Heya Posse, I’m not sure if this is even available anymore. Avant-Garden Lab was having a really big sale late last year and I’d been in touch with owner/perfumer Oliver Valverde so he could send me some product. Sadly it never arrived and now the site is down. No biggie but I was excited to get a backup FB of a couple of his majorly fabulous works: Ambergreen, Gincense and Vetivirus. C’est la vie. (because I’m a dumbass, and find it subversive I say that phrase Sest La vEYE. It drives Jin and every French speaker absolutely rabid. Ha ha Ha Ha Ha). Today we are going to look at Veil, a happy weirdo.
The Veil Nebula is a cloud of heated and ionized gas and dust in the constellation Cygnus. So cool. The full name of this fragrance is Nebula 3: Veil. So the name gives a hint to the fragrance.
Veil by Oliver + Co (now Avant-Garden Lab)
Basenotes gives these featured accords:
Amber, chamomile, clearwood, ginger, geranium, hedione, iris, lemon, lavender, metallic notes, mineral notes, myroxyde, ozonic aldehydes, patchouli, rose oxide, violet
Usually, I love Veil’s crazy assed ride but today it was a little overwhelming. It really needed a little something to calm the interplanetary drama and thought maybe a soft, comfortable woodsiness might do the trick. So on my shoulders I added a couple of squirts of Atelier Cologne Cedre Atlas. PERFECT! The clean woodsiness added a calm and relaxed vibe. Everything felt better, less challenging and more high fragrance than art piece.
Back in 2019 I wrote about La Colonia from Oliver & Co
So, does a super stunt perfume still sound good to you?
Portia xx
I’m so glad you enjoy stunt perfumes! I agree with the group here that I have to be in the right headspace to commit to wearing them. It’s a fun way to be. I’m more willing to try them when I’m just puttering around the house or if I’m out running errands.
Veil and imagining the smell of a cloud nebula sounds interesting. I’m glad Cedar Atlas made it wearable.
My last stunt was Heretic’s Nosferatu. It is hilariously goth, all lilacs and damp petrichor. It’s so creepy it makes me laugh. I wish the lilac lasted longer on that, but it’s an interesting ride.
Most days that’s all too much, and I need comfort or steel for my spine, depending on the day.
May you be in a good mental space and have the energy to play, to experiment with perfume, whether an avant-garde experience or trying a new scent. Be well.
Thanks HemlockSillage,
OOOHHHH! Heretic’s Nosferatu sounds fabulous.
Wishing you the same ready headspace for anything and everything scent.
Portia xx
Um, no. Clarifying — they are fun to try, I’m always up for that. But “wearing” in any real sense of the word is way too distracting for me. Right now even the lilacs are driving me up the wall, they all smell like ammonia (clearly a problem with my sniffer, not the plants!)
OH NOOO March. I can understand that lilac might have something in its scent profile that skews ammonia. BUMMER!
Hug
Portia x
I like the idea of what a nebula would smell like, but I definitely do not like these types of fragrances. A bit of weird or Avant Garde can be fun but no to “super stunt” perfumes.
Maya, I hear you. If you’re not in the mood then “super stunt” can become totally overwhelming.
Portia xx
These metallic space age day dream scents just don’t call to me. Too reminiscent of the cold metallic twang of Ward 13 aka hospital mortuaries. Refrigerated metal & bleach tainted air with something sinister lurking in the subconscious smell memory.
I’m not a fan of too much saffron in fragrance or food for the same reason
Yes, that tracks Alityke. I’ve never been in a hospital mortuary but hospitals themselves have an otherworldly smell. They give me sinister vibes too.
Portia xx
I enjoy the phenolic smells of old hospital parquet flooring. Decades of disinfectant & wax polish soaked into the oak can be glorious but a very acquired smell.
Modern hospitals smell clinical
WOW! I’ve never smelt that. Our hospitals are all too new here.
These sound interesting but maybe too hard to get. Which could be a good thing for my budget.
Annoying Fwehnsh speakers with aggressive mispronunciation of their native tongue is too much fun to give up.
HA! Yes, it’s such a stupid, subversive idiocy but it makes me LOL. Add the broad Aussie accent and the mash becomes unbearable to any finely tuned ear.
Portia xx
The interplanetary theme is right in line with the recent flight of Artemis II, so it sounds fun. Glad you were able to layer it with another scent and make it delectable.
Oh yes DinaC, I wonder if I’ve been subconsciously moved by that to write about space age weirdness? You may be onto something.
Yeah, adding a blanket to the Veil helped enormously in this instance.
Portia xx
Uh, no, not right now, thank you. I don’t have the headspace for super weird. I do wonder about the combo of iris and chamomile though. I wonder what that alone would be like.
Cinnamon, I hear you.
Sometimes though, in the midst of a whirlwind, it can be the weird assed crazy perfume that lets me take a breath and just float with something completely outside my wheelhouse. There’s a comforting kind of zen about taking the time to ride the mad scents.
Portia xx
Hi Portia, I remember the brand. They were interesting but short-lived. I had a sample set and liked the same perfumes as you: Ambergreen and Ginsence. By the time I decided to buy a full bottle, the brand was gone.
I’ve tried one of the Nebulas but I’m not a fan of metallic notes especially when they are blended with ozonic, blood notes and similar. I find it too distant and cool. This is nowadays a big trend but it’s not for me.
Hey there Neva,
Yes, the name was changed and I think he lost momentum. It’s a shame. Most of his perfumes were incredible, wearable art pieces.
I get the too far distant style of the Nebula series being over the limit. It’s not for everyday but when I crave it, perfect fit.
Portia xx