by Tom

Real life impacts sniffing this week since it’s the end of working on a city election and trips to Highland Park to spend time with BFF, who’s cleaning out her house to rent it.  She’s moved back to NYC and is graduating from renting the place to friends to actual tenants.  My friend of 30 (!) years is once again going to be on a different coast.  I’m not boo-hooing, since she’s looking so fabulous that NYC is clearly agreeing with her, and it’s not like she’s selling the place.  That happens, then I boo-hoo.

I did want to try Jeux de Peau, since I know Aedes has it.  Barney’s does not, and the SA insisted that it isn’t out yet.  This elicited a withering look from me and a note that it was out in NY.  On my way to the Pasadena Freeway I stopped at ScentBar, hoping.  I was told they have it in the office on La Brea and on the site.  The girl who works Sundays is so lovely, young and really sweet and kind that pointing out that information was akin to telling a hungry puma that, gosh, the meat counter was locked and the manager took the key home to Pomona would have been at best unseemly..

So I tried a Puredistance on the dash.  It was in the opaque cigar shaped thing so I’m sure it was “M”.

I don’t want to like these.  $198 for 17.5 ML is a phrase that should be reserved for something that will either paralyze my facial features or my brain cells when snorted.  (Not that I would do the latter.  It’s not the 80′s)  I spritzed both wrists and touched them to my neck, thinking that it was really nice but given time I could replicate it with Ambre Sultan, Cuir Mauresque and perhaps a shot of Kolnisch Juchten.

Immediately upon arrival at Casa BFF she said “You smell FABULOUS!  What is it?” and at least four times more she commented on my delicious scent as we moved boxes into the garage for storage.  Ducking out to the final candidate coffee before Tuesdays election I also had the lady at the Beverly Hills Market comment and a couple people at the coffee mention how great I smelled.

Smelling myself I have to agree.  Luckyscent mentions Bergamot, lemon, rose, jasmin, cinnamon, patchouli, moss, cistus, vetiver, vanilla, leather, musk.  I smell amber enough to think more masculine version of Ambre Sultan, deep, rich and absolutely lovely.  Smelling the two side-by-side I can honestly write that I see where the extra money goes.  There’s Lexus, then there’s an Aston Martin.  ”M” is Aston Martin.

Is it worth the price?  That’s your call.  Is an Aston Martin?  If I could afford one I’d be expressing my inner ‘Tippi’ Hedren in a grey Vantage Roadster.  My budget is more along the lines of a monthly bus pass, so I’ll beg off on this one.  But like that Vantage Roadster, I’m glad that “M” is out there.

$198 for 17.5 ML at Luckyscent, from which I stole a hefty spritz, and will again.

photo:  Aston-Martin Vantage – some rights reserved

Puredistance I is a perfume built around exclusivity.  Now, before y’all start sighing and rolling your eyes, it does have those elements if you get the really spiffy Swarovski crystal bottle for a couple thousand euro, but if you just want the perfume, you can get the refill at an expensive price, 165 euros for 17.5 ml, but it’s 32% perfume oil, so that makes it comparable to about any parfum/extrait price.

I waded through all the hype and marketing, which is beautifull presented, btw, so you don’t have to, and what we get is:  Puredistance I was created by Annie Buzantian of Firmenich.  She had created the perfume for herself initially and called it her personal masterpiece. When she heard about the Puredistance concept, she felt her perfume was a perfect fit for them.  From their website, it ”is intriguingly complex. The perfume´s rich and sophisticated tones are a discreet statement of elegance. The perfume opens as top note with a fresh, ozone-tangerine blossom blend with a hint of cassis, complemented with neroli bigarade and crisp watery nuances. The heart of the fragrance warms to a sophisticated, modern blend of magnolia, rose wardia and jasmine; parmenthia & natural mimosa, before finally settling softly into the rich classical notes of sweet amber, vetiver and white musk.”

After reading through all the marketing materials, you really, really want to hate this perfume or at least make fun of it …  but I just can’t.  It’s stunning and beautiful – lush and rich without falling into the uber-rich notes that scream “expensive!” like the Amouages and Hermes 24, Faubourg.  There’s some greenness on the open that seems to weave through the scent all the way through. It morphs into a gorgeous white floral, but like something fresh from the garden, not heavy or indolic at all.  It almost has a little bit of a Shalini feel to it,  though not with the emphasis on the orange blossom – the emphasis here is on the magnolia and mimosa.  It has a great sillage that’s enchanting as you walk through the room.  Put together perfectly, and it holds up through the drydown, changing slightly in its angle on the notes, but never getting muddy or less crystal clear than it is at the beginning.  The base notes become more prominent in the long drydown, but the floral heart stays with it to the glorious end.  I needz this. If they had not made the refill available, I’d be all curses now, but happily this still falls in the high end of perfume pricing, but not out of line. 

 Available from their website for 165 euro for the 17.5 ml refill. 

Patty