Milou

I have a great weakness for classic chypre fragrances. Their mossy depth, that slightly earthy, muted feeling - it speaks to me immediately. However, what often throws me off are individual components that seem unavoidable in many chypres: the aldehydes, as known from fragrances by Chanel, unfortunately trigger nausea for me. And white flowers - orange blossom, neroli, jasmine, even rose - can cause me headaches.

That's why I often find myself loving a chypre just for its base: for the moment when the oak moss appears and the fragrance finally reaches the depth that I truly enjoy.

With Evernia, Geza Schön has created a fragrance for me that highlights exactly this part of a chypre - and from the very beginning. Evernia skips the difficult opening of flowers and aldehydes for me and lands immediately in the mossy, slightly damp, pleasantly earthy zone that I love about chypres.

What surprised me: Although Evernia contains no vetiver, the fragrance reminds me of Escentric Molecule 03, which I appreciate for its dry, clear earthiness. Both fragrances share this calm, green cleanliness - as if they were picking up the same inner thread, just in different ways.

If I had to describe why Evernia works so well for me, I would draw a parallel to monochrome art. Some works - like the intense color fields of artists such as Yves Klein - focus radically on a single impression. They forgo unnecessary details to create space for pure effect. Evernia feels the same way: It is not a complexly structured fragrance drama, but a clear, cleanly set chord that delivers exactly what I am looking for from the very first moment.

For me, Evernia is therefore a rare stroke of luck: a fragrance that carries the soul of a chypre, but does without those notes that usually overwhelm me. A calm, mossy, green-tinged fragrance - simple in the best sense and precisely because of that, convincing.

Do you know the saying: "When did Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n Roll actually become Veganism, Lactose Intolerance and Helene Fischer?" This statement resonates with me.
I am currently testing the new version of Rive Gauche, smoking a cigarette, and I feel transported back to my childhood: My mother's best friend, who was almost like a second mother to me and my brother, was what you would call a 'spicy' woman back then - today she would be called 'cool'... She wore her dark hair very short, smoked, drove a sporty little car, was a passionate equestrian, skier, and had two feisty Yorkshire Terriers. In her car, it smelled of leather, dog, and Rive Gauche - I loved that scent.
For me, RG is simply a really 'cool' fragrance. The new version seems less harsh to me, which corresponds to the spirit of the times (see above), but still has the aura of being 'spicy', independent, modern. Especially in the base. It seems to me that the top note has become more harmless - after the first spray, I hardly recognized the scent, it seemed so floral and soft to me - but now, after about two hours, it is back in full force: the 70s groove, the chic part of it: Yves Saint Laurent, who dressed women in dark blue tuxedos and made them look stunning.
Although the aldehydes and the floral note at the beginning give me a queasy feeling in my stomach and a slight headache, I need this statement from a fragrance in my collection! Just in memory of my mother's cool friend with the wonderfully old-fashioned name Edeltraut...
A timeless chypre that is very suitable for everyday wear and still stands out distinctly from the crowd. The metal bottle fits the fragrance perfectly: simple yet completely unique and also practical for the handbag...

Sometimes I just rummage a bit through my completely messy, scattered samples, most of which I don’t even remember having, and let myself be surprised. 'Cotton Flower' I read on the plastic bottle and think to myself 'could be nice for going to bed in a whisper of nothing, in this heat.' And so it is: it fits. Neither sensual nor sexy nor seductive, but simply pleasantly fragrant, lightly creamy, clean, proper, without triggering any associations or longings. Like freshly showered and lotioned, and the little child would snuggle up to me and say 'Mom, you smell so good'...

I would wear this fragrance in my life as a writer, either on a Frisian island or in Scotland, Ireland, or wherever that place is called, with the cheesy romantic stories that have been terribly adapted into German films? Oh yes, now I remember: Rosamunde Pilcher! Exactly, I would wear it as Rosamunde Pilcher, but without the plush and kitsch...
The opening strongly reminds me of seaweed, but very quickly, what the name promises reveals itself to me: Salty vetiver. You have to love it, this herbaceous northern beauty. I love it very much! The islands of the North Sea, especially the small island of Föhr, are my place of longing. I love the rough climate, the dry humor of the people, the flat landscape... Lighthouses, dunes, spray - the Jever advertisement fits perfectly here, and Sel de Vetiver would be the scent to go with it if one could also experience the scent in film and advertising.
Despite my not-so-fresh age (*cough*) I still have many dreams. One of them is to someday live as a writer in a house by the sea, the house just for long beach walks with my dog, and to leave for an after-work beer with the fishermen. I would smell like "Sel de Vetiver." (So to speak, the northern version of Diane Keaton in "Something's gotta give" - the location, set here in the Hamptons, is an absolute dream! But it doesn't smell like SdV!))

When Daniela Andrier created the Prada fragrances Infusion d'Iris, Infusion d'Homme, or Infusion de Vétiver, she was just practicing - (untitled) is her masterpiece! The common handwriting is unmistakable, but while the Pradas come across as extremely noble and skillful, they are still a bit tame. (untitled), on the other hand, is truly surprisingly different: the opening is herb-green, almost zesty, then the appearance of incense gives the fragrance a slightly crypt-like twist, and in combination with the boxwood-galbanum green, it spreads that special smoky, almost ash-like note. At this stage, I perceive the fragrance as rather masculine, which I really like, because I now know how it continues: the smoky-green-ashy aspect remains, but then it beautifully merges with a hint of musk and jasmine (which I don't really perceive as such, but which probably adds a very slight sweetness) on the skin, ultimately even taking on a powdery-creamy twist. All in all, simply a brilliant composition that, to my nose, is a testament to the highest perfumer art.
For me, a truly classy fragrance! Completely non-floral, spicy-smoky yet soft, striking in its uniqueness and certainly absolutely stunning on men's skin!