I sat on a striped sofa fidgeting with tassels that embellish rose printed silk pillows like I’ve done before. This time not because I was deflecting topics, but because of awkward silences. My eyes made contact with the big eyes in the painting of my aunt as a toddler. I glanced down at the dogwood painted glass hurricane lamp that my grandmother absolutely despised, a gift from her mother-in-law. But, she kept it because it survived the dangers of four rowdy children (all born within a four and half year span), nine rowdy grandchildren and a few moves. It became a really ugly metaphor of life. Things come and go, but somehow you’re stuck with this thing you dislike. You’re either proactive enough to rid yourself of it or you’re (arguably) patient enough to learn to like it. There’s no sounds coming from the kitchen. The door across the room, right in front of where I’m seated, is closed. Unless anyone in the room gets up to open it, it’s not going to open. I can’t stop staring at the doorknob.
I finally thought of something to say. Holding back tears, I ask my grandfather, “How are the irises doing this year?”
This was my first visit to my grandparent’s home after my grandmother’s death. I knew it was never going to be the same. Everyone in the room knew it would never be the same. This space would never be the same. It felt like nothing was going to ever be the same.
With time, each visit becomes more manageable. It’s not because the grief isn’t there; it’s just the realization that it’ll never be like it was before. Once I got rid of this expectation, I was able to move on from gardening small talk and actually enjoy sitting in a room filled with relics, like that ugly glass hurricane lamp, that felt like they’ve been there forever.
Mona di Orio Myrrh Casati is the first non-Mona fragrance launched after Mona di Orio’s passing; the first perfume not created by the brand’s original co-founder and perfumer. Personally, I’m delighted to see that the brand persevered. I feel like creating new perfumes is a way to preserve di Orio’s legacy. Saying this, I also know it’s not feasible to compare Myrrh Casati to any of di Orio’s creations.
The opening of Myrrh Casati is camphoric and dry, sweet spices. It smells like cardamom, saffron threads, cinnamon sticks, pepper berries all stored in a wooden box. It’s one of those spicy, woodsy and warm scents that I find comforting. It’s like cedar boxes filled with spices. As it wears, the dry resins appear. It’s balsamic resins, spices and an herbalness that reminds me of oregano. For a “raw” resin fragrance, I find it very balanced while displaying all the naturally sophisticated facets of incense resins. The dry-down is smoky smudging woods/incense – palo santo, sandalwood and nagarmotha. This base sounds so basic, but it’s the sort of thing that works. I can’t stop sniffing it.
Everything changes. We can keep staring at the doorknob, but it’s never going to turn. I think Myrrh Casati is a really thoughtful, well-done fragrance that smells “luxurious”. In my opinion, Myrrh Casati adds something to the brand’s lineup. It’s a warm, spicy woodsy fragrance with a lighter (yet, still robust) feel. It’s like all sorts of incense perfumes all in one (spices, woods, resins).
Notes listed include Peruvian red berries, pink pepper, cardamom, saffron, licorice, benzoin, myrrh, Somalian incense, patchouli, nagarmotha and guaiac wood. Launched in 2014. PERFUMER – Melanie LeRoux
Give Myrrh Casati a try if you like dry woodsy, resinous fragrances. Or perfumes like Papillon Anubis, Eau d’Italie Baume de Doge, Frapin Terre de Sarment, By Kilian Pure Oud, Pierre Guillaume Indochine, Serge Lutens Arabie and/or Arquiste Nanban.
Projection is average. Longevity is above average.
The 2.5 oz bottle retails for $175 at Luckyscent. Samples are also available for purchase.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Spices and resins stored in wooden boxes. I find it to be a comforting, meditative scent (and I need more of that in my life).
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*Sample obtained by me. Product pic from Luckyscent. Anna May Wong from claroscureauxdeux.blogspot.com.
So good.
Portia xxx
🙂
Love the detail in your writing, Victoria – bravo.
I lost my grandmother (the one I was closest to), a few years ago and I remember feeling the same internal “battle” of resenting the inevitable outcome and accepting the loss. Thank god for Diptyque’s L’Ombre dans L’Eau, my grandmother’s fragrance; when I miss her most, I can wear the scent and immediately be transported back to her kitchen in Charleston, drinking coffee, playing Cribbage, making Sandies, and laughing……so much laughter. I miss her so very much.
Do you have a scent associated with your grandmother?
Marko, I’m so sorry for you loss. I think we were battling all these complex feelings around the same time. I lost my grandmother a few years ago too. It feels longer, sometimes it feels shorter. Accepting that things are different really helped me but I still miss her so much. I also didn’t realize you have a Charleston connection too!
That’s such a gorgeous fragrance and the memories make it even better. My grandmother wore perfume, but I don’t really associate it with her. All the women in my family are obsessed with Elizabeth Taylor, from her style to her humanitarian efforts. Living relatives basically have Liz Taylor shrines up in their house. This means that I’m constantly suffocated by White Diamonds during any family event. With my grandmother, I mostly associate food aromas or even the scent of Lancome and YSL makeup with her. I do a lot baking while wearing ruby red lipstick when I miss her.