Claudia Carey Batz

Cruelty Free

Statement on animal testing: We source all of our ingredients cruelty-free, and don't use any animal-sourced scent materials or other ingredients. We do not do animal testing, use ingredients that have been tested on animals, or sell into countries where animal testing is mandatory or common.

100% Natural

Photo Credit: Kensington Apothecary