PENHALIGON’S
PORTRAIT – THE IMPUDENT COUSIN MATTHEW

2019

PERFUMER
Alberto Morillas

Mandarin
Petitgrain
Patchouli

I acquired Cousin Matthew in a swap pretty randomly, so it’s not a fragrance I sought out specifically. Touted as a neroli bomb (despite not being one of the 3 notes listed by the brand), I wasn’t the most excited, but I’m happy to tell you that it smells really nice regardless.

It is one that I can keep short and simple; if you know your neroli fragrances, you know what to expect. Cousin Matthew doesn’t differentiate all that much from your Tom Ford Neroli Portofino or my weapon of choice: Bvlgari Wood Neroli.

What Cousin Matthew offers is slightly more floral and there’s a sweetness that creeps up after the initial minutes. That vanillic amber accord can also be found in the Bvlgari for example, but I found it to be more prominent in the Penhaligon’s; despite not being listed in the notes either.

As always with this style; performance can’t be expected to be great and it’s on the simple and inoffensive side. I think The Impudent Cousin Matthew is a beautiful scent, but for the money, you have to nitpick for advantages over many of the more affordable neroli-prominent fragrances on the market. That is of course, aside from the awesome duck bottle.