Is It Real? Penhaligon Halfeti Leather

9/10/26

Okay, this one has me in a bit of a conundrum. I got it massively on sale (from where I don’t remember) and it arrived in it’s pretty packaging. But when I tried it, a big meh. To the point where I am not sure that I wasn’t diddled. It definitely has a scent to it: woody pencils in a leather case. It has decent throw (for a Penhaligon, I suppose)

From Frangrantica: Halfeti was launched in 2015. The nose behind this fragrance is Christian Provenzano. Top notes are Cypress Leaf, Saffron, Cardamom, Artemisia, Bergamot and Grapefruit; middle notes are Bulgarian Rose, Nutmeg and Jasmine; base notes are Agarwood (Oud), Cedar, Leather, Sandalwood, Amber, Tonka Bean, Vanilla and Musk.

I really think I may need to go find a retailer that has a bottle so I can compare. The blurbs all keep stating “rich” and I am not getting that. What I am getting is nice, but I am not sure if this is just “rich” by Penhaligon standards (since I know them for ones like Bluebell or Blenheim Bouquet) I see that StC has this to sample so I will report back.

Babe Paley, Sandalwood Hater

9/15/26

Well, I got a sample from StC and it’s the same. Strong sandalwood (remember that dig about “too much sandalwood for a woman with her face” in Capote versus the Swans?) and pencil shavings. Which means that it is (to me at least) just not very interesting.

You can get it for scandalously low prices on the interwebs where I got it, or you can pay over $300 at Bloomingdales. Samples are available at Surrender to Chance.

Images: my iPhone, Pexels, Wikimedia Commons.

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