My second brand discovery, Kingdom Scotland
Hi guys, welcome to my second review on Scotland's first niche perfume brand, Kingdom Scotland. Based in Edinburgh and founded by Imogen Russon-Taylor, the brand focuses on capturing the history and the landscapes of Scotland. There are three fragrances released, and these are Albaura, Portal and Metamorphic. Metamorphic explores the landscape of Scotland and focuses on metamorphic rock. Albaura is a tribute to the Scottish botanist and Arctic explorer Isobel Wylie Hutchinson. Finally, Portal is a tribute to the gateway of the Caledonian forests of Scotland.
https://www.kingdomscotland.com
I was interested in finding out more about Kingdom Scotland and what drew my attention was the location of the brand. I have travelled to Scotland on four separate occasions, and I like the country, especially Edinburgh. All three fragrances are available from the sample pack, and I received a beautiful picture card with a thank you note, including £20 off when purchasing a full bottle. Please see my thoughts below, as you can see from the samples, I have worn the fragrances a few times, during winter and spring.
Portal launched in 2018
Perfumer: – No detail found.
Top notes: - Herbaceous Botanicals and Bergamot. Mid notes: -Verdant Flora. Base notes: - Vetiver and Scots Pine.
Notes I detect: - Vetiver, Bergamot, Scots Pine, and florals.
What's going on in my nose: - I get a green, and herby vibe like you are walking and smelling green plants and trees in the forest with bergamot adding freshness in the opening. I then start to detect some florals in the mid, although I cannot identify specific flowers. I then notice the vetiver and woody notes from the pine.
Performance: - Portal lasted for 6 hours on my skin, with around 2 hours of projection before it settled on my skin.
Final thoughts: - I was not excited upon wearing Portal, however, when I applied the fragrance before I went to sleep, I suddenly woke up and I could smell something sparkly and bright wafting from my skin. I re-applied the next morning, and I began to enjoy the fragrance fully. It felt like walking through the Caledonian forest, and you can smell the pine, grass and flowers around you. I liked wearing Portal, especially during the winter and spring, thumb up for me.
Metamorphic launched in 2018
Perfumer: – No detail found.
Top notes: - Black Pepper and Tobacco. Mid notes: - Incense, Minerals, Islay Malt & Rose Absolute. Base notes: - Amber Resin and Leather.
Notes I detect: - Black pepper, tobacco, incense, malt & rose, Amber and leather.
What's going on in my nose: - I get the spicy opening mixed in with smoky tobacco. I then start to detect malt and rose, which gives the fragrance a sweet feeling in the mid. As the fragrance dries down on my skin, I notice the amber resin and leather, with the amber feeling a little dirty, with the malt & rose and small hints of tobacco pop in from time to time.
Performance: - Performance is excellent, 10 hours of longevity on my skin with a projection of between 2 to 3 hours.
Final thoughts: - I enjoyed the opening and the mid of Metamorphic. However, I was not as keen with the leather/amber resin combo on the dry down. I did spray Metamorphic under my t-shirt, and I kept getting wafts of the malt & rose and tobacco, which was pleasant. Metamorphic is a good fragrance, which changes on my skin but it's not my favourite, thumb down.
Albaura launched in 2018
Perfumer: – No detail found.
Top notes: - Iced Botanicals. Mid notes: - Arctic Poppy. Base notes: - Atlas Cedar, Rock Moss and Ambergris.
Notes I detect: - Iced berries, floral note, woody notes and green notes.
What's going on in my nose: - It's hard to explain, I get an icy, fresh and sweet berry smell in the opening which I enjoyed. I then start to detect some florals that mix in with the sweet berry smell. As the fragrance dries down, I notice a woody/mossy note, from the atlas cedar and rock moss. The berries and floral notes still linger in the background.
Performance: - Good performance from my skin, 2 hours of projection with 8 hours of longevity.
Final thoughts: - Albaura was my favourite fragrance out of the three offerings from Kingdom Scotland; my wife smelt it on my skin and loved it. I enjoyed the icy berries feel in the opening; Imogen mentions that Juniper berries are in this fragrance. Although I have tried a few perfumes so far in my journey, this fragrance is unique to me. It was a pleasant experience wearing the scent during the last few months in winter transitioning to spring. I will look to buy the 50 ml bottle, thumbs up for me!
My overall thoughts on Kingdom Scotland
I am glad I discovered the brand; I enjoyed trying all three fragrances, especially Albaura and Portal. Metamorphic was a good tobacco, amber and rose scent but my least favourite of the three, due to the dry down. I still have a little amount of the sample, so I will try wearing this fragrance in the future. The ingredients used are Scottish sourced, with the fragrances giving you a representation of how Scotland would smell, this was quite evident when I wore Portal. I felt I was enjoying walking through the Caledonian forest, and Albaura gave me a feeling of smelling icy berries and plants. The prices of the fragrances are not bad, with all three fragrances coming in at £110 for 50 ml. The bottle sizes are ideal, which are perfect for travelling. The overall performance of all the scents on my skin was excellent, and I enjoyed the uniqueness of some of the notes from the fragrances. I also appreciated the concepts behind all three perfumes. In my opinion, Imogen has made three different fragrances that represent Scotland, and I hope the brand gets more recognition and becomes a success. I will be looking out for new releases from Kingdom Scotland.
Please leave any comments below on what you think of my review, including your favourites from the house.
Thanks again for finding me and stopping by, I appreciate it! Please check my Instagram page; I will be posting my scent of the day and previews of what I will be reviewing next. Look out for the next review, Shay & Blue, a London based niche
