Oranges and Lemons, say the Bells of St. Clement's

Oranges and Lemons is a fragrance that commits entirely to its premise—a candied brightness that never apologises for its sweetness. James Heeley constructs something genuinely playful here, where the bergamot and lemon dance with mandarin and orange in a polytonal citrus chord that avoids the typical cloying trap by virtue of its sheer specificity. This isn't the abstract "citrus" of mass-market freshness; the interplay between the sharp volatility of lemon and bergamot against the rounder, almost jammy quality of mandarin creates an almost three-dimensional quality, as though you're smelling the whole fruit rather than its essence in isolation.

Where the fragrance truly distinguishes itself is the neroli-Earl Grey tea heart, which introduces a subtle floral restraint that prevents this from becoming a one-dimensional bright floral. The Earl Grey in particular—that bergamot-inflected black tea—speaks directly to the citrus in a knowing, almost conversational way, adding a dusty, slightly astringent counterpoint that prevents the sweetness from ever becoming cloying. Petitgrain supplies an additional green, almost herbal note that anchors the composition.