Anu Essentials Perfume review; Sea Scape, Sita and Meadow Lark

I was recently offered the chance to sample three fragrances from a line I hadn't heard of before, Anu Essentials (sold online at www.anuessentials.com).  My taste runs very much towards independent natural perfume, so these appealed to me.

Sea Scape opens with neroli and jasmine (both of which feel quite marine to me for some reason - jasmine blends particularly well with salt), rose and violet leaf give a watery floral burst and then the ambergris and seaweed provide the marine feel at the base of the fragrance; salty, warm and slightly animalic. Anu Essentials Sea Scape is a warm summer sea where Roxana Illuminated Perfume Green Witch is a cool, spring sea. Both are lovely.

Sita leans more to the floral than the spicy to my nose, although it is a good balance of both. I get mostly rose from this one after an initial sparkly citrus (pink peppercorn and pink grapefruit) and a nice warm spiciness to the heart and base notes - the patchouli listed in the notes is done with a very light hand so don't be put off if patchouli isn't your thing; I get more of the coriander and clove. This isn't overly heavy, it's just a little warmer than most mainstream florals, and would be a good winter floral fragrance. Sita has a touch of the animalic base note that I smell in Sea Scape, so I wouldn't be surprised to find ambergris in this perfume too, although it isn't listed. It gives both Sita and Sea Scape good lasting power; they are both still sticking around after four hours and the base note lingers even longer.

Meadow Lark is clean, fresh and green. I like herbs used in fragrance, and the tarragon in this works well with the clementine and clary sage (again, it's nicely balanced and not overdone, so the tarragon doesn't overpower and take you into roasted chicken territory). This would be a good unisex fragrance, and is also perfect for hot or humid weather. Meadow Lark does not have the ambergris note in it, and is more ephemeral than Sea Scape or Sita, fading down to a whisper on me after a couple of hours in the winter. I imagine it would last better on warm summer skin, and I don't mind reapplying.

The sample vials are a great way to try the fragrances before you buy them, and if the sound of any of them appeal to you I would encourage you to try a sample. The full size fragrances are $85 for 1/2oz and the website will ship internationally.

Disclosure: PR sample