I have come to the conclusion that CB I Hate Perfume, the line of perfume waters and oils by Christopher Brosius, is the olfactory equivalent of a collection of short stories. Short, skillfully crafted, little things - that can be extremely satisfying even though they last a very short time.
Since the line is not inexpensive, I haven't really had a chance to explore in depth the scents. Most that I've smelled already I have liked (Greenbriar 1968's oily garden gloves; Burning Leaves autumnal memories; At The Beach 1966 in all of it's kitschy campy Coppertone scented self). I decided to get some that I'd only smelled briefly and get a large decant to give them full wearings - so I chose Black March and Gathering Apples.
Black March is quite possibly the BEST top note of dirt I have ever smelled in a fragrance - light years above what Dirt from Demeter is. BM smells like wet dirt (mud?) and this dirt has lots of sand in it and pieces of dried grass, hay and dust. The wetness kind of eases off a little and then allows this new place of 'dirt' you've arrived at to settle in on your skin. Once it does, it reminded me of playing as a kid in my backyard, at dusk. The smell of the sprinkler in my backyard. The croaking of the frogs and crickets in the summer night. A garden hose dragged off the lawn into the shed, caked with dirt and water. Amazing how CB does this...just amazing.
Gathering Apples suprised me initially - I expected a much tarter green apple top note (you know, like Be Delicious by DKNY), but instead I got the instantaneous smell of an apple orchard. I don't know what apple trees smell like (they don't grow in Miami) but I know what a pile of apples smells like at the supermarket. The stems. The leaves. I smelled a little hay, but then I realized it was really the smell of straw (a straw basket to carry your apples in when you 'gather them'...) This is what GA smells like. I could smell the hot sun on my face and the breeze in the background carrying the scent of fruit trees. I've said this before - this layered with Burning Leaves is a one-two punch of Thanksgiving / Autumn memories just waiting to be released in your olfactory psyche.
Since the line is not inexpensive, I haven't really had a chance to explore in depth the scents. Most that I've smelled already I have liked (Greenbriar 1968's oily garden gloves; Burning Leaves autumnal memories; At The Beach 1966 in all of it's kitschy campy Coppertone scented self). I decided to get some that I'd only smelled briefly and get a large decant to give them full wearings - so I chose Black March and Gathering Apples.
Black March is quite possibly the BEST top note of dirt I have ever smelled in a fragrance - light years above what Dirt from Demeter is. BM smells like wet dirt (mud?) and this dirt has lots of sand in it and pieces of dried grass, hay and dust. The wetness kind of eases off a little and then allows this new place of 'dirt' you've arrived at to settle in on your skin. Once it does, it reminded me of playing as a kid in my backyard, at dusk. The smell of the sprinkler in my backyard. The croaking of the frogs and crickets in the summer night. A garden hose dragged off the lawn into the shed, caked with dirt and water. Amazing how CB does this...just amazing.
Gathering Apples suprised me initially - I expected a much tarter green apple top note (you know, like Be Delicious by DKNY), but instead I got the instantaneous smell of an apple orchard. I don't know what apple trees smell like (they don't grow in Miami) but I know what a pile of apples smells like at the supermarket. The stems. The leaves. I smelled a little hay, but then I realized it was really the smell of straw (a straw basket to carry your apples in when you 'gather them'...) This is what GA smells like. I could smell the hot sun on my face and the breeze in the background carrying the scent of fruit trees. I've said this before - this layered with Burning Leaves is a one-two punch of Thanksgiving / Autumn memories just waiting to be released in your olfactory psyche.
Well, Gathering Apples sounds nice, something that would be great to wear whilst just lounging about in your garden. I'm a big fan of dirty scents (Kingdom, Rose 31) but i'm scared that any of the CB dirty smells will be TOO real.
