Perfume Review: Puredistance I

Before we start, a short list of things to know about Puredistance: it is "one of the world's most exclusive perfumes", created by Annie Buzantian for a Viennese company that sells nothing but this one perfume, in a Lounge especially dedicated to it...and most important of all, the collection includes a Crystal Column, into which the bottle of Puredistance I can be embedded ("a mysterious and complicated perfume set in a clear crystal flacon...") and about which you will read over and over again, if you download Puredistance 2008 book. Out of 107 pages, 2,5 is dedicated to perfume, 1 to the perfumer, and the rest is an ode to the bottle design, pictures of the "Column" and the Lounge. I find it to be unfair to the perfume, which happens to be exquisite. Allegedly first created by Buzantian for herself, Puredistance I is a fresh, green floral scent with subtle fruity overtones and a dry, musky base. A touch of black currant and citrus blossoms in the top notes lends rich juiciness to the cold, breezy aroma of jasmine and mimosa, adding softness but not sweetness to the crisp composition. The subtly fruity leitmotif is carried on in the heart of the scent by magnolia, which puts the palest blush of pink on the otherwise snow-white face of Puredistance. The cool, earthy base of vetiver and musk hides a hint of ambery warmth, which is like a flame embedded (there you go!) deep within a cube of ice...The overall impression is that of an impeccable, classical structure, of elegant coldness and dazzling whiteness...There has never been a perfume more bridal. I see it worn with a pure white gown with long train and cathedral-length veil...and then perhaps never again, like a wedding dress...a perfume purchased for one special occasion, a concept the creators of an exclusive fragrance should heartily approve. Puredistance is available in a Crystal & Gold limited edition Column, 17,5ml for 2750 euro, in a Crystal & Steel limited edition Column, 17,5ml for 1750 euro and in a perfume spray with gold or silver cap, 17.5ml for 165 euro. Of the three, the latter is my favorite, and not because of its bargain price. I find the phial-like simplicity of the bottle much more attractive than the complicated minimalism of the Column.