Rerun: Vero Profumo Kiki and Ribj

By Tom Since Donna got to try the new formulation of master perfumer Vero Kern's scents, I thought I'd repost my take on the original perfume strength formulas. As you know from last weeks post, lovely and generous Gaia, the Non-Blonde sent me a sampler of Vero Perfumes wares. I've already covered onda, this week the two others in the line. Lavender is an accord in perfumes that is second only to Rose in it's beauty when done well, and utter horrific trashiness when done ill: for every scent like Tauer's Reverie Au Jardin or Lutens Encens et Lavande there's some godawful Love's Lavendery LustBat or worse yet, Renuzit Lavender Glade. Thank goodness not only is the lavender in kiki not only first rate, but it's paired with a creamy sweetness that for all the world reminds me of Macarons, those fantastic French wonders made from egg whites and filled with buttercream. There's a fresh fruitiness to it as well, that makes me think of ripe mango, but never gets even slightly overpowering. At the base of it is that tanned-flesh sort of musk that I am hopelessly in thrall to, not only because the only tan I can ever achieve still falls under the heading "ghostly pale" (those of you who've seen me: that's 20 years in LA, mostly without sunblock). All of this reads as horrific, and if it were put out by 98% of the companies out there that are stocking your local Sephora, it easily could be. As it is kiki is an absolute delight from beginning to end. rubj is clearly after bigger game: white flower lovers take note. Orange blossoms open the scent, seemingly spiked with a bit of the peel. Soft jasmine and sweet tuberose join in and an earthy musk grounds it, but the whole thing never gets to that in-your-face stage that other tuberose scents can go to. There's something blameless to it thats both innocent and shockingly sensual at the same time. Fracas for instance walks right up and grabs you by the.... lapels. rubj (I am using lower-case since the packaging does) seems more content to let you come to it, and come you shall. These are available at the Vero Perfume website Vero herself was kind enough to write me to let me know that indeed there isn't mint in onda, even if that was the way it came out on my skin, and also to tell that her perfumes will soon be released in the US, perhaps in September. Wonderful news indeed! (Of course you know that these are available in the US at Luckyscent) Image: Luckyscent

Precious gem with a heart of fire: Vero Profumo Rubj

By Donna Swiss master perfumer Vero Kern releases fragrances at about the pace of a sea turtle on dry land, so when she does introduce something new, everyone pays attention. In the case of Rubj, which has been around since 2007, the recent interest was centered around the launch of a new formulation for the entire Vero Profumo line (all four of them!) called Voile d' Extrait, more intense than the Eau de Parfum but not as concentrated as the pure Parfum. I had smelled the Eau de Parfum of Rubj from a sample only a short time before I tried the Voile d' Extrait, and I was enchanted by them both. This was something really different, a white floral like no other, striking and almost angular. That is not a description that would fit most white floral fragrances, which although they may be powerful are most often pillowy, diffuse and sweet. This one is highly focused and intense in a different way. It might seem odd to describe a white floral as “fierce” (with the possible exception of the notorious Tubéreuse Criminelle of course) but that's exactly the vibe I get from Rubj. It's haughty, poised, dramatic, a flamenco dancer swirling her skirts and stomping her feet who does not care what you think, she is going to do what she wants. The descriptions I have read speak of sweet florals, but it may be the least sweet fragrance of this style I have ever smelled, and not because it's soapy either, since it's not that way at all. One thinks of chypres as the go-to scents of intimidation and perfume “armor” but Rubj would be a perfect choice for those occasions when a brave front is required. It emanates more warmth than seems possible for a white floral, and it's not the cuddly kind. It radiates steadily, powerfully and for a very long time. I always wondered why it was given the name of a red precious stone, but now I see that it fits, because it is like a deep glowing ember throwing off a low but persistent heat, fascinating all who are within its range. It's hard to turn away from even a banked fire. How this effect is accomplished I have no idea, but instead of the normal sweet, soapy orange blossom, it seems to be pared down to its pure essence somehow, with all the hazy romance stripped away, leaving only the sunlit brilliance, and the gorgeous Egyptian jasmine it is paired with is devoid of puffy clouds and innocence and hits mostly the lower notes, though it's not really what I would call a “dirty” jasmine, it's most certainly all grown up, and a deep hearty musk in the base bolsters that effect. The true nature of Rubj is a stealth weapon that gradually takes over until you realize that you are wearing a really big perfume, room-filling and assertive, but never, ever vulgar, quite the opposite. It is simply formidable, and it makes me want to be the kind of person who can wear it with ease and confidence. If one must be worn by one's fragrance, I can't think of a better candidate than Rubj, and I will continue to strive to be worthy of it. Image credit: Fashion illustration by American artist Maxwell Coburn Whitmore Jr. (1913-1988) via tuttartpitturasculturapoesiamusica.com Disclosure: Rubj Voile d'Extrait is in my personal perfume collection.