Oranges and Lemons, say the Bells of St. Clement's Heeley 2010

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

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

7.0 / 10 141 Ratings

A perfume by Heeley for women and men, released in 2010. The scent is citrusy-fresh. It is still in production.
Pronunciation

More

We may earn a commission when you buy from links on our site, including the eBay Partner Network and Amazon.

Main accords

Citrus

Fresh

Green

Fruity

Spicy

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Bergamot

Lemon

Mandarin orange

Orange

Heart Notes

Neroli

Earl Grey tea

Petitgrain

Base Notes

Vetiver

Ylang-ylang

Perfumer

James Heeley

Ratings

Scent

7.0141 Ratings

Longevity

5.0109 Ratings

Sillage

5.0105 Ratings

Bottle

7.192 Ratings

Value for money

6.031 Ratings

Submitted by Hermessenz, last update on 24.04.2024.

Reviews

6 in-depth fragrance descriptions

03/25/2019

7
Bottle 6
Sillage 5
Longevity 8
Scent

Taurus
310 Reviews

Translated Show original

Taurus

Top Review 13

Greetings to the Glockengasse

I also associate the English children's song "Oranges and Lemons, say the Bells of St. Clements" with the dystopian novel and film "1984". It would now be quite speculative to consider what the perfumer's intention was in quoting the name and content - there would simply be too much room for interpretation.

But the fact is that St. Clement´s from Heeley is a highly refreshing and
-pleasant cologne with a bright top note, consisting of said orange and lemon. In addition there is a good portion of bergamot and lots and lots of neroli.

This is not only reminiscent of the well-known 4711 from Cologne's Glockengasse, the mother of all colognes, but also reflects this olfactorily with its short shelf life. Just softer, nobler and more modern. The differences are subtle, but crucial. Compared to the original, St. Clement´s comes across with a few subtle nuances of vetiver and less sharpness and has a soft finish.

Otherwise there is not much to say, except for the interesting fact that both Kinderlied and 4711 are from the 18th century. Mister Heeley must have been thinking something about that ...

02/20/2014

7
Scent

aoe
24 Reviews

aoe

Helpful Review 4

Lemons and Laurel Drown Out the Beach

The first impression is an Eau de Parfum version of 4711 or one of the other Eaux de Cologne, but the citrusy notes diffuse with record speed. I can relate to the citrus lovers' laments on the scent's lack of longevity, although I believe they are mistaken, but see below. After trying Pell Wall's hilariously hesperidic "Fruit Wood" earlier today the contrast appears all the starker.

Since I don't belong to the citrus faction I don't care much about the temporary loss of lemony lusciousness and bask in the strong contrast between the laurel-and-lime head notes and the dirty animalic heart instead.

This is the part that really does it for me: with the last whiff of lemon gone musk and ambergris unite over bay leaves to form the perfect scent image of sunscreen on hot skin, bathing attire and parasols, sand and the sea ... a motif I would sooner have expected in Heeley's "Sel Marin", which however is much cleaner if memory serves me right.

After a short while the bathing season is over once, and in the wake of a small storm I'm astonished to detect citrus notes again. I wouldn't call it Earl Grey though, both because I'm not sure its bergamot and because I can't really detect any tea leaves worth their name. Bay leaves are gatherin in strength proportionally and beginning to get on my nerves (ostensibly there is no right translation for Heinrich Boell's prose collection "Der Lorbeer ist immer noch bitter", which loosely translates as "bay leaves will be bitter").

I can't completely fit in all the notes - there is something akin to a grain or rice note and more spices.

In the heart of the perfume I'm tempted to cry out "stay, thou art -"... or at least demand more marine goodness. However, altogether laurel is too prominent for me.

I'm quite thankful to Rose1976 for this refreshing sample (among others)!

12/22/2012

7.5
Bottle 2.5
Sillage 0
Longevity 7
Scent

Drseid
819 Reviews

Drseid

Helpful Review 4

Buy Discontinued Crown Imperial For Better Performance At 1/5 The Price...

The opening of Oranges and Lemons is just that. A very natural slightly sour orange and lemon combo that is almost an exact clone of the sadly discontinued Crown Imperial from the defunct Crown Perfumery. The two scents go completely in separate ways there on out, however, as Oranges and Lemons turns down the citrus and moves to a very subtle tea skin scent after the first 30 minutes to the point of being almost undetectable. Crown Imperial keeps the natural orange and Lemon top notes throughout, mixing with powder. That one is a powerhouse in every sense of the word that lasts and lasts. At the end of the day, I can't smell Oranges and Lemons after a couple hours, making it one of the shortest lived scents on my skin to date.

If Crown Imperial were completely unobtainable, I would recommend Oranges and Lemons at its relatively lofty $150 price tag just for the chance to smell those opening notes as they, like Crown Imperial, are incredible. That said, Crown Imperial can still readily be had on eBay for under $30 for a 50 ml bottle, and it is much longer lasting and a far better value, IMO. I recommend Oranges and Lemons for the smell, but can't recommend a purchase due to its longevity problems and its cost. 3.5 stars out of 5.

08/21/2020

9
Bottle 6
Sillage 7
Longevity 10
Scent

Schello
1 Review

Translated Show original

Schello

1

Scent of childhood

First impression, but it smells like discount lemons... Probably the next disappointment concerning this brand. But half an hour later I'm in the 80s in an outdoor swimming pool or on Italian beaches, where they only used this sun cream because it smelled so good. Meanwhile the bottle is in the cupboard and has become my absolute favourite. First refreshing, then holiday revival... unfortunately after 4 hours it vanished.

08/07/2021

6
Sillage 6
Longevity 7
Scent

Kurai
375 Reviews

Kurai

3

A cologne with flashbacks

I can't say that I enjoy every perfume that Heeley releases, but I like how he does his own thing. Modern independent minimalism. 'Oranges and Lemons' is a refreshing cologne done in this typical Heeley way.

The citrus in the opening isn't the most beautiful or natural feeling. In fact, I find it an unpleasant burst of lemon that vaguely reminds me of mosquito repellent candles. Thankfully that sorts itself out in a minute or so. And then it gets interesting.

After that citronella shock, the focus is on the neroli and petitgrain. The flavour is unsweet-floral-citrus and bitter-herbaceous without going old-school or over-the-top masculine. It will stay like this for a good 4-5 hours. I consider that a decent performance for a citrus scent. Sillage is modest.

For me personally the scent triggers numerous associations with summer vacations in my adolescence. Mediterranean beach, resort swimming pool, speedo, inflatable dolphins etcetera. At first I couldn't quite put my finger on why exactly. Until I read a comment about 70's/80's suntan milk. Ah yes, that rings a bell (haha!)

'Oranges and Lemons' does not only refresh and play with the senses, it also triggers emotions and memories. At least in my case it does. So in that sense I find this a rather successful cologne.

More reviews