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7
The complex layers of my spiritual animal
PROLOGUE:
Animalique, what does this name stand for? Is it about "anima", Latin for soul, or does the perfume smell animalistic? Curious to find out what's behind it, I read a quote from Ben Gorham, the founder and Creative Director at Byredo:
"I wanted to explore what all humans have in common: our primal nature and our primal instincts. The idea is that beneath the complex layers of our true selves resides a spiritual animal."
So a complex fragrance that brings me closer to my Spiritanimal? What else does Byredo write about the fragrance? "Animalique taps into components that all humans share: our authentic essence and our primal instincts. The feeling of euphoric dancing under disco lights, the feeling of inexplicable physical attraction, the feeling of being carried away by the pull of certain vibrations."
It's consummate marketing poetry, but damn, I finally want to know what - at least for Ben Gorham - primal instinct, soul, disco, euphoria smell like together.
THE FRAGRANCE ON ME:
First I spray on a strip. Hmmm, citrusy, creamy, good. At least not animalic. I get braver and ask if I can test it on my arm: the saleswoman presses the spray button twice all the way down, 2 centimetres away from my skin, I wait until the puddle of perfume dries. And there it is: Animalique. On me. "Wait 15 minutes," the saleswoman says to me, with a knowing gleam in her eye.
I walk out of the store, Animalique swinging with me: Kaufmann's children's cream (brand name/unpaid advertising), suede jacket, vanilla crescents. Yes, I like it. I get on a bus. Suddenly I'm surrounded by campfire smoke, pungent, intense. Now I have an inkling of what was meant by the complex layers of our selves, an inkling of why the sales clerk gave me such a knowing glare.
At home I want to: get rid of the smoke. Wash my arm once, twice. The smoke remains. At some point, it quietly drifts away. What remains is a wonderfully creamy fragrance that reminds me of children's cream with its mild citrus. Only somehow more complex, more interesting, more grown-up. Perhaps because the suede is still delicately perceptible.
The next day, I have an evening date with a friend at the Barberini. My Spiritanimal keeps showing itself like a deer that hops past from time to time. Even though I've showered. Even though I haven't sprayed it on, Animalique is still clearly there. My girlfriend also notices the scent. And somehow it's this comforting, creamy envelopment that lingers for a long, long time that I've fallen in love with.
Thanks to the lovely perfumer @Jolene, 25-30 milliliters of Animalique are coming to me for an extensive test. And what can I say: if I only spray once, the smoke phase is also much more subtle and pleasant. I like the facets. For me, there is no euphoric disco, it smells cozy, comforting, creamy, delicate. Longevity for me is enormous: for me, one spray is enough for Animalique to stay with me the next day.
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Acanthea
SmellGoodGuy
Ch03np
