Coven

Jesus fucking Christ this is such a deeply alluring, darkly green, and sensual fragrance, but it HAS to be smelled on skin. I've had three encounters with this one: The first encounter was when I tested it on paper at Scentbar in NYC - I initially wrote it off because on the test strip, it smelled like chemicals and that organic veggie wash / cleaning solution, if you know what I'm referring to lol. At the time, could not imagine this being an enjoyable fragrance to wear in the slightest. The second time, I met up with a friend for drinks. They're taller than me, so my face was closer to the nape of their neck as we hugged, and I got a whiff of a peppery-dark-green that took me aback. It was unlike anything I smelled before! On my skin at least, I usually find all green scents to wear the same: heavy dose of tomato leaf on initial spray, sometimes with some added fruits or violets, that quickly settles in to a creamy vetiver or a synthetic iso-e / ambrxon type deal. So this level of depth to a "green" scent was new to me. After learning they were wearing Coven, I immediately ordered a 2ml sample. The third time, as you'd expect, was testing that sample. And to my surprise, I was once again disappointed. It didn't smell on me the way it did on my friend - skin chemistry strikes again! But, after curbing my expectations (something we all must remember to do more often!), I let it settle, and bloom. Out of all the fragrances I have ever had and tested, this is the only one I've come across that feels like it has a "life of its own", it feels alive. Like a living second skin. Hokey to say, even cheesier to type out. Believe me, the corniness is not lost on me lol. But, much like a forbidden forest, or like a witch's beloved carnivorous pet flower, this fragrance exudes a magic of its own. Dark green, dirty, peppery, creamy, bitter, airy. Lovely. 10/10. Surprisingly wearable in all weather - from 40 degrees to 90 degrees.

I'll start with saying that Coven is a masterpiece. A masterpiece which is very easy to hate. A year ago in the Keflavik airport in Iceland I sprayed Coven on my arm and then boarded my plane, leaving the mysterious black bottle behind. Since then I've been dreaming about getting to smell it again so badly. Finally, one year later, I am back to Iceland and I get to experience this magical fragrance again. It didn't disappoint, it's even better than I remember it. Vegetal, foresty, damp, witchy and mysterious. I can picture a misty lake somewhere out in Icelandic nature, women of the past gathering and conducting their rituals, whatever they were, to speak to the forgotten gods. Their bare feet step lightly on the mossy ground, their hair are messy because of the never truly ending wind, their hands are cold, touching the slightly icy surface of the lake. The sky is grey but it's neither autumn or winter, it would be too cold for them to gather here during that time. I imagine Coven could be a signature scent of Eivør, and if her songs smelled of something it would be exactly this perfume. It's such a unique and beautiful take on vegetal smells which, in my experience, very rarely turn out truly great (I am looking at you Hermann by Eldo....). This scent is cosy and disturbing at the same time, and I can see how some could love it and some could hate it. I am not the biggest fan of Galbanum myself which is why I am so impressed with Andrea's use of it in this composition. It seems like a perfect fit, the last piece of the puzzle to complete it. The plant I usually don't like the smell of, I absolutely adore in Coven. This fragrance could be worn by anyone but I think the overall underlying nature of it is feminine. Not in a flowery girly way but in a raw, mystical, shamanic way every woman can probably relate to from time to time.

I have a 2ml tester of this, recommended by a niche perfume store. On first spray, I was not expecting to smell cocoa butter and shea butter in an oil burner that has just a hint of residue left from some magnolia and complex woody essential oil blends deepened over years of use. To be honest I was a little trepidatious that this would be feminine with a hint of forest just for edginess but not really unisex at all, because of the name. But I can see why it's described as unisex, it smells like well moisturised skin and piping hot marsala wine in an old cottage kept fresh with thoughtful use of dried plants - and I can totally see some sensible witches being responsible for such a scenario. I am getting a lot more sweetness and oiliness and warm spice than I expected, and FAR less realistic botanical greenness or wood. The oakmoss comes through a tad, but not in the mossy forest bog creature way I guess I was hoping for. I definitely feel more like a mysterious suave ghost and an elegant cottage witch on a date on a warm autumn night than I feel like a genderless dryad. Initial drydown is slightly musky but still warm sweet butters. Must wait to see how it develops. Edit: it develops into a hot oil bath infused with moss and lichen and sips on a sweet and ever-so-slightly bitter digestif, and it lasts reliably for 8-10 hours as a skin scent you (and anyone close enough to you) can huff when you need a mood lift of a hug-like boost of strength. It's not what I thought I was looking for, but it's one I would be delighted to add to my collection.

When I think of green fragrances, I think of bright, crisp and snappy scents. Scents heavy with notes like grass, bamboo, green apple or something bright. I don't mind these at all and actually quite like them. However, as I've grown older my tastes seem to have shifted and now I crave fragrances that walk on the wild side and border between niche and flat out bizarre. Enter Andrea Maack Coven. Still green in theory but, this is a deeper, darker green. This is a wet, mossy, forest at night on a hot summer eve green. It's captivating, darker, deeper, sultry without being skanky and almost possessing a hypnotic quality to it.Notes include Galbanum, Clove, Cedar Wood, Oak Moss, Vanilla. The most prominent being galbanum at first with the rest slowly making their way out as the scent lingers on skin. After a few hours, vanilla and a softer wood note become more noticeable. Very rarely do I buy a sample and then after trying it like I did with this one think "I need to buy a bottle of this immediately". However, Coven hooked me in, casted it's spell (poor joke and it stays) and left me spellbound. Not for the faint of heart, this isn't a bright and sunny fragrance ; this is one that conjures up images of dark wooded areas overrun by moss and plants. It definitely falls into that niche category and you (probably) won't find a lot of others wearing it (which I'm personally fine with, I don't want to smell like everyone else). If you're in the mood to try something unique and uncommon give this one a shot.

Somewhere in a gothic, dark world a witch would give a yearning customer love potion smelling just like this: strange, dark, yet alluring. It is a fragrance that many might find “unwearable” and yet one can also be so drown to its unique charm. It is a high quality fragrance work, and there is a definitive magic to it. Magic in a classical sense of it: with dark nights, witches, strange things happening and alluring promises whispered into the air. For me “Coven” opens with a scent of sweetly rotting fruit. This first wave is strong and can turn away unaccustomed wearers, but it also quickly passes to allow notes of warm, wet earth to shine through. In a span of a minute that wet earth becomes warming wood - not burning, but lying by a big fire - and later it gets touched by a sweet ting of spice. Spice is not overpowering, but also not openly pleasant. “Coven” wears long and well, lingers on both skin and clothes, and can even leave its trace on a room hours after you sprayed it from the bottle. It doesn’t attack you with its longevity and strength and remains consistently interesting, but this is definitely something to mind. It is more of a quiet night scent. Tried it during the day, and different notes simply feel a bit too heavy for a casual wear. This is something to savor and enjoy, something to bath in and really ‘feel’. A masterpiece through and through, but not for everyone.