02/05/2017
Exciter76
77 Reviews
Exciter76
Very helpful Review
6
Wrightwood, CA, US Circa 1985 in a Bottle
I was rebelling against my own self-imposed no-blind buy rule and purchased Arizona. I was propelled by an email newsletter from Olympic Orchids announcing the discontinuation of the fragrance. I went over to the online store, read the description, and clicked the checkout button. It was the description, not the notice of discontinuation, which prompted me to make that blind purchase.
Expectation: (Bear with me. This will be long-winded but I swear I’m setting this up for a reason.) My paternal grandparents lived in a small mountain town in Southern California’s High Desert. One of my fondest childhood memories was of spending weekends walking with my Grandpa and his two Black Labs through the town. We’d walk among the trees and along the wash flowing with the winter’s melted snow. His dogs would fruitlessly chase small wild animals and I’d go chasing after the dogs. Even then I was entranced by the smell of the tall trees, the budding wildflowers, the frosty air, the whole environment. My grandparents and their dogs are no longer with us but those memories will live forever. I could go visit that little town, which has grown to a quasi-tourist ski resort. There are more cars, more people, more traffic, and fewer animals but there is no way to get back to my childhood in the 1980s. For that reason I thought those scents were lost forever. Arizona seemed to be a way to travel back to a simpler time and a serene mountainous oasis.
Reality: Had I not read all the previous reviews I’d be so put off by the opening! I was reminded of my Grandma and her requests to have muscle relaxant cream rubbed on her left shoulder. I loved my Grandma and I love my memories of her but I really could have done without the medicinal opening. I remained patient and was given back those memories of mountain hikes with my Grandpa and his dogs. Pine needles underfoot, cold air, spring flowers just beginning to bud—I could smell it all. I got a little emotional once the fragrance got to this point. However, before I could clearly recall the way the sun looked in the early morning hours of our hikes the scent is gone. From my skin alone I got about two hours, max.
Much like a kid who eagerly gets back in line to ride their favorite amusement park ride, I resprayed myself to have the experience again. I became a little less emotional and more discerning with each wearing. There’s the off-putting opening of medicinal muscle rub, the picture-perfect encapsulation of cold fragrant mountain air in the heart, and the vanishing of it all in the drydown. I do love this scent the more I wear it but I wish it lasted longer. I’m puzzled, though, because longevity is not an issue with other OO scents I’ve tried, namely Olympic Amber and Blackbird. Oh well. I’ve learned to spray my shirts and carry a decant spray in my purse.
It’s a pity that this is being discontinued. I guess I’ll enjoy my bottled memories while they last.
Expectation: (Bear with me. This will be long-winded but I swear I’m setting this up for a reason.) My paternal grandparents lived in a small mountain town in Southern California’s High Desert. One of my fondest childhood memories was of spending weekends walking with my Grandpa and his two Black Labs through the town. We’d walk among the trees and along the wash flowing with the winter’s melted snow. His dogs would fruitlessly chase small wild animals and I’d go chasing after the dogs. Even then I was entranced by the smell of the tall trees, the budding wildflowers, the frosty air, the whole environment. My grandparents and their dogs are no longer with us but those memories will live forever. I could go visit that little town, which has grown to a quasi-tourist ski resort. There are more cars, more people, more traffic, and fewer animals but there is no way to get back to my childhood in the 1980s. For that reason I thought those scents were lost forever. Arizona seemed to be a way to travel back to a simpler time and a serene mountainous oasis.
Reality: Had I not read all the previous reviews I’d be so put off by the opening! I was reminded of my Grandma and her requests to have muscle relaxant cream rubbed on her left shoulder. I loved my Grandma and I love my memories of her but I really could have done without the medicinal opening. I remained patient and was given back those memories of mountain hikes with my Grandpa and his dogs. Pine needles underfoot, cold air, spring flowers just beginning to bud—I could smell it all. I got a little emotional once the fragrance got to this point. However, before I could clearly recall the way the sun looked in the early morning hours of our hikes the scent is gone. From my skin alone I got about two hours, max.
Much like a kid who eagerly gets back in line to ride their favorite amusement park ride, I resprayed myself to have the experience again. I became a little less emotional and more discerning with each wearing. There’s the off-putting opening of medicinal muscle rub, the picture-perfect encapsulation of cold fragrant mountain air in the heart, and the vanishing of it all in the drydown. I do love this scent the more I wear it but I wish it lasted longer. I’m puzzled, though, because longevity is not an issue with other OO scents I’ve tried, namely Olympic Amber and Blackbird. Oh well. I’ve learned to spray my shirts and carry a decant spray in my purse.
It’s a pity that this is being discontinued. I guess I’ll enjoy my bottled memories while they last.
