Ineke- Evening Edged In Gold

Evening Edged In Gold is perhaps the prettiest perfume name I know (ok, Diamond Water is a close second). It's nothing new: San Francisco-based perfumer Ineke Ruhland gives her perfumes the best names; who doesn't want to have an evening edged in gold, and that's even before looking at the notes or testing?

Actually, I'm not sure the list of notes translates on skin the way I expected before sampling Evening Edged In Gold for the first time. Saffron, plum and leather sound quite dark- more night than a golden evening. Instead,  this Ineke fragrance is a plump floral with a creamy core that dries down slightly woody and sweet. It has the fullness of the air on a summer evening when all windows are open and you take in the sweet suburban smells of manicured back yards, home cooking, fruit ripening on trees, clean laundry and hot asphalt.

I've had my bottle for a while now (thank you, dear Sharon) and have found that Evening Edged In Gold blooms and develops better on hot days. It's a little flat in winter, as that light hint of leather needs heat to come into its own. Still, the smoothness of the fruity osmanthus is always enjoyable, and the remnants on my scarf is delicious.

Notes: gold osmanthus, plum, angels's trumpet, saffron, cinnamon bark, midnight candy, leather and woods.

Ineke- Evening Edged In Gold ($88, 75ml EDP) is available from beautyhabit.com. I highly recommend the sample set of all seven Ineke perfumes ($25). It's beautifully packaged and will make a great gift for the fragrance-minded.

Photo: Night Flower by John Shea.