D.S. & Durga - Sniff Fest
9 years ago
Decided to get in the sample kit currently offered at LuckyScent by this very interesting house: http://www.dsanddurga.com/pages/about. Just the thought of "premium-sourced materials" and perfumes made only -in house, inspired by "outdated herbal wisdom, native ritual...lore and legends..and Americana" was intriguing.
D.S. is from England, Durga a world-traveler from New York. Let's see what they came up with:
BOSTON IVY
Wow! If ivy really smelled this good, I wouldn't have cut my calculus classes in those ivy covered buildings in favor of painting the Ohio countryside when I was a teenager. What a fragrance! It utterly seduces the nose, not a single note going wrong. I could smell this forever. It makes me want to stop the sniff-fest and put it all over me. It's a male scent, but no way I'm giving up this dream of a fragrance just because I'm a woman. You guys just have to share. I don't even want to analyze it, just smell! THIS is perfume! THIS is the reason I'm an addict--why I scour reviews, roam perfume counters and haul samples in, why I sometimes do blind buys if the notes beckon. Not sure I would have tried this if I'd read them first instead of smelled. Soil in the base? Hop blossom in the top? Okay, freshness comes from lime and green pepper also in the top. Oakmoss and Galbanum are in the base, too ... okay, wait, forgot what Galbanum smells like, grabbing perfumery kit; oh, it's the beautiful green. As for the middle: ivy, clover and marine notes. These folks are geniuses!
Guys, listen up. When I was young and [content censored by hubby's hmmm], if a guy entered the room wearing this, my nose would have followed him all night, if necessary. Good grief, can't believe I wrote that. See what this fragrance is doing to me? I don't want to smell any more right now. Off to eat something. I see I'm going to need sustenance to get through these samples. Even if the rest are awful (which I'm sure they're not), buying this sample kit was worth it, just to smell this. Love, love!
Back later.
Okay, one more.
BOWMAKERS
Though they don't seem to share any notes, this one reminds me a bit of Slumberhouse Jeke or Vikt, except it's less strong (a good thing). It smells like a violin! Ah, that's because one of its top notes is violin varnish. All I can say is it must have been intended for a stradivarius violin. The rest are beautiful, rich wood notes I've smelled for years because one of hubby's hobbies is wood-working. He loves exotic hardwoods and makes everything from them -- furniture, whimsical artwork, guitars with beautiful sound. The resins, varnish and woods here remind me of his workshop, so I'm probably not an objective judge of Bowmakers. These are scents I already love. To me, Bowmakers, a unisex scent, is more starkly male than Boston Ivy, though, but do gender labels really matter when scents are this beautiful? Either I'm getting anosmic or Boston Ivy projects more and is stronger than Bowmakers. Will report on their longevity later.
One more while dinner's cooking!
BURNING BARBERSHOP
This whimsical name put me in mind of burning hair--not an appealing idea for a perfume--but, lo and behold, they've pulled this one off, too. Spearmint and lime freshen fir in the top note then as it dries the lavender and rose bloom atop hay, vanilla and burnt oil. The result is another wonder, a fragrance that's authoritatively male, one I'd expect to smell on perhaps a UN Secretary General. These fragrances are mesmerizing! And just in case you're wondering, I never heard of D.S. & Durga until I saw the LuckyScent ad for their samples and ordered it. Burning Barbershop gets stronger and more appealing as it dries. It's taking a while to write this because my nose just wants to stay glued to my arm. It's a comforting, reassuring scent, yet has an edge of nonconformity. Something about the burnt oil note makes me think: there's more to this man than meets the eye.
D.S. is from England, Durga a world-traveler from New York. Let's see what they came up with:
BOSTON IVY
Wow! If ivy really smelled this good, I wouldn't have cut my calculus classes in those ivy covered buildings in favor of painting the Ohio countryside when I was a teenager. What a fragrance! It utterly seduces the nose, not a single note going wrong. I could smell this forever. It makes me want to stop the sniff-fest and put it all over me. It's a male scent, but no way I'm giving up this dream of a fragrance just because I'm a woman. You guys just have to share. I don't even want to analyze it, just smell! THIS is perfume! THIS is the reason I'm an addict--why I scour reviews, roam perfume counters and haul samples in, why I sometimes do blind buys if the notes beckon. Not sure I would have tried this if I'd read them first instead of smelled. Soil in the base? Hop blossom in the top? Okay, freshness comes from lime and green pepper also in the top. Oakmoss and Galbanum are in the base, too ... okay, wait, forgot what Galbanum smells like, grabbing perfumery kit; oh, it's the beautiful green. As for the middle: ivy, clover and marine notes. These folks are geniuses!
Guys, listen up. When I was young and [content censored by hubby's hmmm], if a guy entered the room wearing this, my nose would have followed him all night, if necessary. Good grief, can't believe I wrote that. See what this fragrance is doing to me? I don't want to smell any more right now. Off to eat something. I see I'm going to need sustenance to get through these samples. Even if the rest are awful (which I'm sure they're not), buying this sample kit was worth it, just to smell this. Love, love!
Back later.
Okay, one more.
BOWMAKERS
Though they don't seem to share any notes, this one reminds me a bit of Slumberhouse Jeke or Vikt, except it's less strong (a good thing). It smells like a violin! Ah, that's because one of its top notes is violin varnish. All I can say is it must have been intended for a stradivarius violin. The rest are beautiful, rich wood notes I've smelled for years because one of hubby's hobbies is wood-working. He loves exotic hardwoods and makes everything from them -- furniture, whimsical artwork, guitars with beautiful sound. The resins, varnish and woods here remind me of his workshop, so I'm probably not an objective judge of Bowmakers. These are scents I already love. To me, Bowmakers, a unisex scent, is more starkly male than Boston Ivy, though, but do gender labels really matter when scents are this beautiful? Either I'm getting anosmic or Boston Ivy projects more and is stronger than Bowmakers. Will report on their longevity later.
One more while dinner's cooking!
BURNING BARBERSHOP
This whimsical name put me in mind of burning hair--not an appealing idea for a perfume--but, lo and behold, they've pulled this one off, too. Spearmint and lime freshen fir in the top note then as it dries the lavender and rose bloom atop hay, vanilla and burnt oil. The result is another wonder, a fragrance that's authoritatively male, one I'd expect to smell on perhaps a UN Secretary General. These fragrances are mesmerizing! And just in case you're wondering, I never heard of D.S. & Durga until I saw the LuckyScent ad for their samples and ordered it. Burning Barbershop gets stronger and more appealing as it dries. It's taking a while to write this because my nose just wants to stay glued to my arm. It's a comforting, reassuring scent, yet has an edge of nonconformity. Something about the burnt oil note makes me think: there's more to this man than meets the eye.
Last edited by ScentFan on 01.03.2015, 05:02; edited 2 times in total