Boadicea the Victorious
DELICATE
What an oddity. At first it smelled like dirt, like patchouli with some powdered flowers. It quickly became something else, like a crispy, crunchy, spicy, bitter herb, maybe like arugula in a way, mixed with a massive green moss note. This perfume is what I would reach for if I wanted to smell exactly like I walked into an antique shop and found an ordinary bath soap from the 60's. I can imagine the paper it is wrapped in, a faded picture of a blond-haired maiden with curls in her hair, wearing an apron, with a wooden wash tub at her feet and blue birds flying about. Think Cinderella from the Midwestern USA. On the other hand, I can also imagine a field full of fragile, bell-shaped flowers dangling wildly in a summer breeze.
It certainly mellows out over time. The sharpness and bitterness become a lot more approachable and soft. We go from the scent of dusty brown dirt to a relatively clean smelling drydown, which is a tad sweet and fairly pleasant.
If I had to choose a perfume that Delicate reminds me of, I'd say Cristalle due to the sharp moss and the soapy drydown...but they are far from the same perfume; just the same style.
For me this is a love/hate relationship. I appreciate it. I think it is artistic and beautiful. If I were collecting purely for the sake of collecting I would buy it. But I don't think I would ever reach for it if I owned it. And, oddly, I think it would smell exquisite on the right person.
What an oddity. At first it smelled like dirt, like patchouli with some powdered flowers. It quickly became something else, like a crispy, crunchy, spicy, bitter herb, maybe like arugula in a way, mixed with a massive green moss note. This perfume is what I would reach for if I wanted to smell exactly like I walked into an antique shop and found an ordinary bath soap from the 60's. I can imagine the paper it is wrapped in, a faded picture of a blond-haired maiden with curls in her hair, wearing an apron, with a wooden wash tub at her feet and blue birds flying about. Think Cinderella from the Midwestern USA. On the other hand, I can also imagine a field full of fragile, bell-shaped flowers dangling wildly in a summer breeze.
It certainly mellows out over time. The sharpness and bitterness become a lot more approachable and soft. We go from the scent of dusty brown dirt to a relatively clean smelling drydown, which is a tad sweet and fairly pleasant.
If I had to choose a perfume that Delicate reminds me of, I'd say Cristalle due to the sharp moss and the soapy drydown...but they are far from the same perfume; just the same style.
For me this is a love/hate relationship. I appreciate it. I think it is artistic and beautiful. If I were collecting purely for the sake of collecting I would buy it. But I don't think I would ever reach for it if I owned it. And, oddly, I think it would smell exquisite on the right person.
EXPLORER
If you love woods like I do, especially green, coniferous forests, this smells amazing. Take Russel Crowe as the Gladiator, with dry, brown dust clinging to his heels and sandals, and send him off on an expedition to the Pacific Northwest in the 1800's, and you have Explorer. It smells like the smooth, moist, young wood from the core of a redwood tree, maybe some aromatic cumin, and just a whisper of worn, brown leather.
There is some menthol in the beginning. I swear that patchouli, a member of the mint family, has to be missing from the pyramid because Explorer smells strongly of fresh patch as well, as though somebody grabbed a whole handful of it...unless somehow all of those other notes blend together to create an earthy, dusty, mentholated, patch-like effect.
One surprising facet of Explorer is that it's a masculine orris root perfume. Think 28 La Pausa (Chanel)--starchy, chalky, gray but take it in a completely masculine direction. This is the first time I have smelled orris root used in this way. It is a completely androgynous fragrance, yet in comparison to other orris root perfumes, Explorer seems distinctly masculine.
I love dry woods, and I find Explorer to be absolutely gorgeous. The quality is exceptional as well. Sillage is fantastic, and so is longevity. This is one perfume that was a no-brainer; an absolute must-have for me. (Aug 2016)
If you love woods like I do, especially green, coniferous forests, this smells amazing. Take Russel Crowe as the Gladiator, with dry, brown dust clinging to his heels and sandals, and send him off on an expedition to the Pacific Northwest in the 1800's, and you have Explorer. It smells like the smooth, moist, young wood from the core of a redwood tree, maybe some aromatic cumin, and just a whisper of worn, brown leather.
There is some menthol in the beginning. I swear that patchouli, a member of the mint family, has to be missing from the pyramid because Explorer smells strongly of fresh patch as well, as though somebody grabbed a whole handful of it...unless somehow all of those other notes blend together to create an earthy, dusty, mentholated, patch-like effect.
One surprising facet of Explorer is that it's a masculine orris root perfume. Think 28 La Pausa (Chanel)--starchy, chalky, gray but take it in a completely masculine direction. This is the first time I have smelled orris root used in this way. It is a completely androgynous fragrance, yet in comparison to other orris root perfumes, Explorer seems distinctly masculine.
I love dry woods, and I find Explorer to be absolutely gorgeous. The quality is exceptional as well. Sillage is fantastic, and so is longevity. This is one perfume that was a no-brainer; an absolute must-have for me. (Aug 2016)
ICENI
Beautiful and so delicious at the same time. Iceni is a sticky, resinous, balsamic, dark, woody, chewy tonka and spice perfume that conjures images of a cake consisting of layers of pain d'epice, gingerbread and panettoni, oozing with dark, viscous molasses between each layer and finally drizzled with white icing. It's as though Fille en Aiguilles, Arabie and Colors by Benetton got down and dirty in an unscrupulous ménage à trois. This smells like something that belongs in a Lutens bell jar, just--WOW.
Very holiday-esque, you really get the elemi/myrrh and pine needle scent, but the base is so sweet and cozy. Iceni successfully teeters the line between gourmand and incense perfume, never totally crossing the line too much in either direction, in a way I rarely encounter. I see this as a winter perfume, but it's so magnificent goodness knows it will be hard not to wear it all year long.
Sillage and longevity are huge. A+++ for yet another ridiculously incredible perfume by Boadicea the Victorious. Words can't express my admiration for this house. (Jul 2016)
Beautiful and so delicious at the same time. Iceni is a sticky, resinous, balsamic, dark, woody, chewy tonka and spice perfume that conjures images of a cake consisting of layers of pain d'epice, gingerbread and panettoni, oozing with dark, viscous molasses between each layer and finally drizzled with white icing. It's as though Fille en Aiguilles, Arabie and Colors by Benetton got down and dirty in an unscrupulous ménage à trois. This smells like something that belongs in a Lutens bell jar, just--WOW.
Very holiday-esque, you really get the elemi/myrrh and pine needle scent, but the base is so sweet and cozy. Iceni successfully teeters the line between gourmand and incense perfume, never totally crossing the line too much in either direction, in a way I rarely encounter. I see this as a winter perfume, but it's so magnificent goodness knows it will be hard not to wear it all year long.
Sillage and longevity are huge. A+++ for yet another ridiculously incredible perfume by Boadicea the Victorious. Words can't express my admiration for this house. (Jul 2016)
INTENSE
Lily and bubblegum. Yet I marvel over the novelty and cleverness of this pairing. The result is phenomenal.
Intense smells syrupy and decadent like sun-ripened peaches and raspberries bursting with juice and dripping with delicious Hawaiian white honey. Patchouli wasn't obvious until the heart. Boadicea does fruitchouli. And they do it better than anybody else.
We typically find rose or jasmine (or both) in fruitchoulis, but I'm amazed at the dynamic that lily creates. Lily smells a tad sharp in contrast to all of the sticky-sweet fruit, but it creates the perfect balance, giving the scent more body, more depth, much like when you add red wine to your spaghetti sauce. It's creates that wow! factor.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would refer to a fruitchouli as a masterpiece, but Intense is most certainly a masterpiece. Takes my breath away.
Lily and bubblegum. Yet I marvel over the novelty and cleverness of this pairing. The result is phenomenal.
Intense smells syrupy and decadent like sun-ripened peaches and raspberries bursting with juice and dripping with delicious Hawaiian white honey. Patchouli wasn't obvious until the heart. Boadicea does fruitchouli. And they do it better than anybody else.
We typically find rose or jasmine (or both) in fruitchoulis, but I'm amazed at the dynamic that lily creates. Lily smells a tad sharp in contrast to all of the sticky-sweet fruit, but it creates the perfect balance, giving the scent more body, more depth, much like when you add red wine to your spaghetti sauce. It's creates that wow! factor.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would refer to a fruitchouli as a masterpiece, but Intense is most certainly a masterpiece. Takes my breath away.
