Gallivant – Los Angeles * – Earlier this year I wrote a blog article on Gallivant’s initial 7 releases. My favourite was the black tea and vetiver combo in Berlin. Their latest, paying homage to the City of Angels may just be my new favourite. The opening is a bright, almost candied pineapple, mixed with a heady, airy, sweet-smelling eucalyptus. The candied pineapple remains very prominent on my skin throughout the life of the scent, and no it doesn’t smell like Aventus. Eventually though, a creamy tuberose and narcissus break through, and start to take over, these florals, a nod to the cities Mexican flavour, combine with a very subtle marine note, woods and a smoky tobacco like note, perhaps from the cade oil. Tuberose is a note I struggle with, but in Los Angeles it is so well balanced with the other notes it never becomes overbearing. A great option for the summer months ahead, with 7-8 hours longevity. Perfectly unisex. Excellent work.
Zoologist – Bee * – Honey, honey, honey, with a ginger syrup like sweetness, evoking honey cookies. As far as Zoologist scents go Bee is fairly easy to wear and quite linear. It is very long lasting in extrait form 12-14 hours on skin and still projecting very well after 6-8 hours. One would need to love honey to enjoy bee. I must admit it’s not a note I wear often, and testing Bee on a warm summers day is perhaps not the right conditions to wear this scent. Bee is much more suited to a cold winter’s day where the sweetness can envelop the wearer in its warmth. Well worth checking out though, but probably not one I’d gravitate towards.
Zoologist – Squid * – Sea salt, ambergris, ink, and smoky incense ensure Squid is an intriguing aquatic. Won’t be for everyone, but I much prefer this to say Oud Minerale by Tom Ford, which I didn’t care for at all. Quite wearable, and heavy enough due to the smoky notes that it could be worn in the cooler months. 12-14 hours longevity for this long-lasting marine scent.
Zoologist – Chameleon * – A tropical floral scent that is marketed as unisex but to my nose leans quite feminine. Ylang-Ylang, frangipani, mango, coconut and star fruit are the most prominent notes. Sweet, bright and refreshing the ylang-ylang floral touch is complemented nicely with the fruity mango and a creamy coconut (not the suntan lotion type). Musky cashmeran and a sea salt skin accord provide a comforting base to the scent. It isn’t really my cup of tea though as the floral notes are a little too prominent for my liking. Decant longevity of 7-9 hours.
Zoologist – Dodo * – A very interesting fougere that is modernised through the use of a marked lychee note. Also in the mix are raspberry and lime that combine with traditional fougere notes of fern, oakmoss and geranium to create a rather unorthodox barbershop style scent, that certainly leans masculine. A touch of animalic musk and ambergris makes this more of a challenging wear. Longevity is 8-10 hours, for what is probably my favourite of the 2019 Zoologist releases.
Nishane – Safran Colognise ** – Fresh notes of citron, grapefruit and passionfruit intermingled with an earthy saffron, musk and distinct leather note. A nicely done, more robust all-year round fresh scent made with quality ingredients. Personally though, I prefer Colognise for summer, but Safran Colognise is perhaps a more versatile scent for the other seasons. A fresh, fruity leather that is an extremely long lasting extrait. I enjoyed 10-12 hours longevity with Safran Colognise.
Kerzon – Keriver * – Very nicely done gentlemanly vetiver with subtle hints of fresh bergamot, cooling cardamom, woods, and smoke from incense and cypriol oil. This one is well balanced, neither too smoky nor too fresh, but on my skin, it leans slightly to the fresher end of the spectrum. A long lasting EDP concentration that was still detectable after 10-12 hours on skin. Neat work.
Choix – Mon Ami – ** Fig, coconut, amber and berries combine to produce a delicious long-lasting fragrance. Mon Ami represents the joy of being around a friend and this scent delivers with a wonderful creamy fig coconut combo, that feels very cosy to wear. In the background, amber and berries add a touch of sweetness. It comes in an extrait form and lasts on my skin for 12-14 hours. Most will balk at the price though; it comes in at a cool 380 Euros for 100ml. Yikes.
Have you tried any of these releases?
Note: Bottle images courtesy of Fragrantica. *Sample obtained by the author. **Sample sent to me by my Instagram perfume friend Tete @niche_rare_fragrances. Thanks for the samples Tete.