Amethyst
by Olivier Durbano

This starts out with a prominent grape note on my skin, then it dries down to a hauntingly sweet incense. I would call this a unisex scent. Lasts pretty much all day. While it is quite nice, I didn't really fall in love with this scent. From this line, I prefer Black Tourmaline.

Ever since being introduced to Olivier Durbano's "Rock Crystal", I have anticipated trying the second in his series of seven stone poems: Améthyste. I was so taken by the phenomenal incense accord of his first perfume, that I had hoped it would reappear here. And I was not disappointed. Améthyste is another stellar interpretation of this deep violet variety of quartz. One certainly feels a sense of "purple" when smelling this for the first time. It opens with a delicate fruitiness where raspberry and grape beckon with one finger, before you are pulled down into a dry heart of rose-coloured palisander wood and orris root. As this scent develops, the blooming fruits recede and a puff of jasmine emerges that cartwheels across the composition before vanishing over an ambery, musky base. But it is the extravagant incense that lends its mineralic earthiness to this scent... it is as husky and dry as ancient sandstone that has been brushed away from a relic found in an archeological dig. It embodies the aroma of the earth that this semi-precious gem has been struck from. Like the stunning jewellery Durbano crafts by hand, this is a perfume to be treasured.

The bottle itself contains three genuine amethyst beads, suspended in the juice. As I turn the flacon in my hands and listen to the satisfying tinkle of the mauve orbs against the glass, I wonder if the liquid has imbued the stones with perfume, or, if indeed the perfume has been released by the stones.

Amethyst is a delicious heavy wood/incense/smoky scent. I don't know anyone else that wears it, and I wear it on cool autumn days when I want to be alone in the forest. It makes me feel like I blend in with my surroundings. It smelled amazing on one of my male friends, and I think all three Olivier Durbano scents would work equally as well on men in general. There is a slight grapey/raspberry top note that is absolutely delicious, and the drydown is smoky, woody, and lovely. Notes (from Luckyscent): bergamot, pepper, grape, raspberry, incense, palisander wood, jasmine, orris, vegetable amber, sandalwood, musk, vanilla. Yum.