I'll start this off by saying that I had no idea what an elderflower smells like prior to buying this, and I'm still not very sure, but I know it smells GOOD! I purchased a sample on a whim along with some of Nui's sweeter gourmands but I was surprised to find that I liked this one the very best! I'm new to the indie perfume world so I'm still exploring my palette, but this reminded me of a much better version of one of my previous favorites, Jo Malone's Lime Basil & Mandarin, but so much more energizing and peppery! I didn't think that a perfume could effect my state of mind so much but I feel so much more confident and kick-butt when I wear it. It's refreshing but not startling, bold but not offensive, atmospheric without soapiness or heaviness...when I stepped into an Uber one night wearing it, the driver joked I could leave the bottle with him! I can't stop smelling myself, and just bought a full-sized bottle!

It has taken me weeks to figure out what this blend smells like on me and I finally have it- rained over cucumber vines in the garden! It's uncanny how true Sophistry smells of my memories of being asked to bring in an armful of cucumbers from our home garden, I can even smell the realistic dark skin of the vegetable. I didn't think it was possible to capture that distinct peppery green aroma, but there it is and not one recall of soap to note, this is an unexpected atmospheric. A few hours after dabbing on Sophistry, the tart-sweet lemonade appears along with a delicate floral and I'm falling for this perfume. This smells like summer country gardening to me and I'll be reaching for it in the hotter months. I need to stop fearing cucumber (and banana) and need to start collecting more of those blends now from Nui Cobalt Designs.