Bluer Skies (Whenever You're Around)

Bluer Skies caught me of guard, to say the least. In my opinion it is a scent composed around the presence of a lover. I distinctly recall a warm summer day, while having my son in my womb, and his father near, experiencing the most intense joy, and peace I’ve ever felt. The sky was indeed a richer blue, the leaves a starkly beautiful contrast, the clouds more light, and every breath of breeze felt as if it was created solely to caress my sun warmed skin. Every sense was heightened, the smell of salty, musky skin, cold, mineralic water, the bright tartness of ginger and apple here simulate the bright heat of the sun, on bare skin. Coriander sets the tone for the lightly sweaty skin of your loved one, lying close in the heat of the sun. Patchouli (amazingly light in this fragrance) feels like the grounding soul, the earth you can smell beneath you, heat baked, and slightly damp. The florals are indistinct. You’re not sure where they are coming from, a neighbors blooming jasmine, a mock orange bush, a plum tree... I’m not sure, but in the delirious haze of sun kissed peace I don’t care. I feel the breeze cool my skin with its floral breath, carrying the salty scent of my lover. This fragrance is masterfully done in my opinion, it’s truly like nothing I’ve smelled before in a fragrance release. Although it is something I’ve smelled before in a memory. And one of the very most precious at that. Chris has managed to pull a precious moment from the depths of my mind with this perfume and put it in the forefront, so I can enjoy it every time I sniff my wrist. And that, my friends, is magic.

Bluer Skies is a sensational fragrance - it starts out as an ozonic haze which gives way to salty jasmine surrounded by minerality, as if growing out of cracks in the pavement. After about 30 minutes, the curtains open onto an exotic dance of cold, terpenic coriander seed and warm, camphoreous galangal. This juxtaposition is genius, and they way that they play off each other, without ever merging, is endlessly fascinating. It is very much a perfume of musicality, tension, and drama (without resorting to the the traditional "big & loud" diva pageantry). The base is a gorgeous true Santalum album, in huge quantities but cleverly hidden in the wings as tension builds to set the stage -- you can feel it before you smell it. In the drydown it builds to a crescendo, eventually taking center stage, a climax to the dance that lasts for hours, warm and buttery, reflecting the spices in its shimmering glow. I find it remarkably sexy, but not in the "expected" way -- this is such a departure and relief from sweet ambroxan bombs and basic boozy wood. Lasts for over 8 hours on skin and every minute is full of gorgeous intrigue. Rusak's entire first line is profoundly artistic and bold but also very, very wearable; it's a rare and exciting thing to find both of these qualities in a new perfume line and I can't wait to see what he does next.

Bluer is a particular gem, a beautiful jasmine/white flower, both from another time and yet extremely contemporary. Very smooth, with this very prominent flower/virginal aspect, almost a little old-fashioned/comforting; and at the same time something a little heady, lingering, taking you on a trip to a grandmother's little veranda, pink/blue and green faux satin, crocheted cushion on the sofa. It's complex, bringing to my mind a whole lot of image associations. This sweet white is extremely special, almost taking me back to the frothy, creamy interior of a tiny wild strawberry that has remained white on the outside (completely off the pyramid, though). The musk/sandalwood sweetness is very enveloping, the kind of scent which is gonna make you detach from the ground a little bit, a little ball of cotton cloud delicately placed on your neck, wrapped around your wrist. A cloud, and lots of tiny white flowers in their most classic form. A weird cloud drawing, a souvenir, a family album in the 80s section. A poem, anyway, something like William Carlos Williams - with the blue of the cover of Spring and All - and something else, a few decades later, in short, a set and memories quite impossible to define. Very pretty.

Sandalwood and Jasmine, my 2 favorite scents, dominate smoothly into one with initial opening of what I perceive as conifer/balsam green with hints of ozone and salt. I don't get any apple and really have to think about it to notice ginger. It's a very comforting scent if you like the dominant notes and feels quite natural but there is an edge which makes me hesitate to wear this in an office. I don't know if it is the indole or the coriander but there is a mild skank like ripe cheese component or the milky tang of dried saliva which while not funky in any way will not make this a mass market scent. I've smelled something like this before, in certain perfumes with genuine ouds and real deer musk. Longevity on me in the summer (might last longer in the winter) is about 4 to 6 hours with moderate projection. I personally find this combination of scents quite addicting and want to wear this all the time, it's the "in nature" smell that draws me in, a warm lightly spicy skin scent.

I wear this when I want to feel confident leading a project at work or to get through a mental block on a creative project. The balance between airy ozone and dreamy jasmine on one hand, and grounded sandalwood on the other, make this a scent to be worn by someone who is a big picture thinker who has their feet on the ground.