A Scent of Christmas/ A Perfume Carol

  

  Inspired by A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and Scrooge's travels throughout the spirit world i let myself guided by the ghosts of past, present and future or better said by the scented choices i made, make and I'll make and their consequences in my perfume journey.

Unlike Scrooge, a man whom is tortured by his past, i am thankful for my fragrant past because it represents the first brick of my knowledge and of whom i am today.
There were two fragrances that chose the 11 years old me as an apprentice and shaped the perfumista I later become - Dune by Dior, a warm and sweet woody fragrance with a mature, seductive and mysterious aura, and Sicily by Dolce & Gabbana, an uncommon banana on top of an aldehydic floral. Two artful fragrances that woke up in the child of me unknown feelings and emotions that contributed to my progression in the perfume world.

The present, although blurry and lost in a cacophony of categories that seems to no longer define each other or at least to clearly separate one from the other, is marked by three fierceful fragances - Fundamental by Rubini, The Lover's Tale by Francesca Bianchi and Pergola by Exaltatum London. 

Fundamental, or a juxtaposition of opposite elements which combined create an original scent that lifts up in the air like a cloak of cleanness, powderness and unwashed bodies combined with the mustiness of the Soave grape recollection, managed to find an equilibrium between its components creating a beautiful contrast among the sweetness of a honeyed fruity aperture, the saltiness of the base, the iris and the buttery sandalwood, in between the present and the past.

The Lover's Tale is a dense fragrance with pointed teeth, is strong and daring, and it doesn't melt into the wearer skin becoming one like it happens in Under my Skin' case. It's a leather only for the bold ones, whose elements combine to perfection to create this powerful potion that sets a high standard for the others of its kind. 

Picture from Exaltatum. 

Pergola is a reminder of how beautiful Spring is when it wakes up from its hibernation. A classic, and timeless, fragrance that realistically recreates the scenery of green, sunshine and fresh air. With a sharp opening that last a blink of an eye, the hyacinth and the sweet narcissus start to shine over a fresh greenery with a dry galbanum and oakmoss background.
Eglija tried to reconstruct an uncommon fougère without using the notes that represent this genre by replacing them with green smelling flowers and fresh and marine-like green accords and she absolutely succeeded.

The future, hopefully brighter and clearer, will (hopefully again) be influenced by (a weareble) creativity. I've tried only a few of the upcoming fragrances and from those i have high hopes for V/siteur, a line of three fragrances inspired by its founder's different experiences in time - Pensão Amor (not sure if this name will be the final choice), Thousand Lakes and Beach Bizarre.

Pensão Amor, Cécile Zarokian's creation, it is a tuberose based fragrance.
Nothing strange about the fact that V/siteur's founder, Janne, created a tuberose for this line given his well known love for the flower and his search for the perfect fragrance to represent it. The question is if his tuberose succeeds to add something new to the actual (over)saturated perfume market, especially to this genre. And the answer would be mostly yes. Mostly because at a certain stage of its development, and only by bits, it reminded me of another vintage and daring tuberose, and yes because it most certainly brings something new to the panorama, thing i wouldn't thought to be possible after the Nuit de Bakélite release.
This is definitely not a sweet rendition to the flower nor a green one, it's some sort of "plasticky" sexy dressed tuberose. "Inspired by a night venue in Lisbon that in the past used to serve as a brothel. In present day it is a pulsating bar where the young go to enjoy themselves and forget about everyday life." With a decadent vibe in vintage Poison style, Amor Pensão immediately made think of a well experienced Madame looking intimidating at the working girls, from the second floor inner balcony, while smoking a cigarette, hidden from the foreign eyes behind a cloud of smoke, powder and sweat.

I never had the opportunity to enjoy the beneficial effects of a northern sauna in its own territory in order to understand its purpose, neither to familiarize with its specific smell, but according to an Estonian friend of mine, Thousand Lakes seems to reflect the exact atmosphere of a sauna.
Thousand Lakes, created by Marie Schnierer, is all about an almost mineralized warm skin and wet smokiness that catches up all the humidity in the air transforming it into invisible bubbles that break into a silent explosion of small particles of sweat... so primitive, yet so sensual.

Beach Bizarre is my favorite from the line, as i find comfort in its strangeness. Coming from the hands of one of the perfumers who brought back L'Iris by Fath to life - Patrice Revillard, Beach Bizarre is supposed to represent a sudden panic attack while in a tropical paradise. For me, personally, is like taking a (naked) bath in the ocean under the Moonlight, in the loneliness of the dark waters, surrounded only by the noise of the silence.
Slightly metallic and salty, with an elegant floral touch that cuts through the sharpness of the seaweed, Beach B infuses into the skin of its wearer with a peaceful warmth and specks of green. "The endless rumbling the ocean attracts."

The choices we made is what represents us as whom we are today. Past is past, we live the present and prepare for the future.
My advice: Live always as the best version of yourself.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2019! For many perfumed years to come!