Hylnds - Pale Grey Mountain, Small Black Lake D.S. & Durga 2013

Pale Grey Mountain, Small Black Lake initially disappointed me. While I was immediately captivated by Spirit of the Glen from the HYLNDS series, which revealed itself right away, Pale Grey Mountain, Small Black Lake remained cumbersome and pale. However, gradually the tide turns: While Spirit of the Glen becomes one-dimensional over time and loses its excitement, Pale Grey Mountain, Small Black Lake continuously shimmers like an oil film, darkly colorful, shifting, and interesting. Again and again, my nose picks up the scent, I sniff at my wrist, trying to grasp and understand the fragrance, yet I find it hard to describe:

It's a pity that fragrances aren't "tasted" blind, without knowledge of the name! But even without that knowledge, I would probably assign this one the color "grey": A dark, woolly black-grey, stone-grey, occasionally shimmering with a hint of dark emerald moss green and dark violet blue, depending on the light. In an attempt at an unbiased scent perception by blocking out the provided scent description / fragrance pyramid, I associate: Mineral, metallic, earthy, Icelandic moss, woody bitter herbs, perhaps some bitter stomach herbs. A scree field. Dark heathland - sparsely blooming, a few honeybees.

A strange image for a perfume: I imagine a man's hand, the hand of a metalworker, carefully washed after work with an herbal soap - now it smells pleasantly of remnants of metal and machine oil, mixed with woody, mossy soap cleanliness and freshness.

An archaic scent. It evokes Fougère associations: No lavender, but instead "heath, marsh violet, berry blossom" - no oak moss, but "lichen" and "damp stone." I find it: a variant of a Fougère accord.

Is it beautiful then? For me: Yes, absolutely! Familiar, trustworthy, rough, clear, honest, exciting. Stone and lichen. Mineral and life.

Clearly: A conceptual fragrance! Not suitable for the young disco or clubgoer or for evening seduction. No brilliant elegance. To be worn, not to please or stand out, but because IT pleases. For me (admittedly no longer a young man) a highly valued companion for everyday life and leisure, interesting like a good friend and dialogue partner, herbal, unexcited, calm, grounding, healing. Like a warm, heavy stone that fits comfortably in the hand, made of granite with a natural, rough surface. I would have thought it more masculine, but there are feminine perfumes with wonderful, individual collections... they surely surround themselves beautifully with PGM, SBL ;-)

Sillage: reserved. Longevity: reserved, fading after 4 hours. Price: high (does not stand for longevity or sillage, but for the uniqueness and special nature of the fragrance). Bottle: Very aesthetically proportioned, heavy, perfectly fitting plastic cap.