Galbanum Blues

Posse – like so many parts of the world right now, we’re experiencing WILDNESS!  80F days, so hot it starts to wilt the tulips and daffodils, then a vicious storm blasts through, dropping the temps by 40degrees (I do not exaggerate: on Wednesday it was 84F , then we had tornadoes and storms only to have it drop to 42 the next morning!!!).  These weather fluctuations are wreaking havoc on everyone’s bones – and nerves.  And it’s even more disconcerting because the sun is shining its butt off, with that sharp, laser-like light, so you can’t quite countenance hiding on the sofa, under a fleece throw… you should be ENJOYING SPRING!!

What does all of this have to do with galbanum?  Well…

Galbanum, a sticky gum resin derived from plants in the genus Ferula (similar to the rooty carrot note in perfumery), is one of those intense, bitter notes that I rarely wear – but lately I’ve been reaching for perfumes with that note (which I sniff and quickly replace in the Galbanum Box because I do not want to spritz it on and end up in the back of a SWAT van, handcuffed and sobbing like a demented wolverine).  Chanel no 19, which always makes me want to put on a couple extra layers of fleece.  Cristalle which, for as long as it’s been on the market, has always had the capacity to make me cry (not Ugly Cry… but early in my Perfume Life, before I knew anything about notes, etc, it made me wonder if I was losing my mind – who knew perfume could make you melancholy!).  Vent Vert, which I have always loved but always makes me think of walking across a high meadow, mourning the loss of a lover (and it ain’t like that hasn’t happened a time or two).  Green Mansions.  I don’t even try to figure out ‘why’ anymore – it’s the galbanum, with its unctuous bite, much like a cottonmouth slithering through a swamp.

Yet.  And yet.  For all that melancholic, terrifying.  imagery there’s…something…. comforting (?) about the smell. Galbanum is a very adult note; it’s the Wire Mother for when you need a battleaxe in your corner.  I can’t imagine wearing any of my favorites in my younger years (I did try to wear Vent Vert in my mid-teens.  It did not work out well for me – instead of Cathy on the Moor I felt more like I was walking through the halls with my mother draped around my neck like an anaconda)

All that aside, this is the perfect time of year to revisit my galbanum-heavy scents, even if only on paper.  Soon, it’ll be in the 70s-80s every day and …. omg!  I cannot even imagine wearing those in the heat!  In fact, I cannot imagine actually wearing any of them at all – but I do like to smell them.  And then go put on an extra layer of fleece and curl up on (or maybe under) the sofa.

How about you?  Are you a galbanum lover?  Do you have a particular time of year when you wear them (or smell them?).  For those of you who are new to the Galbanum Game there’s a fabulous article by the fabulous Elena Vosnaki on Fragrantica, giving the history of the note.  I don’t think it makes her cry, though. But she’s probably made of sterner stuff than I am.