Indigo Smoke

When I first sampled this I fell head over heels in love. Immediately was telling everybody about it. I did it I found it I found what my soul smells like! And everyone agreed even before I said anything my girlfriends said “that’s the most you scent you ever worn!” And I felt so satisfied. But slowly that apricot started weighing on me until I couldn’t escape it. I ended up just putting my decant away and forgetting about it. A shame bc I really needed something to take the place of Mona di Orio Bohea Boheme. And it felt like it might be able to do so. Not that they smelt similar but they occupied the same smokey Chinese tea realm. BB is just far more complex I have to say. However!!! A year went by and I tested a ton of other scents and I’ve started to warm up to sweetness. Another scent that occupies this same realm to me is amouage interlude woman. To me that one is a smokey herbal kiwi black tea scent to my nose. And I was a bit turned off by its sweetness as well but I returned to it and it was stunning. So I thought why not give indigo smoke another try as well. And yup I love the sweetness here now. Sometimes u just need that after months of bitter dark earthy musk bombs something like this is so soothing. Also doesn’t hurt that people wanna eat me up when I put them on. Not a full on gourmand of course but you have to be open to smelling like an apricot jam with a cup of dark black tea. It is what it is and it does it well

I had this sample for many months before I realized how much I loved it. I'd gotten it along with several others and this one definitely wasn't a favorite among them. And yet, on days when I felt like stepping outside of my bottle collection to expierement with my samples, I kept coming back to this one again and again. It wasn't until I'd run through the whole sample that I realized how much I loved it! I've never delved much into tea scents, so my nose isn't particularly attuned to that family of notes yet. So for me, the tea and incense blend together seamlessly into a wonderful, deep smokiness that feels both sensual and cozy. And for me, it's the apricot that really brings this one home. Tge fruitiness of it, along with the bergamot and mandarin, is very subtle but just enough that it balances the smokiness of the lapsang and incense. And the combination is just divine! I bought a bottle during cooler weather and it quickly became a daily driver during that time. It lasts so long! And felt so comforting when I'd catch a whiff of it on my clothes, which happens often. This isn't a warm weather scent for me. But during fall and winter (and foggy bay area days!), this one is FANTASTIC day or night.

This truly is a one of a kind, nothing I have ever smelled. It's a really mysterious, smoky black tea scent that gets brighter when drying down. This is what I would imagine a really good-looking fantasy book boyfriend to smell like who spends most of his time in a mage tower to study. There is so much mystery and calm in this perfume. It starts out quite smoky and almost has an inky note to it in the opening, it makes it almost ethereal. The longer it sits on the skin the more it mellows out and goes into the direction of a mildly sweet iced tea that still retains its black tea signature. It's unisex and works on men and women. To me the big downfall of this perfume is that it seems to disappear very quickly. It already sits close to the skin and after 2 hours I have to actively go looking for it. That's the only reason why I cannot commit to a full bottle as it's quite expensive and difficult to source where I live. Other than that, I love this so much. If you want to give the illusion that you are a wise person, put this on, you will radiate the energy that you're on your 5th reincarnation and know a thing or two.

There are certain fragrances with a pyramid of notes that transport you to a time or place...or activity. This is sitting in an armchair drinking a rare lapsang tea, with a faint aroma of dried apricots in a bowl nearby (this dissipates quickly) and a stick of vetiver incense already burnt out but lingering in the room. As it sits on the skin, I get alternating wafts of vetiver and tea. It’s not a dry/arid scent but I certainly wouldn’t call it juicy. The pine tar, guaic, and mate impart a certain pleasant charred bitterness held in check by a creamy note with just a hint of sweetness, like a sheer curtain. Interestingly, I’m fleetingly reminded in the development of a charred carrot dish at a very nice restaurant- that vegetal roast meets sweet flavor. Is it savory or is it sweet- definitely something you question. The scent later turns more creamy as the top and mid notes disappear with the longevity of an incense stick. If this were incense or a candle, I’d buy it. For me, there’s a dotted line to Bruno Fazzolari’s pineapple and black tea scent Unsettled and Comme des Garçons’ Black inky char.

Ordered a sample of Indigo Smoke immediately when I saw the notes, and eventually got a full bottle. I have a mug of lapsang souchong most afternoons and I'm pleased that I can detect its elements here. Pine-smoked tea, vetiver, incense, that characteristic mate earthiness, all of them are distinct and form a solid base that embodies the name perfectly. I love tea scents, I go crazy for smoky fragrances, the smokier the better; however, it's the apricot that surprises and delights me. It's a prime example of how this fragrance hobby/lifestyle has awakened a kind of synesthesia in me. The best fragrances (for me) convey colors and textures and sometimes even implant a wholly new experience/sensation. Indigo Smoke definitely smells like indigo to me. The composition is balanced as if according to Bauhaus color theory: the yellows and oranges of the citrus and that sweet-tart apricot are complementary to the indigo of the rest of it. Remarkable! Or maybe I'm just new at this! But I'm having a good time and I smell fabulous!