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Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Six Scents Series Two: Perfume Review

By Marla

Six Scents is an annual project where designers/artists, and perfumers are paired to create new scents. The emphasis on Six Scents Two is environmental concern and harmony, and the relationship of artists to the natural world. Artist/designers collaborated with perfumers from Givaudan to design scents and visuals that encourage environmental sensitivity. They make for a fascinating series. These scents are not so much perfumes as olfactory environments. None of these could ever be found in a mall or airport shop. I’ve been having a lot of fun with them.

Fragrance 1: “Collage” is by Phillip Lim in collaboration with perfumer Nathalie Gracia-Cetto. The notes are bergamot, black pepper, juniper berry, magnolia accord, patchouli, Virginia cedar and incense. Collage is like the love child of an old-fashioned men’s cologne and CdG’s Ouarzazate. It’s herbal and crispy-cold like the thin layer of ice that forms over deep snow, but with strong wood resins bubbling up from beneath. It’s got the same hot-cold vibe that A-Men has, though the two are nothing alike in scent. It wears more lightly than CdG’s Incense Series, though it certainly could fit in well with that group.

Fragrance 2: “Ende / Anfang” is by Damir Doma in collaboration with perfumer Yann Vasnier. The notes are purple ginger, vetiver, cedarwood, guaiacwood, cardamom, coriander seed, birch tar, sandalwood, beeswax absolute, patchouli, and myrrh. The opening, which I assume is the purple ginger, smells like bitter lime peel and gin-and-tonic. Then it morphs into an in-your-face chypre (sans oakmoss, but birch tar stands in). It’s very bold, but for this composition, that boldness works very well. It’s exceedingly natural smelling, with a beautiful real-patchouli drydown that’s incredibly comforting. There is nothing “clean laundry”, or “shower fresh” about this fragrance. It’s strong, natural, and compelling. It tends toward masculine, but is very suitable for women who like bitter, green fragrances (like me). I like how Anfang starts out so cold, yet ends up warm and cozy.

Fragrance 3: “Solar Donkey Power” is by Henrik Vibskov in collaboration with perfumer Louise Turner. This scent is meant to evoke a sauna in winter. The notes are bergamot, sage, geranium, patchouli, moss, incense, and pine. It is intense with strong sillage. SDP is heavy on the IsoE Super, with lots of citrus and resins. It’s very refreshing, and in many ways, similar to Hermes Terre d’Hermes. Lovers of TdH will like this one, too, though Donkey Power is heavier on the forestry than the citrus. And no, I have no idea how this one got its name.

I’ll review the last three in the series before the winter holidays. I’ve been going slowly with them as they are quite absorbing and contemplative in character. Full disclosure: I bought a set of samples of Six Scents Two from Luckyscent, where full bottles can also be purchased. You can learn more about the Six Scents project from six-scents.com.

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6 Comments:

Blogger Flora said...

Marla, they are all so interesting! It would seem that they are more than just crazy concepts, but actual, wearable perfumes. What a fun project this must be for all the artists involved.

LOL, my word verification for this comment is SCENTE.

12:15 AM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Love your verifying word, Flora! Seems like the Matrix is working overtime! :-)
Yes, they are quite wearable, for those days when you want to smell something very interesting, evocative, and not particularly "perfumey".I wish they sold them as a set in 5ml bottles.
Best,
Marla

12:39 AM EST  
Blogger Tama said...

The only sample of these I got was Solar Donkey Power, mostly for the name, and I have only worn it once, but I enjoyed it. Definitely worth a few tries.

2:16 AM EST  
Blogger elle said...

I got samples of these last week when I was basically too busy to breathe, so I put them in some drawer or bowl where I'd be *sure* to find them at some later point when I could do justice to them. Am now thinking I may have to go in for a session of hypnosis in order to figure out where that "obvious" place was in which I put them. But really am going to have to find them after your reviews. They sound wonderful. And how could I possibly resist wanting to try something called "Solar Donkey Power"?

7:30 PM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi, Elle,
I totally understand your sample situation, I am having the same experience! And yes, I love the names in this series, and particularly love telling friends my Scent of the Day is "Solar Donkey Power". They really think I've gone round the bend now....
Best,
Marla

12:43 AM EST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

“Solar Donkey Power” what a great name LOL

9:41 AM EST  

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