Anessa
Helpful Review
3
Still life
The milky, viscous sweetness of rice wine
its fragrant steam floating over the cup
beckons to take a seat and listen
Sweet orange slices, placed with care
gently mirroring the sun from the plate
Damp flowers picked after the summer rain
Mrs Dalloway planning a party
her thoughts flow back to the orchards of her youth
Still life painted
timeless
blending Western colours with the East
I was introduced to Still not long ago, and for my love of both Earl Grey and the rice wine in taste and smell, I let Still into my life as my second 'celebrity' scent; and there it stayed since then, and I would miss this very much if it ever disappeared. I tried a clumsy 'haiku' above instead of a review, because this fragrance to me is rather like a snapshot of a moment, triggers the mental cinema, the instant I smell it.
It is a clean, composed, calming and, above all, quiet scent, the opposite of "dramatic" - the name and colour is very fitting. It has an introspective air, like listening to the silence. In its focusing and relaxing effects (at least on me), it could be seen as a milder equivalent to lavender. Still does not project much, but lingers on me for at least 8 hours; it just seems to love playing hide and seek.
The soapiness is certainly there, but not in the style of Glow, and the bergamot in the opening adds a certain piquancy which makes this a fine unisex fragrance and, together with the exotic rice wine-accord, it could appear less attractive for some people.
Regarding the sake (rice wine), it might be perceived stronger if either its smell is familiar to the wearer, or exactly the opposite as something 'strange'. No idea about the aromachemical formula, but rice wine definitely smells different from rice, the same as wine and grapes. I used to perceive mostly bergamot in the opening during colder seasons, which served as a gentle morning kick for me; now in summer, the boozy, sweet rice wine accompanied by subtlely tangy orange is like a treat for my nose and I'm really enjoying it. Still, and supposedly for the next long while.