Delta of Venus

At least in the first half or so of the perfume's life I see quite a bit in common with the Anais Nin short story of the same name. Antoine Lie's composition for Eris is going to raise eyebrows and push the limits of the socially acceptable. However, like one of the less offensive taboos, it could pique curiosity more than repulsion; the perfume will make you feel the shame that comes from some unintentional voyeurism, but it will be overpowered by the desire to look over your shoulder and out of the corners of your eyes to make sure no one will witness you going in for another look. The opening instantly suggests sin and the forbidden. Bergamot zapped of all energetic, innocent, citrus zestiness to present dry and bitter rinds, and the equally parched, dry, and sulfuric aspects of grapefruit overlay one of the most green and indolic jasmine notes I have ever smelled. The violet leaf carries a lot of the responsibility for the super dry, green, vegetal notes and textures. For a while I thought I was smelling a bizarre form of orris and galbanum; the starchy, potatoey, earthy, somewhat floral qualities of orris are there, and the hyper-green galbanum textures and notes, reminiscent of No. 19 and Private Collection, are also there. Take your pick of interpretation, but you'll arrive at the roughly the same conclusion: massively strident, massively dry, massively dense, massively green, very pushy and illicit. These notes don't subside without a fight, but they do eventually give way where the jasmine sheds quite a bit of its green and indolic qualities to take on whiter, gentler, floral aspects, and a "guava" note takes center stage. Perhaps controversially, I've always said that osmanthus's fruity note is far more like guava to my nose than the apricot note that many/most tend to identify. The very fleshy heart of DV is soft, sweet, musky, floral, and very tropically fruity, smelling very close to a lot of "osmanthus" materials I recall over many years, but it has been amped-up to bring a density that tends to be lacking in the typically airy and diffusive osmanthus floral accord materials. The heart of DV is beautiful. Somehow Antoine Lie is able to make the tropical fruit notes and floral notes smell very naturalistic yet the heart doesn't go down the sickly saccharine route like so many perfumes do that attempt a section like this. What certainly helps is the faded but still present green paint stroke hanging on to the floral note of the heart. Compared to the opening that hissed and snapped at you, the heart is tantalizingly inviting - a cool bowl of juicy tropical fruit on a warm summer day. A good amount of time later you've had more than your fill, and you're left with green notes again in the form of a lightly green and more so woody vetiver, and a bright beige and creamy sandalwood that is just as light and playful as it is clean and crisp. By the end of Delta of Venus I'm not sure I continue to smell the raunchy short story that shares the title, but forbidden fruit guarded by a hissy green snake that ends up being so tasty and revelatory as to be worth the risk? Yes, indeed. Call me Adam. Now, where are my pants?

I love guava: the fresh fruit, in juice form, guava paste, too. I drink GT's Synergy Guava Goddess kombucha regularly. I will spare you all of my purple prose and say this: Delta of Venus has the best guava accord I'd ever smelled in a fragrance, head and shoulders. It seems to be a hard one to pin down by perfumers, and Antoine Lie has perfected it here. Juicy, mouth-watering, luscious—it's all here, down to the distinctive muskiness associated with the ripe fruit. I could very well be wrong, but I detect what I believe are materials ncalled Paradisamide and Guavanate, the former an aromachem produced by Givaudan that reminds me of passionfruit and guava, and the latter produced by Bedoukian that imparts the woodier, muskier aspects of a pink guava. Otherwise, Lie had his own proprietary trickery in creating this vivid representation. Aside from some accents that shade in Delta of Venus, to me it's mostly a guava "solinote" and I am all for it. One welcome detour in the dry down that I do want to highlight is a certain waxiness that gives it body and character. It's really just a splendid experience from beginning to end.

When I first read the name of this, my brain started filling in the predictive notes - castoreum, musk, cumin, styrax - you know the ones. I read the book, so I should know, right? But these were missing. It wasn’t making sense. Then I read ‘guava,’ my expectations went in a different direction, and I had an aha moment. Guava is one of the fruits I have to stop and smell every chance I get. It’s tropical, humid, rich, and syrupy. You can taste the sweetness just from inhaling it, and the fragrance fills up the top of your throat with a golden glow. I was really grooving on the idea of the guava, then I read jasmine sambac was there also, and I inwardly swooned. The most sensual of all florals next to this rich velvet and it seems like this would disappear into an abyss of pure sensuality. And I think it absolutely would have if it wasn't being teased by a bright bergamot, a pop of sour grapefruit, a flash of bitter green galibanum, and grounded by vetiver and sandalwood. This is glorious! This fragrance lives up to its name, and I believe Anais Nin would approve.

Usually when I try a new sample it will evoke some person or scenario in my head different from the promotional copy--and often the marketing and concepts for fragrance are hilarious in their grandiosity--but to me, this one really is what they say on the tin. An achingly beautiful guava and jasmine, Delta of Venus bears the weight of experience and a heartbroken but still confident sensuality. It's gourmand in so much as there's fruit in it, but the juiciness of the guava and citrus combined with violet leaf and galbanum makes for a more ozonic, watery effect, kind of like it's Belle de Jour's (my favorite Eris, also with jasmine) more earnest cousin. She's the same age, but more easygoing, less clothed. This one is for the romantics. It's certainly for me.

I have been slogging through a lot of perfume testing, trying to find my next obsession, and this one truly stood out! The ripest, juciest, tangiest, sweetest - I am out of suffixes! DoV raced straight to the top of my buy list. Yeah this is a "fruity floral" but it puts all the others to shame.It gave me an instant scent memory, of an osmanthus tree in bloom outside my office window that I have been trying to find in perfume forever. I can't say that this is exactly like a guava. To me, guavas are more tart, green and strawberryish, this is more peachy and musky. There is also a nice woody, almost clean paper vibe, that is so interesting and grounds all the notes.

one of the few green leaning scents i really like. the melon jumps out but the green notes keep it tame in a way that feels uniquely natural to me (as in its not overly sweet, just present), and its light enough to wear in hot weather (85+ in the states) while still lasting a decent amount of time. not sure about projection but it didnt feel like i could overspray it so thats good (its an extrait but its not "beastmode" strong). A very nice scent especially for men who like unisex stuff and get tired/bored of the blue options we get beat in the head to wear. not bad pricing either

Opens with a bright sour grapefruit and gorgeous green thats somehow both dry and juicy. The guava (which is a citrusy floral musk, not the slightly dirty overripe type) blooms after the grapefruit fades and lasts for the remainder of the wear. The dry down is an addictive sour-floral-musk-vertiver. Decent longevity for the type, but the end is definitely a skin scent. Not a sweet fruity scent, definitely a dry green fruit; more of a tropical seltzer water than a frozen cocktail. But IMO even more refreshing because of it.

This perfume is beautiful. It’s a citrusy tropical delight to wear. When first sprayed I could smell real pink grapefruit, and as it dries down the guava takes over this would be great in the summer, at the beach. It makes me think of Costa Rica with green everywhere, leaves almost as big as I am, fruits growing on nearby trees. Such a wearable beauty!

As a guy, I love this, even though it is more on the feminine side. It smells hair freshly shampooed with a fruity shampoo. I'm also getting a bit of Philosykos (maybe there is fig in this?) in the background. Overall, a really nice fresh, fruity fragrance. No harsh artificial notes that you find in so many fruity fragrances these days. Perfection.

Grapefruit rind, green galbanum, violet leaf, and guava are the main notes I'm getting. Eris does "green" better than anyone I know. I'm not getting much jasmine, but maybe it's what's keeping this from going full tilt bitter. Loving this so far and it's perfect for the hot, humid weather we're having now. Just ordered a full bottle. :)

Very delicious, realistic guava. Humidly tropical but still crisp and bright. There is something a little suggestive about it, maybe a little funky. The drydown is still very fruity but more green and rubbery in a not unpleasant way. I really love that guava!

Bruhhhh this shit smells fucking amazing. I just got the sample set from this brand and am beyond impressed. This one is def a stand-out. Will be so sexy on a hot summer day. Definitely will be getting a full bottle of this once my sample is up.

This is a highly creative fruity green citrus that really smells like tart ripe guava, how idk, but they did it and it's super nice and zingy in warmer weather. The jasmine and vetiver round the sharp edges making DoV really enjoyable to wear.

perfect gorgeous guava. like fruit when it’s still a little crunchy, only as green and as sweet as a height of summer fragrance needs to be. a bit tangy and dewy and held together by a delicious green musk.

Just updating my previous review to say that this is absolutely glorious. The guava and citruses are not too sweet thanks to the green notes. I cannot get enough of this and it lasted for over 10 hours.

This is a beautiful fragrance, I have a full bottle and am selling it as it was a blind buy and am more in to citrus. If you're looking to buy it I am happy to sell.

Yum! The initial spray felt a bit shampoo-y, but that didn't last long. Love the guava and grapefruit. Looking forward to trying this out in warmer weather!

Smells like sex in the best way. Juicy, photorealistic guava and lush green tropical plants. A little funky and so utterly sexy.

Heaven in a bottle. I might want to eat it at some point. Best one from Eris in my opinion.

A slightly tart, slightly damp, mildly creamy 'guava'-forward freshie. Green, raw, succulent; slightly indolic, this is remarkably refreshing without falling under what I would categorically determine to be a 'bright' fragrance. I find this quite fascinating because it can, and does, serve to brighten up low spirits (the dread of the daily grind, the desire to stay in bed and tell your boss your dog ate your homework, etc.). There is something here which is archetypally feminine. It taps into something spiritual innate to all persons--a 'mother of the world', if you will. Uplifting and elevating.. there is an emotional connection which DoV channels quite brilliantly. I get the guava but it is more creamy, more green, less photorealistic than what I initially had presumed it would be. Beautiful blend of both citrus and florals, appropriate for warm spring and summer days. Remains quite tropical throughout wear with a soapy-skin scent as it settles into its dry down. Wearing it earlier this morning on a particularly hot-and-muggy day actually seemed to highlight its more tropical aspects... like making a pilgrimage through a lush Costa Rican cloud rainforest to meet mother Gaia herself. A lovely, lovely perfume.