First Impressions – Imaginary Authors – A Whiff of Waffle Cone – As a child, one of my favourite summer weekend rituals was to line up with many of the other kids from the neighbourhood for the ice cream truck. The distinctive jingle of Greensleeves in the air, anticipation growing as the sound of Mr. Whippy drew ever closer. My ice cream of choice was always vanilla with a chocolate flake. Of course, the warm summer sun ensured the ice cream would always melt and go everywhere. But that was part of the fun. It was a welcome cooling treat after a morning of sport and a vital energising boost for the afternoon of adventure ahead.
So, even though I don’t have an especially sweet tooth (in culinary or fragrant terms), I still enjoy ice cream, and I was quite excited to try the 2020 Imaginary Author’s release, A Whiff of Waffle Cone, supposedly inspired by an ice cream shop. The shop in question is the Portland, Oregon store, Salt and Straw. I’ve never heard of the store, to be honest, but anything based on an ice cream store has to be good, right?
Unfortunately, the perfume doesn’t offer much in the way of waffle cone or ice cream. Nor does it bring on a wave of childhood nostalgia. Instead, there’s an overload of syrup and an odd Piney, smoky wood scent. I believe the woodiness comes from the amyris (West Indian sandalwood). The sort of sandalwood that screams scratchy and artificial. I’m not a fan, sadly.
The heavy reliance on maple syrup sweetness made me think of that horrible Bond No. 9, New Haarlem. Although, Whiff of Waffle Cone is much more muted and reminds me less of pancakes and more of burnt sugar. Gradually, vanillic traits come through, but my patience has melted by this stage. I expected something more creamy from an ice cream scent.
Imaginary Authors impressed me with Fox in the Flowerbed and In Love with Everything, but like most of their output, this release leaves me cold. A Whiff of Waffle Cone lasts approximately 5 hours on my skin before fading. The ice cream in this photo below lasted about 5 seconds.
What’s your favourite from the brand? Are you an ice cream lover? What’s your ice cream of choice?
Note: Bottle image from Fragrantica. Ice cream photos are my own—perfume tested from a sample I purchased.