Chaos

With all that is going on in the world right now, Chaos seems well named. The second of two small 35ml bottles I bought from this very impressive indie niche Finnish house, Chaos is a bolder and heavier fragrance than EBITDA is. The first thing that hits is the patchouli. You can deconstruct the notes all you want but the patchouli here is in the head, the heart, the feet, the bones and the soul of this fragrance. It is fair to say you have to be an appreciator of the noble green leaf to enjoy Chaos. The juniper berry in the top is here to keep it from going too herbal and the lovely sandalwood note in the base is here to ground it. Everything else is patchouli. It feels fresher and more authentically Nordic than other patchouli-centric fragrances. The one that springs to mind is Lush's very underrated Lord Of Misrule, which is a richer but arguably less wearable take on this DNA than Chaos is. Chaos is very linear but softens a little as you wear it. The sillage is utterly gorgeous. If EBITDA evokes, for me, a cold, contemplative walk through a Finnish pine forest after sunset, Chaos feels busier and more human. It reminds me of nights out in Helsinki. It reminds me of burning cold on the face and chilled warmth in bars and restaurants into the small hours. Salmiakki chasing down every frosty mug of Lapin Kulta, lights, loud music, and salty, delicious lihapiiraaka. Your eyes watering as you step into the teeth of the wind in the icy night and them clearing when you step inside refuges of wood, fire, juniper berry-infused meat and music. Watching the frozen dust on the roads floating in the air, catching the light like glittering specks of something magical. Helsinki is a meeting of minds and souls at the crossroads of Europe, Bothnian Scandinavia and Kalevalan stories and songs, mixed together but never fully homogenised. A place where souls smile more than the people do; in a hard, uncompromising place of incredible beauty and unmerciful cold. Helsinki is one of my favourite cities to visit and this, in all its woody and greeny splendour, reminds me of it. Three Word Summary: Greeny, Woody Splendour Layering combination: Cedrus Intense by Atelier Des Fleurs to ramp up the woody notes, a puff of smoke and a touch of mossy vetiver. Outfit Suggestion: Good dark blue jeans, dark brown Timberland boots, breathable layers under a grey woolly rollneck sweater, black Moncler gilet, grey Paul Smith overcoat, matching hat and gloves. Scent - 8/10 Drydown - 7/10 Sillage - 8/10 Bottle/packaging - 8/10 Performance - 7/10 38/50

I made an account on this site just so I can review this perfume – since it's a small brand from Finland and relatively unknown outside of Finland and Japan, I wanted to add my thoughts here. I found this brand while visiting Helsinki and instantly fell in love with Forest Riot while testing them out at Stockmann. Of course all the locals agree that Forest Riot is amazing and was sold out. Not wanting to leave Finland without a scent from this brand I tried out a few others, including this one. I sprayed this one on my wrist and walked around the city for a bit. I noticed I kept smelling something sweet and intoxicating. Different but familiar. Like a hot, dry forest on a scorching late summer day, with slight hints of something sweet underneath. Transports you to almost like a niche, earthy music festival in the middle of the forest. I find this scent very intoxicating, like you will want to keep getting whiffs of it. I think this one works in almost all times of year, day or night, while I think it leans more heavily into day, could pair nicely with something else for the evening. Reminds me of Santal 33 but less spicy, or Fame by Lady Gaga but less floral.

Got this for a bargain price and the 50ml bottle at that. Can definitely say that this is something unique. Inspired by the Finnish nature or more precisely the forest. Imagine a forest in autumn, pines and other coniferous trees, with undergrowth soaked by the morning dew. Juniper so realistic its unbelievable almost. Patchouli grounds the fragrance really well and gives it amazing longevity. Sandalwood is amazing too. You can imagine that dryness of the porous sandalwood that feels amazing, warm and soothing. I think this would be great with iris or violet. 8/10. Edit: Actually what I now realised is there is like a sweet ink-accord or like a creamy fig-accord in this. This is beautiful stuff.

Another light, mass-appealing scent from this brand. I'd say this would smell better on a woman and I'm actually shocked I like this considering there's earthy notes according to Hetkinen's website (Patchouli)!