CB I Hate Perfume, 3 from 1

I've been going through my stash of CB I Hate Perfumes and here are reviews of 3 of the ones I like.

Winter 1972 is what I reckon CB:s masterpiece. There is a very skeletal version of the CBIHP signature soil accord, giving the impression of breathing crisp air outside on a chilly winters day. This scent supposed to be about snowy fields and hand knit woollen mittens. I'm not getting that. I'm getting being outside on one of the last days of winter. Most of the snow is gone, but the ground is still frozen. It's still cold but there is a, barely noticeable, hint that spring will be coming this year as well. The way CB captures the sleeping nature and the promise of what is to come never ceases to amaze me.

To see a flower is really rather similar to Winter 1972, when smelling them side by side. There is the soil accord again but with a generic floral element added to it. The fresh air that I'm getting from Winter 1972 is not as strong. There is no walking on an airy field, with this one you're crawling on all fours, marvelling at the wonders of nature, looking at insects buzzing around and finally burying your nose in a delicate little flower you've just found. This is a subtle and very realistic rendition of nature that I love. According to the CBIHP site, this scent was inspired by a poem by Georgia O'Keefe:

In a way,
nobody sees a flower really,
it is so small,
we haven't time and to see takes time like to have a friend takes time.

Beautiful, isn't it

Patchouli Empire starts out resinous, bordering on rubbery, but within 10 minutes it settles into unadorned patchouli. It's peppery with a tiny hint of mothballs. I find it a unique scent among the CBIHP:s. There is no signature soil accord, no nature, it does not feel like a time or a place or a situation, it's just patchouli. Maybe I'd say this one feels more like a conventional perfume in that aspect. It's light and wearable and great if you just want patchouli and nothing else.

For other, a bit meatier, reviews I've done on CB I Hate Perfume, take a look at:
Russian Caravan Tea
In the Summer Kitchen

Pic: Wikipedia