Slumberhouse

[Buzzlepuff]

Wrote my initial opinions of all 7 Slumberhouse fragrances here

too long to copy and paste!

Excellent Slumberhouse reviews.

[forfreddie]

Excellent Slumberhouse reviews.

I know they're brief impressions but thanks for taking the time to read 'em !

[Redneck Perfumisto]

Wrote my initial opinions of all 7 Slumberhouse fragrances here

too long to copy and paste!

Excellent Slumberhouse reviews.

I know they're brief impressions but thanks for taking the time to read 'em !

Yes! Good thoughts! I enjoyed your reviews very much.

I've just tried 3 of my samples - Norne, Grev, and Baque. My impressions so far:

• The overall feel reminds me of Neil Morris and Kerosene, and to a lesser extent Lord's Jester.
• If I were to reduce Slumberhouse to a sound byte, it would be "the Amouage of indie perfumery"
• These are really rich, to repeat myself. The Slumberhouse reputation is clearly well-deserved.
• I'm starting to see a pattern of American "native" perfumery. It's basically like an olfactory version of jazz. There are elements borrowed from European and Middle Eastern perfumery, much as jazz borrowed from Europe and Africa. There is a rejection of rules that seems both unstructured and amateurish on the one hand, yet novel and ingenious on the other.
• Grev is the most like "industry" perfumery. Since I'm on a mainstream/designer kick right now, that's the one that's most impressive to me at the moment. I think that Norne would have grabbed me hardest when I was discovering Neil Morris.
• I agree that samples are the way to go with this house. Trying to decide on these scents by sniffing in a storefront would be worse than futile.
• Damn glad I smelled these!

[Beranium Chotato]

I'm starting to see a pattern of American "native" perfumery. It's basically like an olfactory version of jazz. There are elements borrowed from European and Middle Eastern perfumery, much as jazz borrowed from Europe and Africa. There is a rejection of rules that seems both unstructured and amateurish on the one hand, yet novel and ingenious on the other.

EXACTLY. I haven't said much about these yet because I'm a little conflicted about them. I appreciate that they have seemingly thrown all the rules out the window and started from scratch. On the other hand, I miss a few of those rules...like 'should give some consideration to skin chemistry/humanity'.

Looking at the oily, brown stain of Miel on my skin thinking, "Hey, remember me? I'm a person!"

[SoGent]

the hobby is a choice buddy, sounds like you just made one.

[Beranium Chotato]

the hobby is a choice buddy, sounds like you just made one.

Coming from me, that is not a scathing criticism. I like weird. I just have to ask myself the question sometimes: how weird is too weird. An oily, brown stain is not a total dealbreaker, as far as I'm concerned.

With respect to the other rules that Slumberhouse are breaking, I think they're largely successful. Vikt, Grev, and Jeke are all on my short list.

[Birdboy48]

An oily, brown stain is not a total dealbreaker, as far as I'm concerned.

Ain't that just life ?

[Beranium Chotato]

Ain't that just life ?

Far be it from me to be spreading Santorum.

[dampier]

Unfortunately, my Slumberhouse sample vials arrived badly leaking all over the bag they were enclosed in so it was a real mess. But an initial smell of some of the caps made the word "rustic" pop into my head. These are aggressive, assertive anti-dandies. Some are almost medicinal. I suspect some of these would work best in the colder months when they can linger in the smell of smoke from a nearby fireplace. Although I can't completely tell from my samples whether this is absolutely the case, I think its pretty obvious these are scents on a mission -- to make a statement that will not be ignored or lost in a crowd.

[SoGent]

Coming from me, that is not a scathing criticism. I like weird. I just have to ask myself the question sometimes: how weird is too weird.

i couldn't agree more mr. Chambers . . . . that's precisely how I feel about HdP Petroleum.
as for Slumberhouse, i understand the mixologist's penchant for clove but - with the exception of Sanaa - it doesn't really work. if i wanted the 'medicinal' vibe, i could find it for a lot less money. i say that completely respecting Josh's work. possibly, a3 or norne can be added to the 'keeper' list

[Birdboy48]

Unfortunately, my Slumberhouse sample vials arrived badly leaking all over the bag they were enclosed in so it was a real mess.

Bummer. I suspect it had something to do with air travel or drastic changes of temperature during shipping. Give Josh a buzz and I'm sure he'll want to make it right.

[Domingo]

Wearin 'Baque' today. Notes: tobacco, dried fruit, parchment, davana. This will probably be a FB for me once it's get officially released. Can't stop sniffing my wrist.

[Redneck Perfumisto]

EXACTLY. I haven't said much about these yet because I'm a little conflicted about them. I appreciate that they have seemingly thrown all the rules out the window and started from scratch. On the other hand, I miss a few of those rules...like 'should give some consideration to skin chemistry/humanity'.

Looking at the oily, brown stain of Miel on my skin thinking, "Hey, remember me? I'm a person!"

LOL

It's certainly a fascinating genre. Like you, I'm quickly finding out which rules count for me and which rules don't.

If you haven't smelled it yet, you can now sniff Kerosene's R'oud Elements at MiN NY. Today I compared it to YSL M7 (2nd formulation, original packaging) on opposing wrists, and was so shocked by the similarity of the openings, I was ready to accuse Kerosene of pouring M7 into his hand-painted bottles. However, after the two scents settled down, they quickly diverged on numerous points. I won't say that R'oud Elements is better than M7 - "better" can be a pretty meaningless word - but I would heartily recommend that any lover of M7 should try R'oud Elements. My best short description of RE would now be "M7 Edition Orange EDP Intense".

The "texture" of R'oud Elements seems like some kind of crafty rule violation. The texture seems annoyingly "rough" at first, and such roughness has often been a hallmark of untrained perfumery to my nose. Industry perfumers almost seem compelled to sand down such things - at least in the past. But I think that Kerosene uses this feature brilliantly - it is clearly balanced at just the right level throughout the life of the fragrance, and gives it, as you have pointed out, tension. More recently, I've noticed some similar, purposefully roughened textures in industry frags. The industry is positively aggressive about understanding its markets, so no surprise in that. The guys and gals who compose for the American market understand us deeply.

[FumeHood]

Got my 7 samples yesterday, and in typical impatient form, have managed to give all at least 5 hours upon some thirsty spot of skin. Initial thoughts…

Grev - I expected not to like this. Really, who needs another cologne? Well, this is utterly gorgeous in its ice-meets-spice-meets-earthy warmth trajectory. Love.

Rume - Spiced Coca-Cola in effect, but in reality a more resinous relative to Lutens´ Fille en Aiguilles, without the candied veneer. Yum. (Officially Bay, Myrrh, Labdanum, Hay)

Jeke - Take the wooden base of Rume, subtract some honey and add the metallic smell of fingers rubbed over an old weathered brass door knocker, then infuse the whole thing with a puff of magical smoke and you've got Jeke. Different. Nice. Strong.

Vikt - This feels the less gourmand of the resinous woods, and is likely the better for it. It´s the house vibe (which I enjoy and want to adopt in my fragrant lifestyle:-), but without the syrup. Perhaps my favorite.

Norne - All about pure sticky sap - pine needles, fir, blue spruce. A never-ending lot of freshly-cut Christmas trees (I used to work at one of these - and this, tree-hunters, it what I smelled like at the end of the day.) The only downfall - this natural scent feels reminiscent of synthetic recreations smelled elsewhere. Not sure if this is a criticism of Norne or a nod to how realistic some cleaning supplies (or scented candles) imitate piney woods. Norne may end op smelling the least-perfume and more air-freshener of the bunch. Still, my car could smell like this and I wouldn´t complain.

Baque - A special bonus to my sample pack, unlisted on the site. Quoted elsewhere: Baque is a honeyed tobacco leaf perfume built upon he leathery amber base of conifer resin and sweetened with labdanum, ambergris tincture, and benzoin. I find it soft. Maybe too soft. Supposedly intended for women, though it might be more wearable (by both sexes) than the men´s approach to tobacco, which is:

Miel - Wow. Darkly sweet molasses fragrance with tobacco, back tea, and something musky. I could enjoy this one the same way I do Tobacco Vanille. Meaning… A wonderful comfort scent for a night at home, but it might grow cloying to wear over time.

Overall…

While Baque and Miel are nice Tobacco-blends, I feel like Abdes Salaam´s Via del Profumo offerings (with which I sense similarities in the overall spectrum of the Slumberhouse pallet) works with a superior natural leaf tobacco note.

On the flip side, I greatly prefer the take on WOODS by Slumberhouse. Vikt, Rume, and Jeke are all winners and distinct enough to incite different vibes and target different seasons. Though I've never been there, it's seems fit that these pungent and forest-inspired scents could only be so beautifully realized in the Pacific Northwest. And Grev, at least to my nose, is a unique herbal cologne unlike any in my wardrobe. As for pricing, no complaints for the artistry created by Josh et. al - worth every penny for any of these seductive potions. A house/nose to watch.

[SMCinJPN]

I got my samples last night and I am completely taken by Baque. This is a scent from my childhood, the pipe tobacco my uncles used to smoke during the holidays. I can get completely lost in this fragrance. If it does indeed come out in 50ml soon, I will be the first in line.

[Beranium Chotato]

I've been spending the day with this whole line. Grev and Jeke are current favorites.

I was surprised not to find grapefruit in the notes for Grev. Does anyone smell it? Is one of the ingredients just grapefruit-like?

[alfarom]

I was surprised not to find grapefruit in the notes for Grev. Does anyone smell it? Is one of the ingredients just grapefruit-like?

My sample of Grev is strongly unbalanced on the cloves. I almost couldn't smell anything else but from what I've understood from a recent chat with Josh, it's that he made several batches of it with different "ingredients"...here's an excerpt from that e-mail (no grapefruit mentioned)...


"Earlier this year I made a large batch of it (Grev) and really amped up the clove (I made the mistake of going with clove essential oil instead of clove bud absolute, which is a pitch black gummy resin that has aspects of what I would consider a musky/eggnog/spice -- I wish I had used the latter instead of the former in hindsight). A lot of times clove has a tendency to "settle" and tame down during the aging process of a perfume but this particular batch of Grev did not exhibit that mellowing characteristic. I do admit I'm quite a fan of clove but I know for many others it can conjure images of dental offices, clove cigarettes, baking hams, etc. My newest Grev more closely resembles the original recipe which debuted mid 2010 and is far spicier, a kind of masculine potpourri with a slight tinge of red apple skin. It has always been my slowest seller to be honest, but I enjoy it regardless.

[cosmopolit]

I received my sample set today, Grev, Vikt, Jeke, Norne, Rume and Sana.

Of these, I found Rume and Norne to be the standouts (Sana reminded me of Fumerie Turque, for some reason). Norne is a fine, very intense woody scent, and Rume has that quirky myrrhe thing going on, mixed with hay, which seems quite inspired (the result seems to be a bit of apple). Rume would be my choice here. I might be making a purchase of a mini.

Maximum respect to the house and its narrative, but otherwise nothing here would threaten to oust the dark fragrances in my (very limited) wardrobe.

[MonkeyBars]

Wearing Vikt for the first time today, I truly admire its basic structure of oud, styrax, and labdanum. A little sweet and very rich and resinous without thickness -- a delicious and cohesive accord. The ravensara up top is a good way to open the theme. This is a basic statement and it does it really, really well. I'm going to try layering it with Grev I think.

[Birdboy48]

As I understand, there is more Brosse in the works for Fall release.

"Never expose your frags to light".....He intentionally blasts this one with light until it gets good.

One of the strongest in a line of some pretty strong stuff.

[Birdboy48]

My sample of Grev is strongly unbalanced on the cloves. I almost couldn't smell anything else but from what I've understood from a recent chat with Josh, it's that he made several batches of it with different "ingredients"..

My sample of Grev has never quite felt like some of the descriptions of it I've read here, and perhaps this is the explanation. High-powered, and mega-fir sappy, like tromping around in green Christmas-tree branches. And then some clove.

Other people's impressions of Grev have come across as much more refined that the sample I have. I wear my sample cross-country skiing, out in the woods, when the temps are well below freezing, and it seems suited to that.

[PuddleMonkey]

so who else got a surprise package of new samples from Slumber today?

[PuddleMonkey]

I'm really liking this Pear & Olive

[PuddleMonkey]

nobody else got a surprise package, am I that special?



loving this Pear & Olive, not too thrilled it's going to be limited.



Notes: pear, cognac, chamomile, aglaia, olive, zdravets, massoia bark and calamus

Release Date: June 1st, 2012

This is a limited release. Hand etched bottle.

1ml glass vial sample $5
15ml $60
50ml $150




I'll be trying Tunis Mills tomorrow and Iska after that. I don't see any info on either of these on his site.

[Beranium Chotato]

I think this guy's got a lot of promise. Pear and Olive sounds right up my alley.

[alfarom]

Pear and Olive sounds fantastic...further experiences anyone?

[Redneck Perfumisto]

My sample of Grev has never quite felt like some of the descriptions of it I've read here, and perhaps this is the explanation. High-powered, and mega-fir sappy, like tromping around in green Christmas-tree branches. And then some clove.

Other people's impressions of Grev have come across as much more refined that the sample I have. I wear my sample cross-country skiing, out in the woods, when the temps are well below freezing, and it seems suited to that.

I think I got the refined stuff.

Notice how easy we're going on the batch variation, when the perfumer is up-front about the intentional nature of it? Not sure how well that idea scales, but at least at this level, it's not a sin.

so who else got a surprise package of new samples from Slumber today?

My guess is that you're closest. I'll bet that previous bottle-buyers at greater distances are in for a treat!

[MonkeyBars]

What an unusual and intriguing collection of accords! Not usually a pear fan, but in combination with zdravetz, olive, massoia, calamus? Woah!

[Rev320]

i recently purchased a sample package that arrived a few days ago. Im really enjoying vikt and rume.

[forfreddie]

Pear and Olive indeed sounds awesome! I loved exploring this line, then instantly fell out of love with them when I realised I wouldn't want to own one.
I would love to try this though - lucky!