11/29/2012
Sherapop
1239 Reviews
Sherapop
Helpful Review
4
An acquired taste... which I have...
Natural perfumes take some getting used to. Some of them never appeal to me, because they are too brash, too sour, too harsh, and generally smell like someone threw essential oil, soil, and leaves together in a blender. But there is a world of difference between THOSE natural perfumes and the ones which please me.
The house of Sama makes excellent natural perfumes. They all smell very earthy during the opening phase, and I am quite sure that many people do not grasp that the beauty of a carefully composed and produced natural perfume is found in its development and drydown, not its sometimes challenging opening. I am basing this bold conjecture on the extremely low ratings which these perfumes have been receiving on the German side. I wonder whether people are not thinking of easily accessible designer fragrances and then concluding that these ones are poorly made?
No, my fragrant friends, these perfumes are of a different breed. They are an acquired taste which some will never acquire, having concluded that every perfume must be easy to understand and immediately likeable and "nice". In my view, well-made natural perfumes have a great depth and are more food for thought than toiletries. If I were to compare them to some more popular houses, I'd say that they might be closer to Tauer Perfumes and Serge Lutens than they are to L'Artisan Parfumeur and By Kilian. I'd situate Montale half way between those two groups, and to my nose, that's about where the house of Sama, too, lies.
LOUP DES STEPPES is a dark and earthy woody oriental perfume. It is all-natural and mostly organic, and as with every other creation of this house, it comes in a parfum strength poured into a bottle labeled eau de parfum. These thick, rich, viscous elixirs could easily be sold in 1 ounce bottles, because they will last forever. To give an idea of the density: these compositions are closer to the strength of Sonoma Scent Studio and DSH, both of which come in 1 ounce (30 ml) bottles. One look at the color and viscosity of these creations and it becomes obvious that they lie in pure perfume territory. This impression is only confirmed by their notable sillage and excellent longevity. A dot behind each ear will do, just like true perfume back in the good old days.
Steppenwolf seems like a good name for this creation because it is deep and mysterious. Ponderous and pensive. The components smell so good to me compared to the aromachemicals in which designer fragrances are all currently awash. I could see developing a serious addiction to this kind of perfumery. I smell the ginger and the woods and a judicious dollop of citrus. This is NOTHING like the harsh and abrasive concoctions put out by the house of Lush. No, this is a fine all-natural perfume.
It seems to me that people who are testing all-natural perfumes for the first time would do well to withhold their caustic condemnation until they have acquired more experience, as there are distinctions between natural perfumes, and this house produces very fine ones indeed. I do not believe that those who have never tested any natural perfumes are fair to condemn a perfume of this genre for failing to be a facile designer perfume. That's nothing that it ever intended to be and so to dismiss it on those terms is to misunderstand what it is. It's like saying that coffee is bad because you really prefer tea! All natural perfumes are not intended to be pleasing to the masses. They are a true niche specialty, certainly not for everybody, but that is no demerit to my mind--or nose.
The house of Sama makes excellent natural perfumes. They all smell very earthy during the opening phase, and I am quite sure that many people do not grasp that the beauty of a carefully composed and produced natural perfume is found in its development and drydown, not its sometimes challenging opening. I am basing this bold conjecture on the extremely low ratings which these perfumes have been receiving on the German side. I wonder whether people are not thinking of easily accessible designer fragrances and then concluding that these ones are poorly made?
No, my fragrant friends, these perfumes are of a different breed. They are an acquired taste which some will never acquire, having concluded that every perfume must be easy to understand and immediately likeable and "nice". In my view, well-made natural perfumes have a great depth and are more food for thought than toiletries. If I were to compare them to some more popular houses, I'd say that they might be closer to Tauer Perfumes and Serge Lutens than they are to L'Artisan Parfumeur and By Kilian. I'd situate Montale half way between those two groups, and to my nose, that's about where the house of Sama, too, lies.
LOUP DES STEPPES is a dark and earthy woody oriental perfume. It is all-natural and mostly organic, and as with every other creation of this house, it comes in a parfum strength poured into a bottle labeled eau de parfum. These thick, rich, viscous elixirs could easily be sold in 1 ounce bottles, because they will last forever. To give an idea of the density: these compositions are closer to the strength of Sonoma Scent Studio and DSH, both of which come in 1 ounce (30 ml) bottles. One look at the color and viscosity of these creations and it becomes obvious that they lie in pure perfume territory. This impression is only confirmed by their notable sillage and excellent longevity. A dot behind each ear will do, just like true perfume back in the good old days.
Steppenwolf seems like a good name for this creation because it is deep and mysterious. Ponderous and pensive. The components smell so good to me compared to the aromachemicals in which designer fragrances are all currently awash. I could see developing a serious addiction to this kind of perfumery. I smell the ginger and the woods and a judicious dollop of citrus. This is NOTHING like the harsh and abrasive concoctions put out by the house of Lush. No, this is a fine all-natural perfume.
It seems to me that people who are testing all-natural perfumes for the first time would do well to withhold their caustic condemnation until they have acquired more experience, as there are distinctions between natural perfumes, and this house produces very fine ones indeed. I do not believe that those who have never tested any natural perfumes are fair to condemn a perfume of this genre for failing to be a facile designer perfume. That's nothing that it ever intended to be and so to dismiss it on those terms is to misunderstand what it is. It's like saying that coffee is bad because you really prefer tea! All natural perfumes are not intended to be pleasing to the masses. They are a true niche specialty, certainly not for everybody, but that is no demerit to my mind--or nose.
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