7/3/12

Royall Lyme (Royall Lyme Bermuda)



Royall Lyme is a rare one-note citrus cologne wonder. There are several lime scents out there that focus on being all about lime, but few come close to being as singularly designed as this one. This is Royall Lyme Bermuda's signature cologne, and as such I expected much more from it. It let me down in a big way.

The lime note is nice enough, and certainly smells plenty limey. There's a biting tartness, with just a hint of sweet, and an overall green, fruity feeling. It's quite naturalistic, and for a minute or two smells like I drizzled lime juice on my arm. But I must point out that the current formula of Royall Lyme is beleaguered by an alcoholic haze, which surrounds the scent in an astringent unpleasantness usually found in cheap shit. This seems to add to its volatility. There's five minutes of limey goodness, and then poof! - It's completely gone. There are no wildflowers, no musks, no spices or herbs, nothing underlying the simple fruit note. They really took the concept literally, leaving nothing to imagine.

Given its low price, I recommend giving Royall Lyme a try. If you're the sort of guy who likes a fresh splash after a shower or shave, and just want a short-lived lime cologne for the summer, you could do worse. I understand Pinaud still makes Lime Sec. But if you'd like something with an elegant lime on a floral/musk base that persists for a good hour after application, you could do much, much better. Royall Lyme is the slouchy slacker in the back of the classroom who gets invited to all the parties and knows all the girls, yet defers to the much-smarter Floris Limes for answers whenever the teacher gives a test.