Glorious – rich and complex and engaging

New London Pharmacy is always my first stop for perfume shopping whenever I visit NYC. It was opened in 1960 in Chelsea to serve residents of the London Terrace Apartments on West 23rd Street, between 9th and 10th avenues and the surrounding neighbourhood. In 1977, it was bought by John and Abby Fazio, both of whom are licensed pharmacists. Since then, Abby Fazio has built up the beauty and fragrance side of the business, making it a mecca for perfumistas looking for hard-to-find niche fragrance brands.

But what makes New London Pharmacy such a pleasure to visit is that it’s a pharmacy first, so there’s no pressure to buy perfume and plenty of time to just take your time.

When I was there last month, swooning over the D.S. and Durgas, my nose caught something else in the air. So, I asked “sales assistant extraordinaire Desiree Monroe what fragrance she was wearing. “Oh, it’s my new favourite perfume. Glorious by Boadicea the Victorious.” she said, “I just love it. Abby loves it too. She wears it all the time.”

 Ah, yes, Boadicea the Victorious, the British niche brand founded in 2008 by Michael Boadi that was inspired by Boadicea, Celtic warrior and queen of the Iceni tribe who led a revolt against Roman occupation in 60 AD. I love Seductive and Warrioress from their Power Collection, and now smelling Glorious on skin makes me think it’s time for me to try a little something-something from their Spirit Collection.

Desiree read me like a blog and handed me the tester.

Glorious opens bright and fresh from piney, citrusy elemi. The freshness is heightened by a note of sparkling, succulent pineapple. Peach is here too, fleshy and full; it gives a gorgeous depth to the tropical pineapple. Ripe plum and juicy raspberry join the mix, their thick and jamminess balanced by a touch of crisp apple. As the top notes fade, narcotic, exotic jasmine comes forward, its floral aspect amplified by lush rose, warmed by cardamom and nutmeg. The base is woody from cedar wood, guaiac wood, sandalwood and patchouli, while musk extends the animalic aspect of the jasmine to the drydown. There’s also an illusive camphorous balsam note that wafts up from the woods from time to time and fits in perfectly here, while amber and vanilla add a deep, refined, sweet note that echoes the fruits at the opening.

Glorious opens bright and fresh from piney, citrusy elemi. The freshness is heightened by a note of sparkling, succulent pineapple. Peach is here too, fleshy and full, it gives a gorgeous depth to the tropical pineapple. Ripe plum and juicy raspberry join the mix, their thick and jamminess balanced by a touch of crisp apple. As the top notes fade narcotic, exotic, jasmine comes forward, its floral aspect amplified by lush rose, warmed by cardamom and nutmeg. The base is woody from cedar wood, guaiac wood, sandalwood and patchouli while musk extends the animalic aspect of the jasmine to the drydown. There’s also an illusive camphorous balsam note that wafts up from the woods from time to time and fits in perfectly here, while amber and vanilla add a deep, refined sweet note that echoes the fruits at the opening.

The drydown is rich and complex yet light and engaging – it never gets too fruity, dark or sweet – and is just, well, glorious to wear.

Every time I wear Glorious, I mean every time, I get asked about the fragrance I’m wearing. I just pass along the recommendation, the way it was passed along to me…

Check out Glorious in our Shop.