vetiver - The Seventh Sphinx

The rich earthiness of vetiver never fails to attract me, even in its less palatable interpretations (straight vetiver essential oil, for example, is incredibly powerful and basically unpleasant to smell. It has to be significantly diluted for use in perfumery…still I am drawn in). I have smelled many now (and there are many to smell – there was a good guide to vetivers on Perfume Posse a bit ago) and really two stand out for me well above the rest. The first is Guerlain Vetiver (1961), which is a clean, unclouded, classic vetiver, crisp and bright with an effect not unlike that of citrus while being so much more interesting than citrus. Wonderful on anyone, especially on me this summer.

The second is Vétiver Tonka from the Hermessence line by Hermès in-house perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena (of whom I am a great admirer). This is simply one of the best smelling things I have come across. Here the earthy quality of vetiver is offset by the sweet caramel of tonka bean, which I often think of as a mild, toasted vanilla scent. Scent is subjective, so it may just be the perfect storm of hazelnut, vetiver, and a touch of sweetness that makes this smell, for me, like that of some gorgeous otherworldly fruit at the moment of ripened perfection. My reaction is the biological opposite of our instincts to avoid the poisonous and the rotten. I want to approach it, to move ever closer to it, to consume it. It is me. The experience of smelling something you find without fault, something you truly like, without any effort or doubt, is a moment of recognition. It is me with the edges softened and sweetened, rather me shown truly as I am and not as I seem.

But you might like it, too.

The longevity is not excellent but I reason, trusting in Jean-Claude, that this is because if it were any better, the result wouldn’t smell as good. So I don’t care.

If you are near an Hermès boutique, investigate. Many of the other fragrances are wonderful as well. They give generous samples, which will comfort you when you learn the price. I plan to get the discovery set one of these days, with all four slots given to Vétiver Tonka.

The cold weather makes certain heavy scents particularly appealing to me. The molecules aren’t as mobile and stay closer to the skin, evaporating more gradually, and a fragrance that would be deadly or cloying in the summer is rendered subtle and fine.

Here’s what I’ve been wearing:

Montale – Red Vetyver. Just gorgeous. Pricey, but do you want to smell like a sexy, resinous tree or not? A little like Chanel’s Sycomore.

Lalique – Encre Noir (pour homme). This actually does smell a lot like black ink, the kind you would buy for calligraphy or what have you. Like ink + a dark, earthy vetiver. Great on a man, better on a man with stubble, but maybe better still and more charming/unexpected on a woman.

C.O. Bigelow Musk perfume oil. A little goes a long way, but great to mix with a body oil to dilute and slather away. Rich, powerful musk that isn’t too…fecal. I also like to put this on as a base and temper with something sweet and light, like a simple floral like

Tea Rose by Perfumer’s Workshop. Olfactory equivalent of a photographic representation of a tea rose, or, to me at least, a wild rose. Simple, light, refreshing (not a dark, syrupy, honeyed rose), and so inexpensive. Men, try this on. Plays well with others. Mix it with Guerlain Vetiver and you become just about effervescent. This will be great for spring as well, but winter is when I miss florals. Same idea behind

CB I Hate Perfume – M2 Black March. [not pictured as I only have a sample vial] This smells precisely like a handful of freshly turned earth with crushed flower petals and roots mixed in. Incredible. Not cheap. Lovely old-school apothecary packaging. Get the perfume absolute if at all, which is a viscous oil that lasts on the skin for hours. Also great in the rain. Or give it to a gardener.

L’Occitane – Eau de Vetyver. A creamy, rich, slightly dirty vetiver. Cozy and enveloping.

Paloma Picasso EdP. A kind of sparkling chypre (which genre I usually don’t like) from the 80s that is often marked down at Marshall’s or TJ Maxx. Not for everyone, but a wonderful respite from the saccharine fruity-florals that dominate the market. Give it a while to develop on the skin before you veto, as it starts out a little green and screechy like Grey Flannel or Halston I-12 (both of which I also like in winter, but like more so in the rain). Points to guys who give this a go.

Bulgari Omnia. Now discontinued, it is superior to all of the flankers it spawned. Lactic and nutty with a distinct note of cinnamon, this will make you smell like a gorgeous, sophisticated chai latte.

Some fragrance resources:

Not familiar with vetiver yet? Get familiar.

http://www.basenotes.net/ (reviews, descriptions, note lists, and a good place to look up the year a fragrance launched or the perfumer behind it)

http://theperfumedcourt.com/ (try fragrances on your skin first if you can, blind buying full-sized bottles is risky business)

Tag: vetiver

smell this: Hermès, Vétiver Tonka

smell this: winter 2013 fragrance picks