by the Sizzling Musette
Yeah, we’re back to that whole ‘I love Summer’ thing – I am possibly insane (or maybe I was a snake in an earlier life) but I love the idea of a 90F afternoon, spent under an umbrella, drinking ice water and waving a fan. A little trickling fountain nearby. But let’s not conjure up any visions of some Ice Princess – there’s a fine sheen of sweat on every inch of my corpus and moving Is Not An Option. I am not wearing any cooling cologne, either. Nope, these are the days for heavy scents, stuff that can take a punch from a solar blast furnace. Big-ass flowers. Hot, tanned leather. Smoky vetivers (helps keep the bugs away). As I write this, at 8pm, it is 92F. That’s right. Ninety. Two. Degrees. I’m wearing Neil Morris’s Leather Garden, a gift from my darling Perfume Fairy. This stuff is gorgeous! I’m going to get the notes (from his website) out of the way right now because I want to tell you how this unfolded during this absurdly hot day.
Top: blackberry, basil blossom
Middle: narcissus, hyacinth, peony, rose, lily of the valley
Base: vetiver, redwood, agarwood, leather
I spritzed this early (around 9a) after a cooling shower – it was 74F. The blackberry wasn’t very noticeable but I did get a hint of the basil. There is a coolness running through the initial spritz that reminds me of that eucalyptus trail in Carnal Flower – not that they smell anything alike – more the idea of that cool, medicinal thread weaving through. But those resiny woods (maybe that’s what I’m smelling?) are never far from the surface – not ‘woods’ as in forest, rather ‘woods’ as in several kinds of cut wood, with that piney-sap thing going (see? it was just a matter of time before I got it! y’all are so good to me :-). Overlaid is this lush rose, like stepping on rugosa rose petals while you’re some really sexy guy is chopping wood in the forest (why should you get all sweaty?). Or maybe you’re rolling around in a bed newly built of rough-hewn logs, strewn with rose petals. Take your pick. Or create your own wood/rose fantasy. But the rose is only one of the flower notes – it’s not all ROSE, knowmean? I think even the rose-averse could enjoy this scent.
The leather, oddly enough, is a background player rather than Bam! In Yo’ FACE! But it bridges the gap between the wood and the rose, pulling this slightly animalic suedealiciousness, with a hint of oil to keep the wood from dying out. The rest of the notes are best left to more astute noses than mine. All I know is, Neil has me on this one. I could wear this for a long time and not get bored. And I did – It’s got excellent lasting power – I wore it through the entire day today and only reapplied after my (third) shower. And it’s still gorgeous!
Neil Morris is a great proponent of men wearing some jammy floral scents (he turned me on to the notion of a guy in Fracas – and I’ve never looked back. My ultimate fantasy is me rubbing Carnal Flower Body Butter…oh, never mind…). Anyway, I could totally see some buff Big Poppa, dressed in a suit with a crisp white shirt, rockin’ the daylights out of this. I’m gettin’ all schwetty just thinking about it!
btw – I know I can’t be the only heat-freak out there. Are any of you rocking Big Scents in this triple digits weather?
30ml/$70 at neilmorrisfragrances.com
photo:Mano Bello leather flower collection from papernstitch.com
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