Deconstructing Eden Shemhazai Review

Brand: Deconstructing Eden
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Frankincense, myrrh, French cypress, saffron, bergamot, teak wood, black pepper, sage, mahogany and oak moss.

First impression out of bottle: Frankincense and myrrh.

Freshly applied: Fruity green resins. Myrrh has kind of a warm, honeyed fruit thing going on, whereas frankincense has that green, almost pine-like aroma. I definitely smell the black pepper but it's not too much. 

Drydown: Still bright and evergreen-y from the cypress. This smells a little fresh and green but also woodsy and brown. I would say this is a unisex scent.  It smells like expensive aftershave. Very sexy and warm but fresh at the same time.

Smells like a wet Darcy drying in the warm sun.

After several hours: Warm woodsy coniferous scent. Less herbal and complex than Deconstructing Eden Mercutio, and a bit damper.

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? If you like evergreen/pine/cypress scents then you will love this. Or if you are a sucker for frankincense/myrrh combos, this is one of the best greenish ones I've tried. 

Would an [X] hater love this? If you hate fresh scents, this has a warm undertone that makes it more wearable and not so EVERGREEN. The pepper is very subtle and just underscores the warmth along with the sage, so you don't end up smelling like roast chicken.

Where am I? Playing in a cypress grove on a warm day after taking a dip in a lagoon.

Where would I wear this? Daytime, outside, spring, summer, maybe into colder weather. I think this would be amazing on a man, and I don't love it as much on me because I go for sweeter florals.

Deconstructing Eden Legare Review

Brand: Deconstructing Eden
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Mahogany, magnolias, gardenias, spanish moss, iced tea and petitgrain

First impression out of bottle: Cologne and bergamot 

Freshly applied: Mmm floral but green cologne smell. Sophisticated and unisex like something in a fancy hotel shower.

Drydown: The soft white florals are blossoming (har) now and making this way less green/cologne like. The petitgrain (which generally smells like bergamot) is prominent but it's not a citrusy scent. I can smell a really true, golden brown iced tea. I can smell the flowers from the garden, the mossy-woodsiness of the trees lining the drive, and a fresh pitcher of iced tea straight from the fridge. I think if you love Lady Nada, this is like a slightly less frilly/girly version. It combines a certain citrus freshness with a pillowy white flower vibe.

Drinking tea in a flower garden in the South

After several hours: Still cold brown tea and white florals. I would say at this point the white florals are more voluptuous and prominent, comprising at least 50-60% of the scent. The iced tea in this really provides the perfect fresh/cold background, but is maybe only 25-30% of the entire scent. It's not zingy like lemon tea or over the top, just cold and dark and sweet. The moss and mahogany are giving an earthy but not dirty foundation. I don't think this is masculine, but I can easily see a man wearing it because it kind of melds with the skin's natural scent. It smells glorious but if I didn't know the notes, I might not be able to say with certainty that it was floral tea. It's not a literal gourmand, much more of an atmospheric one. 

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? I think somebody who likes white florals would really enjoy this, as it's a fresh but NOT green take on the theme. If you like unisex perfumes that aren't your basic hurr-durr Green Fresh Cologne, this would also be interesting. Finally, if you're a tea fan you will probably love it, but be warned it doesn't literally smell like tea leaves. The scent gives the suggestion of the temperature, briskness, and color of iced black tea without being overtly astringent or herbaceous.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think white floral/tea haters would definitely like this, as it's a very clever mixture of the two, and it's not too obvious. Tea scents can be sour/bitter, and this is neither. White florals can be too sweet or heady, and this doesn't have that issue either.

Where am I? Drinking iced tea on a pristine white porch.

Where would I wear this? Definitely a great spring/summer scent. It's too bad it's winter, or I would really want to wear this a lot. I see this as a daytime scent. It's perfect for work or weekend as it's inoffensive but whimsical enough to be fun.