Loon

One of my fondest memories is from an overnight stay at a lodge along Lake Willoughby in Vermont in late One of my fondest memories is from an overnight stay at a lodge along Lake Willoughby in Vermont in late November. I was awakened early in the morning to the sound of loons calling. It began with the haunting wail of one bird to the other to figure out each other's location. I then began to hear the tremolo, used when there is a perceived threat or to announce one's presence. I then was completely taken by a distant male's yodel, perhaps the most spectral sound I've ever heard—just breathtaking. Loon from Hima Jimo is to me the olfactory metaphor for these Loon calls, embodying a cool, melancholy distance, evoking chilly air and a woolen warmth intended to protect oneself from such elements. A frosty rose of the palest pink, reminiscent of Duchaufour's sadly discontinued Paestum Rose from Eau d'Italie, reappears here, paired with a chilly salt accord and simmering frankincense tears. The backdrop is evergreens and quietude, eliciting images of the noble woods that surround the still lake. It truly feels salty, snowy, even flaky in texture, so brilliantly rendered. The feeling is that of intention—strong, but not loud, suggesting an austere setting of devotion, a trope that I always seem to return to. It has me asking what it is about this notion that draws me—whether it is somehow an augury of my future. Whatever it is, I lean into it, and fancy the exploration of it through scents, including that of the beautiful Loon.

I finally had my chance to get my nose on some Hima Jomo perfumes and have been truly enchanted by every one , as well as being captivated by the very distinct geographical inspiration behind each scent. I bought a sample kit containing Tchai, Loon and Pashm after swooning over all three at a shop. Loon is a very natural smelling, deeply rosy fragrance, built around Himalayan pink salt crystals, frankincense (a note I always love) and a "snow accord" -- all blended expertly by one of my favorite perfumers - Bertrand Duchaufor. I've been playing around with these samples and was pleasantly surprised yesterday when, hours after I'd applied this, I kept getting hit with rosy wafts and realized it was Loon, still going strong and projecting nicely many a hour after applying. Not even close to overwhelming - this rose is way too classy for that. Because this is SO natural smelling it's reminding me of one of my favorite rose perfumes of all time: Rose Vert from DSH perfumes. And I can see the comparisons to Avignon, given the frankincense as well as also being created by Duchaufour, I have Avignon and love it as well, and I think it could pair beautifully with Loon in the winter: it would be like someone wrapping you in a cozy woolen blanket, which smells of incense smoke and a vintage rose perfume, smelling all the sweeter in the cold, winter air. Beautiful.

I love this scent. It reminds me of the sea but in a very cold day. I can smell the salt in the opening and after few minutes a slightly soapy but velvety rose emerges and cuddles you. Gonna test it a bit more and eventually will get a full bottle 😍

On my skin, this was airy, with a lightly spicy rose tinge. Beautiful.

Rose dominant, with soapy, bright and airy nuances. I would have added a miniscule amount of mint or eucalyptus to give the more "ice/snow/cold" touch. But otherwize, i'd say this is a solid fresh, clean, rose fragrance. I wouldn't call it unisex, as it has a feminine vibe to it, in my opinion. On my skin, i don't get any "snow" note, but i do get a black pepper note. Sharp but subtle. I mostly get a lot of rose, a decent amount of Jasmine and some cyprus, edelweiss and cedar. There is something that could be salt in the background, but it can also be expectations from the note breake down. Very pleasant. Not over the top, but strong. All year though mind the sprays in summer heat. Casual to formal. Young adult and up (due to the lack of sweetness). It's quite strong for the first half an hour - hour. The rose calms down from that point and the whole of the composition starts working together. Personal score: 8.25/10. As a man, this isn't for me. But the quality of the fragrance and blending is very high. Absolutely recommended for rose lovers.