Paradisi

The way Paradisi opens made me think of Terre d’Hermes - right or wrong - except if Terre had significantly more muscle on its bones. There is no transparency or translucency to Paradisi in the way Ellena presents Terre. Luminosity, sure, but mist-like weightlessness - definitely not. The grapefruit is definitely there, as is the mineralic-rocky-flintiness sitting underneath, but in Paradisi it’s quite a bit more wet and soil like. There was something very “modern masculine template” to the early stages of Paradisi, but very pleasing and not derivative. I was all smiles. The opening is cucumber water and their sweetly vegetal green skins, but the bitter green aspect of the cucumber gets a bit conflagrated against the bitter and zesty-sour fruit skins that take up a lot space in this opening as well. The fruit has an obvious tropical lean, I can certainly smell guava with its musky-strawberry-white tree fruit character, and perhaps oranges as well. Passionflower doesn’t have a smell, so, no, this is not present - ignore that part of the pyramid, and there is too much overlap between guava, orange, and grapefruit to probably call out passionfruit; Paradisi is also missing a lemon facet that is present in passionfruit, so vis-a-vis passionfruit can be ignored as well. But, it is clear at this point that the theme and the drive behind the perfume is sour soil. The sourness carries into the heart with a verdant and determined energy. The soil accord is beautiful, like a much simplified, more sour, and sans fecal version of Amouage’s Figment Man. Paradisi is pumped full of a good quality synthetic moss material, which helps with the feeling of “masculine template” refinement as the damp woodiness makes it highly approachable, but there are plenty of mushroom-y and wet top soil-like notes thanks to the sourness that is still continuing on, and that sourness dominates the sweeter and earthier notes forced underneath it. Paradisi is likely to become one of my new spring and summer favorites. It’s so very full of character, energetic, and addictive to smell - managing freshness while also managing to smell of biological decay. Criticisms? The only one I can levy is that it falls a bit into the typical McCall trap of “so many synthetics, so little definition” - it’s almost too abstract - everything is presented as a solid mass with few discernible beginnings and ends to the notes. That makes it tough to read for a perfume geek like me, and tends to trip some of my hair triggers; this isn’t a perfume for the keen-on-details. However, that is part of what needs to be remembered with McCall’s style, generally speaking, and it also seems to be the theme of Paradisi delivered in a very convincing and well-balanced way: don’t focus on the trees, focus on the forest. Paradise isn’t a tree, after all.

Jorum Studio is a fragrance house I wouldn’t recommend if you are a new perfume head or have a general interest in niche perfumery. That doesn't mean the fragrances are not outstanding, but it does mean they are challenging for the novice nose. Paradisi is not a tropical fragrance. I don't know how many of you may have thought what I thought, which was obviously Paradise equals tropical. Although there are elements or traces of tropical flowers in this composition, this is a very Green and very earthy fragrance. And when I say earthy I mean earthy! You can smell the soil. You can smell the tomato leaves and you can smell the mushroom. As a true Capricorn, I absolutely love it. I don't even have to show my mother, for as a true libra, she's going to hate it. Perhaps you may be thinking you will experience a bright and citrusy opening with things like cucumber, grapefruit, orange, pink pepper, guava etc. The honeysuckle sold it for me as a bright and delicious fragrance that gently transitioned into a woody and earthy composition. That is most definitely not what happens! But that is OK. If you are looking for something that sits very close to the ground and collects the beautiful materials that emerge to make and create an earthly concoction, perfect for this time of the year, then you have something really special. Borders on Wicca. If you are into that, I recommend you check this out and see if it matches your style.

You’re on a first date with a hot gardener. It’s a humid day in late May or early June, and he spent it taking care of the flowers and vegetables and fruit trees growing in his backyard. He didn’t bother changing clothes before meeting you this evening for aperitifs at a fancy bistro, where he looks out of place in his sleeveless tee and ripped cutoffs and dirty sneakers, but he’s cute and effortlessly charming enough to get away with it. He has the energy of an earthy farm boy who quietly appreciates the finer things in life; he doesn’t care that you can see the flecks of soil under his meticulously trimmed fingernails; he knows a great spot for foraging mushrooms but won’t take you there without blindfolding you; he has a degree in Latin poetry but doesn’t make it his entire personality. After a round of Aperol spritzes, he picks up the check and suggests relocating to a dive bar around the corner, where you both get tipsy on guava margaritas and end up making out on the dancefloor. You notice he’s a little sweaty, not in a gross “wow you need to shower immediately” way but in a sexy “wow you clearly worked hard today and now you’re unbothered, moisturized, happy, in your lane, focused, flourishing” way. He smells like Paradisi.

Reviewing from a review from receiving Paradisi fresh from Fedex! I'll update after letting it rest but I was excited to take a whiff. So this is again very fresh, first impression. I don't get the soil personally! The fruits were kinda there for a bit but they quickly skedaddled away and what is left for me iiiiiis oil paint! I tend my garden regularly and I don't get any memories I have of my garden here. That disappointed me a bit haha yet again I am let down by natural photorealism in a scent, though yeah it is I think super dependent really on our experiences. Maybe Philippine soil is different? It is very sharp though and carries a lot of bitter fruit skin. Grapefruit I can discern. But! Going back to my oil paint comment, yeah to me it takes me to a painting class I took with a friend. It's the linseed oil specifically that I'm reminded of. I get the comments below on how it smells kinda sweaty, or how a gardener might smell under the sun and I do see it but more of an artist actually hard at work, perhaps painting a still life of tropical fruit with set of paints fully loaded (a bit too loaded) with linseed oil?

This is the only vegetal fragrance in my collection...so far. This scent reminds me of a jungle commune with very sexy hippies that tend to the land with their bare hands...and it’s hot (in every sense of the word). This is wet soil, moss, grapefruit, guava, and cucumber (I know it’s not listed, but I get tomato on the dry down) - and to me, it’s addictive. After spraying this for the first time, I just kept smelling my wrist and saying, “damn” over and over - it’s so damn good. Someone earlier said this is Frida Kahlo’s self portrait, and I couldn’t agree more. This is a jungle, Mexico City, Barcelona, and childhood memories wrapped in one. This feels raw and unkempt. This is not for yacht boys or anyone that aspires to be. This is an old artist that doesn’t care if you like their art or not, and they’re legendary because they are singular. This is not for everyone - absolutely not. But, I would love to know the people that it’s for. I live in New York, and it’s cold here right now, but this makes me want to take a vacation to somewhere untamed. For a green, vegetal fragrance - 9/10