Going toward the light: Puredistance White (And a prize draw!)

By Donna The sixth release from Puredistance follows the well received Black which was also authored by Antoine Lie, and White could not be more aptly named; it is very bright, dazzling even, the perfume equivalent of looking into the sun. This particular sub genre of white floral is not everyone's cup of tea, but it happens to be a style that I enjoy very much. I have fond memories of the highly pitched white florals from the Seventies and Eighties as perfumers experimented with the new aroma chemicals that were becoming available, enabling the birth of fragrances that defied gravity like nothing that had come before, such as the original Jessica McClintock, Azzaro 9 and Madeleine by Madeleine Mono. Smelling Puredistance White for the first time brought that era immediately to mind. Yet as always, the hallmarks of a Puredistance perfume are abstraction and refinement, and so it is an entirely modern creation unto itself. The concept behind White is that smelling it should bring an immediate feeling of happiness, lightness, and freedom from everyday cares. Perfume can be a welcome escape from reality, but some have more of an effect on emotions than others; my own immediate response to smelling it was a delighted smile. The opening rides the very edge of brightness, veering perilously close to the precipice of what Luca Turin calls “overexposed white florals” but since this is Puredistance, one can be assured that it will not go over that cliff. As with the others in the line, the composition is extremely well-balanced and I never doubted it for a moment. Rose de Mai, iris, and bergamot fused with abstract white floral notes and modern musks flood the senses with their piercing beauty, and just when it seems that the effect cannot be sustained, the underpinning of sandalwood, tonka, vetiver and a whisper of patchouli appear, shoring up the lilting, feminine high notes like wedding guests carrying the bride on their shoulders. The final result is a floral perfume of impressive lasting power; after all, it a concentrated extrait formulation. It touches on some of the stylistic themes of earlier Puredistance fragrances while remaining distinctive in its own right; it is as abstract as Puredistance I if not even more so; a soft rustle of leafy green recalls Antonia; and its structure is as infallible as Opardu. Puredistance does not launch a new fragrance until it has been perfected, and White is a stellar addition to the line. As with any perfume, testing is advisable before purchasing, but for those who love White, its gorgeous alabaster flaçon will just enhance the experience. Due to the generosity of Puredistance, I am very pleased to offer a beautifully presented boxed sample set of all six perfumes for one lucky reader: Puredistance I, Antonia, Opardu, M, Black, and White. Please leave a comment if you would like to enter to win. (The prize draw is open only to those with a mailing address in the continental U.S.A.; sorry, I am unable to ship internationally.) If you like, please let us know what your favorite Puredistance fragrance is in the comments, or which perfumes of this style you admire. The draw will remain open until Sunday April 19, 2015 at 6:00 Eastern Daylight time. Image credits: Abstract white flowers wallpaper via freehdw.com. Puredistance White flaçon via puredistance.com. Disclosure: I received my free sample of White from Puredistance for testing.