Today I did what I usually don't like to do: go to a perfume shop. In this case, together with Ben, justifying my own presence with his purchase intent, it was more comfortable. Also, seeing that he was genuinely impressed by the selection of perfumes at Woodberg, I also got more curious.

As usual, I didn't like most perfumes that are far inside the mainstream, and to my surprise, I was still drawn to forest and sea perfumes.

One of my surprising favorites, one that Ben didn't like at all: Pining Dew 2 by Toskovat'.

The combination of Black and Pink Pepper with Lavender and Gin: sharp but interesting and pleasant!

Back at home I immediately set out to recreate it. The original structure:

My takes:

• Pineapple: doesn't exist as a natural. Dropped.
• Gin: Juniper berry CO2, Coriander seed CO2, Lemon.
• Vetiver: rather go with Haitian than Javan, even though I have both, but Javanese Vetiver is a bit too smoky and deep for this light fragrance.
• Cedarwood: Texan for the dry fresh lift.
• Tear accord: this is Toskovat's own creation, and to me smells like carrot greens, a bit like Frankincense serrata – for now left out.
• Tonka bean: I have it, but instead of Tonka I go for my Waldmeister tincture which is a bit more fresh.

The first round: not bad actually! Despite the low dose, the Vetiver came out surprisingly strong. The pink pepper could come out a bit stronger, so I tripled down on it, and I had forgotten the Cedarwood, so I also added that. After that, some Maceration at 28°C indoor temperature won't hurt.

And interestingly, after just four hours of maceration the Juniper berry, Coriander seed and Pink pepper formed something that actually comes very close to the carrot green freshness of Frankincense serrata.