Alan Cumming Cumming
The first of the crocuses have begun to dot my front yard, hinting at the spring to come. But despite the urging of the crocuses, winter has still not abandoned its post. I woke to discover this morning that the grey world smelled damp, offering up the aromas of an earthy admixture of soil and a good rain. Alan Cumming’s eponymous fragrance, Cumming, is to me the bottled equivalent of that scent.
Now I know, there are tons of you who feel either too disgusted by the name, or who find it intellectually offensive and on the level of bathroom humor. Or both. I can’t change your minds, nor shall I try. But I must point out, you are missing out on some terrific juice. One confession: I find Alan Cumming completely adorable. He’s got senses for goofiness and insouciance in equal measure, a charming combination. I would totally pick him to be my gay boyfriend.
Christopher Brosius, the nose behind scents in the the infamous Demeter line, as well as the creator of his own CB I Hate Perfume line, concocted this fragrance for the actor. Its notes include:
Bergamot, Black Pepper, Scotch Pine, Whiskey, Cigar, Heather, Douglas Fir, Rubber, Leather, Highland Mud, Burnt Rubber, Peat Fire, White Truffle.
It reads like a weird fragrance, and it is, which I mean in the most complimentary of terms.
The cool grey skies and wet earth we have so frequently here in Oregon form the essential character of the fragrance. On the dry down I also sense a note that smells the way a sip of scotch feels as it slowly trickles down the throat. I don’t really sense any tobacco, and the mix of wood, heather, “rubber” and “burnt rubber” somehow come across as vetiver to me. The leather plays very lightly here, serving to add accent to the wet earthiness without drawing attention to itself. Brosius struck the most delicate of balances here, and his creation for Cumming has a uniqueness and intricacy that none of the other celebrity releases from last year even came close to achieving. Within it is a lovely melancholy spirit, the smell of hiding out from the winter rain in a cozy pub, and staring out the windows at watery streets and puddles drowned by their own excess into murky pavement lakes.
I love this scent madly. The longer I own it and wear it, the more I seem to appreciate it. Cumming was one of my top ten fragrances for summer last year, and it will be again this year.
I see that Beautyhabit is currently listing Cumming at a discount, but it’s also availabe at other online and retail stores on this list.
February 13th, 2006 at 2:00 pm
K, great review of a great fragrance, and agree that it is considerably more unique than any of the other celebrity fragrances…probably that is why I don’t even think of it as a celebrity fragrance. Just a great scent.
February 13th, 2006 at 2:02 pm
I have got to finally try this. It sounds very interesting and have nothing whatsoever against the name. It is Alan’s surname after all. Whiskey? Cigar? Leather? Oh yeah, baby!
February 13th, 2006 at 2:08 pm
Robin, It is a great scent - if it had come without the actor’s name attached I still would have fallen madly in love with it. However, I am rather curious to know how many people tried it just because of the name versus how many people are avoiding because of the name.
February 13th, 2006 at 2:10 pm
Marina - I am SO late and owe packages to SO many people, but I will try to remember to slip a vial of this into an envelope to send it on to you whenever I finally get around to mailing out those other packages, too.
February 13th, 2006 at 2:46 pm
Katie, what a lovely review! I also enjoy this fragrance, and I agree that it is among some of the most interesting celebrity releases.
February 13th, 2006 at 2:56 pm
Oh, I’ve been avoiding this forever, just thinking it was the trendy thing, but it really does sound smashingly good and the sort of thing I’d like. Thanks, Katie!
February 13th, 2006 at 3:06 pm
BoisdeJasmin, thanks - I’m hard pressed to think of one that is more intersting than this one. Some are much easier to wear, but none are so quite so novel.
February 13th, 2006 at 3:10 pm
Patty, it IS something I think you’d find intriguing and wonderfully fun, but I am unsure if it’s one you’d be happy with wearing on a regular basis. Still, I do think you will really enjoy trying it. (You’re one of the many folks I owe, and I keep meaning to send you some Ysatis Iris, so if I EVER can freaking remember to, I will make a vial up of Cumming too.)
February 13th, 2006 at 5:54 pm
Hey, welcome back!
I watched the video on the Cumming website awhile ago. I laughed so hard I kept having to back it up to see the naughty bits I missed.
I find your description deliciously weird. You have answered the question I had, though: is it actually wearable? You and R are signaling an enthusiastic yes. The rubber’s been holding me back, but you’ve eased my worries… On the weird scale, where would you put it compared to, say, Tea for Two or Versace Dreamer?
February 13th, 2006 at 6:36 pm
Personally, I’d place it as weirder than either of those. Because it smells dirty - not as in naughty, but as in actual dirt. (Ah, The Dreamer… I need to dig that baby out for tomorrow I think. Thanks!)
February 13th, 2006 at 7:18 pm
Well, okay then. I’m getting some. Dirt works for me, just not rubber.
The Dreamer… I sent some to P but she diplomatically says nothing. It… it… comforts me. Should I feel shame?
February 13th, 2006 at 7:33 pm
Shame??? At sharing The Dreamer with someone? I’d take comfort in her silence, too - give her time, that one needs meditation and revisiting before its brilliance reveals itself to some folks.
February 15th, 2006 at 3:24 pm
I’m hurt.
You should have written, “I would totally pick him for my gay boyfriend if I wasn’t already totally smitten with Marlen.”
:P xox
February 15th, 2006 at 3:50 pm
Of course, of course ;) I shall now reorder the official list, so that it reads 1.)Marls, 2.) Alan Cumming, 3.)Rupert Everett (yes even with his rearranging of the facial furniture.) And somewhere on there my buddy Jacob will have to fit in, too, because you can never have too many smart funny gay boyfriends. (For that matter, you can never have too many smart funny people in your life ever.) That’s a stone-cold fact.
February 19th, 2006 at 2:13 am
Great review! This was a scent that I had decided not to like before I smelled it owing to all hype that it seemed to be getting.
When I sniffed it, I was really amazed about the quality of it and the diverse notes that had been incorporated into that little vial of magical juice. Of course, it ended up getting the Princely stamp of approval.
February 19th, 2006 at 3:47 pm
Oh yes, I figured you’d probably dig it - it’s got those layers of complexity that you seem to be so open to appreciating. The hype on this one didn’t bug me at all, but I think it’s mainly because most of the hype focused on the silliness of the marketing rather than anything at all having to do with the juice. The box is awesomely hilarious, btw: it lists credits! Like, the “stylist” is credited on the back of the box. Cracks me right up.