The Soft Lawn

I don't play tennis and wouldn't recognize the smell of tennis ball if one whacked me in the face on the court. But oh, do I love this - and I thought it would not appeal to me at all, because "green" doesn't usually appeal to me, but THIS DOES. It's not boring-green. I ordered the sample collection from Imaginary Authors mainly to sample this before buying a full bottle blindly for my tennis-obsessed sister. If this is what tennis balls smell like, I get why she's obsessed. :) EDIT: A few weeks later, I'm still drawn to this, which for me is saying something with thousands of samples in my possession. Thank you, tennis fanatics, for inspiring this scent (can you do a Thank You Note, Jimmy Fallon?). I keep going back to it. I think it's time for a full bottle for myself too!

I bought the travel spray of this years ago after trying it on in a store and falling in love fast. I wore it every now and then for a brief moment, but stopped not long after buying it and rarely came back to it. I think I designated it as something I could only wear in warm weather, outdoors, so it'd just sit on my shelf, unused. I was probably reading a lot of Luca Turin at the time, who seems to have a distaste for Imaginary Authors. I think I might've just taken his word as gospel on some level and decided this wasn't for me. Years later, I'm learning to trust my own judgment on scent, and that Luca Turin is full of shit sometimes. I decided to put the Soft Lawn on yesterday and reminisce about the brief, slightly idyllic period where I wore this a lot. I quickly remember what charmed me so much about it on my first wear. I love that it's so immediately a spring scent, but that it conveys this without relying on more obvious and immediately pleasant floral notes. This is warm and green in such a weird way that's clearly not trying to be realistic at all, but isn't totally off-putting. This is man-made spring, "nature" with all the grit stripped away, and the protection wealth provides from the outside world, which fits the backstory perfectly. It does smell like luxury to me, but not an inaccessible one— the kind you can at least pretend to inhabit and understand for a day by going to a tennis court. It's like an advertisement of old money, the slightest peek through the fence, a vivid picture that still keeps you at an arm's remove. I absolutely get that tennis ball feel from this, and I see why people pick up a weird pickle note from it. That might be what makes this hard to keep on after a few hours, because this perfume clings to my skin for dear life. I could still smell trails of it maybe a full 12 hours after spraying it on. After a few hours, it becomes clear that it isn't really going to evolve beyond that tennis ball / pickle zone, and it gets a little stale. I do think that slightly sour dryness strengthens the backstory of a growing discomfort with the trappings of wealth, and why someone within that world might decide to walk away from them. It kinda makes me wish it were a real book! Despite the Soft Lawn testing my patience a little, I do still like it and definitely don't regret buying it. It's an extremely unique and confident perfume, and it's a shame to hear that the 2021 reformulation seems to be shying away from that. The fierce longevity of the original makes it a dream for anyone who smells it and thinks, god, I'd love to smell like this all day. This will give you a huge bang for your buck, and I admire Imaginary Authors for making the luxury of niche perfume so accessible. It's interesting and kind of endearing that a perfume about wealth would be so affordable and long lasting. The full size bottle is an even better value, so it's actually really easy to justify purchasing this— or at least it would be, if they still sold this version. I am more than a little curious to see how the reformulation compares, so maybe I'll try a side by side comparison someday.

As a long time tennis player I was pre-determined to like this fragrance and I didn't let myself down. This is one of those scents that you could wear every day and enjoy it just the same. It isn't totally unique, nor is it common. It performs and garners a few compliments here and there. I don't ever see this one being in my top 10, but that doesn't mean it isn't thoroughly enjoyable. My Score: 7.5

Less wearable and more rubbery/synthetic than the new formulation of The Soft Lawn - though some seem to love that the Tennis Ball accord was more prominent here. Not a big fan of the cucumber or pickle scent that rears its ugly head. Less of a fresh, cut grass scent. Having said that it still has some of the redeeming qualities that are present in the newer version. 5.5/10

This right here smells like Luxury/fancy Dill Water. Not so much a pickle, more so dill. Its the best way I can describe this. If you want a very unique smell, perhaps not loved by most people, then definitely buy a bottle. There is a bit vetiver in it, so it makes it somewhat wearable, but not a daily fragrance, more for collectors/enthusiasts. Also, performance is amazing, I got 8-9 hours and it projects further than arms length. IG @VirginNose