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Collection Black

Still Life Olfactive Studio 2011

7.3 / 10 362 Ratings

A perfume by Olfactive Studio for women and men, released in 2011. The scent is citrusy-fresh. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Citrus

Fresh

Spicy

Fruity

Green

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Yuzu

Pink pepper

Sichuan pepper

Black pepper

Elemi resin

Heart Notes

Galbanum

Star anise

Base Notes

Ambrox

Cedarwood

Rum

Perfumers

Dora Baghriche-Arnaud, DSM-Firmenich

Ratings

Scent

7.3362 Ratings

Longevity

6.3259 Ratings

Sillage

5.7256 Ratings

Bottle

7.3230 Ratings

Value for money

6.559 Ratings

Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 08/09/2025.

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the Collection Black collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Cactus Garden

Still Life in Rio

Knowledge

Navegar

Almost Transparent Blue

Citrus Batikanga

Reviews

18 in-depth fragrance descriptions

01/19/2013

7Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Sherapop
1240 Reviews

Sherapop

Helpful Review 5

Bright and Inviting Green Citrus

Olfactive Studio STILL LIFE opens white and bright and as a matter of fact LUMIERE BLANCHE would have been an excellent name for this composition! Once it settles a bit, the green citrus presents itself front and center. I was attempting to guess the notes and decided that it must be petit grain. According to the hierarchy, what I'm "really" detecting is yuzu and galbanum. That's okay: the important point is: green citrus.

STILL LIFE smells very nice for what it is and I believe that it is stronger than the other members of this series, an impression which is confirmed by the 77% alcohol content as opposed to 80% listed for all of the others. The overall effect is similar to my nose to compositions such as Banana Republic W or Bond no 9 EAU DE NEW YORK, although this particular green citrus appears not to contain any flowers whatsoever. In the drydown I am able to detect the elemi and pepper as well, which sets this creation further apart from the floral citrus crowd.

Overall, STILL LIFE is a fine and refreshing unisex scent. Probably best for spring and summer, though it could certainly be worn in cold weather to lift one's spirits!

04/17/2015

ColinM
516 Reviews

ColinM

1

Half-baked...

Still Life by Olfactive Studio opens with a catchy citrus-fizzy note, a bit plain but lively and zesty, with silky and slightly creamy neroli/orange nuances, then an odd sort of greenish-mossy “warm” accord, a bit metallic and a bit salty (calone?) with a sort of sweaty-shady substance but at the same time fruity, which I can not really identify (I read the scent shall contain notes of galbanum, elemi, spices, perhaps the way the three of them are elaborated creates this weird soup-ish accord - especially because of galbanum). Finally, sandalwood and resinous notes on the base. I don’t get the boozy note, at least not that clear. Overall, despite the peculiar opening, the scent quickly turns into a quite conventional and mono-dimensional fragrance with no particular interest whatsoever, basically a fizzy citrus-green scent with spices, floral nuances, resinous-ambery-woody notes and overall sweet-creamy texture – a sweet Oriental, in short. The only variation which may still keep your attention alive is “that” odd accord, which won’t go away for quite a while, providing a (to me) fairly unpleasant metallic-sweaty-salty nuance, halfway spicy and rotten with an odd, warm fruity feel. Not that far from some 1990’s masculine scents, the spicy-sweet ones, almost smelling like a sort of half-creative, half-insulting cut & paste collage of some key notes like citrus, woods, spices, resins. Intriguing at first (just to see “where it is going”), then (once you realise it’s basically going nowhere) a bit boring and unsubstantial, yet overall not that bad. Fun to try if you have the chance to.

6-6,5/10

06/18/2024

Ebichuunee
98 Reviews

Ebichuunee

1

Summer cocktail

After sampling the fresh collection from Olfactive Studio, I was initially drawn to purchase Still Life due to a great deal and the joy it brings me. This woody citrus fragrance reminds me of a boozy lemon gelato, which is delightful. Is it groundbreaking? No. But it's an easy and pleasant wear. If the weather in France were better, I would be drenching (moderately) myself in it because it smells like a well-deserved holiday, sipping cocktails in the cool afternoon.

It's completely unisex, and both my boyfriend and I use it equally. By the end of the day, I can still catch whiffs of this lemon ice cream on my skin, so the longevity is quite good with my skin chemistry.

04/10/2012

7Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Aava
50 Reviews

Translated · Show original

Aava

Top Review 30

When the Coca Cola Light Man Steps Out of the Elevator...

On any weekday. It's just before half past eleven. In a New York office with a surplus of women, wedding rings are being removed, the photo of the beloved is being tucked away into the drawer, and blouse buttons are being undone. All the secretaries are eagerly watching the elevator. At exactly 11:30, the door opens and the Coca-Cola Light Ken steps out. Casual to look at, dressed in faded jeans and a light gray t-shirt, carrying a case of ice-cold Coca Cola Light on his shoulders. Tired from the elevator ride, he pauses, sets the case down, opens a bottle of Coca Cola Light, and drinks. And drinks. And drinks. The ladies freeze, glued to Ken's lips, time stands still, and imagination swirls. End scene.

But that's not how it goes here, rather it goes like this:

On any weekday. It's just before half past eleven. In a New York office with a surplus of women, wedding rings are being removed, the photo of the beloved is being tucked away into the drawer, and blouse buttons are being undone. All the secretaries are eagerly watching the elevator. At exactly 11:30, the door opens and the Yuzu Ken steps out. Casual to look at, dressed in faded jeans and a light gray t-shirt, carrying a crate of ripe, plump mandarins on his shoulders. Tired from the elevator ride, he pauses, sets the crate down, and takes a mandarin out. He stands in front of the secretaries, cracks all ten fingers, and begins to peel the plump mandarin from its skin. With one finger, he gently scores the skin. The aromatic pores burst open and a tart-bitter and very ethereal scent rises into the room. Strip by strip, the white pith separates from the fruit flesh, releasing a bittersweet orange-green aroma. The ladies freeze, glued to Ken's fingers, time stands still, and imagination swirls. End scene.

Still Life is far from over. This is just the beginning, and right from the start, it becomes clear who is in charge here. The Yuzu reigns supreme, for me the Japanese counterpart to the local mandarin. Enhanced by a hefty dose of pepper, the bitter citrus note in the top note is elevated to a highly concentrated ethereal oil. Surrounded by a lightly balsamic resinous quality that tenderly frames the ethereal bitterness. This top note is simply beautiful and absolutely striking. So striking that I find myself sticking to my arm, just like the secretaries to the lips of the Coca Cola Light Ken.

Until the very end, the Yuzu remains dominant. The initially ethereal-bitter citrus note transforms over time, primarily through the beautifully understated yet distinctly noticeable sweetness of anise and the soft-balsamic galbanum, into a pleasantly sweet, still full but now very soft Yuzu scent. It smells like entering a room where someone has recently devoured a kilo of mandarins.

The ethereal bitterness recedes further and further, and Still Life transitions from fruity freshness into a dry balsamic citrus sweetness. Slightly woody and hinting at spiciness. In the end, almost completely clear and crystal transparent. Very sexy. And very masculine. Nothing unisex.

And so I propose the following thesis:

If on any weekday, in a New York office with a surplus of women, around 11:30, the ladies faint one after another at the sight of the Coca Cola Light Ken, Still Life will surely waft through the office spaces in softly smiling scent clouds.

06/05/2017

6Scent 5Longevity 6Sillage

Meggi
1018 Reviews

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Meggi

Top Review 25

Still Life or "still alive?"

That Yuzu comes across as significantly more refined than Mandarin, I believe immediately after spraying. More fine acidity, more noble-herbaceous aroma. A Yuzu lemonade, please! I can't say much more about it; I've never tried the fruit. However, Mandarin is quite a good approximation here.

What stands out to me is primarily the prickly-artificial Olfactive Studio note. This is the one that presumably smells like the film rolls for small-format cameras did in a bygone era - I have no relevant experiences with photo lab odors. In combination, it feels as if a rotten element has mixed in with the crisp fresh fruits (a more appealing comparison will follow in the next paragraph). One that already smells sharply fermented. Fortunately, the prickling calms down within a few minutes to that kind of sting that benefits a fragrance.

The pepper is wonderfully done, more aromatic-ethereal-fresh than sharp. It's a pity that it quickly fades away. After barely ten minutes, it has left me.

The prickling could, in a friendlier interpretation, also remind one of Limoncello or, in this case, more appropriately of "Mandarincello," especially since an alcoholic note has gradually crept into the scent. Within half an hour, the freshness of the fruit has given way to a more candy-like liqueur sweetness, which, however, benefits from a peculiar residual acidity. Overall, it has turned out beautifully late summer-autumnal.

Unfortunately, the dial goes down significantly in every respect. Not even two hours later, I have arrived at a sort of rum pot-wood-skin cream, for which the Yuzu is no longer a banner but at best a sticker - thus only able to provide a distant hint of acidity. That's it. The rest of the characteristic olfactive synthetics contribute to the fact that I no longer find any of this pleasant.

Still Life? "Are you still alive?" I would like to ask.

In the afternoon, the supposedly rum note shows persistence. I think it is primarily sugary amber with an artificial wood note. I don't know where the rather durable alcoholic impression comes from. Perhaps it works similarly to rum aroma, which consists of *wikipedia ein* "carboxylic acid esters ... and other aromas in a water-propylene glycol mixture." *wikipedia aus*. An "-ester," as old school knowledge rings a bell, is a compound of an acid and a - et voilà - alcohol; perhaps that's why it smells like alcohol. Relevant hints are, as always, welcome.

Conclusion: After a good start, a rapid decline.

I thank MisterE for the sample.

PS: Pepper. Hmm. It is emphasized in many comments. I find it very subtle; however, I've often suspected that my perception sometimes downplays it. An unavoidable fate of someone who enjoys spicy food.

More reviews

Statements

55 short views on the fragrance

Itchynose

7 years ago

7.5Scent

2

Bright and luminous yuzu with a hint of resin and spice in the background. Almost edible citrus.

AlexD76

12 months ago

8Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

1

Still Life is a vibrant and unexpected blend of citrusy yuzu, spicy peppers and warm rum. A playful contrast of fresh & warm notes

xsuamy

3 months ago

1

Fizzy citrus and lemonade, fresh with a spicy kick, dusty citrus, black tea with lemon, and a hint of wood, menthol, and sweetness.

Schoeibksr

2 years ago

6Scent 7Longevity 6Sillage

28

24

Chilling in Rio on the beach with Ambrox robots bringing me a fresh chemical cocktail with coconut flakes.
Luckily, just a dream :)

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Pollita

5 years ago

8Scent 7Sillage

21

12

A pleasant, green freshness with citrus, a bit of coziness, and a touch of fine elegance. Despite the Ambroxan, it's simply wonderful.

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Floyd

6 years ago

7Scent 7Longevity 5Sillage

13

4

Strange pyramid,
Spicy-creamy hesperid,
Yuzu gently sinks into resins and amber,
Oddly Eastern Pina Colada.

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Torfdoen

5 years ago

8Scent 9Longevity 7Sillage

9

3

Creamy lemon zest, chlorophyll in an ice cube, a hint of pepper spice. "Navegar" in designer style at the pool bar.

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Chizza

5 years ago

7Scent 6Longevity 6Sillage

10

4

Fresh, elevated cedar resonates but is tempered by the spiciness. Rum is noticeable but not sweet, enhancing the bitterness. Exciting.

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Parma

11 months ago

6.5Scent 6Longevity 6Sillage

8

Yuzu soliflore. Bitter-grapefruit-like-fruity-watery. Too bright for me and leaning towards cleaner territory. Delicate clove-cinnamon spice, dry wood.

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