Ulysses by Siuno Perfumes

Hey Posse! We have a brand new perfume house from Australia. Very small. My beautiful buddy Roxana Villa introduced me to the owner Amanda Thompson (virtually). I asked her to send me a sample. Under the strict idea that if I loved her fragrance I would write about it,. Anything less and I would not. No burgeoning company needs a beat down. With perfume being so intensely subjective I didn’t even want to do an “It’s beautiful but not my thing” post either. She did and I’m writing. Phew!

If you have only ever smelled department store or mall fragrance then Ulysses will be an olfactory revelation. It is far removed from that very general public, easy to market, cash grab stuff. This may surprise or even even repel you at first because compared to most of what you’re used to this is a living, breathing, fragrant reflection of Mother Earth.

From the brand:

Ulysses is the name of an Australian blue butterfly. (Also) the Roman name for Odysseus, the protagonist of the ancient Greek myth, ‘The Odyssey’, which represents a story of one’s journey back home and how each lesson learned along the way brings one closer to our essential nature. As the first SIUNO fragrance, it represents the birthing of a new world manifested from conscious creation.  Ulysses is a reminder of the divine presence and magic in all of life, and a call to embrace and tune into it. 

Being a purist at heart and knowing the way that scent interacts with our minds, bodies and spirits, I become curious to learn more about the world of botanicals. This is where I encountered, perfumer Roxana Villa. Within our first conversation, the synchronicities between us were very apparent. Exactly a year after that conversation in the middle of a pandemic, I decided to follow my intuition and travel to Santa Fe, New Mexcio (AKA The Land of Enchantment). It was here in Roxana’s perfumery our first signature scent Ulysses was realised.

We only use essential oils, co2 extracts, absolutes and resins to create our perfume synergies. We adhere to the International Perfume Foundations standards for natural perfumery.

Ulysses by Siuno Perfumes

Siuno Perfumes give these featured accords:
Top: Calabrian bergamot, Japanese Yuzu
Heart: Australian Blue Cypress, Clary Sage
Base: Labdanum, Madagascan Vetiver, Australian Sandalwood

Ulysses glows! The opening is green shot through with resinous woodiness. It’s a gorgeous humus rich forest floor in warm dappled sunlight as you wander by or through with friends. It takes a while for the sweetness of the citruses to make themselves known over the general extravaganza of the rest of the notes.

As the first fireworks subside I’m left with a citrus sweet-ish amber, cut through with shafts of earthy/twiggy vetiver and it also smells a lot like patchouli hiding in the shadows. The heart even has eucalyptus references and I’m wondering if it’s the dry minty abrasiveness of the Aussie sandalwood as it settles in. Another thing that isn’t named but I’m sure there’s a dose of is galbanum. That fabulous clear green resin that makes everything even more gorgeous.

A crew of us Sydney perfume peeps were sniffing this together and Jocelyn said she could smell the clary sage clear as day. We all kind of shrugged so she went and grabbed some of it and suddenly the light went on. How amazing to be able to note the note. Ulysses was a unanimous hit.

As we head towards dry down ulysses becomes a soft wash of green woods and creamy woods, yeah I don’t know how both of them run so seamlessly in parallel but they do.

Totally unisex, projection and longevity are moderate. A perfect fragrance for someone bored with the regular and ready to wear something new and earthy. Roxana Villa has done a beautiful job creating this fragrant jewel.

How does Ulysses sound to you?
Portia xx