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04/24/2015
PBullFriend
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PBullFriend
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the Countess has no clothes
Not living on the East Coast of the US, I didn't get to try any of the DS & Durga scents for several years after I first heard about them. This did a lot to build up my anticipation. By the time I had access to them through the sample programs of Surrender to Chance and Twisted Lily, I realized that the anticipation had been the best part. This is one of those indie lines that I consider to be roughly equivalent to ordering a bunch of essential oils and playing with them myself. (The one exception is Royal Purpure, a limited edition which is lovely, foresty, and beyond my level of talent to create. I bought it blind at an Anthropologie closeout and was very happy with my purchase.)
Siberian Snow is listed on their website as "Rare, narcotic jasmine, crisp mint, Oriental amber, sandalwood & powdery incense. Worn by Countess Anna Vladoska at her legendary balls." I studied Russian literature. Why had I never heard of the Countess? I Googled "Anna Vladoska," and got 103 hits in various languages, all of which refer to DS&D's advertising copy. I guess the Countess never existed.
And that's a good thing, I guess, because I can't imagine wearing this smell to any ball, ever. I don't attend all that many fancy dress events, but, when I have, I've never encountered a woman who smelled like pine trees and mildew. I get occasional whiffs of amber, dirt, and something slightly greenish. After an hour or so, it settles into pinewood essential oil, which would be fine, except that: 1) I can buy pinewood essential oil in the health food store for less than $10; 2) the sillage is about 3", so we're talking extremely diluted essential oil; and 3) who wears pine essential oil to a ball?
My best recommendation for DS&D as a brand is that the principals should continue to write their enticing ad copy, but hire one of the many talented professional noses available (they live in New York, after all) to create their perfumes. Trying 7 scents out of 55 and finding one to be worth wearing is a pretty poor average, to my nose, especially considering that these cost $145 US for 50 ml.
Siberian Snow is listed on their website as "Rare, narcotic jasmine, crisp mint, Oriental amber, sandalwood & powdery incense. Worn by Countess Anna Vladoska at her legendary balls." I studied Russian literature. Why had I never heard of the Countess? I Googled "Anna Vladoska," and got 103 hits in various languages, all of which refer to DS&D's advertising copy. I guess the Countess never existed.
And that's a good thing, I guess, because I can't imagine wearing this smell to any ball, ever. I don't attend all that many fancy dress events, but, when I have, I've never encountered a woman who smelled like pine trees and mildew. I get occasional whiffs of amber, dirt, and something slightly greenish. After an hour or so, it settles into pinewood essential oil, which would be fine, except that: 1) I can buy pinewood essential oil in the health food store for less than $10; 2) the sillage is about 3", so we're talking extremely diluted essential oil; and 3) who wears pine essential oil to a ball?
My best recommendation for DS&D as a brand is that the principals should continue to write their enticing ad copy, but hire one of the many talented professional noses available (they live in New York, after all) to create their perfumes. Trying 7 scents out of 55 and finding one to be worth wearing is a pretty poor average, to my nose, especially considering that these cost $145 US for 50 ml.
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