By March

I pulled a muscle in my neck about a week ago, doing something strenuous (pouring coffee? Emptying the dishwasher?) and since then I’ve mostly been smelling of Icy-Hot, so much so that Diva and Enigma have complained about the after-reek if I pop on one of their sweaters.  (Too bad, girls.  It could be worse.)

I was rooting around in the candy on my desk and ran across the samples Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH did for the Peace, Love and Patchouli Project, you can read more about it on her blog.

Quoting Dawn as she contemplated the direction she wanted to go: “It seemed that the big question was: are we, with this project, hiding the patchouli or making true patchouli perfumes, in the same way that one would think about a soliflore (which is to create a unique setting upon which the ‘gem’ note is placed to SHINE)?  Or are we attempting to create perfumes with patchouli that ‘hide’ it in a way to try and get non-patchouli lovers to say: “Oh, there’s patchouli in that?”  Patchouli is such a versatile perfumery material and depending on the origin, whether it’s light , dark or aged (my favorite! I age all of my patchouli) the patchouli feels and acts differently in a composition.   I knew that I had to first answer this essential question and the answer was: let’s go for a PATCHOULI  perfume, first and foremost.  Another thing I also knew from the beginning was that this was a Summer patchouli project. So, I decided that I would attempt a bit of a trick, which is to make a LIGHT, soliflore patchouli perfume. (Patchouli is not exactly known for its “lightness”, you know.”

Now, I know you patch hags are out there, but patchouli as a dominant note is not my favorite.  As Dawn notes, it can be pretty aggressive, and I can’t escape my instant impressions of patch as a dirty-hippie love-oil smell any more than some of you can escape associations of straight frankincense as a lingering memory of church.  On the other hand, I took the girls to see Hair at the Kennedy Center last year and we loved it.  So since I was already in the mothball/menthol/eucalyptus territory with my neck issues, I decided to give them a whirl.

No.1: BodhiSativa.  This was her final entry into the Patchouli Project (click here to see the long list of other entries by other perfumers), and it’s my favorite, notes from the DSH site: Top notes: Bergamot, Cassis Bud, Galbanum. Middle notes: Cannabis Accord (Botanical), Centifolia Rose Absolute, Champaca Absolute. Base notes: Australian Sandalwood, Benzoin, Buddahwood, East Indian Patchouli, Frankincense co2 absolute, Texas Cedarwood, Tolu Balsam, Vanilla Absolute.

This one smells the most like “classical” perfumery to me, with a heavy overlay of patch.  It’s definitely a patch-oriented fragrance without being at all hippie-ish.  The woods and incense really shine through, and that rosey-vanilla makes it warm and rich rather than floral.  While I wouldn’t exactly call it light, and I definitely wouldn’t have busted it out in our August heatwave, it’s a fragrance I’d turn to in the winter months when I’m craving an “old lady” scent (high praise from me) with both heat and an edge to it.

Aquarius (Natural; Patchouli Project no.2)  “A warm, animalic fantasy patchouli perfume inspired by the original cast of HAIR and the (unwashed?) hippies of the Summer of Love.  My second design developed for the “Summer of Patchouli Love 2011″ Peace, Love and Patchouli ! project. “  Top notes: Cassie Absolute, Clary Sage, Galbanum.  Middle notes: Ambrette Seed,Australian Sandalwood, Centifolia Rose Absolute, Costus, East Indian Patchouli, French Beeswax.Base notes: Ambergris, Cumin Seed, Indonesian Vetiver,Labdanum No. 3, Texas Cedarwood, Tonquin Musk.

I thought this would be my favorite based on the notes, and I was wrong.  I magnify the hell out of the ambrette and musk, leaving me with something that smells like sweet pickles and patch.  It’s not terrible; it just reminds me of Chanel No. 18, and not in a good way.  YMMV.

Bodhisattva (Natural; Patchouli Project no.3).  “A creamy, delicate floral patchouli perfume inspired by the glorious spiritual images in Tibetan Thangka paintings. Walk in the clouds on rolling pillows of incense, exotic Indian flowers and rich, aged patchouli.” Top notes: Bergamot, Davana, Moroccan Neroli, Orange Flower Absolute – Spain.  Middle notes: Centifolia Rose Absolute, Champaca Absolute, Orris Root, Spice Notes.  Base notes: Atlas Cedarwood, Australian Sandalwood, Benzoin, Ciste Absolute, East Indian Patchouli, Frankincense co2 absolute, Vanilla Absolute.

Very, very pretty, and when it’s doing its champaca thing I’m in loooooove.  But then it becomes a more powdery floral, and powdery florals just aren’t at the top of my priorities list.  The least patch-intensive of the three on my skin.

It was fun reading Dawn’s notes about how she went at this project; I’m not a perfumer, and following her thought processes and her goals in terms of rendering such a powerhouse aroma in different ways reminds me of how complex the art of perfumery really is.  While I’m still not a patch-hag, I’m impressed with the variety in her results.  You patchouli freaks out there, feel free to list your favorite patchouli frags in comments for the rest of the readers who want to explore this note.

samples: courtesy of DSH Perfumes

March

I had a chance to sample a few new fragrances from DSH Perfumes…

Cuir et Champignon – a bunch of you have tried this one.  Dawn says: Cuir et Champignon embodies all the soft and inviting qualities of white button mushrooms, then leads you to a more hidden place where the darker mushrooms grow and on to rich rawhide and dusty leather. It’s, unsurprisingly, an earthy, mushroom-y leather with a hint of tobacco.  It’s got that smutty barnyard aspect (hello, civet and castoreum!) that many of you absolutely love in leather – the earthy direction rather than the smoky/sharp birchtar.  Soft, simple, maybe not the safest choice for work, unless you actually work in a barnyard.  I think it’s incredibly sexy, and not in a white button-mushroom way.  Consider yourself skanked.  Notes are: Bergamot, Clary Sage, Galbanum, Neroli, Wild Chamomile, Cepes (mushroom absolute), Clove Bud, Gardenia, Honey, Orris, Sandalwood, Tuberose Absolute, Castoreum, Civet, Guiacwood, Hiba Cedarwood, Indonesian Vetiver, Leather, Peru Balsam, Tobacco Absolute.

Mata Hari – this is her Outlaw Perfume, made with restricted IFRA ingredients; I very much wanted to try this.  The warning attached to it is hilarious– patch test! Use with caution!  Potential irritant!  Danger danger Will Robinson! Guess what?  My arm didn’t drop off.  It’s a nod to zaftig scents from classical perfumery of the early 20th century, a fruity chypre with leather and peach accents, all botanical.  It takes a few minutes to set up on my skin, after which it’s a powerhouse – the sort of thing that deserves either a night out on the town or some marabou slippers in the boudoir.

Winter White – One of our “skin scents” that adds a natural, “not-too-perfumey” fragrance to the skin. Notes are: Raspberry, Sandalwood, White Rose Accord, Heliotrope, Musk, White Chocolate.  A classic DSH comfort scent that wears more lightly than you’d guess from that list of notes – so, so pretty, it really is a skin scent, a bit like Barbara Bui, very soft and lightly powdery.

Also: her holiday sale’s been extended to the 18^th – the code HOLIDAY10 at checkout should get you 20% off.

Dawn sent me one of her new Winter White perfume solids to give away (she did solids of some of her most popular scents like Cimabue and Cafe Noir). I’ll include it, Mata Hari, and some other DSH samples in the draw, leave a comment saying if you want it and I’ll pick somebody (US only this time please, I have a prepaid box for it.) UPDATE: drawing is closed, winner is Jennifer, I emailed you.

image and samples: DSH Perfumes

March

Unfinished business — first, for anyone who’s wondered what I look like — here’s a photo of me, as you can see I’m not really a 65-year-old man.  This is my new short hair cut, it was quite long, several of you asked what it looked like.  There’s a slightly different version of this photo in yesterday’s makeup post if you want to see my snazzy lipstick.  That white stuff on my coat and hair is snow — Diva took this of me on Saturday in the middle of the blizzard.  I think I look like I’m ready to tear somebody at Guerlain a new one, don’t I?  Musette says I look a little feral, and I know she means that in a nice way.

Second — as we all suspected, I am an idiot about Beyonce’s Heat fragrance.  It is, indeed, a fruity, insipid musk; I must have had something (God knows what) on my hands that gave it that skank, and don’t you dare start typing nasty things into comments.  The musk in the drydown is that same sour-fresh musk that I hate in large quantities in, say, some of the JLo fragrances.

I got a couple samples of new Dawn Spencer Hurwitz stuff in the mail (thanks, secret friend!) and so I got to try Kohl Gris, which seems to be making its way through the perfumista circuit the same way a couple other DSH scents like Mahjoun and Cimabue did.

As quoted from the DSH website, “Kohl Gris is the scent of the smoky eye; sexy, seductive and smoldering. Built on a classical base of ambergris, Kohl Gris wafts in sensuality and spicy smoke.”  Notes, also from the website: Bergamot, Black Pepper, Black Pine, Clove Leaf, Centifolia Rose Absolute, Egyptian Jasmine Absolute, Esprit de Lavande, Ambergris, Australian Sandalwood, Brown Oakmoss, Clove Tobacco, Labdanum, Olibanum (Frankincense), Orris.

Given my makeup post yesterday, a “smoky-eye” fragrance seemed like the perfect review choice for today.

As you might expect from that list of notes, it opens spicy and peppery – and with quite a bit of lavender.  At that point it seems to me to be a darkish, stormy purple-gray.  Then it becomes quite sweet, sweeter than I’d expected, the florals accenting the way that incense scents can sometimes be quite sweetly resinous; I assume this is the ambergris (which so far as I know is synthetic, in case the mere idea freaks you out) along with the labdanum.  I’d had hopes for the sandalwood, given my current sandalwood search, but I’d describe this as more resiny/incense/spice than woods.

How do I feel about Kohl Gris?  I don’t know.  I can’t decide whether it’s beautiful and I like it, or whether it’s too ambery/rosy/lavender and I don’t.  However, given that I’ve sprayed it on seven or eight different days to try to make that determination, it is clearly interesting, which is more than I can say about any number of other scents I smell in a week.

Next up: E’pices d’Hiver, the first in “an all botanical collection of fine perfumes.”  (Does that mean all natural?  I have no idea.)  Notes are: Bergamot, Bitter Orange, Citrus Oils, Coriander Seed, Davana, Pink Peppercorn, Star Anise, Cinnamon Bark, Clove Bud, Grandiflorum Jasmine, Moroccan Rose Absolute, Nutmeg, Spice Notes, Ambrette Seed, Labdanum, Siam Benzoin, Tolu Balsam, Tonka Bean, True Arabian Myrrh, Vanilla Absolute.

This would be a classic DSH spicefest, which you probably either love or loathe.  Interestingly, this one has to sit on my skin for about five minutes, during which it’s very light, before it starts to bloom.  Like, say, Mahjoun or Sienna, there isn’t a ton of development – lots and lots of spices, not especially sweet, I particularly love the first half hour when the bitter orange is quite prominent.  There’s nothing pomander-ish about it; it’s fresh, not dusty.   More complex than Sienna (which is an ode to cinnamon) and less ornate than Cimabue, it’s a nice interplay between juicy citrus and pungent kitchen spices.

I actually used a Posse post awhile back to gather feedback on DSH’s huge (and somewhat confusing) inventory and website.   Among other things that happened after that feedback, they now offer smaller sizes in almost all their scents.  Also, heeding the pleas of potential customers who were just looking for someplace to start, she came up with sampler sets (Holiday Favorites, Hidden Gems, etc.) , which I think is a great way to meet a line.   I grabbed the Top Ten list here, for anyone familiar (or not) with the line, who might be curious: Cimabue, Jitterbug, Mahjoun, Nourouz, Cardamom & Khyphi, DSH Special Formula X, Au Lait, Rose Vert, Wild Fig, Ashram and dirtyROSE. ** All in EdP format.  (This is available as a sampler set.)

That certainly includes some of my favorites.  I’ll put in a plug here for Special Formula X (I have the X-treme version in oil.)  My understanding is that it was first developed for Dawn to get a sense of how various notes might work out on a customer’s skin, depending on how they perceived X.  I like musky scents and SFX is one of my favorites.  Neither laundry-soap-musk nor dirty, it’s a warm, faintly sweet skin scent that is a perfect wallpaper scent while managing to be sexy at the same time.  Fans of DSH will likely recognize it, it seems to me it’s a familiar base in her line.

And finally, there’s Cimabue, which is how I (and many other perfumistas) met the line, a riff on L’Artisan’s Safran Troublant, only a lot spicier and more ornate, highlighting the saffron without killing me with rose, which is the problem with ST.  Cimabue is hands down my favorite saffron – and I have done some looking, believe me.  Dawn told me once that saffron and rose, a common combo, are often paired because saffron on its own can be very bitter, and needs some sort of sweeter/floral counterpoint.  While Cimabue has rose in it, I can’t pick it out.  Instead, florals like jasmine and tuberose, as well as cardamom, nutmeg, clove, and lots of vanilla, craft this saffron scent into something labeled a gourmand/oriental.  I don’t want to eat it myself, but I’m happy to smell it all day long.

On me, the oils hold up a bit longer than the EdP concentrations, although you have to give them time to set up on the skin, although I don’t have any complaints about the EdP longevity.  I think the general consensus is that Dawn also does really nice roses for those of you who love that note in fragrance.  I’ll stick with the spices and comfort scents, myself.

Sources: all DSH samples except Special Formula X-treme are private samples.  I got X-treme directly from DSH.

March

I think some of you know what a fan I am of Dawn Spencer Hurwitz’ creations.  I don’t love all of them (some of them don’t work on me) but in general I find them at least interesting, and it’s always fun exploring in her extensive line.

But I hadn’t tried her color series because … oh, I dunno.  The whole idea was too abstract for me?   No good reason, I guess — probably I was too busy messing around in her comfort/spice scents that I adore.  This is series 2, I still haven’t tried series 1.  Notes and descriptions below are from the DSH website and my sample tags.  (oh, and btw, remember our DSH brainstorming session earlier this year?  She listened, and she now has sampler pack suggestions and smaller sizes.)

“Each aroma-color collection is a continuation of the color-into-scent exploration that I began in 2007.  With these new aroma-colors, I have been able to deeply delve into a new realm of expression, the translation from one sensory experience into another and to create new art pieces with an abstract approach to the use of materials.”

Cyan – “Created for Sniffapalooza NYC Spring Fling 2009, Cyan is our newest ‘aroma-color’ interpretation. Inspired by this ultra-modern blue color with a slightly greenish tint, our Cyan scent is as light as air; an eau fraiche scent that wisps in like the freshness of Spring … an ultra-modern blue with a greenish tint; one of the primary colors that make up the CMYK printing wheel.

Top notes: Bergamot, Blue Chamomile, Crushed Mint, Yuzu, Middle notes: Cucumber, French Linden Blossom (accord), French Linden Blossom absolute, Jonquil, Orris, Orris Concrete, Base notes: Ambergris, Australian Sandalwood, Seaweed, Silver Fir, Wild Chamomile, Wood Violet.”

Verdict:  Wow that’s pretty.  Exceeded my expectations wildly, the words “airy” and “fresh” always scare me (so does “seaweed,” urgh), but I should have known Dawn wasn’t going to throw in any of Patty’s patented TFA.*  The opening on me is VIOLET VIOLET and I love that, not too candied, with the citrus and the cucumber trotting right behind.  Cucumber’s kind of a mixed bag for me, but it works beautifully here.  I like how the linden, jonquil and cucumber give it a wet, green, buttery aspect but in a good way, I’m loving the linden in this… I went through a linden soliflore phase but linden all on its own can get on my nerves.  I’m seeing sandalwood, fir, etc. listed up there, but this stays more in those top and middle notes on me.  Girlier than what I’d normally choose, but not fey or precious about it.

Viridian – “Organic. Sultry. Enchanted.   A true GREEN aroma that is deeply saturated and unmistakable. Based on a semi-transparent, green-blue-green artist’ hue (paint), Viridian embodies the concept of a rich foresty green color in aromatic form.  A unisex fougere scent.

Top notes: Angelica, Artemisia, Bergamot, Celery Seed, Middle notes: Aloe (accord), Chrysanthemum absolute, Galbanum, Orris Root, Base notes: Australian Sandalwood, Brazilian Vetiver, Green Oakmoss, Lovage, Myrrh Gum, Patchouli, Violet Leaf Absolute

Verdict: Another pleasant surprise.  I am not wild for fougeres and I was doubting the “unisex” part of this – to me, fougeres say MAN and that’s it.  I love all the herbal green goodness of this, TON of galbanum on me, but it’s a nice balance for the herbs … it’s sweeter than I’d have expected, but I can’t decide what that is, and there is a definite medicinal edge to it – maybe the lovage?  It reminds me of clary sage.  Tingly, like mint and patchouli together.  You know what?  This is the way I wish Aveda stores smelled, instead of the heinous way they actually smell, how can anything that makes me back away from the door like that actually be good for you?)

Quinacridone Violet – “Neon. Shocking. Fantastic.  This aroma-color, based on an intense, man-made fuschia – pink – purple artist hue (paint), is strangely wonderful and vibrantly modern in every way. Many artists find this color addictive…we feel the same about the scent.  A fruit-infused floral scent.

Top notes: Cherry Blossom, Lime Peel, Plum, Quince, Middle notes: Aglaia Flower, Italian Neroli, Osmanthus, Sweet Pea, Violet, Violet Leaf Absolute, Base notes: Atlas Cedarwood, Cassis Bud, Incense Notes, Musk.”

Verdict: Wah.  The only disappointment of the three.  I love VIOLET VIOLET and I was expecting this to BE violet.  But it isn’t, at least on me.  I have the same problem with this that I do with Hermessence Osmanthe Yunnan – the osmanthus just gets bigger and bigger until it fills up the room and obliterates everything else.  It’s not terrible, more a middling-sweet muddle, and I’m not digging the plum in this either and I like plum.  Oh, well.

Here’s a link to Chandler Burr’s review of Viridian with some musings on DSH.

*Tampax Fresh Accord.

Cyan – wikimedia.org, Viridian – webexhibits.org, QV – dickblick.com

March

Thanks to all of you for participating last week in the Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Q&A post, she was thrilled with the feedback.  In the meantime we´re in our annual House of Ill (I´ve had sick kids home since last Tuesday) so here´s a quickie on my new DSH favorite comfort scents, which are certainly getting the workout right now. (“Skin” scents mean they wear extremely close to the skin on me with minimum sillage.)  Notes courtesy of DSH website. 

Lumiere (Holiday 2007) – Bergamot, Cardamom Absolute, Cinnamon Leaf, Coriander Seed, Nutmeg, Almond Milk (accord), Hazelnut, Rhum, Sweet Cream, Amber, Australian Sandalwood, Coffee Absolute, Oppopanax, Peru Balsam.  A soft, seamlessly blended fragrance that on my skin is milky spiced coffee without being sweet or gourmand – the balsam and sandalwood keep it comfort rather than foody.  A skin scent on me.

Special Formula X-treme (oil essence, there´s also a regular SFX) – another skin scent, this is DSH´s blend she uses to gauge your skin chemistry.  Enough customers liked the test fragrance itself that she sells it on its own.  Perfect on its own when you want a light, musky skin scent for layering to unsweeten something or give it a little more body.

Sensual Spice – Again, an extremely simple scent – notes are honey, nutmeg, vanilla, and that´s just what it smells like, although I´d have guessed a little clean musk at the base. 

Toast – “an ambery oriental that is warm, delicious and fun.”  Cinnamon bark, amber, moss, vanilla.   It must be the moss because the fun here involves the interesting base that keeps the fragrance from being cloying.  I´d have named this one Sensual Spice by the way – there´s something sexy about it.

Lush Honey – Bitter Almond, Muguet, Violet, Hazelnut, Honey, Honey Beeswax,, Ambergris, French Vanilla, Heliotrope, Musk, Tonka Bean.  This should probably come with a warning label.  It is intensely sweet the way honey is sweet, and fairly heady, and on the wrong day it´s a little Play-Doh on me (hey there, heliotrope!)  On the right day it´s like burying my face in some sort of dessert featuring nuts, phyllo and honey, without the caloric damage.  Delicious.  If all that sounds horrifying let me recommend instead…

Sweet Honey – Honey, French beeswax, musk.  A lighter, less cloying, charming honeyed musk that is a great skin scent.

Previous DSH favorites of mine in regular rotation:  Sienna, Mahjoun, Fete Nouvelle (an interesting almond/hay skin scent that is what I wanted L´Artisan Jour de Fete to be as opposed to the Play-Doh horror it actually is).  Of all I´ve listed, Mahjoun is probably the heaviest.   Blond Suede is a great sweet leather.  Finally, no post on DSH should fail to mention Cimabue, possibly her best known fragrance that is big and bold, and I know several of you mentioned DSH Piment et Chocolat and Tamarind/Paprika as favorites.

Finally, having read about Serge Lutens’ new scent on Grain de Musc, I think I want to try it!  Here’s hoping The Perfumed Court has a bottle on the way…

image: Avalon Spa, Portland OR, howstuffworks.com

March