3
When you revive your favorite perfume under another's roof...
Puredistance M, created by Roja Dove. Now this, ladies and gentlemen, is a proper perfume. For me, it ranks supreme, next to Diaghilev, for olfactory works Mr. Dove has signed under his personage. However, unlike the former, this one was commissioned by another house. Once Roja realized he had given them a masterwork composition, he tried to recreate it under his brand. Unfortunately (to my taste), he fell rather far from the original design. While I enjoy his Fetish Pour Homme, I don't think it can match M in refinement and richness through restraint. I get more of a "Diaghilev-type" of aesthetic, build, and flair from M, whereas Fetish feels like a young brat overzealous in his hand gestures and dress code, trying to get all attention. M, much like Diaghilev, doesn't need to open his mouth to draw all eyes on him. The only issue is that it draws heavy inspiration (ahem, again) from a well-reputed and highly acclaimed vintage perfume. Despite that, Dove manages to take that theme, expand it, and in my opinion, perfect it. Hence, I'll forgive him once more and succumb.
M unfolds as a complex journey in three well-defined acts. I see people labeling it in many ways—a leather perfume, for the most part—yet it is difficult to categorize. It is a Leather, Oriental, and Chypre perfume—and you'll get all of that. Moreover, it has an unmistakable vintage flair.
On my skin, the first act is the "Leather." Starts with a short-lived burst of citrus, more on the juicy than the zesty side. It goes away quickly to reveal a bouquet of spices and a well-defined brown leather accord. As for the spices, I don't pick up the cinnamon just yet, but more of the cloves, and my favorite, cumin. The leather accord steers into the "naughty" territory fast, and I suspect cumin to render its dirty facet. It even feels oily at times.
Nonetheless, it plays a fine balance between an old-school Cuir-de-Russie leather accord and one of the more modern/polished varieties. In this part, I also detect the floral component, the carnation mostly. It complements the spices and helps perpetuate the "vintage" feel.
The second act emerges with the "Oriental" theme. I would call this the mid-phase of M. The leather takes a back seat while the cistus makes its way front-stage. Now, I pick up more of the cinnamon that pairs so well with the former. A slight toffee/sweet facet creeps in with a light smokiness and a glowing hue. It feels dusty and warm, with a slightly increasing sweetness without ever going over the top. At this stage, it wears like a proper Oriental perfume.
Lastly, the final stage is the "Chypre." The resins cool off while the leather makes a return, only this time, it takes its best friends with it, the oakmoss and the musk. The latter feels like a castoreum type of musk, by comparison to the heavy civet in Diaghilev. Make no mistake though, it plays just as heavily. The Oakmoss Accord is the main star, providing its inky-bitter and earthy quality, while the other two support it brilliantly. It feels so rich and decadent that you can almost chew it. It lasts like this for a long time and lingers on garments beautifully. You will smell the faint aroma on them many days after and think: "What a decadent and posh smell."
I have never been an enthusiast of Mr. Dove's craft, and yet, here I am again, bulging my eyes out for another one of his creations. M, next to Diaghilev, are, in my opinion, his finest works and two of the most thoroughly executed perfumes I was fortunate enough to experience despite being heavily inspired.
IG:@memory.of.scents
M unfolds as a complex journey in three well-defined acts. I see people labeling it in many ways—a leather perfume, for the most part—yet it is difficult to categorize. It is a Leather, Oriental, and Chypre perfume—and you'll get all of that. Moreover, it has an unmistakable vintage flair.
On my skin, the first act is the "Leather." Starts with a short-lived burst of citrus, more on the juicy than the zesty side. It goes away quickly to reveal a bouquet of spices and a well-defined brown leather accord. As for the spices, I don't pick up the cinnamon just yet, but more of the cloves, and my favorite, cumin. The leather accord steers into the "naughty" territory fast, and I suspect cumin to render its dirty facet. It even feels oily at times.
Nonetheless, it plays a fine balance between an old-school Cuir-de-Russie leather accord and one of the more modern/polished varieties. In this part, I also detect the floral component, the carnation mostly. It complements the spices and helps perpetuate the "vintage" feel.
The second act emerges with the "Oriental" theme. I would call this the mid-phase of M. The leather takes a back seat while the cistus makes its way front-stage. Now, I pick up more of the cinnamon that pairs so well with the former. A slight toffee/sweet facet creeps in with a light smokiness and a glowing hue. It feels dusty and warm, with a slightly increasing sweetness without ever going over the top. At this stage, it wears like a proper Oriental perfume.
Lastly, the final stage is the "Chypre." The resins cool off while the leather makes a return, only this time, it takes its best friends with it, the oakmoss and the musk. The latter feels like a castoreum type of musk, by comparison to the heavy civet in Diaghilev. Make no mistake though, it plays just as heavily. The Oakmoss Accord is the main star, providing its inky-bitter and earthy quality, while the other two support it brilliantly. It feels so rich and decadent that you can almost chew it. It lasts like this for a long time and lingers on garments beautifully. You will smell the faint aroma on them many days after and think: "What a decadent and posh smell."
I have never been an enthusiast of Mr. Dove's craft, and yet, here I am again, bulging my eyes out for another one of his creations. M, next to Diaghilev, are, in my opinion, his finest works and two of the most thoroughly executed perfumes I was fortunate enough to experience despite being heavily inspired.
IG:@memory.of.scents