Birdie Xerjoff 2012

Dark beaches: I don't even know how many of them there might be; after all, the term "beach" here always means a smaller or larger stretch of light-colored, sometimes even almost white sand by the sea.
I do remember reading once about a "black beach" somewhere in Scandinavia, but I can't really imagine it yet.

So after the first spray of "Birdie", I'm digging in the dark, heavy patchouli soil, somewhere on the Mediterranean, infused with the vetiver that so often accompanies this fragrance:
So I am surrounded by very familiar scents that I like.
But suddenly I encounter something surprising:
Spicy, woody, almost tangy (fermented?) greenery jumps out at me: Was this probably where chopped waste from plants, bushes and wood was dumped and collected?
The scent of lavender in various forms of wood, leaf and blossom certainly seems to be present; we have known each other quite well for some time.
However, something similar to camphor or wormwood is striking and at first also frightening: a surge of dark green, very bitter aroma immediately hits my nose, seems to be aromatherapeutically active there and before I can really shake myself, "Birdie" becomes pleasantly balsamic and quite supple.
Now I feel surprisingly comfortable and let myself drift, so that I can also perceive slowly developing, distinctly maritime notes.
Seawater with all its interesting components seems very close; I can almost hear the waves crashing and feel the wind; it's more than just a light breeze.
So I trudge barefoot, eating a ripe, juicy apple, through now soft sand that joins this damp patchouli vetiver earth with rich green inclusions and let myself be accompanied by a very austere and powerful composition that reveals itself to me over time in a very pleasant and soothing way.

XerJoff's "Birdie" is very rustic, takes a lot of getting used to, but is also very interesting in its fragrance development.
At first, the patchouli is heavy and familiar, followed by a powerful green "rumble", a kind of explosion of dark, very bitter plant and woody aromas that takes up a lot of space until the emerging creation becomes balsamic and takes you to an enchanted sandy place on the Mediterranean coast.

I am pleasantly surprised at how this fragrance chameleon develops as I wear it: It is more than just a mere arrangement, a deep sympathy develops for this fragrance creature.

So my curiosity led me down a completely different, but not entirely foreign path; after all, I've been into aromatherapy for a long time.
Maybe that's why we harmonize so well!