London-based niche line Gallivant is back with two new fragrances, Amsterdam and Berlin, bringing its total of olfactory “urban explorations” to six. When I tried Gallivant’s initial four scents, Brooklyn was the one that really won me over. (I wore it frequently last summer.) Now I’m intrigued by Amsterdam, “a genre-defying floral, spicy, woody, ambery fragrance” developed by perfumer Giorgia Navarra. Amsterdam’s composition includes top notes of elemi, schinus molle CO2 extract, pepper and saffron; a heart of tulip and rose; and a base of cedar, musk, sandalwood and amber.
Although I’ve never been to Amsterdam, I enjoyed reading this description as I was wearing the fragrance: “Autumn going into winter. The freedom of cycling, past the former spice warehouses of the Warmoesstraat to a canalside apartment on Prinsengracht on the elegant south side of the city. . . .Flowers in the window. Cake and feeling indulged. Beautifully made wooden furniture. Dark hues on the walls.” Gallivant promises that Amsterdam offers an element of gezellig…
