When the Swiss perfumer Vero Kern released her newest perfume she celebrated by doing a draw on Facebook. 50 lucky commenters would win a sample of her, yet unnamed and not officially described, scent. Before the official release we were encouraged to write down our opinions and the most interested ones were to be published on her site. And guess what, I was one of the winners of a sample! I've had so much fun sniffing blindly and here's my impression:
This is a little chamelion of a scent. I've been discovering new notes on every try. The first time I tried it on was on a very cold day. 6 degrees Celsius and windy outside. I'd been out and was chilled to the bone when I discovered that my Vero Kern package had arrived. The first notes that stuck me when spraying was citrus, herbs and stone. I thought I got lemongrass, lime and white chalky rocks. It felt chilly, strict and severe, but at the same time, classy and smelling very good. One of my initial thoughts was "An Asian take on Chanel No 19". Unfortunately I fell asleep before drydown.
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| First try |
The next morning, another go. This was a mild and sunny morning, warm enough to wear an unbuttoned light jacket to work. My impression of the scent now was a completely different one. No Asia and absolutely no Chanel No 19. I still got rocks and citrus but the composision felt warmer. I smelled a meadow of lemon trees growing in dry, chalky soil. The sun was shining and there was a glimpse of the sea in a dinstance. I would not call it an aquatic, or even marine, scent, but there is definately a feeling of saltiness and minerals.
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| Second try |
Third time was, yet again, completely different. Now it was raining
outside and clouds were dark and heavy. During the opening, I hardly got
any citrus at all. What I got was freshly cut fennel, complete with
fronds. After a while there was lemon oil but only breifly. There were
also wet, slippery grey stones. When the lemon oil faded, mild green notes lingered on. I got lettuce and faint grass.
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| Third try |
The
dry down is wonderful but hard to pin down as the notes are very well
integrated here. I think there
might be myrrhe, some citrusy resins, salty minerals and there is a super tiny hint
of something vanillic. By now it makes my body smell fresh, but not in
that artificial soapy clean way. Neither in a musky way. It's like breathing fresh air. It
smells like my body might have smelled if I had done my
excersises, eaten organic food and taken care of myself. It's a "me, but better" scent that actually delivers -
and Vero, I applaud you for pulling that off!
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Lucky you. Sounds AWESOME!
ReplyDeletePortia xx
Thank you, and in just days it will be released in shops :)
DeleteI noticed that you were one of the winners and hoped to hear your impressions sooner or later.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried any other perfumes from that brand? From your description this one smells really different from at least those two I tried - Rubj and Onda.
What concentration did you test? Was it an EdP or an extrait?
Yes, I've tried the extraits before, and I got samples of the EdP:s (and the extraits too, very generous!) with my package now. The new one is VERY different from the others, style and notes considered. But in quality, nerve and wilfullness I'd say it's on the same level :) I haven't had any official info about the concentration of my sample but it's packaged like the EdP samples (in a tine spray vial opposed to the extrait samples that came in dabble vials) so I'd say it's an EdP.
DeleteOh fascinating! Your description is so intriguing, and this line already intrigues me, so now I'm doubly ... intrigued. :)
ReplyDeleteHaha, you should try them out! All the scents are great, but maybe not equally easy to wear :)
ReplyDeleteWow, this does indeed sound so completely different from her other three scents. I'm supposed to be getting a sample too very soon so I'm really looking forward to it. Vero is such an artist -- I'm not surprised to hear that this scent goes in an entirely new direction for her. Interesting to read that in all three of your testings, you smelled something mineral-like (rocks, chalky soil, slippery wet stones). It sounds cool and rather calming (or centering), and it makes sense to me when you say that it's how you imagine your body smelling after a period of time where you ate all the healthiest of vegetables and did your excercises, etc.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's indeed very different from the others. Maybe I find it less humane and more like an angel or spirit of nature in character. I'm very much looking forward to hearing your opinions about it. Of all the blogs I read your impressions seem to best match my own, even though our likes and dislikes might not always end up in the same places :)
DeleteThat's a fragrance for me! I'm really appreciating fragrances that behaves different in different wearings and also challenges during the drydown.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think ths one is difficult not to like :) And I'm saving a spritz or two for you for our lunch next week!
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