Breath Of God by B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful, 2007

Gorilla Perfume’s Breath of God gets the sweet/savory balance that has become one of the go-to references on see-it-not-taste-it TV food competition shows.  The sweet/salty comment has become part of our expertise-without-in-fact-experience vocabulary. It’s a function of our pop quest for unearned authenticity that is the logical outcome of distressed denim.  Other such food show comments have to do with  ‘a little more acidity’,  better mouth feel, or the benefits of sous vide preparation. Reality TV has left us spring-loaded with such vocabulary. We really are fucking ridiculous.

 

But Breath of God gets kudos. Prada Candy, with it's talk of benzoin, would convince us that it is a salted caramel, and therefore stakes a claim to salty/sweet sophistication.  Breath of God reaches for more and gives us an oyster and melon raw bar, completing the triangle with mint. It's ingenious, and makes a refreshing sense.

 

The drawback is that although the accord is appealing and distinctive, the execution is murky. Similar to other Gorilla fragrances (also Tokyo Milk fragrances) there is an unfortunate blurring of notes. A bit more separation would give a more dynamic quality. Breath of God suffers from the aromatherapy conundrum.  Just as in mixing essential oils, it's easy to have a blurring rather than a synergy.  A solution might be to use it as scenting for personal care products.  Another Lush/Gorilla product, Dirty, is better in Lush's hair paste than as a stand-alone perfume.

 

Lush doesn't compete with Tom Ford, by Killian, or Guerlain. It's more like the Etat Libre d’Orange alternative to the Body Shop.  Breath of God could use what my grandmother called ‘a friendly hand’ to spruce up its composition, but it is a brilliant perfume in its inventiveness.  It is attractive and distinctive. It's memorable. It wears well and doesn't fall apart.  It would be easy to dismiss it as quirky if you don't look closely.  Give it a bit of consideration, and it'll change your point of view.

 

from scent hurdle.com

BOGs opening salvo is like a squirt of squid ink in a clear pool: all blacks, greys and smoky swirls. This is one of the few perfumes that has the courage to actually bolster the dragged through soil and smoking huts quality of vetiver instead of playing it down. The feel is predominantly of woodsmoke, clumps of earth, iodine tincture, creosote, all delicious non-perfume things which wrap the wearer in an olfactory bear hug. But already theres an oceanic, ozonic lightness rising in the mix, which should be completely at odds with the rest but instead seems integral to its panorama. The sweetness of melon likewise, despite being a startling juxtaposition, is instantly comfortable among the elements here and gives the mid-stage its constantly shifting quality. My one concern with BOG is that this melon centre wears a bit brash in cooler weather, but the balance seems just right when the sun is shining. Yes, this does have rough edges which perhaps could have been treated better by another pair of hands but the overall air of daring paying off that surrounds this perfume is exhilarating. Another plus in my book is that it seems to hang on to some trace of smokiness through its life.

Everybody suggested Breath Of God as one of the weirdest fragrances around and as I'm always very curious about strange perfumes I immediatley decided to try it. A bizarre composition with mint, smoky incense/vetiver and fruits that's quite weird indeed. Linear and just a tad loud but definitely distinctive and (somehow) pleasant. It opens with incese juxtaposed to melon to then "evolve" into a smoky vetiver and a sort of woody-fruit-salad that's fresh and dark at the same time. Funny and very wearable, but far from being the masterpiece I expected. I think I made a big mistake with Breath Of God as the first time I smelled it, I was at Lush surrounded by the loud and cacophonous chemical aroma that is typical of this kind of stores and, as the sense of smell is inarguably bounded and related to memory, my brain is no more able to dissociate the smell of BOG from the fake "natural-justmade-cosmethics&soaps" odour of Lush's points of sale. I decided to buy a 10ml vial anyway and maybe, one day, I'll be able to fully appreciate Breath Of God. Edit July 2011: After several wearings I can say I'm addicted. The smoky vetiver juxtaposed to the general fresh vibe is extremely compelling and unique. Kudos.

When I first sniffed this in the Lush department I said "no" thank you! but my fingertips where already infected with this juice, because it is kind of resinous and oily. After a few minutes I could not stop rubbing my fingers on the tip of my nose, it was amazing, I had never experienced anything like it before. I could not help to think I had finally found a scent that described me soooo well, that fit my personalilty so good. As my relationship with it developed, I found that this was a huge compliment to myself because it is a "Grand" fragrance. In the beginning it is a serious mess, there is no way of describing any one note, they all clashed with each other in a rumble but immediately it begins to develop and the notes then start to come away from each other and can then be identify, mind you, don't think for one second that rumble had nothing to do with this delicious explosion, on the contrary this clash had everything to do with it. to say that the staying power is poor is to insult this lovely juice but if you learn to appreciate it from the moment it starts to develop to end you'll understand that it is meant to be this way and only last this long. like a great love affair!