Magnolia Grandiflora Sandrine is one of two signature scents launched at the same time in 2014 by new perfume house Grandiflora founded by Sydney-based floral design artist Saskia Havekes. Each fragrance is an interpretation of the Magnolia Grandiflora flower. Both fragrances are stunners, but it is the Magnolia Grandiflora Sandrine that grabbed my heart.

Magnolia Grandiflora, that medium to large evergreen tree that grows best near the seashore and is native to the southeastern United States, with its large white, lemon-scented flowers are Saskia’s favourite flower and her muse.

Magnolia Grandiflora Sandrine opens with a dramatic burst of lemon, the scent of a fragrant magnolia flower opening, along with a sweet note of melon and hints of rose from pink pepper. The bitterness from grapefruit tempers the fruity floral aspects, keeping it light and ephemeral. Aldehydes give the opening the waxiness that magnolia petals have and round out the citrus notes. Musk smoothes and warms the top notes so that the fragrance smells sunny. As it blooms, it becomes fresh and green, dry and woody and smells like a magnolia garden. There is a woodiness at the base and a marine-aquatic chord, which brings a sea breeze to the garden. A note of sheer musk fuses it all without compromising its lightness. The drydown is soft, refined and elegant.

Magnolia Grandiflora Sandrine smells like standing in a magnolia garden in the soft early morning of a spring day, experiencing the burst of a magnolia blossom opening, catching its fleeting, magnificent scent before it is carried away on a sea breeze. I cannot get enough of it.

Notes: Lemon, grapefruit, pink pepper, fresh garden accords, dry wood accords, marine-aquatic accords, musky accords.