Floral dew, Olfactive Studio Violet Shot & Rose Shot

You must have noticed by now that my motivation for writing has dropped significantly since COVID-19 spread its tentacles all over the world. I still love fragrance, no less than before, but in the back of my head there’s a faint voice saying that it’s kind of selfish to indulge in the world of smells when such bad things happen every day around, in Poland and other countries. But then again perfume is what helps me stay sane and lift my spirit. I’m a bit torn but you deserve this writing too!

Violet Shot starts with a bright and prominent mandarin that quickly takes on a pink hue of the pink pepper. This mild and playful spiciness is like a thread that connects all 3 of the new Olfactive Studio Shots. It’s definitely rounder than black peppe but it still can have some of the metallic or aldehydic tones. The perfume goes green relatively early with the leading theme of freshly cut grass. It’s a specific sensation for the nose – it smells of plant juice, green, but also a bit dewy and watery. To some extend. In real life I don’t really like the smell of cut grass but I don’t mind it in this perfume.

From the smell of mown grass, the green element extends to the heart of Violet Shot and transforms into that of violet leaf. Yes, there’s a floral aspect to it but this accord is mainly made of green, aquaeous facets with crisp & fresh finish that represent the thick and crunchy leaves of violet flower. You cannot mistake it with anything else. Then… a mysterious encounter. Violet, being more cool and reserved in nature, meets Safraleine – a molecule (Givaudan) posessing a warm, spicy, leathery facets reminiscent of saffron. So warm and cold collide, marrying in a dream team that you’d never expect!

Over time the warmth starts to dominate in Violet Shot and though the crispiness of violet leaf is there to stay, saffron-like, ambery tones turn up the heat. This leads us to the drydown, where Madagascar vanilla unleashes a full potiential of the “black gold”. It’s thick, viscous smell that veers oriental creates some sort of a neo-gourmand concoction with the violet – which now smells more powdery & candied. Labdanum and patchouli highlight even more the balsamic and resinous impressions. The perfume has depth and complex nature that will keep you thrilled through the day.

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The opening of Rose Shot is kind of astringent, with a little bit of sharpness coming from the bergamot. This initial impression quickly evolves into more sour & juicy citrus pulp with a hint of aromatic qualities of the peel. Within less than 5 minutes the perfume starts to resonate on the skin and the scent becomes vibrant. Pink pepper gives it an elegant, spicy tinge – to my nose it’s also slightly metallic and I even had a feeling of something aldehydic at the back. Elemi adds a little bit of resinous density to the top of the composition so that it lasts a bit longer on skin.

No surprise that in the heart of this perfume one will find a rose. I this particular case it’s a Turkish rose. Compared to rose de mai, the Damask rose is usually more oily and dense, with a richer scent. But in Rose Shot it’s more about its complexity. At different moment it seems to put on a new face, revealing a cascade of facets. In dominating part its obviously floral but with time it progresses, unfolding elements that smell a bit like geranium – crisp & green, a little bit herbal and minty. There’s even a faint impression of clove to it. This rose is surrounded by handfuls of white flowers.

They make this new Olfactive Studio softer, more ethereal. Floral aspect of Rose Shot might seem diffusive but it’s actually quite surprising for how long you can smell the rose on your skin. I guess this is how you recognize the talent of master perfumers, by the way they can play with essences to make even the lightest ones last longer. In the base you can find guaiac wood and cedar. Combination of these two woody notes gives a solid foundation to the scent. Tree moss introduces some rustic woody-earthiness with a bit of something dry and rough-textured. Lovely scent.

Among the 3 Shot fragrances that are launching in 2020 I now think that Iris Shot is the one that I like the most but the other two are not that far behind in this race. Iris Shot, Violet Shot and Rose Shot were all developed by perfumer Dominique Ropion and floral photographs that inspired the scents were shot by Roberto Greco. It’s a very solid trio. I hope they will be successful despite the difficult times we are experiencing right now. These fragrances come in 100 ml eau de parfum.

In Your Eyes, Olfactive Studio Iris Shot

I love how a simple photograph can bring back all the memories and remind us of places we’ve visited less or more recently. I kind of regret that in the digitalized world we have less and less printed photos – instead we keep them on our computers or phones. But if one of these were to crash, we could simply lose all these pictures in an instant. I like how Olfactive Studio captures the mood of the ‘random’ photos in a perfume. Last year in Milan there was a preview of something exciting which is now seeing the light of the day. It was well worth the wait to tell you about it.

Iris Shot begins with a sparkling aroma of pink pepper. It creates a fizzy kind of spiciness that hits the nose with a mild wave of scent that is built of several layers. One is more spicy, one is slightly dry & earthy while another one has a warming and kind of cuddly feel to it. After several minutes the temperature of this perfume rises when cardamom joins the composition. It’s a different kind of spicy note which gives a more aromatic, crunchy facet with a refined, elegant depth. It also reminds me a bit of the smell of papyrus or an old book. I quite like the way it opens and leads further.

Spicy nuances of Olfactive Studio Iris Shot aren’t in the centre of attention all the time. After 20-30 minutes they start to subside, moving to the background and becoming fainter. That’s when iris aldehyde gets prominent on the skin. Iris aldehyde is a common name for 2-Nonenal (given to it by Givaudan) and is a fragrant molecule of a fatty, powdery smell of iris, with hints of green notes and cucumber. It’s true that thanks to it Iris Shot becomes buttery and super smooth. It develops that delightful sensation of something that melts on top of your skin and creates a silky cocoon.

At the top of the composition there’s also a little bit of freshness – blackcurrant bud adds a facet of juicy green note with element of acidic, ripe berries. But that lasts only for a moment until Iris Shot turns more dense and substantive. Iris concrete, the most precious substance obtained from orris root, gives the new Olfactive Studio composition an extraordinary richness. It’s creamy, buttery, even waxy at times. This perfume is loaded with irones (main constituent of iris & violet smell). I also detected a tiny bit of root and ash in this phase. It’s pure heaven for those who love iris!

Going further Iris Shot from Olfactive Studio develops a sweet, custardy scent that ventures somewhere towards gourmand registers but it’s not quite there yet. Almond note blends in with iris in a seemless way adding a bittersweet, nutty flavor to the fragrance. This action builds up the complexity of the scent and make it more intricate. In my opinion what almond does to Iris Shot is that it amplifies the creaminess of iris while making it more flavorful. Additionally carrot seed introduces a more vegetal facet that still goes well with the iris theme. It adds a bit of lightness too.

At the bottom of the composition lies a solid foundation for Olfactive Studio Iris Shot. The base is composed Virginia cedarwood which makes for a bulky woody note to fix the scent on the skin for longer. Vetiver from Haiti adds an earthy and rooty kind of woodiness. There’s a bit of aromatic notes in there that are reminiscent of grass and warm hay. Ambroxan gives a nice ambery finishing touch to this scent. Dominique Ropion did an excellent job for Celine Verleure’s brand. It surely is a must try for iris lovers. The 100 ml bottle is wrapped in brown leather and there are copper details