• About
  • Login to comment
    • Facebook
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Now Smell This

a blog about perfume

Menu ▼
  • Perfume Reviews
  • New Perfumes
  • Perfumers
  • Perfume Houses
  • Shop for perfume
  • Resources

Askett & English Askett Absolute and Askett Essential ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Kevin on 29 February 2012 17 Comments

Though it was 30 degrees F outside when I woke up this morning, I didn’t crave an intense amber, wood or incense fragrance; I wanted sparkling citrus…citrus that would laugh at winter and say: “Your time is almost up, Withered One…flowers and warmth are on their way!” Smiling at me from the “perfume sample bowl” near my bed were two recent citrus-y perfume releases from Askett & English, each an Eau de Cologne — Askett Absolute and Askett Essential.

Askett Absolute includes notes of tea, mandarin, bergamot, cardamom, basil, rose, orange blossom, woods, amber and musk. Absolute opens with ‘bergamot tea,’ lightly sweetened and clean. A zingy orange blossom-basil combo appears in mid-development. (I do detect a rose note, not at all soft or feminine but clear and “ripe.”) Absolute ends with a slightly floral, sheer wood accord (let’s call it “summer amber”). Overall, Absolute reminds me of a ‘sweeter’ Tom Ford Neroli Portofino (a likeable, well-done citrus fragrance with a too-huge ego, $195 for 50 ml, really?)

Askett Essential includes notes of herbs, lemon, bergamot, lavender, jasmine, woods, moss, cedar, tonka bean and vetiver.  Essential opens with an abundance of sour/tart citrus aromas (accent on the rind, not the juice). Mixed with the citrus is a bright, green ‘moss’ note (sharper than expected); jasmine is a background accent. Essential ends with a flower-tinged moss-vetiver accord. Essential smells like an old-style citrus scent (think Eau de Guerlain), the type of Eau de Cologne made before moss was slandered, flowers were diluted, and awful ozone and “mentholated” sport fragrance notes appeared.

I enjoy Askett Absolute and Askett Essential; if I didn’t have way too many Eaux de Cologne in my collection, I’d buy one (probably Absolute). Each fragrance is unisex and has good lasting power (five hours) and sillage.

Askett & English Askett Absolute and Askett Essential are £60 each for 100 ml; they are not currently sold in the U.S. but can be bought at Les Senteurs in London, Kapok in Hong Kong and The Different Scent in Berlin.

Note: top image is Egon Schiele’s Der Cello-Spieler [altered], via Wikimedia Commons.

Filed Under: perfume talk
Tagged With: askett english, classic cologne

Advertisement


17 Comments

Leave a comment, or read more about commenting at Now Smell This. Here's our privacy policy, and a handy emoticon chart.

  1. Marjorie Rose says:
    29 February 2012 at 2:36 pm

    Thanks for the review, Kevin. If I were to seek these out, Absolute sounds more my style than Essential.

    I was in a similar mood with the spring snow we got last night–I sprayed myself liberally with Bronze Goddess yesterday evening to laugh in the face of those snow flakes! (And to dream of Waikiki–only 3 weeks away!)

    Log in to Reply
    • Kevin says:
      29 February 2012 at 6:27 pm

      MR: you have something to look forward too!

      Log in to Reply
  2. pyramus says:
    29 February 2012 at 3:42 pm

    I do that sometimes, too: it’s brutal midwinter and instead of wearing the usual warm standbys (heavy with vanilla, amber, leather or spice) I say, “Screw you, Winter!” and put on Eau Sauvage or White Linen or something equally bright and dazzling-spring-sunshiny. These sound like just the thing.

    Log in to Reply
    • Kevin says:
      29 February 2012 at 6:29 pm

      R: they did a good job on their first two scents…plum trees have just started blooming in this icy weather…they give me HOPE.

      Log in to Reply
  3. poodle says:
    29 February 2012 at 4:37 pm

    What timing on this review. We’ve had such a mild winter with almost no snow and today I’m watching it pile up outside and swearing under my breath. Something bright and sunny is just what I might need. These sound like something my husband would like too.

    Log in to Reply
    • Kevin says:
      29 February 2012 at 6:30 pm

      Poodle: seems like snow is the order of the day all over the place.

      Log in to Reply
  4. FragrantWitch says:
    29 February 2012 at 5:14 pm

    Nice review, Kevin. I too have a tendency to the defy the doldrums of winter with something bright and zippy so these sound great. The Absolute sounds most like me but the Essential is a definite contender!

    Log in to Reply
    • Kevin says:
      29 February 2012 at 6:31 pm

      FWitch: hope you can smell them…surely someone will pick them up for sale in the U.S….

      Log in to Reply
      • FragrantWitch says:
        1 March 2012 at 1:04 pm

        I am in the UK so it’s all good. 😉

        Log in to Reply
  5. ladymurasaki says:
    29 February 2012 at 6:55 pm

    Thanks for the review Kevin.They both sound wonderful. I have been thinking about summer scents as well such as citrus, jasmine, gardenia, etc. After a cold and dull winter, I long for the arrival of spring/summer and wearing a summery scent is a nice reminder of the warmer climate. It makes me happy!

    Log in to Reply
    • Kevin says:
      29 February 2012 at 7:27 pm

      LadyM: I agree…that’s why I chose the top image for the post…he “looks” like he’s engulfed in a citrus perfume! HA!

      Log in to Reply
  6. JolieFleurs says:
    29 February 2012 at 7:12 pm

    Totally OT, please excuse me, but has anyone heard form Rappleyea after the storms?

    Log in to Reply
    • nozknoz says:
      29 February 2012 at 9:40 pm

      I was wondering about Musette, too.

      Log in to Reply
      • KateReed says:
        29 February 2012 at 11:33 pm

        Whereabouts are they? I know that parts of Mo. are still without power, but I don’t know about anything further afield than that, noot for certain. Earlier this evening, I think I heard a report that Kentucky and Tennessee had gotten hit again, but I was so frazzled when I finally made it in from work (high winds and a dry winter do NOT make for a fun day when you work in insurance, and add to that it ending up being a nearly 13 hour day besides…) well, I can’t be sure I really did hear that or not.

        Log in to Reply
        • nozknoz says:
          1 March 2012 at 7:58 am

          They are in affected states, but I don’t know/remember the towns, so I don’t know if they were at all close to the tornados.

          Wow, a 13-hour day is tough!

          Log in to Reply
          • KateReed says:
            1 March 2012 at 5:00 pm

            Its bad, but better than flood season. People get very angry when you tell them they don’t have coverage for water. There are people I’ve tried to sell flood policies to every winter since I got here, who will occasionally get a quote but will never buy a policy who (when the river rises and thier house floods) scream at me “YOU NEVER TOLD ME THAT!”

            *sigh* Sometimes insurance really sucks.

    • Knit1CurlToo says:
      1 March 2012 at 11:06 pm

      I am just checking back to see if there’s any news/contact from Rappleyea and Musette. Still nothing? I hope they’re okay.

      Log in to Reply

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Advertisement

Search

Browse by...

Topic

Perfume talk New fragrances
Shopping Books :: News
Body products Home fragrance
Polls Another subject

Date

September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023

Prior months

Author

Robin Jessica
Angela Kevin
Erin Guest Author

Tag

Celebrity perfumes
Cheap thrills
Collector bottles
Perfumista tip series
Video
The complete tag index

Recent reviews

Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus
Moschino Toy Boy
Arquiste Misfit
Diptyque Eau Capitale
Zoologist Bee
Parfum d’Empire Immortelle Corse
Comme des Garcons Series 10 Clash
Frédéric Malle Rose & Cuir
L’Artisan Parfumeur Le Chant de Camargue
Yves Saint Laurent Grain de Poudre
Régime des Fleurs Chloë Sevigny Little Flower
Chanel 1957
Gallivant Los Angeles
Amouage Portrayal Woman

Blogroll

Bois de Jasmin
Grain de Musc
Perfume Posse
The Non-Blonde
More blogs...

Perfumista lists

100 fragrances every perfumista should try
And 25 more fragrances every perfumista should smell
50 masculine fragrances every perfumista should try
26 vintage fragrances every perfumista should try
25 rose fragrances every perfumista should try
11 Cheap Perfumes Beauty Outsiders Love

Favorite posts

The Great Perfume Reduction Plan
Why I Love Old School Chypres
New to perfume and want to learn more?
How to make fragrance last through the day
Fragrance concentrations: sorting it all out
On reformulations, or why your favorite perfume doesn’t smell like it used to
How to get fragrance samples
Perfume for Life: How Long Will Your Fragrance Collection Last?

Upcoming

List of upcoming Friday projects

23 September ~ swapmeet

3 October ~ damage poll
7 October ~ fall reading poll
21 October ~ splitmeet

Back to Top

Home
About Now Smell This :: Privacy Policy
Perfume Reviews
New Perfumes
General Perfume Articles
The Monday Mail

Glossary of Perfume Terms
Perfume FAQ
Perfume Links
Perfume Books

Noses ~ Perfumers A-E :: F-K :: L-S :: T-Z

Perfume Houses A-B :: C :: D-E :: F-G
H-J :: K-L :: M :: N-O :: P :: Q-R :: S
T :: U-Z

Copyright © 2005-2023 Now Smell This. All rights reserved.