It seems like everyone I know both online and offline is going on vacation lately. I don't go until October, so I'm spending my summer enjoying sunny locales vicariously. All this travel made me think back on one of my favorite destinations - London. I've been there twice, and I absolutely love that city. Samuel Johnson reputedly said, "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life." And indeed, there are so many different kinds of lives in London, that I have never yet tired of exploring that city. I enjoy New York for much the same reason, but London has so many more centuries of history and as a history buff, my brain feels so engaged while I'm there.
And what in the world does this have to do with perfume, you may ask? Well, last time I was in London, I noticed many shops from small gift shops to larger department stores carrying the Bronnley line. Bronnley was founded in London in 1884 as a soapmaker, and their high-quality soaps were very popular. The company is known for using relatively high amounts of almond oil and other natural ingredients in their soaps and toiletries, and they are definitely a cut above most I've tried. They currently hold royal warrants as soapmakers to the Queen and to the Prince of Wales.
The scents tend to be simple, but very pretty. I liked the soaps and I have enjoyed layering lightly scented bath gel, lotion and perfume since I was a teenager. After sniffing my way through the various Bronnley scents, I settled on the Lily. This is a very simple, clear and sweet lily scent. There's not a lot of depth or nuance to it, but it is very pretty. I've used up the lotion already but I still have my eau de toilette left, and on a hot day it's very welcome.
The Lily has recently been discontinued by Bronnley, but I did see some still available at FrenchMaison on EBay, and while they are out of perfume, a number of the Lily bath products are still available at Bronnley USA online. You can also find all kinds of other Bronnley goodies at the online shop in a variety of other scents(the Apricot and Almond is very nice) in case you want to try Bronnley soaps without ever leaving home!
