PURPLE FLOWERS WEEK 2017
It’s an annual tradition on EauMG to feature “purple flowers” on the week of Nowruz/Spring Equinox. “Purple flowers” are what I call flowers that (usually) have purple blossoms and bloom in spring: lilacs, violets, iris, heliotrope, hyacinth and wisteria (when I’m feeling generous). These are the sort of florals that make me think of spring. Plus, it gives me an excuse to talk about some of my favorite floral notes.
Nomenclature is a fairly new perfume brand that puts the focus on powerhouse perfume molecules while presenting them as a merger of design and chemistry. The beaker bottles with molecular designs really convey that what you’re going to smell is going to be minimalist, modern and borderline “scientific” perfumery.
Lumen_esce is one of those ethereal, modern florals that wears like a veil. The perfume smells synthetic, but that’s not a surprise. The brand openly highlights a Firmenich aromachemical, Violettyne©¹. It’s how the brand markets itself. It opens with a cucumber-y, watery violet that gives this fragrance a cool, ozonic feel. It’s fruity, green and “fresh” in that modern cologne sense of the word “fresh”. Because of the nature of this synthetic, this fragrance’s opening has some major throw. It’s like being surrounded in a bubble of cool, ozonic green. Mixed with the violet, there’s a tea bag of Earl Grey white tea. The floral heart verges into fancy shampoo territory with rose and freesia. In theory this should irk me, but it doesn’t. Sometimes I do want to smell clean and like a functional fragrance. This heart works because of what follows. Lumen_esce surprises me because for something coming across so lab-like, sterile and synthetic, I wasn’t expecting real violet leaves. Violets reappear but this time they’re bitter green, earthy and powdery, surprisingly realistic. In the dry-down, I don’t really notice any one note. It’s like glowing moonlight of a fractal-like patchouli/woods and crisp greenness.
For something so minimalist, fresh and clean, I’m surprised by how much I’ve enjoyed wearing this. It’s like a cool-toned Les Nez The Unicorn’s Spell. The Les Nez was like unicorns and dewy meadows, the Nomenclature one is like silvery sirens/mermaids frolicking in icy, freshwater under the moon.
Notes listed include violet, violet leaf, jasmine sambac, freesia, Bulgarian rose, bergamot and patchouli. Launched in 2016. PERFUMER – Frank Voelkl
Give Lumen_esce a try if you like modern fruity-florals, clean scents, tea scents or violets. Or perfumes like Les Nez The Unicorn Spell, Ermenegildo Zegna Uomo, Eric Buterbaugh Fragile, YSL L’Homme Libre Cologne Tonic, Heeley Iris de Nuit and/or L’Artisan Verte Violette.
Projection and longevity are above average.
The 3.4 oz bottle retails for $165 at Indigo Perfumery. Samples are also available for purchase.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – An ozonic cloud of violet. It’s one of those squeaky clean perfumes; yet, I enjoy it. I’m a wild card sometimes.
¹This ins’t an exclusive perfume material. If you’re familiar with designer masculines post-2010, you’ve probably sniffed it in things like Ermenegildo Zegna Uomo.
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