Woodcut Olympic Orchids Artisan Perfumes 2014

Reading the base notes led me to expect this fragrance would be sweet, but it really isn't. With a deft hand the perfumer has used caramel and burnt sugar as a fixative and volumizer for the other notes and to lend a little smokiness. Frankincense does the rest. Balsam freshens and adds luxury. The cedar, oak and pine are just glorious. They're either natural or from exceptionally good synthetics. I'm guessing natural. I put Woodcut on one hand and D.S. and Durga's splendid Silent Grove on the other--a lighter beauty with more pine. One is the forest in daytime, the other at night, both beautiful. Wish I could get to hubby's fabulous Otro Poema de los Dones and compare Woodcut to it. If memory serves, Woodcut would hold its own even in that exalted company. If you love woody perfumes, you won't want to miss this one. Picture having a cigarette under the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden and you're close to the feel of this fragrance. No need to worry about your lungs. Only renewals happen here.

It opens with an almost intoxicating smoke that after a few seconds takes on the aromatic connotation of burnt wood, plus a hint of "antique furniture". Time to ask yourself how a burnt smell can be so intriguing, here comes the "living" notes of the woods, those typical of a sawmill, the scent of the the inner parts of the trunk where the sap flows, which for some reasons are laid bare. It also reminds me of the pine resin I had in my garden, when I was a child: my swing was hanging on a branch and the tree was injured, releasing a yellow, opaque and fragrant resin (I always thought it was its tears). Fortunately, the burnt note does not let go, it is only just slightly enveloped by the softer touch of caramel. The latter is dosed with big skill, without the situation falling into a too-sweet tail but remaining finely balanced.

I found Dr. Ellen Covey’s perfumes by accident and fell in love with all of her creations. She have talent like no other to recreate scents as time capsules that brings you closer to your own past experiences. I just came back from family vacation by the giant redwoods and we stayed in beautiful log cabin. At night we had best time under the stars, by the campfire throwing giant pinecones, making delicious smores and passing jokes and funny stories. Best time ever! Every time I pull out this wonderful scent I want to go back to that family vacation. I like to layer my vanilla scented perfumes with this cloud of freshly cut resinous pine. Name was picked to perfection.

What Woodcut delivers is the enchanted lumberyard, a place where the cedar planks ooze their Butterfinger wood sugars, the knotty pine is nutty pine, the oak is malted-whopper delicious (mmm...oakwood absolute) and the topping of the day is always sawdust. Yet, Woodcut isn't gourmand: a dry, lightly smoky incense cuts through like a swinging censer and wood-camphor makes it clear this isn't wood that one can bite into. Be careful not to get splinters!

In the dry down I detect something that reminds me of one of my favorite bases, Robertet Bois de Landes (fractional distillations of pine and cedar), pine resinous and fruity-lichen-y. There's also the suggestion of burnt sugar Maillard reaction toastiness, perhaps the effect of tolu balsam in the base. In summary, Woodcut is thus far the most fanciful woody fragrance I've discovered. 10/10.

Wow, smells like sawdust or a campfire - and that's actually really cool! On paper it wouldn't seem that scent profile would be appealing, but it works somehow. I couldn't stop smelling it on me. If you like nature scents like me, this is a strong choice. It's kind of heartwarming and comforting. The campfire smell is what more immediately comes to mind, but when I think about it, the sawmill or sawdust metaphor totally works too. And if you like vetiver, I think you would also really like this, even though that's not an official note. It also smells like the ingredients are high-quality. Decent longevity as well. Enjoyed it so much I not only ordered a full bottle but also four new decants of this line's other fragrances . . . more reviews to come!