I genuinely enjoy writing about perfume and my impressions of them. However, it’s a bit difficult for me to write about Timbre from indie brand Chris Rusak. Why? Because the brand’s description is absolutely accurate. EauMG has existed since 2008 and I can only remember a few perfumes that I’ve tried where I thought the brand did a better job of explaining the perfume than I could or any other perfume blogger/writer/hobbyist could. I’m not being arrogant. Let’s be real, most perfume descriptions are minimal or try to sell you on an idea/concept that doesn’t translate at all into the fragrance.
To quote the brand:
Fresh acidity. A greyscale of bitterness. Bright dryness.
Timbre exists on the sharper, harsher edges of the woody-citrus genre.
There. You have it. This is Timbre. But, since you’re here, I’ll try to give you my impressions which aren’t any different than the brand’s description…
What I love about Timbre is it’s aggressively green opening. It’s an inky, green galbanum. This is paired with a terpenous citrus peel that frankly reminds me of certain citrus-hued strains of THC-heavy marijuana. This opening is like the perfume equivalent of getting your dark, leafy greens. It’s refreshing, fresh and I just feel more energized when I breath it in. Timbre is nourishment. As the perfume wears, there’s a salty, mineral vetiver grassiness but also balsamic resins. The resins (myrrh and I feel like there’s some frankincense) are the type of resins that pull into the bitter, citrus direction (as opposed to sweet and honeyed). The perfume gets drier. I’m talking like Death Valley dry or like Minneapolis in 2050 after climate change does a number. It dries down to dry woods, sharper resins, and there’s bit of “decay” from oud. There’s also a faint trace of sweatiness underneath all of this. This heart and dry-down brings to mind lumber decaying in some wild west ghost town. But, it’s contrasted by a dry, mineral grass and, I swear, a bitter neroli (not listed in the notes). It’s really like being in a dry climate with the only memories left of humid, seaside strolls. Even though it’s mineral, which should translate as “aquatic” in perfumery, and there’s citrus, this perfume is dry and there’s no water available, just green juice. It’s a bitter, green, acidic, resinous perfume that is a smart alternative to “clean fragrances” because somehow all of these elements come across as fresher than fresh even when there’s hints of decay and sweat in this perfume! Gah, I love that.
Back in the day, I used to be intimidated by galbanum. It was just shockingly green and bitter. Since those days, I’ve matured as a perfume person (and I’d like to think as a human as well). I really can’t get enough of galbanum or bitter, green perfumes. I think most of them are too subtle, oh, but Timbre goes there. It’s a green, woodsy fragrance for those of that apparently want to smell like freshly slashed weeds and untamed forests.
Notes listed include yuzu, mandarin, myrrh, Vietnamese oud, petitgrain, galbanum, and cedar. Launched in 2019. PERFUMER – Chris Rusak
Give Timbre a try if you like galbanum or green, woodsy scents. Or perfumes like CDG Artek x Standard, CdG Hinoki, Odin 07 Tanoke, Aesop Hwyl and/or Phlur Greylocke.
This is an EDT concentration with average to above average projection and longevity. I absolutely love wearing this stuff when it’s hot and muggy out. The bitterness cuts through it. It’s a fresh, clean fragrance without resorting to all of those other fresh, clean fragrance troupes.
The 1.7 oz retails for $110 at Chris Rusak. Samples are also available for purchase.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Green, bright and dry. I’m not plagiarizing! The brand said this but I agree. If you try perfumes and think to yourself, “This isn’t green enough. This isn’t dry enough. This isn’t woodsy enough”, well, you need this in your life.
*Disclaimer – Sample provided by the brand. I am not financially compensated for my reviews. My opinions are my own. Product pic from the brand. Marion Davies pic from fanpix.net Post contains affiliate links. Thanks!
Hmmmm, I struggle with super-neon green scents, but this sounds nice. How does it compare to, say, # 19?
I have bottle of Piguet Futur, which is SO green and bitter, that I can’t wear it at all!!!…but I’ve tried on many occasions.
Thanks for including the link to the discounted sample set – I think I’ll see what this line is all about.
ps – glad you’re back!
I’m going to try to explain this but I think I’m going to do a poor job. That’s my warning!
I used to be so intimated by green scents like No. 19, Futur, Ma Griffe…but now I love them. The thing about those is that they are a very casino-y neon green but also they’re sort of cold and aloof. I’ve always thought of them like those rich, uptight people in vintage 50’s/60’s Cadillac ads. It’s like that contrast of top hats, furs, a hairsprayed helmet of hair, opera gloves…and so much chrome. Where are they going? I don’t know but I bet there’s at least 15 different types of forks there! I always feel like a poser in my super green, classic perfumes but I guess that’s why they appeal to me? The contrast of how I see myself and how I see those fragrances?
Anyway, Timbre is so bitter, so green, so dry. But, it also comes across as less chrome/Vegas neon and more like an overgrown field of weeds or like trying to cut through kudzu. It’s also more woodsy than the Chanel or Piguet, which helps. However, I think if you’re one of the many people that hates galbanum (which is understandable because that stuff is WEIRD), I don’t see Timbre being something you’d like to wear. A friend’s child told me that galbanum smells like “crushed bugs” which now I can’t “unsniff”. It’s wild, green and a little gross. I guess what I’m trying to say is that Timbre makes me feel like a kid again thinking I’m some sort of Indiana Jones that is going to cut through that overgrown lot and find adventure but the reality is that I’m going to be covered in chigger bites and contact dermatitis from bull nettle. Anyway, the discovery set is worth it. This line invokes a lot of scent memories for me.
Thank you for reading! I’m trying to get into a more stable routine with posts at least twice a week. I miss talking about smelling things.
Thank you for reviewing this one, I ordered the sample set and all the perfumes are so well thought out he’s a luxurious minimalist. I wouldn’t have encountered Chris Rusak but for your blog!
Thank you so much for reading!
LUXURIOUS MINIMALIST – omg I love this so much. I agree. And there’s definitely that style throughout each of the scents.
When I have been writing about these, I’m amazed at how something minimalist can provoke so many complex scent memories and “scent stories” within me.