3
Sweet Violet Woody Aquatic
It has taken me a while to write a review of Dsquared SHE WOOD because I just cannot make up my mind about this perfume. I certainly love the violets, but there is something about the aquatic side of the composition which leaves me somewhat ambivalent. Maybe that makes sense, since I do not usually like aquatic fragrances. What is interesting about this one is that it does not manifest any of the seasickness-inducing qualities so common in the aquatic category. I have worn SHE WOOD several times, and never has it made me feel angst-ridden or sick.
So why am I ambivalent? I feel that the quality is closer to the Salvatore Ferragamo INCANTO series than to more sophisticated violet perfumes such as Histoires de Parfums BLANC VIOLETTE or L'Artisan Parfumeur VIOLETTE VERTE. SHE WOOD is definitely distinct. I do not find it very similar to Trussardi JEANS (or its close cousin, Alexander McQueen MY QUEEN), nor is it very similar to the Sonoma Scent Studio violet perfumes.
Despite its name, SHE WOOD seems very limpid and aqueous rather than opaque and woody, but there is a tinge of wood. Perhaps that is what makes this creation a bit odd. Rather than the usual treatment of wood, here we have a wood-flavored water. Of course, all perfumes are aqueous solutions, but this is a rare case where the water seems like an important note. This composition is not at all musky to my nose, and I think that floral woody aquatic would be the best category to place it in. Of course it would be nearly alone. The violet and aquatic aspects are similar to Balenciaga PARIS, but the wood makes SHE WOOD unique.
Rather than agonizing further over my ambivalence, perhaps, in the end, I should just say that while I like SHE WOOD, I do not love it. I am sure that I'll use up my 100ml tester bottle, but I doubt that I'll buy it again.
So why am I ambivalent? I feel that the quality is closer to the Salvatore Ferragamo INCANTO series than to more sophisticated violet perfumes such as Histoires de Parfums BLANC VIOLETTE or L'Artisan Parfumeur VIOLETTE VERTE. SHE WOOD is definitely distinct. I do not find it very similar to Trussardi JEANS (or its close cousin, Alexander McQueen MY QUEEN), nor is it very similar to the Sonoma Scent Studio violet perfumes.
Despite its name, SHE WOOD seems very limpid and aqueous rather than opaque and woody, but there is a tinge of wood. Perhaps that is what makes this creation a bit odd. Rather than the usual treatment of wood, here we have a wood-flavored water. Of course, all perfumes are aqueous solutions, but this is a rare case where the water seems like an important note. This composition is not at all musky to my nose, and I think that floral woody aquatic would be the best category to place it in. Of course it would be nearly alone. The violet and aquatic aspects are similar to Balenciaga PARIS, but the wood makes SHE WOOD unique.
Rather than agonizing further over my ambivalence, perhaps, in the end, I should just say that while I like SHE WOOD, I do not love it. I am sure that I'll use up my 100ml tester bottle, but I doubt that I'll buy it again.