The Soft Lawn Imaginary Authors for women and men

Went into this expecting a lot, maybe too much. Especially the mention of linden blossom notes excited me. I dont get Tennis Balls and I dont get Linden Blossom. This smells like stinging citrus on me. No green notes on me and no floral notes. Definitely synthetic. Refreshing and aquatic in a way. Sunscreen and maybe a little like sweat towards the end (not necessarily in a bad way). Not for me but also not boring.

It's giving sunscreen, meadow, fresh breeze, laundry, daffodil.

VERY synthetic. smells like something you wipe a window glass with
artificial green scent with a hint of yellow floral sweetness. hard pass

For anyone looking to know what the difference between the old one and the new one as I own a bottle of both.

Old one:

Heavy linden blossom opening, every bit green yet every bit sweet yellow floral. For me, intoxicating, but can be polarizing. Then it fades to join with green and damp ivy and laurel leaves. A beautiful deep and rich moss and earthy vetiver in the background. It all coming together to form this very damp, humid, green and yellow floral heavy fragrance with a distinct fresh tennis ball like accord in it as well, all while having this deep, thick, and earthy moss and vetiver. Evocative of a realistic feeling of a hot and humid evening while playing tennis at the local country club, a humidity felt through the fragrance. Amazing, but very different and harder to pull off casually, but better for formal in comparison to the new one.

New one:

Fresh grapefruit and linden blossom opening. A cooling green, yellow floral, and bright fresh citrus reminiscent of a spring or summers sunny morning. The increased freshness translates to the laurel, ivy, and laurel leaves, which is still the main bulk of the fragrance. The same distinct tennis ball like accord in this but a bit less off-putting with the freshness. The fragrance though is still with the deep moss and earthy vetiver, but the thick-ness of the earthy-ness is pulled way back while the moss stays the same. Read my review of that on its specific page for me to gush about it more (I'd love you), but TLDR this is super fresh, easy going, unique, and evocative. Same scene as before but much more romanticized with a morning freshness and because of that, a much easier reach day to day.

Both get fairly good projection and performance off my skin. I have nearly worn through both bottles at this point and I am sad they no longer carry the old formula and so I've been delegating my spring/summer formal frags to others. If you dig the "humid" effect of the first one, check out "Paradisi" by Jorum Studio, has a similar effect and equally as good.

10/10. Both masterpieces.

For better or worse, this is really unique for a green scent, and it's definitely one that you need to sit with for a second. The tennis imagery suits it, it smells a little like artificial turf. Calls to mind a groundskeeper's shed or a rich college's quad. Soft and mossy, not crisp and sharp like a lot of grassy scents.

literally like smelling the inside of a fresh tube of tennis balls followed by a burst of heady, strong floral. Unfortunately this was too overpowering and cloying giving me a headache and needed to be scrubbed off immediately. Not for me

I've had this sample for over a year. I get a good dose of florals. Interesting bc I didn't know what a yellow floral smelled like, but now I definitely get it. It's not white and not red. Closer to white, but deeper. There's a roundness to it as well, not bitingly sharp. I feel this would make a nice luxury bathroom fragrance at low doses. I could imagine a high-end boutique smelling like this. This one I personally wouldn't wear.

I saw this on Audrey's perfume recommendations and then realized I had a sample...

Very green, emphatic but not too pokey.

Much less green than I anticipated. Very airy, floral, and fresh. The yellow floral nuances are a bit sweet, and the "tennis ball" note, without being too obvious, comes through as slightly rubbery. I think this would be a very pleasant room scent but on my skin it's a little artificial.

Interesting concept. Mild greenery. Too airy. Not a golfing scent. Does not supplant GIT. Sort of pointless. I’d wear this while mowing my lawn, then I’d take a shower.

This is such a unique fragrance. I mostly smell the grass (lawn), tennis ball, some small hints of vetiver a small hints of florals. The florals here are very soft, yellow florals, with touches of light circuses. It's a gorgeously balanced and smooth perfume that can definitely be fitting for any occasion. It's light, airy, clear and fresh. I agree with the other reviewers that it is very inoffensive and "safe". Overall, I am very impressed by its uniqueness. I am excited to compare it to Ds & Durga in the future as they have a perfume with a similar take. Those, who have tried both, which one do you prefer and why?

Testing blind the opening was clear green and fresh. There's a hint of spice as it dries down but more so I got the impression of pistachios for a bit but it didn't sit there's but kept morphing into a more earthy-bent version of itself. Very pleasant with an almost citrus rine element. Looking at the notes now I'm a little taken back... I get no 'tennis ball' but it's been quite a while since I've smelled a freah one. Are they scenting them now? This is far more fresh and natural smelling then what I would think a plastic ball would smell like. The other notes tell the story more so. The lime seems the most dominant, followed by the ivy, with the others adding character (including the 'ball' I guess). Unfortunately, the longevity was mild, and sat more as a very intimate skin scent after a few hours. I think one would have to over apply to get something more than 4 hrs. This makes it a bit tougher to go full bottle unless you are ok with such an intimate skin scent after a few hours. Lovely serve, would like a longer match!

Redolent of Abercrombie & Fitch Fierce, minus the abs.

So far, I have liked the offerings from this house. This is the first one that is meh..

Initial spray, I got fresh mown grass. It was realistic enough to my nose, that I sneezed. I then picked up a floral, that I was not fond of. (Looking at the scent notes, it is probably the linden. I find this scent over powering to me.)

Later on, all I got was a plastic smell (maybe tennis ball?) and the linden,,

Nah…

I try so hard to learn to like this house but no matter what I try it all smells horrible to me. All the fragrances remind me of those card deodorized for things you hang from your mirror. They are super synthetic and just dreadful to my nose. This one has a green vibe to it but in the end it's just a green car deodorizer smell. Lucky me I ended up acquiring sample of this one twice. The first one because I wanted to try it and the second because I wanted to try something else but they accidentally sent me this. Going in the trash because I don't even like it enough to actually use it as a car deodorizer.

I can't seem to find the Original Version of Soft Lawn anywhere. If anyone has a bottle or two of the Original version - NOT Edition 2.0...

and is interested in selling it

Than please private message me as I am very much interested in buying it!

I get beachy sunscreen with a good bit of greenness, not much of a tennis ball smell unfortunately.

Its a limey neroli in the opening - big blast to the nose and floral heavy. Not sure this is for me, was hoping for it to be a bit more interesting…

sweet, citrus-y and green. Inoffensive, in a laundry detergent sort of way. reminiscent of a brighter, more pleasant 4711.

Wow! This smells just like a grass tennis court! Fresh, earthy, and slightly rubbery. It’s so original and aromatic. And yes, it smells a bit like tennis balls, fresh out of the tin. But it also kind of reminds me of a cologne or an aftershave, in a very nice way. Wonderfully unique.

This one surprised me. I anticipated it smelling much more fresh and medicinal/clean and I'm relieved at how earthy it is. Something about it reminds me of fishing with my dad as a kid, like putting the rubber lures on the line while sitting in the wet mud among the dandelions and forsythia. The camphor gives it a slight bug-spray note. If you told me this was a scent from Lush I'd believe you. It's sort of vaguely in the vein of Grass and Shade. I didn't expect all that nature from the marketing. I like it but can understand why it's divisive.

When I first smelled this fragrance I was like this smells like between pool, and straight up tennis ball. Which granted is practically the theme of this fragrance so very accurate. On my skin though it smells like strong chemically tennis ball with a mothball nuance. Way to earthy, Bleh!

Absolutely horrible.
Received as a free sample with my purchase of the equally unimpressive Falling Into The Sea.
This is a musty mess of dry, powdery softness with zero projection and, unfortunately, quite a bit of longevity.
It’s just not very pleasant and I can’t imagine a scenario I’d want to wear it. Not even if visiting Wimbledon!
Like sweet mothballs!
Horrible, just ruddy horrible!

I loathe the backstory. Please stop with the Gilded Age references, those people are awful. But the perfume is like walking in the arboretum after a rain. Fresh earth, wet grass, and flowers in the distance. Very outdoorsy and on the neutral side of feminine, not too floral, just enough to keep the grass from being too sharp.

Less wearable and more rubbery/synthetic than the new formulation of The Soft Lawn - though some seem to love that the Tennis Ball accord was more prominent here. Not a big fan of the cucumber or pickle scent that rears its ugly head. Less of a fresh, cut grass scent. Having said that it still has some of the redeeming qualities that are present in the newer version. 5.5/10

Wasn't as crazy as I was expecting from the marketing copy. I love linden notes in perfume, such as Grand Chalet Astier de Vilatte (so underrated!) or L'Erbolario Ombra di Tiglio or even Jesus del Pozo Duende. However, The Soft Lawn was not one of the linden heavy hitters I was hoping it would be. It wasn't a tennis ball either. It does have more similarities to Zoologist Macaque, although I can't figure out what note combination in Soft Lawn is creating an overtly fruity feeling. Actually the more I smell it the more I feel the resemblance to Macaque. I can see how some people smell dill weed in this. Maybe there should have been more rubber? Would that make it better or worse? I have not smelled the 2.0 version of this one yet so I'm not sure what notes they tweaked on that one.

I would say I will always have this in my collection, but sadly this has been discontinued. I guess, depending on how much the new formulation deviates from the old, I will always have that in my collection.

A beautiful and unique,10/10, creation. As it does what no other fragrance does for me; making it irreplaceable.

Good job, Imaginary Authors!

for what it's supposed to represent, it's nice. definitely upper class lawn/yard vibes. but for me, it's not very wearable. i just don't like green perfumes. though if they're your thing, this would be a cool one to try

They say tennis ball and i can relate. I get all the other notes aswell. Its aromatic, ivy like green, floral with a bit of clean vetiver underneath.

Vacillating between like and love with this. The best of all the IA perfume line that I've tried to date. Like most of their scents, it stands out, it's individualistic. But unlike most of their other scents (on me), it is not so overpowering a narrative to be worn.

I suppose, what they set out to do - to tell a story with fragrance - they achieved. But sometimes that renders them rather inaccessible for the daily user. (you: "Hey, I'm telling *my* story here!" perfume: "SHUT UP AND LISTEN, BUB!" -- a certain synchronous synergy is needed to coalesce the narratives). I'm still glad they did it. This whole line up is a tremendous experience of possibilities. And I've learned that, while few of them suit me, they tend to be incredible perfumes on men - and maybe a woman with the right chemistry for it.

I longed for a number of these, and some thousand-eyed angel swooped out of the stormy heavens and bequeathed them onto me - a boxed set of 8. It was a carousel of wonder mingled when with the essence of said comrade, but left to my own devices, I feel shallow in them, like an indie musician who wears non-prescription glasses for effect.

The Soft Lawn is the best. You can smell the tennis balls & fresh cut grass. I wear it when I want to be a Heather. Or when the aroma of country club is incongruous enough to be funny.

It's definitely tennis ball. Weird, because it smells exactly the same! Mixed with a bit sweetness and green from vetiver. However, as some reviewers said in here, it's very hard to use, more like a scent to use when you read a book or have some strong connection or memories related to tennis court. Otherwise, it's just a very strange (but nice) perfume that I find it too sophisticated to put on my shallow self.

This came as a little "emergency bottle" with another IA purchase and that .5ml bottle is the ideal size for this type of fragrance. I just can't justify spending that kind of money on something like this. It smells exactly like what you would expect. And while pleasant I can't see how or why you would wear this. I can't even imagine how you would layer something like this. Wish they made this into a candle...

I wish I could experience all the green notes everyone else does! I get a little pop on initial spray of a bit of brightness, but after a minute or less I am overwhelmed with a floral note that isn't a common, comforting floral. Even after a few hours, there isn't much change to the scent on my skin, the lime blossom is persistent. Even after a bit of soap it was easy to smell on my wrists, and using rubbing alcohol after that there was still tiny traces, it is a great lasting scent if your skin allows a full range of it

This fragrance is unlike anything I have ever experienced. It is appropriately named. The soft lawn smells like dewy grass the day after it has been cut. You can smell the moist dirt underneath of it as an early morning summer sun begins to rise and warm the ground. It is very earthy and natural. This one isn't particularly my taste, but I definitely found it to be an interesting experience.

This fragrance is the soft, dirty cushion of an outdoor chair. It has grass clippings, bright yellow pollen that hits your upper sinuses, but also the spiciness of moss and the deep earthiness of sun-baked soil. It's really beautiful, very wearable and sort of vintage feeling. Very Lisbon Sisters clasping hands around their favorite tree.

edgy philosykos

I think the best use for IA fragrances is for layering. I like O Unknown to blunt any scent that's too much- it lends a powdery whiteness that helps rein in something too far out. MOAT is great for adding some sweet smokiness. And Soft Lawn brings a green grassiness. This is GREEN- almost parsley-like. It has a little bit of salt similar to Falling into the Sea but it's more tolerable here. And I do briefly get a warm clay court and some fuzzy tennis ball but it's not so prominent- if it were, I would find it much more interesting. It lasted a little longer than other IAs on me but just GREEN. I have used it on florals I find to be a little too much for me to bring some more fresh green. Curious to sample 2.0 version but would probably never buy as a standalone.

I bought the travel spray of this years ago after trying it on in a store and falling in love fast. I wore it every now and then for a brief moment, but stopped not long after buying it and rarely came back to it. I think I designated it as something I could only wear in warm weather, outdoors, so it'd just sit on my shelf, unused. I was probably reading a lot of Luca Turin at the time, who seems to have a distaste for Imaginary Authors. I think I might've just taken his word as gospel on some level and decided this wasn't for me.

Years later, I'm learning to trust my own judgment on scent, and that Luca Turin is full of shit sometimes. I decided to put the Soft Lawn on yesterday and reminisce about the brief, slightly idyllic period where I wore this a lot. I quickly remember what charmed me so much about it on my first wear. I love that it's so immediately a spring scent, but that it conveys this without relying on more obvious and immediately pleasant floral notes. This is warm and green in such a weird way that's clearly not trying to be realistic at all, but isn't totally off-putting. This is man-made spring, "nature" with all the grit stripped away, and the protection wealth provides from the outside world, which fits the backstory perfectly. It does smell like luxury to me, but not an inaccessible one— the kind you can at least pretend to inhabit and understand for a day by going to a tennis court. It's like an advertisement of old money, the slightest peek through the fence, a vivid picture that still keeps you at an arm's remove. I absolutely get that tennis ball feel from this, and I see why people pick up a weird pickle note from it. That might be what makes this hard to keep on after a few hours, because this perfume clings to my skin for dear life. I could still smell trails of it maybe a full 12 hours after spraying it on. After a few hours, it becomes clear that it isn't really going to evolve beyond that tennis ball / pickle zone, and it gets a little stale. I do think that slightly sour dryness strengthens the backstory of a growing discomfort with the trappings of wealth, and why someone within that world might decide to walk away from them. It kinda makes me wish it were a real book!

Despite the Soft Lawn testing my patience a little, I do still like it and definitely don't regret buying it. It's an extremely unique and confident perfume, and it's a shame to hear that the 2021 reformulation seems to be shying away from that. The fierce longevity of the original makes it a dream for anyone who smells it and thinks, god, I'd love to smell like this all day. This will give you a huge bang for your buck, and I admire Imaginary Authors for making the luxury of niche perfume so accessible. It's interesting and kind of endearing that a perfume about wealth would be so affordable and long lasting. The full size bottle is an even better value, so it's actually really easy to justify purchasing this— or at least it would be, if they still sold this version. I am more than a little curious to see how the reformulation compares, so maybe I'll try a side by side comparison someday.

It really does have a bit of a chalky tennis ball scent to it! the opening is pretty fresh and bright and a tiny bit sweet. It's somehow sharp and soft at the same time. I wish it was a bit mossier and earthier.

Of the IA lineup, The Soft Lawn is a bit of an outlier, having none of that coconut/marshmallow/toasty/resinous coocoonishness that I've found in the others I've sampled from the collection. There is nothing warm and comforting about it- it's cool and sporty, structured like a classic bro cologne, but just tart/effervescent enough to be true unisex.
Lots of skeptics in the reviews, but I do smell fresh rubber.
This fragrance wears 100% linear with moderate projection on my skin.

I like the crisp scent. Perfect for summer. I mainly get vetiver, and, linden, and, a touch of bay leaf. The other reviews have me curious about something. What precisely is the scent of a tennis ball?

Very powdery, can definitely smell the tennis ball, a bit of grass. I can see how the description relates to the fragrance, but it's really not my thing. Much too powdery and dry, which is a shame because I was looking forward to trying this one out.

The backstory fits this fragrance perfectly! The scent of wet, cut grass is what I pick up immediately when I first spray this, but it then quickly dries down and develops into a sweet green scent that lasts for a while. The vetiver and oakmoss notes follow later, rounding out the sweetness, and settle the fragrance down to pleasant, lightly fresh and earthy scent.

While this is labelled unisex, and can absolutely be worn by everyone, I do think it leans just a tad more towards women, at least on me. The green sweetness lasts for a while, and is mostly what I'm able to smell during the day. I do think it's a great summer option for men, though, as the earthiness of this scent grounds the sweetness a bit!

I think this is going to be the one green scent that I keep, as I'm almost addicted to smelling this. Greener fragrances don't really "fit" who I am as a person, but there's something different with The Soft Lawn, and I honestly think it's the backstory. There's a weird juxtaposition between the sweet greens, fresh spiciness, and the earthiness of this fragrance, which on its own could be confusing, but paired with the story behind it, it becomes a truly unique scent that I don't want to let go of.

At first spray, if you like run of the mill fragrances from places like Abercrombie or Gap, this will suit you. It's in the Curve/Cool Water/American Eagle mall perfume in the 90s realm. Green, cool, better in the dry down (but by then you can barely smell it anymore). The dry down smells like one of the Hermes Jardin series, which are lovely. But I tend to judge as a whole, and the opening spritz is not my cup of tea.

For me, the marketing behind a perfume has always been an important part of the experience: of course, the scent is the main thing, but I'm aware that my perception of it can be influenced a lot by seeing (or rather smelling) it in the light of the surrounding storytelling: how it's named, how it looks, the mood or history it's supposed to convey. And I don't mind this influence at all: a good marketing campaign or a suggestive name can make a good experience out of a mediocre scent, or add extra enchantment to a good one.

In that context, it's no surprise that I'm a fan the Imaginary Authors house, which has this whole thing as its very core. I have three full bottles of theirs already in my collection, and more decants; and this Soft Lawn might just be added to that list.

As with the others, I have to admit I'm not 100% sure that I would have really liked this scent without the backstory, although I think I would: it's green and fresh and slightly sweetened by soft blossoms, a simple and very pleasant spring and summer fragrance, the kind that always lifts my mood. Totally unisex as well, and with average longevity and projection - just the way I like them. But it's the extra layer of depth that's added by that wonderful name and the corresponding imaginary novel that lifts it to wishlist status; although I never would have guessed the "tennisball" accord in a million years without being told it's there, I can easily buy that it is, and being transported whenever I smell it to that soft lawn a hundred years ago, lush and full of beautiful young rich people, certainly makes boring my office days a lot more enjoyable.

This is a charming green fragrance, mostly with the honeyed sweetness of linden blossom (which may be the source for the dill-like scent a few people smell--though it is only a very faint part of the smell) and the richness of ivy, blending with the vetiver and the oakmoss. This is less like the smell of the tennis courts of the Ivy League than it is the wet lawns of the English countryside; it's a pretty, flowery green smell.

The tennis balls that reviewers say they smell in this (more than any other note!) are almost certainly fantasy--there's nothing in here that smells of either rubber or felt. The perfumer for Imaginary Authors, Josh Meyer, likes to list fantasy ingredients in his ingredients to evoke the stories behind his fragrances, and this is one of those. But it shows the power of the imagination involved in determining scent just how many reviewers swear they smell actual tennis balls in this.

It reminds me very slightly of Gap's Grass frag from the 90s. I definitely do get the tennis ball/rubbery smell in the dry down. I also get a bit of powder and vetiver. It doesn't really last but it is nice for a close to the skin Spring day out.

I bought a sample because the concept of perfume that smells like tennis balls seemed like the funniest thing in the universe to me at the time. In my defense, I had been anesthetized earlier in the day for dental surgery and was extremely loopy.

While I like the scent, I don’t find it particularly wearable. I’ll be damned if it doesn’t smell exactly like a yard after it’s been mowed. Takes you back to being young and your dad mowed the lawn on a summer Saturday morning, or going back to school with a window opened in early September while the landscape guys did the lawn. It’s very green and fresh- so much so that it might make you sneeze if you have a grass allergy!

I don’t really get anything particularly tennis-ball-like, but there is a rubbery smell in the dry down that I think is the tennis ball accord. It’s unique, but definitely seems like it’s more intended to be appreciated, rather than actually worn. If you do intend to wear it, it is about average performance- four or five hours, moderate silage. It’s quite unisex.

-Fresh, green…weird scent overall.
-Dries down slightly powdery and more like the stereotypical perfume.
-Prominent vetiver notes in the dry down.
-I would not wear this.
-Not fbw, unless you wanna smell like a walking lawn.. (-)

Smells like tennis courts, sweet grass and tennis balls in the best way possible. Very pleasant. I like it but nfbw for me.
no dill water detected -

This right here smells like Luxury/fancy Dill Water. Not so much a pickle, more so dill. Its the best way I can describe this. If you want a very unique smell, perhaps not loved by most people, then definitely buy a bottle. There is a bit vetiver in it, so it makes it somewhat wearable, but not a daily fragrance, more for collectors/enthusiasts.
Also, performance is amazing, I got 8-9 hours and it projects further than arms length.

IG @VirginNose

This is such a lovely, pleasant fragrance. Seems to capture the mellow, lackadaisical vibe of a Saturday afternoon. It's charming, effortless, and doesn't make any bold statements. The Soft Lawn knows what it's about.

I can see where some folx get the dill note, but luckily this doesn't swerve in that direction for me.

I was hoping for a nice linden blossom note, but I don't really pick up on it in this composition. There is a floral note in the opening, but it's too soft and indiscernible. I get lots and lots of vetiver with some sort of underlying earthy note that in the beginning reminded me of sparklers. The longer I smelled it the more I started picking up a somewhat salty herbal pickle juice note that is still there 2 hours later.

I opened a can of tennis balls to smell to see if they were in any way similar but tennis balls seem to have a very soft rubbery kind of smell to them, which I'm not getting in this perfume.

Overall, I think this is an interesting fragrance, but I don't think it would work for me personally.

Green, citrusy vetiver.

I guess I can kinda pick up on the tennis ball vibe, but if it hadn't been part of the concept I don't think I would ever have thought "huh, this smells like a tennis ball".

Mostly it sort of reminds me of Creed Original Vetiver but more tart and a bit less clean, however I've only smelled that on a paper strip once so I might be way off on that comparison.

Anyway, this is a fresh vetiver scent with a strong citrusy vibe. Kinda simple scent. I think out of the 9 samples I got from Imaginary Authors, this is my least favorite.

In the drydown it becomes a bit more woody and the linden blossom takes over a bit from the vetiver, and to me this is the best part of the fragrance, but it's still not quite enough to make it work for me.

It's an interesting concept, but in the genre of fresh vetiver fragrances, or even fresh citrusy fragrances, there are so many to choose from and honestly many that smell more pleasant than this, at least to my nose.

I was really excited about this fragrance, because one of the main notes was tennis ball, and I am a big fan of weird unique fragrances. I only get a really faint note of rubber. I do however really appreciate how it smells of fresh cut grass, melon, with some notes of dill.

I was excited to try this as a tennis fan (I'm familiar with the smell of freshly opened tennis balls) and as I'm currently on the hunt for a green fragrance. I thought the Wimbledon vibe they were clearly going for was really interesting and well worth a sample.
However, I'm afraid to say that I don't like this at all. I don't get that freshly-cut grass feeling I was hoping for. I'm not actually able to describe what I do get very well. It's a mixture of a poorly conceived 'tennis ball' accord which is impossible to put into words, and a bit of ivy and oak moss. I thought that it would be a miracle to pull off a tennis ball note in a fragrance. Imaginary Authors attempted it, and (you could say predictably) missed the mark. It smells very vaguely like a fresh tennis ball, but I'm not convinced by it, nor does it smell good - at all.
The real shame is that this could have been a very decent fragrance if they had stuck to grass, ivy, vetiver - maybe some fruit note (strawberries and Pimm's are both very Wimbledon). A fantastic but straightforward grassy fragrance would have been a much better option in my opinion, and much more likable. But I suppose that's not what Imaginary Authors are about.
I will say that it's actually quite pungent upon initial spray - the performance is not that poor in my experience.

The Soft Lawn is a swing and a miss for me.

Dislike.

(dislike/indifferent/like, but not BW/like a lot, potentially BW/love, definitely BW/masterpiece)

Had extremely high hopes for this one...but it fell flat. I really enjoy green notes, and the title had me anticipating a grassy open field vibe. What I got was a Vetiver skin scent.

It opens with lime blossom and ivy. As it dries down, I get Vetiver. For me, it too linear.

Longevity is slightly above average, which really doesn’t matter because the projection on this one is so “soft”. It is in the name I guess. Kind of like MM “Whispers” In the Library. On me, this is almost a skin scent right away.

Versatility is not great. Spring and Summer days for casual wear.

Overall, it’s a pass for me. As always, I recommend getting a sample to get your own opinion.

This is one of my favorite fragrances of all time. I get the tennis balls, linden blossom, cut grass, and all the other green notes most people smell, but there's also that hint of IA's signature "dusty old book" scent that reminds me a lot of a secondhand book shop in my city. Truly a work of art.

All I get from this one is a modernized cologne version of Creed's Green Valley. Am I wrong? :)

It's super cute, but pretty short-lived, you'll get a 5-minute blast of grass and then only traces of the greens close to skin.

Starts out very nice and green (fresh, not sharp), but like others have mentioned, it slowly sours as it dries down, creating an unpleasant middle stage. I think it's still very wearable, but the base accord in that phase reminds me of chemicals such as chlorine. Thankfully, that isn't the final drydown. The final drydown is quite nice and fresh.

Very fascinating damp grass smell opening but very bad longevity and projection. Similar to CK Truth for Men a bit. If longevity/projection were better, I'd like this more. And yes it does remind me a lot of Eau d'Italie's Eau d'Italie.

3.5/5

I picked this one up simply due to its amusing fictional inspiration as a tennis player myself.

I can't add much more than what everyone else has already said, except that I was shocked by how REALISTIC this fragrance is. A medley of Spring greens, opening with freshly mowed grass and cucumber, fading into very believable linden blossoms and chopped flower stems.

But, it suffers in the drydown. There's an annoyingly persistent sour pickle-like note that interrupts what is supposed to be a foundation of meditative oakmoss.

In my opinion, "The Soft Lawn" is wearable and pleasant, but very neutral in the way freshly laundered clothes are neutral. Don't expect to receive any attention from this one, it's the kind of fragrance you wear for your own enjoyment.

Liked it at first for it's fresh cut grass smell. But after further use, decided that dill-soaked tennis ball smell, is too niche of smell for me to like wearing with any frequency. I like the artistry of this perfumer. But besides City On Fire, haven't found one that I like to wear.

Worth a try. But, in the end , after trying to like it, a dislike for me.

What a beautiful scent. At the opening, I can smell almost every note listed here. What stands out to me most is the tennis ball and oak moss undergirded by a dry vetiver and there’s just a hint of other green notes as well, including the lime and ivy. I’m not entirely sure what laurels smell like as this is my first dealing with them, but I do highly love this fragrance. IA makes such good scents. They’re not overly strong or offensive, and their longevity is just as good.

IA scents aren’t overly expensive, either. They’re definitely worth what they cost. I’m not sure when I would wear this in terms of season, probably spring is my initial thought. The Soft Lawn dies down after several hours, as it just fades slowly over time. I will definitely add this to my purchase list.

A sour opening with lemon/lime and lots of green notes. 15 minutes in and the sour citrus is nicely combined with sweet notes; some vetiver appears with a grassy aspect. It's a pleasant warm weather scent.
6.5/10

I pulled this one out tonight! Sits quite linear with me, which is fine! Smells mostly green and I get this dill vibe. I say this has moderate longevity, and decent sillage.

6-7/10

ادکلن 212 دوست داشتنی اما با کیفیت، عمق و دوام بالاتر
سبز، خاکی و وتیوری و کمی گلی
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Scent & Qualiy: 9/10
Longevity: 8/10
Sillage: 7/10
Creativity & Uniqueness: 7/10
Affordability: 4/10
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Overall: 7/10

5/10

Michelle1234567 is such a negative Nancy… you seem to dislike ALL of the imaginary scents… why even give feedback when it doesn't seem to be critical? Geez.

Some mention Calone; others mention cucumbers and cut grass. Yes. This is a brightly realistic cut of green grass after mowing the lawn on a warm spring or summer day, a lush wetness, playing with Linden blossom. There is also a tea or "tannin" like note in there somewhere.
I play tennis and I guess this has a tennis ball note--but I really think that's just the power of suggestion--mostly grass, green,cucumber/linden with a twist of lemon-lime warmed by a sweet note. It's almost like a drink, some kind of gin-like tonic. Its drydown is a bit powdery--not violet powder, but a musky green powder.

Now the downside is that after 15 minutes, and depending on application, this turns into a cool green mess of aroma chemicals, slightly reminiscent of Tide and the like. It has that chemical-cleanliness that I abhor. The green grass is fun, albeit short-lived, and the clean Calone aquatic green wash of scent is sure to please some, a sort of watercolor amorphously yellow-green and tennis-ball hued, but I don't think this is what I'll be wearing when the weather turns warmer.

Not a scrubber, but not all that interesting. Fine for spring and summer, low-to-moderate silage and longevity and perfectly unisex. Appropriate for office wear, but not really a seductive scent. If this was a body spray, it'd be just fine for after a workout.

Today, I received a parcel from Josh Meyer himself! Included with my order of Memoirs of a Trespasser, were 3 samples and the Soft Lawn has my full attention.
I usually steer widely around 'green' fragrances and who would think that tennis balls, clay courts and cut grass could possibly make a nice perfume? BUT IT DOES! It's really soft as the name implies but projects nicely on a hot day for which I think this fragrance is intended for.
No, it's not for cool months or evenings but a wonderful day perfume and totally unisex, although I think it steers toward women more than men. Don't be too quick to judge this one on first application. Let it settle. Trust me here please!
A really unusual floral.
I like it a lot. Could indeed become 'a love'! Very unique offerings from this wonderful House.
They intrigue me! Thank you Josh Meyer!

This smells exactly, and I mean EXACTLY like hot, wet, fresh cut grass.

The opening is more bright and sweet but then it turns so grassy very quickly, then the drydown has lots of vetiver - I guess the grass 'dries out'.

To me this is hyperrealistic.

Can NOT fathom how this is supposed to be similar to OdLR Something Blue, which I have and is not even REMOTELY close. That one is cold and floral.

All in all - I dont mind this - I think it would be nicer on a man though.

Editing to add: longevity is good - at least 6 hours. Projection about average.

Linden blossoms and greens. :)

I LOVE Linden blossoms... not so much the 'calone' and soured greens that accompany these, which actually resemble cucumber more than grass. While the latter is potentially owing to my chemistry, linden fragrances still call to me and are fun to test!

Another in this same group would be Oscar de la Renta Something Blue, which to me smells related. Of the two, I prefer Something Blue as being a touch more feminine and wearable.

Interesting, though not the most unusual or delightful from this house.

This is horrible. Unwearable.

I have been owning this fragrance for quite a while and it still astonishes me how people are heavily influenced by the marketing, i.e. the tennis ball note in this case.
You see, perfumes are just like any other product, the creators wish to distinguish them by adding something funky that people can talk about...the more discussion, the better.
Many fragrances are marketed this way and people more often than not fall for the wrapping/labelling/positioning if you like and end up smelling the tennis ball, while this is just a green vetivery linden blossom!
I bet if fragrances were sampled without labels, we would have very different reviews but hey ho this is 21st century.

Hahaha! Any perfume inspired by "a charmingly snotty college tennis champ", and which inspires such academic reviews by our members here, was a must for me! Not to mention it has a starring note of tennis ball! The most amazing of all . . . it does not disappoint! It's green, happy feeling of casual summer past times is sheer delight! Josh Meyer accomplishes his mantra of "scent as art and art as provocation" with this linden blossom hybrid accord that is fresh and memorable. Oakmoss is very noticable, along with ivy, balancing out the sweetness, and then there's that ball! Makes me smile just to contemplate! A perfume for Jay Gatsby if there ever was one!

I am a huge fan of green scents in general, so I had high hopes for this one. On the first spray, I was immediately impressed. Green notes of all sorts bombarding my nose in a pleasant manner.

But 5 minutes later I smelled like a pickle. I generally dislike when reviewers mention specific supposed unpleasant scents in reviews, but I just have to here.

To its credit, after an hour into the dry down I get the moss and ivy, more typical green accords, and they are pleasant.

I commend Imaginary Authors for brining affordable indie/niche fragrances to the market, but this is a pass for me.

Very nice, soft, fragrant imagery comes to mind when wearing the Soft Lawn. That sounds pretty funny actually...I feel like Pistachio Disguisey in one of the worst films ever made, the Master of Disguise. In this horrific film, Pistachio, played by Dana Carvey disguises himself as a section of lawn at one point...so he's wearing lawn. Today, I'm wearing the Soft Lawn, but it is infinitely better than Pistachio's lawn...that he's wearing...

Okay, anyway, this fragrance is actually quite enjoyable. The listed notes intrigued me greatly. I love green scents, and this definitely has them. The lime blossom is quite strong in the opening and is one of my favorite parts of this fragrance.

This wears well, is unique, and has very good longevity and sillage. I'd like to get a bottle.

Total vetiver scent, herbaceous and green

A tennis balls accord? That would be a mix of linden and lime blossom with vetiver and lemon.

I thought I would hate this one (I'm not much of a green guy, I like my citruses), but upon first sniff I definitely changed my mind. This is so lovely, the linden blossom, ivy and actual tennis balls mix very well. Best way to describe this one is 'spring in a bottle' as it gives off a freshly cut yet already dried grass smell. Definitely a unisex scent, very inoffensive, great for casual or even sporty (tennis in mind) occasions. Do try it, it might become one of your signature spring scents.

Tennis ball..?

This is very nice. So fresh, warm and green. Initially I get lots of linden blossom and oak moss which are backed up by the vetiver and laurel. After a short while the tennis ball becomes more evident. Wherever this lawn is the sun is shining on it.
It is most definitely unisex and one to wear in warm weather.
Moderate silage and longevity.

I'm loving The Soft Lawn. I can't stop smelling myself!

I get the lime from the linden blossom, some vetiver and a bit of oak moss. I'm not overly familiar with what tennis balls smell like, so I can't attest to that note...

Fresh, green, citrus and a little woody.

Although not listed, I'm ready to bet there's Benzoin in here. :-)

There's something about the combination of Vetiver x Benzoin, that brings out a 'tennis ball' accord for me. First noted this in Euphorium Brooklyn's "Usar", and also found the same in Carven's "Carven Vetiver" (the modern opaque green bottle).

Carven is a dry, bordering-on-brittle vetiver on me. There's some marked similarities with The Soft Lawn, with the latter being slightly more green & unisex-- possibly due to the linden blossom.

An absolute delight -- I can see The Soft Lawn being a year-around fragrance for me!

This is my first venture into Indie Niche Fragrance

I was pleasantly surprised by this beautiful chypre!

It's color is green and it does indeed, as so many of the reviewers have noted, smell of soft green lawn.

It has that freshly mowed lawn smell.

It smells of grass.

It's linear and does not throw out too much of it's own scent but it has just enough of it for you to enjoy.

The oak moss and vetiver are the big players in my opinion.

A lime blossom citrusy scent mixes and mingles with ivy and laurels.

That made up chemical note of tennis ball intrigues me.

I don't pick up on any tennis ball or "golf club" grass scent.

The composition of this green grassy fragrance transports me to the campus of an East Coast University in the United States.

It smells of well manicured lawns outside those old Victorian buildings in some college campuses.

My daughter Karen went to Wellesley and I visited her there and this fragrance takes me back there.

A sophisticated unisex green chypre scent

It's not easy to pull off but it seems like it would be better on an older man, a college Professor, or perhaps a golf player.

On a woman it would smell more like No. 19 by Chanel.

It has very little in the feminine department other than that linden blossom

Nonetheless it's green, a bit citrusy, leafy, aromatic, and very mossy.

This does not remind me of any other fragrance although at times it has a slight "Scherrer" type of scent.

I recommend this fragrance as an intro to chypres

Now before I get further into the review I will give a little background into myself and the backdrop of my days when I first discovered The Soft Lawn. I am a commercial lobster fisherman on the Maine coast and I captain my own fishing vessel. When I recieved the TSL sample, it was late May/early June, which is an odd time in eastern Maine on the coast. Some days are chilly with strong winds coming off the Atlantic. Some days feel like summer. We joke in Maine that one can experience all 4 seasons in one week. Lobstermen like myself are getting geared up for the season at this time. Rigging up new traps, painting buoys, fathoming out rope for warps (buoy lines), repairing traps, boat repairs/finishing touches, & taking loads of traps to the shore to set. I recieved the sample on one of the days that leaned towards summer. It was warm and pleasant. There was the taste of summer in the air and I was in my trap shop (my garage where I do my gear work/buoy painting). So I quickly sprayed TSL on a the back of my hand as I took a break from rigging up new lobster traps. Instantly I felt as if I had been transported to Bar Harbor/Mount Desert Island 35 minutes away. BH/MDI is one of Maine's premier tourist areas. An island on the Maine coast where many famous and prominent people and families have summer mansions and homes. The infamous Rockefeller family have a sprawling summer mansion here. The island is home to many lobster fishermen and boasts a decent size fleet. MDI gives anyone who summers there the authentic view of Maine and it's beauty. The Soft Lawn smells of a Maine coast summer. It also gives the wearer a feel of comfort and the laid back summer days. It isn't a typical summer aquatic. It is green and lush. The tennis ball notes blends perfectly. The story of The Soft Lawn speaks of a New England summer where the writer spends time on a large estate of a wealthy individual in the 1920s. The Soft Lawn nails it's intention 120%. As I caught whiffs of TSL I felt like a distinguished guest at the original Rockefeller summer mansion on MDI in the 1920s. I could picture the fashion the guests would be wearing, the taste of expensive drinks they would sip to cool off, the sense of accomplishment & granduer that would accompany being a master of the universe and rubbing elbows with America's elite, all the awhile the sense of relaxation that one would feel as they spend the weekend away from the corporate boardrooms of the city. I can picture the Rolls Royce's and other luxury vehicles driven by chauffers. I can smell the greens of summer and hear the distant roar of wooden commercial fishing boats gliding thru the water as they sail between lobster buoys. All in all, The Soft Lawn is the olfactory version of The Great Gasby with coastal New England as the backdrop. Just pure magic. I have yet to find scents that paint such a vivid portrait in my mind as The Soft Lawn and the entire IA line.

The Soft Lawn performs well in it's Eau de Parfum concentration. It is not cloying or overpowing. It is the type of scent that wouldn't be offensive even if it was louder. I get generous whiffs for 5 to 6 hours and the fragrance remains on my skin for 12 to 14 hours.
The presentation of TSL is almost as magical as the scent it's self. I bought a 50ml and the bottle came in a well designed box that looks like a book which ofcourse completes the whole theme of the Imaginary Authors line. Upon opening the cover of the book you find your 50ml bottle. The artwork really fits this scent. Very 1920's and it is perfect.

All in all, 5/5. This is a true gem. Most of us find a 1 or 2 scents in our time as fragrance enthusiaists that really speak to our souls. They create a sense of olfactive magic that we can't begin to wrap our minds around. They take us on a journey to a place or to a time that we would much rather be than the reality of our current location or situation. I can honestly say The Soft Lawn is that scent for me.

Before I conclude this review I also want to note my thoughts on Josh Meyer, the mastermind and perfumer of the IA line. I e-mailed him to offer my thanks for creating such a magnificent example of fragrance art. I told him what this scent means to me and I offered my praises on his work. He e-mailed me back within a few hours to thank me for my kind words. Josh had kind words for me and even asked for my address so he could send me out a gift for my praises and thoughts on his work. Josh's reply really sealed the deal for me on the Imaginary Author's line. It's quite obvious Imaginary Author's is a fragrance house that cares about it's customer base and the fragrance community as a whole. That's more than I can say about most fragrance houses today. I encourage everyone who reads this review to atleast sample IA's wonderfull line-up. You will not be disappointed.

I really love the base of this perfume, meaning the whole green scent, smells very upper class. The tennis ball smell however, as unique and realistic as it is, puts me off buying a whole bottle as it is very prominent in the perfume and I simply wouldn't want to smell like a tennis ball. The base is amazing though truly well blended - smells expensive like something they wear down at the country clubs. Lasts well too.

I have 100+ niche samples for swap within Europe - updated spreadsheet of samples on my profile, get in touch!

I have to commend The Soft Lawn for its boldness and originality. For a fragrance that literally has tennis balls as a note, I think this is actually very wearable. There is a bright, green-floral quality provided by the linden blossom, ivy, and bay leaves. The tennis ball note is definitely there, but it is not as obvious as you think it will be. It is more of a background note with rubbery/leather nuances. It kind of reminds me of the industrial-synthetic quality of Bvlgari Black, but done in a fresh, sporty way.

The Soft Lawn has great longevity and moderate sillage. It is creative and artistic yet still completely wearable and completely unisex. I would buy a bottle of it in a heartbeat, except that I live in an urban city and this fragrance feels very suburban and country-clubby, so it doesn't really fit my environment. But this is still a fantastic fragrance and I am very impressed by it.

I am suspicious—make that incredulous—of storytelling in perfumery. The minute the exposition or the plot commences, I tune out. Perfume evokes ideas and states, and reflects trains of thought that no other art-form can. Trying to make perfumes tell stories reminds me of those tiny dogs in circus acts, dressed in clown-like costumes, jumping up and down on their hind legs.

So why do I enjoy the perfume fictions of Imaginary Authors so much? Maybe it’s because they get at stories through imaginations of memory. Perhaps the stories are simply imagistic and evocative. The stories are a stepping-off point into the perfumes rather than a scented repetition of the plot and have a nostalgic quality– part pulp melodrama, part noir detective movie. They riff on very specific references and provide instant entry into the stories. A City on Fire is a deadpan, urban graphic novel. Bull’s Blood is a Hemingway-gestalt of ex-pat thrill-seeking and machismo. The Cobra and the Canary is equal parts On the Road and Thelma and Louise.

In the Imaginary Authors line, stories and perfumes are closely aligned, but Meyer smartly puts some breathing room between them. The plots have the pattern of conflict and consequence found in fables and use symbolism like campfire stories. They are synopses of archetypal stories and we recognize their meaning instantly even if the plots themselves are new to us.

The Soft Lawn is particularly ripe with suggestion. It imagines a prequel to JD Salinger’s own story of a young author’s successful first novel whose protagonist is a disaffected private school brat. The 1920s dashing, tennis-playing author of the fictional novel, Claude leCoq, is a play on 1920s dashing tennis player René Lacoste (Le Crocodile.)

The perfume itself recreates the image of a 1920s tennis club through scent. Green grass and leaves, old-fashioned rubber-soled tennis shoes, tennis balls and starched tennis whites. The note that ties it together is linden blossom. Its green-lemon side could garnish a post-match gin and tonic while its laundry powder musky side maintains the image of dazzling white tennis trousers and skirts. The Soft Lawn is the scent of a location, a scenario, a setting. It gives equal weight to the living (grass, flowers) and the inanimate (tennis balls and cotton fabric) and wears like an olfactory snapshot of post WW I New England WASP culture. Like an antiquated photo that captured a moment but has faded, The Soft Lawn starts strong and eventually ebbs to a faint but coherent reflection of its topnotes. It stays in your nose the way the echoing sounds of tennis balls being struck in the distance stays in your ear. The rhythm can be a pleasant background when your thoughts are elsewhere, but at others times the the clarity of the sound/scent captures your attention with its satisfying simplicity.

Despite the story surrounding the perfume, The Soft Lawn is evocative, not narrative. It doesn’t repeat the story you’ve already read. It creates an olfactory setting and puts you in a frame of mind to write yourself into the story, making you the author.

Fragrance Review For The Soft Lawn Imaginary Authors

Notes: Lime Blossom Laurels Ivy Oak Moss Vetiver Tennis Ball

I was intrigued by the description of the book which sounds like a really good book if anyone had bothered to actually write it/publish it! This scent actually does match up with some of the summary for the "novel". It evokes a green lawn, in a country club golf club. It smells just like the greenery in well manicured lawns in Victorian/turn of the century country manors and or those lawns where croquet is played. I was of course fascinated by the tennis ball note. However did they do it? As a child I remember actually putting my nose to tennis balls and smelling it. I liked what I smelled. It smells of rubber of course and that fuzzy greenness. It really does smell of a tennis ball when you put your nose to it. The fragrance has a linear progression and doesn't become terribly complex or multi layered. It's a green scent. Everything about it is green. The opening is lime blossom, which to me smells of lemon. It's lemon flavored and a bit flowery similar to the lime blossom note in YVES SAINT LAURENT PARIS. But unlike Paris it is the only floral note in it. Linden blossom and lime are a very nice combination. The laurels and leaves are autumnal and smell like you're at a park with leaves scattered on the ground. I could really smell the ivy and oak moss. It's not quite a chypre because it's lacking woods. It's mostly green grass. It's comforting, soothing. I love to spray it into the air at my townhouse in Gramercy Park Manhattan NYC. It also really smells amazing when layered with Bond perfume Gramercy Park. It's not quite a forest. It's a small park. Lots of green notes and that creatively recreated tennis ball scent. If you like what I've described check this out but being a niche fragrance you have to sample it first since not everyone responds well to green notes. Beautiful!

On me this is iced green tea loaded with linden honey and a hint of rubber from that tennis ball note. I almost feel like this would be a good late spring and summer substitute for Bvlgari Black.

Really nice & pleasant green earthy smell. Pretty accurate tennis ball smell, as odd as that sounds. Subtle and great for a casual spring day

When I was first introducing myself to the fragrances in the Imaginary Authors line several months ago, a couple of them struck me as generic and not really for me (Memoirs of a Trespasser and Air of Despair), while a few others really kept me coming back to my wrist for more and more whiffs to see how it aged on my skin. One of the interesting ones was The Soft Lawn.

The Soft Lawn is an “olfactory novel” published by Claude LeCoq in 1916, while he was attending Princeton. The novel summary goes like this: “A controversial portrait of adolescent upper-class rebellion in New England, the coming-of-age story follows Hampton Perry, a charmingly snotty college tennis champ who, after years of having everything handed to him on a silver platter, first himself handing it all back.” It contains notes of linden blossom, laurel and ivy leaves, vetiver, oakmoss, fresh tennis balls, and clay court. It was launched in 2012 by Josh Meyer.

Whereas most scents that might be suitable for warmer weather open with a citrus accord, or combination of accords, this doesn’t: I mostly get a bright green, grassy smell with some vetiver that’s not dirty at all. (Some people claim to smell lime, which is the linden blossom; on my skin this is a passing note and relatively faint.) This is the kind of scent that I love. However, there’s one major thing about it that continues to have me on the fence about whether I want a whole bottle or not – it’s the floral notes. I’ve smelled it on a few people, and while I always get the dominant grassiness, the longer it wears on everyone’s skin, the more white-floral it becomes. More specifically, it turns more and more into the laurel and ivy leaves which to my nose smells very much like wild honeysuckle.

The more I smell this, the more I’m beginning to like it. If you like grassy florals, and this might be one of the first ones that I found wasn’t too forwardly sweet and femme for me to actually enjoy, I think this would be ideal for spring and summer. It really does a superb job at narrating with just scent alone. You get the sense of wealthy tennis clubs, you can almost imagine Hampton Perry in his short, loose-fit tennis shorts belting out Serena Williams-like grunts of exertion. We all know how Josh Meyer loves his phantom notes. I suggest on future bottles that this list “white privilege” in the accords.

Even though Imaginary Authors recently did recently experience a design (i.e., downsizing in their bottles, from 60 ml to 50 ml, while jacking the price up $10), this is probably going to be in my top three when I start buying scents for the warmer weather. I complained about the price jack in one of the Facebook groups, and it slowly started to dawn on me – this is still under $2/ml for some of the most artistically inspired (and no, that doesn’t mean “novelty”) fragrances available in any fragrance market - such a refreshing delight. It’s definitely in my top two for the entire line.

I received a sample of The Soft Lawn. Green, green, green. Sweet grass, sweet astroturf. I smell something slightly artificial, but I don't really get "tennis ball" or "clay court" AT ALL. It's all just green and fresh on me. MAYBE a little citrus and vetiver as it dries. I'd also say it's a little more "femme" than unisex on my skin. I like it; it's pleasing. I don't really feel like it's especially unique or uncommon, but that doesn't mean it's not worth wearing. Also, something about it does remind me of posh aristocrats, so there's that. Tolly tip tup, good day.

Love it or hate it, this perfume is unique: tennis balls! Can it get more characteristic than that?! As its own motto goes: a fragrance to wear in weekends or anytime you wished it was a weekend. An unmistakable scent of cleanness and freshness together with classy sportiness on the nth power!

I find this tennis ball concept fascinating and mourn the fact that i am unlikely to ever be able to get me hands on this or any other of the scents by Imaginary Authors. (Live on the other side of the world now). My father who was an avid tennis player and my memories of boarding school sports days would make us both revel in this.

Like the other Imaginary Authors warm-weather brethren I've tried (Falling Into the Sea and Mosaic), The Soft Lawn has a refreshing opening involving citrus, but it takes on a geener, grassier character, as its name suggests, likely provided by the moss and floral notes. The vetiver comes out a little bit more in the dry down. I could see this as easily being worn by a woman as a man, and while that versatility is often a plus and the mark of a great fragrance, it isn't flattering enough on me for me to consider buying a bottle, even at IA's generally-agreed-to-be-reasonable pricing.

Longevity is decent, not great for an EDP---almost a skin scent after 7.5 hours, a workout, and shower. Interesting in its own right like Falling Into the Sea and Mosaic, this warm-weather offering by IA is worth trying, but that'd be it for me.

5 out of 10

I've been enjoying a spritz of this on my wrists on my days off because it's just so fun! Men and women can wear this, of course, but to me, it's best described as a wearable men's summer cologne with a slight twist.

The "twist" comes from the tennis ball scent. Yes, I know, it's kind of funny to see it on the notes list. XD But there absolutely is the scent of a brand new tennis ball, that faintly rubbery, hairy, and surprisingly pleasant smell. It mixes with a bright and beautiful lime blossom and some other green notes, like ivy, and a dash of woodiness. A lot of green fragrances give me headaches, but luckily, I can sniff this pretty thing with impunity.

As the day progresses, the vetiver and the oakmoss become more dominant and the brighter green notes fade slightly. This makes the scent slightly more "traditional," though still very pleasant and not at all heavy. Every time I wear this, I get that full picture of an upper-middle-class man playing tennis at the country club.

The Soft Lawn has soft to moderate sillage and a lasting power of about 6-8 hours on my skin. It's ideal for summer and spring days because of how light and fresh it is, but I could see somebody wearing it for all seasons or for work.

hahaha... it is a tennis ball yes. newly shiny tennis ball in a sunny day, i can smell a golf field too! grass, ivy, and linden as well. it's fresh and springly seasoned fragrance. it is quite an inspiring creation.

I don't play tennis and wouldn't recognize the smell of tennis ball if one whacked me in the face on the court. But oh, do I love this - and I thought it would not appeal to me at all, because "green" doesn't usually appeal to me, but THIS DOES. It's not boring-green.
I ordered the sample collection from Imaginary Authors mainly to sample this before buying a full bottle blindly for my tennis-obsessed sister. If this is what tennis balls smell like, I get why she's obsessed. :)

EDIT: A few weeks later, I'm still drawn to this, which for me is saying something with thousands of samples in my possession. Thank you, tennis fanatics, for inspiring this scent (can you do a Thank You Note, Jimmy Fallon?). I keep going back to it. I think it's time for a full bottle for myself too!

As a long time tennis player I was pre-determined to like this fragrance and I didn't let myself down. This is one of those scents that you could wear every day and enjoy it just the same. It isn't totally unique, nor is it common. It performs and garners a few compliments here and there. I don't ever see this one being in my top 10, but that doesn't mean it isn't thoroughly enjoyable.

My Score: 7.5

This review is based on their sample. It literary is Wimbledon tennis in a bottle. It smells like a tennis ball with a sweet-green undertone to it. I also get a hint of short-lived lime in the opening. It's artistically unique, which I see is in the same vein as some of Demeter's real object scents. Having said that, it's actually quite pleasantly easy to wear. I don't play tennis but I can see someone who does liking this. It has moderate projection and good longevity on my skin.

@shakatran it smells like a tennis ball lol. Weirdest thing ever and I'm not a fan at all. Everything else sounded and smelled good, but then that tennis ball hits you in the eye! Or the nose, actually.

I wonder what does tennis ball note smell like @@