Ayala Moriel Etrog

Pure heavenly lemon, with a resinous drydown...a "natural" perfume that I can still smell 12 hours later. A gorgeous citrus scent that works in cooler weather.


The lemon is pitched a little lower than other lemon scents I've tried. It's not bitter or sharp, ever, but it never veers into lemon meringue pie territory either. It's somehow sweet, juicy, a little green, and very uplifting all at the same time.


The "Oy de Cologne" copy is cute, but Etrog doesn't wear anything like a cologne. It has the depth and luminosity of the extrait/parfum versions of my favorite Chanel and Guerlain scents (Bois des Isles, Nahema, etc.). The sillage is much quieter than those scents, of course, but Etrog has the same next-morning gorgeousness.

Etrog is the name of Jewish citron, but there is nothing too citrusy about it. Etrog is very sweet, and reminds me more of honey and flowers, cotton candy and has the tiniest wisp of herbs that keeps it from being too sweet. It's called an "Oy de Cologne", but the concentration is more like an EDP. So it's better than most citrus cologne types as far as the lasting power goes...