Bank Holiday Monday sniffari

As usual, they were all tested on skin and given a good nine hours before finalising my thoughts.

Hammam: A clean, citrusy, expensive soap. I smell bright bergamot, pale-orange florals, and very prominent herbal-citrusy lemongrass. There's a sharp pepperiness here that feels more masculine than unisex. It finishes warm, soapy, and subtly sweet, with the lemongrass turning dry and rooty. The opening is lovely, but I'm not too keen on the bitter-earthy finish. 6.25/10

Vanille des Afriques: A lightly spiced, orangey-apricot vanilla candy. I'm getting some playdough-like gumminess - not unpleasant, but not my favourite. Then the lipstick arrives, and it's overt. I smell the powdery iris, the cosmetic dryness, and even the waxy, clay-like texture. I'd never wear this, but it felt more and more comforting as the day progressed. 6.75/10

Ultima Storia: One of the most beautifully realistic citrus openings I've tried. The notes say citron, but I smell an entire bowl of bright lemons, sweet oranges, and bitter grapefruits. It's taking me to an Italian orchard during harvest season. A clean, metallic muskiness dances around, making the fruits smell modern and polished. I don't get leather, but the citrus gets progressively softer and more talcy as it dries. For someone who doesn't usually go for citrus, this is quite nice, and lasts a long time. 7/10

Sol Salgado: What a lovely opening. It smells like fresh, citrusy, slightly powdery almonds bathing in clean white soap. The soapiness becomes streaked with vanilla - fascinating when embedded within such brightness. I love the sweet almond, creamy-woods element, but I don't love the linden blossom soapiness. It smells translucent, marine-like, and ozonic for many hours before becoming creamy and more comforting. Still, quite pleasant, and incredibly persistent - still going after 9 hours and a sweaty 21km run. 6.5/10

I struggled to tease these four apart - they're all in that 6-7/10 space to me, with no real standouts.