Caji Chris Rusak 2023
2
Expansive, gentle hay on a cloudy afternoon
When I saw that Chris Rusak was releasing a foin coupe I got so hyped. I love grass/hay scents. After the notes and description were released I was nervous - so much jasmine and civet, notes that I'm typically _very_ wary of. I shouldn't have doubted. It's great.
It opens with an expansive green, wet, fresh-cut lawn scent with a vague rooty undertone that leans suede/rubber or wax (orris?). My initial notes described it as "grass stains on new white sneakers". My nose is not particularly adroit, so I don't really get the cucumber or violet leaf in the published description, but i suspect the cucumber is what lends the vague watery accord. It's incredibly reminiscent to me of sitting on this athletic field of artificial turf during and after the lockdowns in summer of 2020. It's gentle, relaxed, unhurried - not things I associate with the pandemic itself but with the brief respite given by sprawling on the grass in the sun outside in the late spring with all the fear and chaos a safe distance away.
As it settles, the grass starts to dry out - the suede/rubber becomes a little more noticeable and the more watery accords of the top notes fade, transforming the fresh mown lawn grass into something much more hay-like and wildflower. It stays airy and expansive, with soft green powdery pollen and the waxy/rubbery note wavering on the edge of some kind of heady solvent, like fuel for a mower or oiled tools in a shed.
In the drydown, it becomes reminiscent of the base of AEOOJ. The rubbery/suede/waxy note fully transforms from rooty to solvent, mixing with a difficult-to-pinpoint musk. It lays close and light on my skin as a musky heady-aromatic floral, with the barest touch of hay. I don't notice the vanilla from the published description, and the "extreme dose" of civet stays very soft and subtle (at least to my nose). But perhaps I'm anosmic at this point?
After another hour or two later the airy rubbery accord disappears and in its place the musky suede is all that (barely) remains. It's animalic in a warm-fur-and-skin way, kinda like huffing the scruff of my cat or my friend's ferret. Fuzzy, comforting and pleasant.
Projection is good. It's no nostril-blasting nuke, but it develops an effective bubble. Longevity is low-moderate - it's down to a subtle skin scent after about 4-5 hours.
The PR copy says "Caji is a contemplative perfume, the sort of pleasure perfect for a day of inclement weather spent indoors, relaxing in comfort.". Today's a rainy, unseasonably warm day for December and I agree it suits the mood well. It's a gentle scent, overcast without being lugubrious. Also: my neighbor's cat loves it too! Must be the civet.
It opens with an expansive green, wet, fresh-cut lawn scent with a vague rooty undertone that leans suede/rubber or wax (orris?). My initial notes described it as "grass stains on new white sneakers". My nose is not particularly adroit, so I don't really get the cucumber or violet leaf in the published description, but i suspect the cucumber is what lends the vague watery accord. It's incredibly reminiscent to me of sitting on this athletic field of artificial turf during and after the lockdowns in summer of 2020. It's gentle, relaxed, unhurried - not things I associate with the pandemic itself but with the brief respite given by sprawling on the grass in the sun outside in the late spring with all the fear and chaos a safe distance away.
As it settles, the grass starts to dry out - the suede/rubber becomes a little more noticeable and the more watery accords of the top notes fade, transforming the fresh mown lawn grass into something much more hay-like and wildflower. It stays airy and expansive, with soft green powdery pollen and the waxy/rubbery note wavering on the edge of some kind of heady solvent, like fuel for a mower or oiled tools in a shed.
In the drydown, it becomes reminiscent of the base of AEOOJ. The rubbery/suede/waxy note fully transforms from rooty to solvent, mixing with a difficult-to-pinpoint musk. It lays close and light on my skin as a musky heady-aromatic floral, with the barest touch of hay. I don't notice the vanilla from the published description, and the "extreme dose" of civet stays very soft and subtle (at least to my nose). But perhaps I'm anosmic at this point?
After another hour or two later the airy rubbery accord disappears and in its place the musky suede is all that (barely) remains. It's animalic in a warm-fur-and-skin way, kinda like huffing the scruff of my cat or my friend's ferret. Fuzzy, comforting and pleasant.
Projection is good. It's no nostril-blasting nuke, but it develops an effective bubble. Longevity is low-moderate - it's down to a subtle skin scent after about 4-5 hours.
The PR copy says "Caji is a contemplative perfume, the sort of pleasure perfect for a day of inclement weather spent indoors, relaxing in comfort.". Today's a rainy, unseasonably warm day for December and I agree it suits the mood well. It's a gentle scent, overcast without being lugubrious. Also: my neighbor's cat loves it too! Must be the civet.
Floomf
