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Kate Apted
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Hi APJ,
I hear a lot about scents being ‘office friendly’; meaning the scent is likely to receive a warmer reception to a wider range of people than others. I am sure you have a list of scents you consider safe to wear at any given event or location. I have given a substantial deal of thought to what I deem safe to wear to work, and it has taken a great deal of trial and error.
I am a truck mechanic and what I wear has to fit a number of criteria. I will not wear a strongly feminine scent, as a lot of our customers and my co-workers are male and I am not too keen to leave a lingering, smouldering scent in the cabin of a truck. My scent also has to rise above the strong environmental scents competing for my attention, yet it has to be markedly different so to not prevent me from smelling dangerous odours, such as LPG leaks and welding fires.
I found the very scent that has become my work daily: Shay & Blue’s Suffolk Lavender. I am particularly partial to lavender that plays the starring role, but isn’t a soliflor. I find the lavender in Suffolk Lavender isn’t sleep inducing, but helps to ground and calm me, while being inherently interesting.
Suffolk Lavender by Julie Masse for Shay & Blue 2013
Finding my ideal work scent
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lavender
Heart: Incense, melon
Base: Praline, musk, pine tree
This opens with a salty lavender. This very linear, moderate projection stays for a good hour. The lavender is quite dry, but full bodied and slightly creamy. I spray it on my torso, because with body heat, I get an oomph of scent that wafts up in a way I don’t get from wrist sprays alone. I have not tried this during summer, but I am guessing from its response to heat, it will be adaptable to the temperature without losing its character.
After about two hours, Suffolk Lavender slowly becomes a skin scent, but the deeper incense notes make their appearance. Like a song with moderate volume that has deep, booming base notes that make the song seem louder than the volume indicates, this scent does the same with the incense. So, it isn’t until lunch time, about 5-6 hours later, that I need to think of reapplying.
What makes Suffolk Lavender noteworthy, for me at least, is while it uses quite dark and deep notes, the overall composition has the trademark Shay & Blue light handedness. The scent transitions so gently from salty lavender to a mild incense creamy lavender and then tails off to a faintly woody wheat bag type lavender.
I do not get any of the fruit or sweetness this is purported to have. It tends to sit with more pronounced lavender on my eldest son, and heads straight to the incense notes after ten minutes. I love the fact Suffolk Lavender is completely unisex. I can pack this away on trips and know a single bottle will suffice.
David Jones Australia has a limited Shay & Blue range.
Shay & Blue ships to almost the entire world, not ANZ though
What is your work environment like? And what factors guide your scent choices?
Kate XXXoX
Australian Perfume Junkies 
Hey there Kate,
My work environment is so flexible. I wear whatever I like. VERY lucky.
Love lavender frags, so calming.
Portia xx
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Hi Portia! I think a beautiful scent would be expected of you at work. There’d be disappointment if you didn’t wear one.
Reading your scent diaries has helped me find more lavenders to try. Can’t think of any I don’t love.
K xx
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Oh Kate, I think you should become a writer! Love reading your posts – always insightful and thoughtful. While I wasn’t always a lavender fan, Guerlain’s Mon has amended my views. I’ll have to check this one out too 🙂
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G’day Renee! Thank you, my sweet. Very kind of you.
Just be warned that Shay & Blue’s Suffolk Lavender does lean to the dry side and hasn’t the sweetness of MG. But, MG might just be your gateway….! If you find other lavenders you really like, let me know. I love to see others open up their scent horizons.
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Here in Sweden it is considered impolite to wear strong scents at work. If you have a doctors appointment or one at the dentist, you get a standard letter asking you to refrain from using scents. Probably because there are many people that are allergic here. Anyway, I comply or try to comply. No scents with big sillage and preferably non offensive ones and apply perfume after the doctors appointment 🇸🇪
Btw nice reading Kate 👏
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Hi Jac! I can only imagine how hard that must be, given your extensive, and exquisitely beautiful, collection. So, if you are out shopping or tunning errands in public, do you wear a scent? How heavy do you go?
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You have intrigued me! I’ve never heard of this and gotta try now. I love lavenders: simple, complex, linear or otherwise.
Fortunately, I can wear most scents to office, even on occasion vintage shalimar with a light hand.
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Ms Shiva! Hi there! A fellow lavender fan. Fabulous! What are your favourite lavenders? I am always open to more suggestions. 😄
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This sounds very interesting! I have a soft spot for lavender + incense. Do you know how it compares to SL Incens et Lavande? Do you get much melon from Suffolk Lavender? Thanks for the lovely post 🙂
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Howdy Nemo. Thanks for the kind words. The melon isn’t pronounced at all for me. It imparts no sweetness or fruitiness to my nose. My son doesn’t sense it either. I’m not sure of SL’s I&L, but I can tell you it is louder and bolder than Gris Clair. K xx
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Your writing is so lovely, also have never tried this fragrance. I work in hospitality and I wear whatever I am feeling on the day…not my Chanel or Tom Ford. I save them for special dates.
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Anna Maria, thank you for your lovely compliment.
Do you ever get customers noticing your scent?
Fully understandable you keep your favourites for more intimate times.
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Excellent Kate. Thank you for sign posting me to your blog. I need to try it even more now 🙂
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I hope you enjoy it, kind Sir. And you are most welcome. I love your input. K xx
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