I love perfume because it allows me to explore. Each little vial is a mystery. While the internet makes it slightly easier to discover the nose behind a particular scent, much of the creation process (or following reformulations) remains unknown. Marketing materials describe perfume notes in colorful language, but are those really the notes in the bottle? Moreover, if it is "rose", what kind of rose- a liquid diluted from a flower, a chemist's precise reconstruction of the smell or a more abstract impression, or some combination? Then there is the name, the bottle, and a number of other artistic elements that affect your overall perception and understanding of the perfume.
Psychotrope, from Parfumerie Generale's Private Collection, is a mysterious perfume. Googletranslate gave me "psychotropic" for "psychotrope," which did not make sense, so I looked it up in French:
adj inv
1 (pharmacologie) désigne une substance ayant une action sur le psychisme
n inv
2 (pharmacologie) cette substance
psychotrope
adj inv
1 antidépresseur
n inv
2 hallucinogène
From that I've gathered, "a substance having an effect on the psyche," "antidepressant," and "hallucinogenic." Good enough. The fun comes not from fully answering the questions, but enjoying the curiosity and reveling in the unknown.
Psychotrope fits this mysterious, rainy spring mood I've been feeling for the past week or so. The top is all green, jasmine, and a kind of freshness that smells like the rain outside my window. The florals then come forward, jasmine, cyclamen, and violet, followed by an effortless drydown to a leather base, almost reading as vinyl, with a subtle hint of musk. These unusual notes complement each other harmoniously, and despite the dark, strange, leather base, the whole composition reads as elegant and sophisticated. The overall effect is beautiful and unnerving.
No comments:
Post a Comment