What's That Smell? BERGAMOT

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.

Bergamot is a famous perfume component, one of the trustiest top notes around. It's super versatile, pleasant, and well-liked. It's a citrus fruit whose scent lies somewhere between sweet and bitter, with a scent profile that's not as sour as lemon and not as sweet or heavy as orange. In terms of balance, it's probably like a hybrid of the sourness of lime and the sweetness of grapefruit, but it has its own distinctive aroma that isn't exactly either of those, especially as it contains a zesty spicy note that smells more herbaceous than fruity.

Bergamot is used to tame notes that smell strange upon first application, and it dissipates more quickly, revealing heavier notes which have now had time to mature on the skin and become something more pleasant to smell. Bergamot is bright, spicy, sunny note. Imagine the green-spiciness of basil, crossed with the puckering brightness of lime, crossed with a delectable orange, and you have bergamot. If you've ever sniffed or drank Earl Grey tea, bergamot is the addition that makes it stand apart from plain black teas.

Bergamot is all-purpose. It can be used very lightly so as not to overpower delicate florals, but it's hearty enough to stand up to viscous scents like vanilla, or assertive dominant scents like woodsy notes. In small quantities, you'd never notice its presence (but you'd miss it if it were gone!) but in large quantities, it can be lovely and complex. Out of all the citrus fruits, it probably has the most complex and most versatile scent.

Perfumes featuring bergamot:

• NAVA Frangipani Nokturne: Frangipani, plumeria, and lilac are all somewhat heavy, sweet florals that can veer into sickly-sweet territory if not reined in. If you've smelled a tourist shop in Hawai'i, you know what these notes smell like. Bergamot and a light Egyptian musk temper the blend and make it more smooth and palatable. The bergamot isn't apparent as an assertive citrus note, it just lends a fresh green feel that makes this more of a natural jungle scent than a gift shop one.
• NAVA St. Germaine: Bergamot is used literally here, as a modifier to the black tea, to yield the same effect as a real cup of Earl Grey. The smoky tea and the sweet cream are tempered by the bright and spicy bergamot, giving an overall masculine or unisex feel. Although Earl Grey is an expected use of bergamot, it's clear why this is such a popular combination.
• Solstice Scents Edge of the Night (or the Night series in general): In the Night series, Solstice Scents has crafted a traditional Oriental scent with a musk,, resinous, spiced vanilla base and riffed on it. Bergamot is only a small ingredient in the "Night" base, which has a perfectly-melded, indescribably complex scent. Bergamot shows its versatility in these thicker, sweeter fragrances because it "lifts" the notes out of potential heaviness and gives them an ethereal feel they wouldn't have otherwise.

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.

Cocoa Pink Medieval Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: General Catalog Fall/Winter (N/A Spring/Summer)
Notes: Raw sugar crystals, white rum, sweet fennel and orange blossom met with dark exotic myrrh.

First impression out of bottle: Rum, orange, and herbs.

Freshly applied: Powdery resiny myrrh and rum.

Drydown: Mmm the herby fennel really pops out here. I think the orange I smelled before was orange blossom mixed with fennel and making me think of an orange-fennel salad my friend once made. This is fresh, herbal, and sweet in a surprising, vegetal way. I like the combo of food-sweet from the sugar crystals and the earthy sweetness from the myrrh. Weirdly, and maybe again it's the scent association, but it almost smells savory like herbs in olive oil dressing.

Yummy fennel salad

After several hours: This loses some of its complexity and becomes more straight fresh/sweet.

Longevity: Medium
Sillage: Low Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? I think if you like licorice, anise, and fennel notes then this would be an unexpected twist. It smells like...salad...but also kind of sexy and earthy.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think if you hate herbs/fennel especially you will hate this. It's very unromantic, and honestly 

Where am I? Eating fennel orange salad at a summer party.

Where would I wear this? Daytime, summertime, springtime.

Cocoa Pink Signature White Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: General Catalog

Notes: a blend of delicate shea blossoms, rice flowers, vanilla cream, sweet sugar and heliotrope with delicate undertones of amber and sandalwood.

First impression out of bottle: Clean sweetness.

Freshly applied: Sweet amber and floral pops out a little, reminds me a lot of Alkemia's Carmen VII at this point. 

Drydown: Lovely medley of flowers, smooth clean cream, powdered sugar, and a hint of fruity-floral that reminds me a bit of lilac mixed with cherry/almond (from the heliotrope I believe.) I like the blend of food and non-food sweetness here. Very fresh and clean but soft and sweet, not at all laundry-like or zesty. 

Like a white-themed tea party

After several hours: Same soft, smooth clean white smell. 

Longevity: High
Sillage: Low/Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? I think anybody who likes subtle scents will like this because it's so light but complex and fun. It's a wonderful and different "fruity-floral" that doesn't have too many obvious notes. Nothing competes, everything blends well.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think if you dislike fruity florals or florals in general, you might find this too princessy.

Where am I? A tea party with a white color scheme. 

Where would I wear this? Daytime, summer, spring.

Deconstructing Eden Halo Review

Brand: Deconstructing Eden

Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Moonlight, sea water, lilacs, wisteria, honeysuckle and moonflower

First impression out of bottle: Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray 

Freshly applied: Light fluffy lilac plus that same beachy expensive hair product scent. 

Fragrant soft lilacs with ocean breeze

Drydown: Sweet delicate lilacs and maybe something sweeter like alyssum or osmanthus, along with that sweet relaxing surf spray smell. This is not a kelpy/true earthy beach smell. It is not sandy or sunscreen-y. It smells identical to that B&B hair product. A perfumey/luxurious interpretation of "beach."

After several hours: Same as drydown. Something I love about DE's floral mixes is that on the drydown, you'll get one aspect (beachy) popping out more strongly, but then it backs down and the floral aspect (lilac) comes forward. And it sort of weaves in and out and you get a very interesting sensory experience!

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? I think someone who loves lilacs would really enjoy this, because it's somehow a TRUE lilac scent but with something a little different and beachy. It doesn't smell..tropical or like jasmine or anything. But it smells like flowering lilac bushes by the seaside.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think haters of beachy or lilac scents will still find this sweet rendition wearable. The lilac isn't cloying or powdery, it's got the soft roundness of real lilac blossoms, but a certain freshness that makes the perfume very "easy on the nose."

Where am I? Getting my hair cut in an absurdly upscale and relaxing salon. I'm almost crying because this is the exact scent memory of the first/grownup haircut I got. I was just starting to get out of my awkward middle school phase and I had my hair cut short and adorable before going on a shopping trip with my mom. This smells like the hair salon + the Lanvin perfume she bought me that day (Éclat d'Arpège.) It smells like sunny weather, happiness, and youth. 

Where would I wear this? Definitely a summer/spring scent. It evokes weekends and vacation for me, but I would absolutely wear it to work to brighten my spirits.

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.

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. 

Sarawen Georgina Review

Brand: Sarawen
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: peach, black tea, mint, incense

First impression out of bottle: Airy florals with a hint of dark tea

Freshly applied: Fruity tea cough drop

Drydown: As it dries, some fresh mintiness peeks out from what was initially peachy tea. It's definitely more full-bodied than a plain tea scent would be, and the incense is making it more soft and round. The incense definitely has a pale Nag Champa feel- not hot/red like Dragon's Blood. Also not a smoky scent at all. The fresh mint leaf mixes so nicely with the incense. The peach is more like peach skin- I don't get juiciness or obvious fruitiness. Just sweet fuzziness.

The essence of fuzzy peach skin

After several hours: Ultimately it's a really lovely soft peach scent. The incense and mint/tea are supporting it but it's all fuzzy voluptuous (but innocent) peach. So cuddly.

Like this blanket

Longevity: Medium.
Sillage: Low. I would really enjoy this if it were a more robust scent. I think the peach/tea fresh notes and the incense are a good mix, but it's not punchy enough.

Would an [X] lover love this? I think anyone who likes incense or fresh scents will love this. Especially if you have really loud skin chemistry that amps everything. Because then maybe it'll last longer on you! 

Would an [X] hater love this? I think even someone who despises incense or fruity notes could get on board with this. It's so nicely blended and maybe because it's whisper-soft it's easy to wear? I wish it were stronger. 

Where am I? Rubbing my face on a peach

Where would I wear this? Bed, daytime, work. I don't know if I want a full-size because who wants to bother wearing a scent they can't smell? Then again if I had a bigger bottle maybe I could slather and get a stronger effect?

Cocoa Pink Buttermint Candy Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: General Catalog Autumn/Winter (N/A in Spring/Summer)
Notes: crisp clean peppermint with hints of vanilla bean.

First impression out of bottle: Not super sweet peppermint

Freshly applied: Breathtakingly cold  peppermint. Hint of something a bit plasticky.
Drydown: Still the same cold mint. That feeling you get in your lungs when you're running and it's freezing outside, and it feels like your lungs are icing over. The plastickyness is gone, but unfortunately I don't get a whole lot of vanilla bean. 

Very cold mint...brrr.

After several hours: I get just a hint of the vanilla bean now but it's still quite unsweetened. Definitely not a sugary scent or an ice cream scent. I would say breathmint is an accurate description. Not so much a buttermint, which I think of as sweeter. 

Longevity: High. 
Sillage: Medium high. It really freezes your nostrils when you take a whiff, like real peppermint.

Would an [X] lover love this? Mint lovers might like it, though it's quite plain, so if you have a lot of minty perfumes already, this would only be good for layering purposes or something. I think it could intensify the existing mint notes in any perfumes you own.

Would an [X] hater love this? Mint haters will probably despise this. It's cold and green and bracing- all characteristics of mint they are probably not a fan of.

Where am I? Popping a breathmint on a freezing cold snowy morning.

Where would I wear this? Work, anytime I needed to wake up fast. It's very energizing. It's NOT a candy cane-ish mint, so I would wear this in the spring or summer too. 

Cocoa Pink Green Tea Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Not perfumish at all. We hunted like crazy for a green tea scent that smell like real manuka tea. Great blended with VBN or Marshmallows.

First impression out of bottle: Astringent green lemony green tea.

Freshly applied: The lemon disappears and I get clean and earthy green tea. This is more realistic than something like Bvlgari Au The Vert, which skews soapy/lotiony. I like that "Green Tea" scent that everyone does, which is light and floral and citrusy, but it's not real green tea, lezbihonest. 

Drydown: This is real green tea, a little bitter, a little tart, very green and leafy. I love the watery tea feeling that Cocoa Pink captures here, and also in their Autumn/Winter Orb Weaver which I reviewed recently. I smell a combo of dry tea leaves in a tin and freshly-brewed tea. 

Tea leaves with strong brewed green tea

After several hours: Same.

Longevity: High, thank god, even though it's a tea scent this lingers and lasts
Sillage: High

Would an [X] lover love this? Yes, tea lovers need it. It's fresher than their Fluffy Green Tea (Just this, mixed with Marshmallow) and a little more sophisticated/less foodie.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think tea haters need to try it. If you hate fresh scents, maybe not, but if you have never tried a non-lemon, non-grassy fresh scent, get a sample. 

Where am I? Drinking some tea with my mother on a rainy spring morning

Where would I wear this? Work, home, anytime I need to feel refreshed, calm, or centered. I love Fluffy Green Tea but it is very playful and food-like. This is more meditative and elegant. Both are must-haves for me. 

Deconstructing Eden Blanc Review

Brand: Deconstructing Eden

Availability: Formerly permanent, now discontinued, but she may bring it back (you can also check with owner to see if she can sell you even though it's not listed in store)
Notes: White musks, white mint, white jasmine and linden blossoms

First impression out of bottle: The sweetest, earthiest mint, like crushed peppermint leaf in a dewy garden

Freshly applied: Sweet white mint, like minty tea. Then I get a touch of sweet green from the linden blossoms. It never gets that honeyed scent that Possets' linden gets on me, which almost has a sticky pollen feel. This is a clean, refreshing, lightly floral blend with an eensy touch of jasmine. The swirling musks make me think of morning mist or fog, they are not powdery or perfumey, but rather kind of damp and natural.

Minty, misty morning

Drydown: The mint is halway between candied mint and freshly-crushed garden mint. The juicy greenness makes it feel like earth/a garden without actual dirt or grass notes. Someone on IMAM told me they got hardly any mint from this, which I was bummed about, but I'm so happy that it's mostly mint on me.

Love the earthy, cool mint character

After several hours: A whisper of minty musk. 

Longevity: Very bad. This scent disappears on me but I just spritz more on because I'm obsessed with it. I wish it lasted longer.
Sillage: Quite low after the first few minutes. It lingers a little on hair and clothing, and I need to spray liberally to get good throw, but as I noted above, the longevity leaves a lot to be desired. These are all very faint notes, so you can't expect the potency you'd get from a spicy oriental, but STILL. I want it to stick around longer. 

Would an [X] lover love this? I think this is a highly unusual scent and basically everyone should try it if it becomes permanent again. A mint lover might adore it (hello, I do) but other people say they don't get much mint. So it's kind of a toss up.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think a mint hater could come around to this, as it's a very faithful representation of realistic mint. Also musk haters need to try it, as this is some of the best musk blending I've ever smelled. Not powdery, grandma-ish, or cloying.

Where am I? It makes me think of Cinderella trudging home in the morning mist after the ball, her bare foot squelching in the fresh garden herbs, and a single sparkling glass slipper.

Where would I wear this? I love wearing this during the day, especially on hot days. It's no use wearing it to bed as it disappears almost before I fall asleep, but I find it to be a super elegant but fun daytime scent. Very youthful but not childish.