I want to preface my reviews by giving a little note that I think is relevant to the experience of buying these perfumes. Marie-Pierre Blanchette, the perfumer, also does all of the work for the brand. Taken from their page, “Marie not only creates the perfumes, but also compounds, filters, bottles, labels and packs every order. She also created the branding, does most of the photography, and maintains the website and social media.” This is very taxing work, needless to say, and yet, hers is the best customer service I have ever experienced with a brand. Not only was she extremely helpful and even went the extra mile when there were issues, but she was also incredibly sweet and lovely.
The initial blast is bright pink in colour (not the juice itself, the associations). Beautifully complex, like a blossom exploding with its florality, greenness and fruitiness, and filled with subtleties. Hard to put my finger on it, but oh so perfect. The opening speaks right to my heart. It feels like the coming of age of a feminine person and it embodies what comes to mind when I hear “the divine feminine”. Like a woman, it is far too nuanced to try to fit into a box. An exquisite symphony of facets that I personally love, and soon, it turns to show us a new face. It is richer, lusher and more humid, now. More “grown up”, if you will. There is something that reads as narcotic and intoxicating, a quality that I find often in white florals. It feels darker and more mysterious than before, with carnal qualities, but still green, slightly herbal, which evokes notions of witchcraft to me, and I find that delightful. The smell is very elegant and sophisticated, but without doing this in a very stereotypical manner. There are ways that this can be done traditionally, but Pistil is remarkably original in how it presents this concept. There is a sweetness that runs throughout, but not in a gourmand or synthetic way; rather evoked by the florals in the composition - it makes me think of the way a bee would find flower nectar to be sweet. It is a “full-bodied” smell, not in an overwhelming sense in the least, not overbearing or overdone, but with presence and character. Also, there is a “waxen” quality, for lack of a better word, and a somewhat powdery scent through the mid (and base), though done in a way that I don’t usually associate with the descriptor. It is somewhat velvety, like the plush softness of an actual flower petal. The smell has transitioned significantly; initially “bright pink”, it has turned indigo and dark green. The texture of the scent is really soft and enveloping, like a blanket made of flowers, or the voice of a loving mother, but I wouldn’t say it’s a “gentle” scent, because it is a lot more thought-provoking than what I would associate that with. Further into the drydown, Pistil’s more animalic facets increase, which I have no issue with, as I adore animalic smells, and I think they are well balanced with the floral and green qualities of the scent: to my nose nothing overpowers anything. Additionally, the things that read as herbal earlier increase, but don’t lead, and a tea-like quality is more present. The scent now evokes its witchiest quality, and as with the other from Miskeo, there is a “naturalness” running through all of them which specifically appeals to me and it’s a feature that I thoroughly enjoy from Miskeo.
Based on the notes/impressions from the brand: Miskeo ascribes the scent families of “Floral, Animalic, Green” to Pistil, and this is based on a lovely scent wheel they have devised which can be found on their website. The impressions (“notes”) on the website are, galbanum, raspberry, wormwood, violet, jasmine, narcissus, lavender, costus and atlas cedarwood. I would agree with these impressions, personally, as you can see from my review, as from what I know each of those notes to smell like, they lend their qualities throughout the composition (I reviewed the scent before reminding myself of the notes).
Other features that I think are worth noting: I think practically, Pistil would do well in any season, and different temperatures would bring out different facets, so I am very excited to see how that fares. Subjectively, I naturally associate the scent more with nighttime and colder weather, due to my own personal associations, though due to the white florals and more “humid” parts of the smell, I don’t think I would have this in mind if I wore it in warmer weather (which I will). I would reserve this scent more for special occasions, but if I were to wear perfume based only on how much I enjoy the scent itself, I would wear this, and many others, including the other ones in Miskeo’s line, much more often (I currently opt for mood-dependent, association-based wear, more than I do sheer scent-enjoyment wear). I would describe the scent as leafy and grassy, powdery and heady, animalic and musky, and with berry accents. To be whimsical, it is evocative of an alluring fantastical flower found in a witch’s overgrown garden guarded by wolves. Mood-wise, to me it is a scent to be memorable and interesting, mysterious, cryptic, seductive, original, and/or spiritual/mystical.
More info: It is an Eau de Parfum, at an 18% Concentration, and it is vegan-friendly (love). I don’t particularly care about longevity in perfume, as it is an art form that should be observed through that lens: smell should be the priority, and whether it lasts long or not shouldn’t be of main concern, as a perfume which’s focus is how long it lasts is a commercial tactic product of consumerism and recent times, and I think it’s disrespectful to the artist (perfumer) who is trying to make a beautiful scent, to demand otherwise. If a scent which is good, does last long, then that is of course fine, but the scent shouldn’t have to be compromised for its longevity. For what it’s worth, Pistil does last several hours at least, I would say around or more than 6, probably (I haven’t paid close attention sufficiently to determine how many). Gender-wise, I also don’t believe in it, I am non-binary myself, and all smells are for everyone (see their page for related information).
Rating overall: 10/10
Thoughts on the brand: The aesthetics of Miskeo, as well as the creative choices (such as the layout of their page, the way they describe scents, the extremely interesting and very unique additions of things like scent synaesthesia), their transparency with materials and in general, and their other ethics, regarding humans and non-human animals, something which is essential for me, are exactly aligned with my own beliefs and what I find interesting (check their FAQ’s, https://miskeoparfums.com/pages/faq). The smells are unparalleled, and paired with everything I have said so far, as well as the fact that Marie is a delightful person that I am happy to support, financially and other, I can conclude that this is certainly one of my favourite brands of all time, and I am glad to have all of her scents in my collection, as well as express my excitement at whatever she may bring out in the future.
Disclaimer: Scent is subjective, so take my interpretations with a grain of salt. Everyone’s opinion on smells is affected by their own personal experiences, and no 2 people will interpret things the same, so don’t generalise my opinion, and smell things for yourself to make up your thoughts.
Galbanum
Jasmine sambac
Narcissus
Violet
Costus
Raspberry
Vermouth
Atlas cedar
Lavender absolute
Misericorde
