What's That Smell? VETIVER

In the "What's That Smell?" series,  I'll explain some of the less obvious perfume notes that crop up in many indie perfumes. Keep in mind my descriptions and comparisons are based on my own experiences and your impressions may not be the same. Perfume notes are NOT ingredients. They can be natural essences, artificial isolated compounds that imitate the natural substance, blended accords, or a combination. Therefore, the note you like in one perfume may be unrecognizable in another. As with all sensory, subjective things, your mileage may vary.

Vetiver is a grass-like plant that is often used to lend freshness, earthiness, or an overall "green" feel to a perfume. It is a unisex scent, and common in green perfumes that are focused on a plant-like or floral vibe. It can also be used to add surprising depth to sweeter or resinous perfumes, as it has a very natural and easy-to-like scent that is less disruptive or distinctive than something like patchouli. Vetiver is often used in smoky perfumes to evoke the unique mixture of damp heat that comes from a burning wood fire. Because it has a scent profile that straddles the line of light and dark, it stands up to stronger notes like incense and wood without getting lost the way a light floral scent would.

Vetiver is closest in scent to damp grass mixed with a tiny bit of soil. It's not a sunny, dry grass smell like hay. It definitely has darker earthy nuances, which is why it's such a nice blender for lighter green perfumes. Vetiver is less zesty than the smell of fresh flower stems (which can have a sour, bright smell) and it lacks the sweetness of something like fresh mint leaves. Because it has a soil-like quality, it can also be used to complement or recreate a wet-stone feeling

Perfumes featuring vetiver:

• NAVA OM NA: Eternity: The vetiver is not the star player here, but a backup to the sage note. This is sort of a surprising use of the note, because you wouldn't think to mix it with something as sweet and creamy as coconut milk, but it works. It doesn't fight with the more gourmand coconut notes, but it cuts the fatty sweetness and gives a little fresh feeling. It complements the sage, which is another herbal/green smell without overpowering the sage's more distinctive scent. Mixed with the heavy Dragon's Blood, it definitely makes me think of a dark, damp stone temple filled with offerings to the gods.
• Deconstructing Eden Gentian House: A very masculine and fresh use of the note, this scent features vetiver strongly and uses it excellently as an atmospheric note. Instead of smelling like a handful of plants, the vetiver in Gentian House conjures the image of a house in a field with all the windows and doors thrown open, the scent of wet grass and earth drifting in and purifying the home. The lavender and violets are both herbaceous/green floral scents that complement the vetiver well, and the smoke in here is also a classic pairing. This is probably the most unusual AND harmonious use of vetiver of any perfume in my collection.
• Long Winter Farm Campfire: This is a standard, but excellent example of how well vetiver works to make smoke notes come alive. You know that smell of the winter air, just after the rain/snow when the whole world is soaked-through, and you can smell everyone's chimneysmoke? That's what vetiver and smoke smell like together. It's one of my all-time favorite IRL scents, and Campfire recreates it spectacularly. No sweetness or florals in here, just a roaring fire in the middle of a damp forest.

Deconstructing Eden Gentian House Review

Brand: Deconstructing Eden
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Frankincense, myrrh, opium smoke, gentian violets, vetiver, french lavender, a touch of smoke.

First impression out of bottle: Grassy dirt

Freshly applied: Lavender, grass, and earth

Drydown: Mmm this is a robust, DRY lavender. You know the type that is very dusty gray-purple and smells herby and dry. This is ever so slightly smoky, like you burnt some sage and lavender in an old house. It smells a bit ancient and sacred, but not like a church. Maybe like a mansion that belonged to witches, and this is the lingering scent of the cologne of one of their gentleman callers.

Like an old, creepy, very well-maintained home

After several hours: What I like about this is it's strongly lavender, and has an almost citrusy freshness (I think from the vetiver, which doesn't smell grassy or overly green, but just fresh and clean.) There's an underlying old (but not dirty) feel from the frankincense and myrrh. It's overall just an incredibly well-done blend. 

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium high

Would an [X] lover love this? I think someone who enjoys any sort of resin, smoke, herb, or lavender scents will LOVE THIS. 

Would an [X] hater love this? Honestly, I don't love lavender all the time. It's a fickle beast that often smells off in perfumes, but this is like a bundle of real lavender, combined with all the other amazing notes. It's also not too earthy, so if you hate smelling like dirt, you will still love it.

Where am I? Spring cleaning a witch's mansion with super high-end organic cleaners.

Where would I wear this? I love that, unlike the super summery Legare, this could be easily worn for all seasons.  This is a spring cleaning scent to me, but it also reminds me of being inside a cool dark house on a rainy day. I would wear this throughout the year, and definitely for daytime occasions. Will also attempt to get my boyfriend to wear this. He said he liked lavender deodorant one time 2 years ago, so as far as I'm concerned, I'm IN.

NAVA OM NA: Eternity Review

Brand: Nocturne Alchemy

Availability: General Catalog
Notes: desert sage, softened resin of vetiver, the scent of temple grass, black coconut milk and husk, dragon's breath incense and white benzoin liquid resin of the netherworld

First impression out of bottle: Dank grassiness

Freshly applied: Grassy from the vetiver at first. The sage is there, giving that herbal nose tickle but the vetiver is front and center. I get almost the dark damp quality you can get with patchouli, only without the rubbery potential. This is a very WET sage scent. Not a smudge stick, no burning or ash, just like an offering of sage and herbs that has been rained on. No coconut yet.

Damp, fresh herb bundles

Drydown: As it dries, I get some black/dark coconut, and the blend sweetens a tad. Light on the incense, definitely not a burn-y or smoky smell. Wet and dark and twisted, like the inner tunnels of an ancient temple. There’s no stone notes, but it absolutely reminds me of being inside ancient tombs when I visited Egypt. Cold. Interesting and beautiful. And I also start getting another coconut note, milky and white, to go with the black husk note from before.

Black coconut husk joins the wet sage

After several hours: The more I smell it, the more I love the paradox of the milky sweet coconut and the wet-smelling sage. It’s not like food or like anything I’d immediately deem attractive…but it’s kind of addictive and weird and pleasant in an unusual way. At first it was so grassy and cold but now it’s warmed up with the benzoin and the coconut, so I think it will layer fantastically with a sweeter or woodsy scent.

Sweet, pure coconut milk lightens up the dark, earthy blend

Longevity: High, as with most NAVAs. This is a morpher though, and the ultimate drydown described above is what lasts most of the day.
Sillage: High, which may be an issue as it's quite strange-smelling at first. It settles into something much more pleasant. Maybe don't apply this at your desk, though.

Would an [X] lover love this? I don't even know how to classify this scent, so...would a sage lover like this? I'd say YES unless they only like "dry" smelling sage. This is rich, a bit grassy, herbal, and dark. It's unusual for sure, but I think people who like sage are usually pretty adventurous.

Would an [X] hater love this? Would a sage hater love this? Maybe! I did not like it when freshly applied, but it has this uncanny fascinating moreish smell, where you just want to keep sniffing. It's rather addictive and surprisingly wearable. I'd say give this a spin even if you are a coconut or sage hater.

Where am I? When I wear this, I feel totally transported to a damp ancient temple. I smell hanging plants and offerings of herbs and sweet coconut, and the hint of incense.

Where would I wear this? I probably wouldn't wear this out to dinner, it's not a sexy date type of scent. I would wear this if I wanted to go for a long walk by myself, or maybe at work on a day when I needed to be focused and feel strong. It's kind of a subtle "power scent" because it has a pleasant sweetness but a strong backbone.