Future's Past

Future's Past is the one of three comprising the Twin Peaks collection that I've ended up wearing most. Many theorize the meaning of Future's Past in Twin Peaks lore, but for me it's about 'now', either looking into the past from what was once considered the future but has become the present moment, or switching it to mean we are currently in the past of what for us is the future. As all Twin Peaks viewers know, nothing is set in stone. And stone is an important part of Future's Past success for me, as it reveals a late drydown I truly love, a kind of stony, weathered smooth, elevated gray plateau, a perpetual retreat of peace, that also evokes the overcast sky behind the pine trees. As far as I know the base is unique to this one House of Matriarch perfume. The heart of the fragrance is the invigorating pine; the sappiness asserts that playful possibility surrounds us all along with danger, and seemingly terrible and irreversible circumstances can always be in flux. As a side note, although I never usually layer House of Matriarch perfumes, I've found I like to spray it at the same time and beside, rather than on top of, Chanel's Platinum Egoiste. Future's Past is complete in itself, and requires no bolstering, but because the pine aspect is quite 'high' it creates freedom for the insertion of an optional extra underneath. I enjoy the metallic cold city mood of the Chanel, but not the overly synthetic texture of the current formula, so I like to think Future's Past resuscitates a piece of Chanel history.

I love conifer fragrances and try to find and sample as many as I can. Future's past is the interior of a massive fir tree, needles glistening with the last night's rain, and the trunk encrusted with resin.*Damp soil underneath the tree dominates this scent as well, littered fallen needles amidst tender green sprouts. The listed notes are simply wood resin, larch and balsam fir. Fir and soil make up the most prominent characteristics for the first half hour, but give way to earthy greenery/what I assume is the larch(though I'm not familiar with larch in isolation). It is easily the most natural-smelling and realistic fir I have ever tried, more so than the likes of Norne, Arso, Fume, Wald, Fille en Aiguilles and many others. It's natural to the point that it almost ventures out of the realm of fragrance and into the realm of a fragrant snapshot. I'm not always looking for stark photorealism in my conifers, but Future's Past is a literal interpretation of what you might smell in the mountains in the early morning. If I want realism, this is my go-to choice. Sacre Noir (from the same house) is a cousin to Future's past that uses a very similar fir accord but in the context of sugarplums and Christmas celebration. I'd recommend both of these.

Now, on subsequent spraying, I feel like I'm warming a little more to Future's Past. The dry, blonde woods in the background is MUCH more prominent. It's actually quite alluring and intriguing. It reminds of a handful of DSH scents, which is quite ironic as I frequently confuse both brands for one another. I am enjoying this one, truth be told, and it is one that I could see myself reaching for a lot, especially in our colder months (which seems to be like 75% of the year -- seriously, mid October and we are still getting low teens and even cooler...), however, as I mentioned about, it reminds quite a bit of some DSH scents... Worth seeking out and DEFINITELY worth trying...

I’ve been looking for anyone who still has a bottle of Future’s Past and could part with a 2-5mL decant.. I’m desperate after years of searching and trying everywhere i can think of lol. I’ve tried the new Snoqualmie by Pineward and really like it but it’s not exactly the same unfortunately 😕 I guess maybe send me a message if you see this and have this fragrance, I’m not a proficient user of this site so I hope this isn’t a no-no.

a wonderful, joyous conifer, which is unfortunately paired with the wrong type of resin. galbanum can sometimes come across as a little moist, green or vegetal, and as such, it doesn't work perfectly with the rest of the scent. amber, myrrh or even benzoin would've worked better, in my opinion... so close, and yet so far...

That scent you like is going to come back in style

Like the smell of starlight from trees. Imagine you are in a conifer forest, in the late spring when all trees are putting out new leaves. You brush up against one of the branches and get sap on your hands and clothes. You break off a couple of pieces to smell, tuck them in your pocket, and sit down amid dried needles and cones from several fir species. This is the smell of Future's Past. It is so beautiful and real, and fantasy and magic at the same time. One of the spectacular aspects of natural perfumery is that you get the full nuances of the real thing. I can smell everything from the new fir needles to the sap from it's inner being. Sillage and longevity are soft, as with all naturals. The fragrance is mezmerizing.

My favorite of the three. A beautiful mix of pine and the smell of fresh, succulent, green pods. It's cool and wet like a cold, rainy night in an evergreen forest. Reminds me of Norne mixed with Pear and Olive if you can imagine that.

For anyone missing this .. I wanna say Snoqualmie by pineward would be worth checking out ....