Scentzilla!

Apothia Velvet Rope is the creative collaboration between perfumer Rayda Vega (thanks Robin!) and Gary McNatton, who says he drew inspiration for the scent thusly:

“I was sitting in a hotel in London having a vanilla martini. And looking at the icy glass, there was this brown speckled oil on top, which was the vanilla seeds. Then I smelled and tasted it, and it was wonderful.”

Velvet Rope is like a montage of all sorts of random aromas from a very classy bar. Dress up, head out to the swanky nightclub for a night of tasteful indulgence and intelligent conversation. It is not the smell of a sweaty danceclub crowded with people cresting on alcohol binges. Cocktails are poured into elegant barware, and the cigarette girl walks by holding her tray of wares.

The top layer of the fragrance is served with a twist of citrus. Grapefruit zest decorates the vanilla concoction in a nodding homage to Shalimar. As the citrus evaporates, the vanilla comes on stronger, while pushing foward a tumbler of gin and tonic. The gin note is smooth, delicate like Bombay Sapphire. Just as I start to think this is all that’s there, I begin to perceive a really enjoyable black peppery note. On me the black peppery note too quickly turns into what seems like a cigarette butt. But on my sister, the black peppery softens into an indistinct tobacco that is lovely on her. It wears as dark and a little smokey without being too strong. I really wish I wore it like she does.

On a seperate and (yet another) boozy note: My favorite gin is that made by the Bend Distillery. Now granted, I can be accused of heavy local bias, but their Cascade Mountain Gin is a real treasue. It is the gin equivalent of one of Jean Claude Ellena’s perfumes, stripped of unnecessary elements, and beautiful in its refined simplicity. The clarity of juniper in it is unparalleled by any other gin I’ve tried. If you spot a bottle of it at your own liquor store, or at your favorite bar, don’t just pass it by.

Apothia’s If in both eau de parfum and oil formulations are gardenia oriented scents. Despite Apothia’s description of the fragrance, I find only a little citrus, and the musk at the base is so minor as to be practically invisible. The musk seems to be relagated to lightly playing in the background in order to give the floral notes body.

The eau de parfum rather prettily blends gardenia with touches of what I perceive as lily, lily of the valley, and other white florals. It wears on me as pale and nearly creamy, drying down to a scent that smells like lightly candied flowers. It’s nice, and I can appreciate it’s attraction, but I feel it is rather optimistically priced for what you get. For what amounts to basically a gardenia predominate spray, I prefer sticking with Sonia Kashuk’s much more reasonably priced Gardenia No. 1. Kashuk’s Gardenia is a greener and slightly peppery choice, but I enjoy it just as much, and purchasing it is a little easier on my budgetary conscience.

The If oil is another story. While it too is a rather uncomplicated affair, the way the oil unfolds seems to capture some ephemeral moment, like bending a tender stem to the point just before it breaks. In some ways If oil reminds me of Kai perfume oil, but without Kai’s greeness. The oil hugs close to the skin, yet floats with sweetness and light. Click to below to hear a brief clip of the opening of Lush’s Sweetness and Light.”

However, the oil verison of If’s light is not a bright direct beam. It evokes a midday glow filtered through sheer curtains.

I can see how many folks might grow attatched to the oil version of If. The fragrance is nothing ground-breaking, but it’s surprisingly pleasing to wear. I would especially recommend it to those who were thisclose to liking Kai, but wished it were more overtly petalled.

Sonia Kashuk products available at Target stores. Image by Rhonda Grudenic, titled “Alluvial Light,” from pam.org. Lush song “Sweetness and Light” is available on the album Gala, and on Ciao! The Best of Lush compilation at Djangos and Music Millennium.