Mushrooming
There seemed to be a bit of a theme going during my Fall Sale. My brand-new Vetiver bath salts got completely sold out and there were a number of orders of Schizm and Vetiver Racinettes perfumes - two quirky and rather obscure perfumes that rarely get that much attention.
Schizm is an Animalic Chypre with all the powerhouse white florals: tuberose, jasmine and orange blossom. Vetiver Racinettes, on the other hand, has no flowers whatsoever - nary a suggestion of floralness either - it's a thick concoction of vetiver roots from around the world with some tarragon and kaffir lime leaves to lift it up form the ground.
"So what do these two extremely different perfumes have in common?", you may rightfully ask... And the answer is:
Mushroooms!
The absolute extract is dark both in colour and aroma: it has a sharpness at first, reminiscent of the yeasty English Marmite spread, with an underlining rich, dark chocolate-like scent and a surprising dry down of buttery pecan nuts! But the most important aspect of it is that it has a cruelty-free animalic and carnal personality that is definitely a love it or hate it, the kind of reaction that civet and castoreum often garner.
Fall is mushroom-picking season in British Columbia and although this is something I'm yet to learn how to do, I find the scents of mushrooms, with its crisp, earthy strangeness and mysterious spore reproduction to be a characteristic scent of fall. The idea of roaming the forest picking rare mushrooms is both romantic and intriguing.
P.s. Those of you interested in learning more about mushrooms in Vancouver area can join the Mycology Group. Thanks to Shayne for the tip!
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Labels: Aromas of Autumn, Cèpes, Fall 2010
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