Scentzilla!

Not sure whether or not I’ll have time to write a real post, so instead I’ll offer up a rerun of sorts. My proposal for the celebrity fragrance I most look forward to seeing:

“Fife” will of course be a nutty fragrance, with a sweetened mayberry heart, and a delightful second-banana accord.

Givenchy released Ysatis Iris as a limited edition with little fanfare during last year’s holiday season at the end of 2004. It bears little relation to its “parent,” Ysatis. Where Ysatis is a rich, sweet woody scent, Ysatis Iris takes a lighter, airier apporach.

It opens up with a decidedly fruity blast of berries, almost like marionberries (a type of blackberry.) Then the florals begin to roll out. I smell what must be a jasmine note, the most transparent of tuberose, and a small bouquet of other soft flowers. They wear so gently and aqueously, that I think the biggest fans of the original Ysatis would be bored spitless.

And I would be, too, were it not for the way it dries. Ohhhhhh, how shamelessly I adore the dry down. As the fruitier edges and white florals begin to taper, I notice a delicately placed violet leaf. Moreover, the iris finally begins to assert itself. Mixing into the last of the fruity-floral elements, the iris on display here approaches what I think must have been an attempt to capture the smell of the iris bloom rather than the root. The attempt ultimately fails, but that’s all right. It’s a lovely smelling failure. Vanilla is placed way down deep at the bottom of Ysatis Iris. It’s not the sort of vanilla that you instantly recognize and wave hello to. It’s here for a sweetly melodic effect, and probably wears on my skin during the whole wear, but I just don’t notice ’til the end.

Do not ask me how, but the way those bottom notes of iris, vanilla, and violet leaf interact with the dying flowery trills somehow recreates the smell of baby heads on me. Baby heads! Who doesn’t love the smell of baby heads? If you’re one of those rare folks who do not, then clearly you have a cold, cold heart, and there’s simply nothing to be done for you. That wonderfully mysterious aroma like the tops of baby heads is the most lingering smell on me. Needless to say, it’s delightful to have that smell conviniently located in a bottle. Just… baby heads. Sigh. I won’t pretend Ysatis Iris is some great masterpiece, but… have I mentioned the baby heads? Baby heads, baby heads, baby heads, baby heads. Swoon. I am in love.

Top image of Ysatis Iris bottle from imaginationperfumery.com. Second image entitled Flowerpond by Oscar Flores-Fiol, from oyetu.com. He’s also an Oregon resident, and one of the warmest human beings you could ever meet, in addition to being a fine artist. He also has the distinction of being one of the few people I’ve ever met who can get away with a cheery greeting of “Aloha” outside of Hawaii and not sound pretentious.

The Different Company’s Bois d’Iris was composed by Jean-Claude Ellena several years back, but I have only just recently gotten around to trying it.

It feels cool to me upon first spray, but as my skin warms it, a lovely aroma reminscent of dry Cascadian hops wafts across iris root. (It’s an Oregon thing. I’m pretty sure that you’re not allowed to call yourself an Oregon citizen if you don’t become a beer snob and/or make your own beer at least once. Unless, of course, you wear Birkenstocks year-round with socks - a much more demonstrative display of being a full-blooded Oregonian.) Lightly green and spicy, this layer gently lifts Bois d’Iris out of any lingering coolness. It also makes play with the floral elements of the scent, causing innocence to transform into a brightened awareness.

This fragrance is a deceptively simple one, and easy to slip into. I think it’s one of the more mellow fragrances I’ve tried lately. By mellow I don’t mean melancholy or lazy. Just… relaxed. There’s also something a little old-fashioned about it, too, and yet I perceive it as a youthful scent.

Not knowing how to introduce it, I’ll just say it reminds me of Damien Jurado’s song Tether. It’s got an old feel to it, and certainly is mellow, but it also displays how a simple approach can render an interesting, pleasing effect. Click the player below to hear a brief clip.

Samples of The Different Company scents can be obtained through Beautyhabit.com, who have a sampling program. Image of pin-up entitled “So Sweet,” by Zoe Mozert for Brown & Bigelow in 1950. Tether is a track off of Damien Jurado’s album Where Shall You Take Me?, and is available online through Djangos and Music Millennium.