Weekly Waftings: Sampler Set Review – Goldfield & Banks Discovery Set

Who’s gearing up for their summer activities and plans?? We spent last week tidying up our backyard, scrubbing the grill, stringing up outdoor lights, and setting out the patio furniture. We then kicked off grilling season with a lovely BBQ with some of our best friends over the weekend. It was a wonderful and relaxing evening and I’m already looking forward to many more fun summertime gatherings in our backyard and patio area!

As summer is literally around the corner, I have tons of summery perfumes that I’m so excited to share with you! I have a whole series featuring different categories of summer fragrances coming in the next few months, including citrus ‘freshies,’ beachy florals, salty/beachy vanillas, sea breeze/aquatic, and coconut fragrances. I also have a couple of specific houses & collections that I think are particularly well-suited for the warmer months and am featuring one of those today!

I am pleased to introduce the house of Goldfield & Banks, a celebration of Australia and all of the olfactory beauty it has to offer. The house was founded in Sydney in 2016 by Dimitri Weber, who has been involved in the world of luxury perfume for over 20 years. What I especially love about this house (and what makes it beautifully unique) is its focus on notes specific to Australia. The house sources their notes from Australia whenever possible. From the peachy quandong to pickle-doppelgänger-esque finger limes, there are some gorgeous and special notes featured in these fragrances that I’ve not seen before in other perfumes.

Some more things to love about this house: their fragrances are cruelty-free, vegan, and most come in 2-3 different sizes, including an affordable travel-spray. All Goldfield & Banks fragrances are meant to be unisex (as is a general rule of all perfumes, in my opinion) but some definitely do lean feminine or masculine and I’ll note that where applicable. This sampler collection comes in beautiful packaging that includes handy tester strips!

Oh and I also have some exciting news this week: I’m now an official affiliate for Scent Split! Yay! So I will link where you can get decants of each of these fragrances to try before you buy. I’ll be doing this for all of my fragrance reviews going forward, too, and also will work on updating older blog posts with these links as well.

Find it here:

Goldfield & Banks Fragrance Discovery Sample Collection (at ZGO Perfumery)

Goldfield & Banks Fragrance Discovery Sample Collection (at Bergdorf Goodman)

Now, on to the lovely fragrances of Goldfield & Banks:

Wood Infusion

• Notes: Australian exotic woods, sweet orange, Italian iris, agarwood (oud), Australian lavender, Indonesian patchouli, musk, amber
• Olfactory Description from G&B’s Website: woody, ambery, creamy, rich, velvety

This is one for the musky wood lovers! The opening is quite a lot of musk, quickly followed by oud. I also get a lot of lavender and a touch of the orange. After a couple of minutes, some amber enters the picture and warms things up a bit. I also get a touch of the patch and there’s some light powderiness from the iris. There’s also a light butterscotchy impression but I would not call this fragrance sweet or gourmandish. Animalic oud and musk are the definite stars here.

This fragrance is VERY masculine on me and I think it would smell incredible on a guy. I think folks who like the oud-leaning Mancera fragrances will like this one, as their scents also tend to be very musky. I don’t get a lot of projection early on but the longer it dries down, I catch whiffs of it here and there. I will settle on calling it moderate projection. This is a long-laster that even remained on my skin after a shower.

Find it here:

Wood Infusion 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants and 100ml brand new full bottles (at Scent Split)

Wood Infusion 2ml decants, 100ml (at ZGO Perfumery)

Wood Infusion 10ml travel-spray, 100ml (at Goldfield & Banks)

Bohemian Lime

• Notes: Australian finger lime, coriander, Haitian vetiver, Moroccan cedar wood atlas, Australian sandalwood
• Olfactory Description from G&B’s Website: tropical, punchy, citrusy, woody

Yep, it’s limey, lol! This is well-named, as it is quite heavy on the beautiful, fresh lime. I also get an aftershavey, masculine feel – it’s the vetiver, I sense it right away. Overall, this is a quite masculine fragrance with loads of vetiver, cedar, coriander, and citruses. It makes me think of a tall, refreshing glass of limeade – with a dash of spicy aromatics. This is a very refreshing fragrance that will really shine on a summer day as your skin warms and it mixes with your natural chemistry.

As stated above, this fresh and pleasant fragrance leans masculine. It smells soooo good on my husband and will definitely be a go-to reach for him this summer. Projection seems decent, I’d say at least moderate, maybe a little stronger. It lasted well for me and even through a shower, similar to the Wood Infusion mentioned above.

Find it here:

Bohemian Lime 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants, and 50ml, 100ml brand new full bottles (at Scent Split)

Bohemian Lime 2ml decants, 100ml (at ZGO Perfumery)

Bohemian Lime 50ml (at ZGO Perfumery)

Bohemian Lime 50ml (at Bergdorf Goodman)

Bohemian Lime 10ml travel-spray, 50ml, 100ml (at Goldfield & Banks)

Sunset Hour

• Notes: Italian mandarin, Australian quandong (desert peach), raspberry, jasmine sambac absolute, Nigerian ginger, Madagascan pink pepper, Australian sandalwood, cashmere wood, Laotian benzoin
• Olfactory Description from G&B’s Website: juicy, delicious, spicy, joyful

This newer fragrance from the house (released just last year) was an immediate love for me! It has such a sweet, fruity, sunshiny feel; it is summer perfection. One for the fruity fragrance lovers, there’s lots of mandarin and peach here. The cashmeran lends a clean feel that blends perfectly with the spicy pink pepper, ginger, and woods. I get a bit of a sweet orange cotton candy vibe with a vanillic feel. But that desert peach is the definitive star of this show and quite dominant.

The projection for this quite feminine-leaning fragrance is moderate. I get a solid 2 hours of good, strong-scented performance before it fades into a skin scent phase that lasts several more hours. With the mandarin + ginger + white florals, this fragrance reminds me a lot of one of my faves, Valentino’s Voce Viva. It was actually created by the same nose, Master Perfumer Honorine Blanc. I’m very fond of Ms. Blanc’s fragrances in general (she’s included on my fave noses t-shirt!) and I love that she has created a lot of great ‘cheapies,’ too. If you’re drawn to fragrances like the aforementioned Voce Viva, Donna Born in Roma, and Coach Dreams Sunset, this will definitely be in your wheelhouse.

Find it here:

Sunset Hour 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants and 50ml, 100ml brand new full bottles (at Scent Split)

Sunset Hour 2ml decants, 50ml, 100ml (at ZGO Perfumery)

Sunset Hour 50ml (at Bergdorf Goodman)

Sunset Hour 100ml (at Bergdorf Goodman)

Sunset Hour 10ml travel-spray, 50ml, 100ml (at Goldfield & Banks)

Pacific Rock Moss

• Notes: Australian coastal moss, Italian lemon, French sage, Egyptian geranium, Virginian cedar wood
• Olfactory Description from G&B’s Website: marine, citrus, musky, woody

I think Pacific Rock Moss is Goldfield & Banks’ most popular/top-selling fragrance and it’s easy to see why. This pleasant crowd-pleaser smells amazing, is perfectly unisex, and super long-lasting. This scent is chock full of lemon, geranium, and moss with a lightly woody undertone. The lemon is beautiful here, it’s lightly sweet while still retaining its natural tartness and never veers into ‘cleaning product territory.’ Lightly salty, this fragrance gives an aquatic impression of being near the sea. Salty/aquatic/beachy/clean/citrus are the stand out feels for me here.

The projection is really quite good for a freshie. It’s not going to scream out at people but I always have a lovely little scent bubble around me all day when I wear it. This fragrance is also famous for having amazing lasting power, especially for a freshie. I can confirm that each time I have worn this, I could still smell it well into the next day. If Jo Malone’s Wood Sage & Sea Salt is a fave for you, you’ll definitely want to give this scent a whirl. They are definitely in a similar family but different enough that I think they’re both worth having. I have tested them side by side and both have the fresh & refreshing vibes with this one going in the lemon/marine direction and the more mineral-leaning WS&SS feeling like you’re at an upscale spa. Bottom line: this is an easy, no-brainer grab for a warm summer day that will smell equally wonderful on both and your partner.

Find it here:

Pacific Rock Moss 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants and 50ml, 100ml brand new full bottles (at Scent Split)

Pacific Rock Moss 50ml (at ZGO Perfumery)

Pacific Rock Moss 2ml decants, 100ml (at ZGO Perfumery)

Pacific Rock Moss 50ml (at Bergdorf Goodman)

Pacific Rock Moss 100ml (at Bergdorf Goodman)

Pacific Rock Moss 10ml travel-spray, 50ml, 100ml (at Goldfield & Banks)

Desert Rosewood

• Notes: Australian desert rosewood, Sicilian mandarin, Indian cardamom, Laotian benzoin, Comoros Islands vanilla, Indonesian patchouli
• Olfactory Description from G&B’s Website: woody, liquerous (licorice), gourmand, mystical

Desert Rosewood is warm, ambery, and lightly powdery. There is some mandarin orange along with the benzoin and lots of woody touches. Getting a little spice from the cardamom, and there’s a slight licorice feel, especially as it dries down. It gives me a bit of a creamsicle vibe with the orange and vanilla combo. But I would not say this fragrance is ‘gourmand’ in the sense that most people are used to in perfumes, where there’s lots of sweetness or a dessert impression. It’s pretty woodsy and resinous. However, it does kind of have the feel of a spicy autumnal beverage you might serve at a party, perhaps one containing a licorice-flavored spirit.

I find this fragrance to be pretty much perfectly unisex. As with pretty much all of these, projection is on the moderate side. It lasts really well, I got about 4-5 solid hours before it faded to a light skin scent. Anytime you have a firm patchouli base like the one here, you can pretty much expect to experience a nice, long-lasting scent. This is a really pleasant fragrance and will be an amazing autumnal wear. Spicy amber lovers should definitely test this one out.

Find it here:

Desert Rosewood 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants and 100ml brand new full bottles (at Scent Split)

Desert Rosewood 2ml decants, 100ml (at ZGO Perfumery)

Desert Rosewood 100ml (at Bergdorf Goodman)

Desert Rosewood 10ml travel-spray & 100ml (at Goldfield & Banks)

Southern Bloom

• Notes: Tasmanian boronia absolute, Indian jasmine sambac, French cassis, Australian sandalwood, Indonesian vetiver, Madagascan ylang-ylang, coconut accord, Italian iris
• Olfactory Description from G&B’s Website: floral, creamy, pure, exotic, opulent

This pretty fragrance focuses on the note of boronia, a shrub native to Australia and one of the most expensive perfume ingredients in the world. The scent of boronia has been described as green, herbaceous, fruity, tea-like, and reminiscent of raspberry, apricot, violet, yellow freesia, cassis, and hay. So a lot going on with just that single note! The powdery iris is also quite dominating here. There are some tropical and lightly sweet touches with the ylang and coconut. I think ‘dusty’ is a great adjective for this scent. When I sniff this fragrance, I picture dusty and powdery purple and yellow flowers.

The projection is decidedly on the lighter side with this feminine scent, I get tiny, occasional whiffs of the delicate fragrance from arm’s length. I get about 2-3 hours of regular strength before it fades to a light skin scent. This is definitely a quieter scent compared to G&B’s other perfumes and would make a great office-friendly fragrance. Has a somewhat mature feel compared to the playful-feeling Sunset Hour but I wouldn’t call it old fashioned or anything. I would sum this fragrance up as clean, powdery, lightly floral and one that wears a bit like a lotion-y scent. I think folks who like fragrances like Byredo’s Bal D’Afrique and Elie Saab’s Le Parfum will really like this. Fans of feminine-leaning iris scents should definitely try this, it will not disappoint!

Find it here:

Southern Bloom 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants and 100ml brand new full bottles (at Scent Split)

Southern Bloom 2ml decants, 100ml (at ZGO Perfumery)

Southern Bloom 100ml (at Bergdorf Goodman)

Southern Bloom 10ml travel-spray & 100ml (at Goldfield & Banks)

White Sandalwood

• Notes: Australian white sandalwood, Moroccan thyme, amber, Turkish rose, Comoros Islands pepper, Spanish saffron
• Olfactory Description from G&B’s Website: woody, spicy, ambery, herbal

This one is kind of an oddball for me. The initial spray is very clean. And then I get this peculiar aroma that smells slightly of sand dunes – ?? I know that sounds weird but it does! There’s definitely lots of sandalwood but something else here gives it kind of an odd, almost sour, spin. Perhaps it is the saffron. It almost reminds me of an oud, though that is not a listed note. The rose, pepper, amber and thyme are not strong players here, in my opinion. Sandalwood is definitely the star, as would be expected from the name. It reminds me a lot of the sandalwood incense that my friends and I would burn back in our high school days.

The projection is moderate and it has decent longevity. This one is pretty unisex. I think those who love sandalwood and are looking for something unique might want to give this a try. Fans of Santal 33 and other Le Labo scents, such as Gaiac 10, would probably enjoy this one.

Find it here:

White Sandalwood 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants and 100ml brand new full bottles (at Scent Split)

White Sandalwood 2ml decants, 100ml (at ZGO Perfumery)

White Sandalwood 100ml (at Bergdorf Goodman)

White Sandalwood 100ml (at Goldfield & Banks)

Velvet Splendour

• Notes: mandarin, hedione, Australian mimosa absolute, jasmine sambac, Australian sandalwood, patchouli, Haitian vetiver, leather, tonka bean, oppoponax, heliotropine
• Olfactory Description from G&B’s Website: ambery, spicy, solar, luxurious, powdery, abundant, velvety, exotic, leathery, unique

This fragrance opens with lots of ambery sweetness and I also get the patchouli right away. It also kind of reminds me of violets in the opening, though that is not a listed note. A couple minutes in, I get the mandarin which matches beautifully with the ambery vibes here. This is a more mature, classic scent with an almost vintage vibe that I’ve seen others refer to as the ‘Chanel No. 5 from Down Under.’ It does hint at the Chanel DNA but actually reminds me more of the original Coco than No. 5, and really only in the opening stages. It starts out feeling like it’s going to be a deep, heavy, Oriental evening fragrance but as it dries down, it becomes less ambery in feel and the jasmine and powdery, slightly honeyed mimosa take over. The tonka also comes out more after about a half hour or so.

The projection is a bit lighter with this one, and as stated above, though it starts heavier, it lightens up a lot, making it office and close quarters safe. The longevity is great, I get a good 4 hours or so before it starts fading to a lighter skin scent. If you enjoy fragrances with a classic, womanly scent such as Tocca’s Stella and Athalia by Parfums de Marly, I think you will enjoy this one as well.

Find it here:

Velvet Splendour 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants and 100ml brand new full bottles (at Scent Split)

Velvet Splendour 2ml decants, 100ml (at ZGO Perfumery)

Velvet Splendour 100ml (at Bergdorf Goodman)

Velvet Splendour 100ml (at Goldfield & Banks)

Blue Cypress

• Notes: Australian blue cypress, Bulgarian lavender, Indonesian patchouli, Indonesian clove, Indian star anise
• Olfactory Description from G&B’s Website: zesty, wooden, green, crisp

At first spray, this fragrance is very fresh (as you would expect from this type of scent) with a light sweetness, almost as if there was a honeydew melon note. Though it is not a listed note, there is definitely some light muskiness here. It’s not an overwhelming amount but it does push it in a masculine direction for me. The lavender and star anise make a great supporting cast for the expected star of the show: the blue cypress. With that as the main note, I expected it to be a wintry/holiday scent but it’s actually fresh, outdoorsy, slightly minty, and lightly aquatic so I think this would really shine best in the summer. But it’s definitely year-round appropriate.

Projection is lightly moderate and would definitely be office appropriate. Good longevity, as is the norm with this house. This clean, fresh, and outdoorsy fragrance is very pleasant and should be quite mass-appealing, especially for guys. Fans of Acqua di Gio and Dolce & Gabbana’s Le Bateleur will most likely enjoy this one.

Find it here:

Blue Cypress 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants and 100ml brand new full bottles (at Scent Split)

Blue Cypress 2ml decants, 100ml (at ZGO Perfumery)

Blue Cypress 100ml (at Goldfield & Banks)

BONUS FRAGRANCE – SILKY WOODS

• Notes: Australian tropical agarwood (oud), Ceylonian cinnamon, tobacco leaves, Madagascan ylang-ylang, Tahitian vanilla, Australian sandalwood, incense
• Olfactory Description from G&B’s Website: gourmand, lush, ambery, sensual

I already had a decant of this buzzworthy fragrance from G&B’s newer Botanical Series so I thought it would be fun to include it here as well. This gourmandish fragrance is quite sweet with a healthy dose of musk and oud. Very rich, caramel-y, buttery, ambery, and vanillic with a hint of spice from the cinnamon. As much as I love the sweet gourmands, I’m not a fan of the more animalic notes here so I ‘guinea-pigged’ my husband to give it a try. It smelled incredibly delicious on him! With his chemistry, it was a sweet, spicy, yummy vanilla with just the right amount of musk.

This fragrance is fairly unisex but you do have to be ok with oud and a more animalic musk. Projection is lightly moderate with the same great longevity as the rest of the fragrances from this house. I think if you like Lune Féline by Atelier des Ors and Aoud Vanille by Mancera, this will likely also be your cup of tea.

Find it here:

Silky Woods 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants and 100ml brand new full bottles (at Scent Split)

Silky Woods 2ml decants, 100ml (at ZGO Perfumery)

Silky Woods Elixir 2ml decants, 100ml (at ZGO Perfumery)

Silky Woods 100ml (at Bergdorf Goodman)

Silky Woods 1.5ml sample, 10ml travel-spray, 100ml (at Goldfield & Banks)

Whew! That was a lot of fragrances for one sampler! I hope you found one that speaks to you and that you think might be fun to try. I really love how there is a little something for everyone in this collection. Please let me know if you have heard of this house before and/or tried anything from them. Also let me know if there’s something new you saw here that sounds like something you might like to try. I always love to hear what you guys think! 🦘

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