ANNINDRIYA
WALK WITH ME
2024
PERFUMER
Chester Gibs
lime
cardamom
ylang-ylang
ginger
coconut
saffron
cinnamon
vetiver
patchouli
leather
musk
‘Walk with Me through both sunny and rainy days. Uncover hidden gems as we journey, discovering unexpected wonders. Energetic, joyfully warm, and enveloping, Walk with Me by Annindriya is an invitation to travel and create memories. This fragrance, by olfactive artist Chester Gibs, is full of contrast and movement: cool, green, citrus contrasted with warm, creamy tones. In this extrait de parfum, we find duality and contrast, just as we do within ourselves. Take my hand and Walk with Me. The invigorating opening of green notes, ginger and kaffir lime leaves greet you before reaching the soft, creamy heart of coconut, ylang ylang and vanilla. From the forest to the beach, from the beach to the ocean, from the ocean to your warm skin, Walk with Me lingers as a warm embrace.’ – PerfumeLounge
Straight from the opening, this is unlike anything I’ve ever smelled; although I’m not sure if I find that a good thing in this case. The opening was rather strange, but not all that pleasant to me; it does level out quickly to its advantage, but I never quite found any comfort in this scent during my first wearing.
It’s not an easy fragrance to explain. The ‘not great’ part is a sort of wet dog, musky overdose to my nose. I’ve smelled it in other fragrances and I’m not quite sure what causes it (usually it seems to be a calone-related ingredient, which unfortunately, I also get to some extent in this brand’s Vetiver Rain). It’s combined here with a fresh, crisp green citrus; like a lime bubblegum. Surprisingly minty and cool. If it was only that side, I probably would’ve liked Walked With Me a lot more.
I wore this alongside the aforementioned Vetiver Rain and both seem to have this combination of crisp fresh green and seemingly clashing surrounding notes. The first hour gives me an olfactory experience akin to drinking orange juice after brushing my teeth in the case of Walk With Me. It gets a lot better after a short hour; still a sharp and sparkling, but more coherent and reminding me of a fizzy lemonade at that point. When smelled up close, I have the same issues as in the opening, but from a distance (as you should be smelling it), it becomes a lot nicer.
I’m not trying to be rude, but I’m unsure if it’s because it’s an artistic choice or if Chester (this being his first ever perfume released) has some wrinkles to iron out, but I’m afraid that Walk With Me was my least favorite from the Annindriya line-up.