Fields of Rubus

Let me say this, Kerosene fragrances are nothing if not unique! And that's not a backhanded compliment by any means. Not since I discovered Comme Des Garcons have I encountered a fragrance house which produced such "outside the square" scents. I guess that's the advantage John Pegg enjoys in being a "indie" perfumer, if I may put it that way? As such, he's not burdened with the kind of baggage that many in the industry seem to be, thus freeing himself up to be truly avant garde. Also, being answerable primarily just to himself,rather than a structure of corporate masters, must help. Fields Of Rubis is a wonderfully different scent that primarily explores the use of patchouli with complimentary elements of chocolate, raspberry and tobacco. And when I say patchouli, I mean real, down and dirty, patch lover's patchouli, not the kind of cleaned up, air brushed patchouli that we encounter oh so regularly. The note list is more extensive than what I have just listed, but those four elements really stand out to me. If you're expecting a gourmand chocolate/raspberry, you might be a little disappointed. Those notes are striking in the composition, and very loud in the first ten minutes, but they then dry off a bit and just sit wonderfully in the background for me, with the patchouli and tobacco being the upfront stars. There is a vanilla note that floats in and out, which worried me initially, but it is more on the bitter side thankfully and avoids that horrid sweetness that I usually avoid like the plague and may well have proven to be a deal breaker in even a great perfume like this. Honestly, the patchouli note and the tobacco note here are as good as I have encountered anywhere quite frankly. I also get subtle hints of cedar and sandalwood in the dry down, which is an amazing kicker and sets up this fragrance for an outstanding experience. So far I have four Kerosene scents, all of which are entirely different to one another and each one is a seriously delightful surprise and something no one else has even tried to pull off anywhere else. Another great thing is that Kerosene fragrances are very reasonably priced, so your bank account will like you again! Take note also if you are interested, that Kerosene offer a sample set of all their fragrances for next to nothing. If memory serves me correctly, it's 10 x 2ml samples at around $50, which is just a no brainer in my book! Bravo John Pegg & Kerosene! PS: I forgot to add that unlike the other Kerosene fragrances I've used, which all project well and have tenacious longevity, Fields Of Rubis falls down just a touch in this department. It dries down to a skin scent reasonably quickly and whilst it does last, I do prefer scents that have a bit more projection than this one. It's only a slight drawback and it certainly won't put me off wearing it!

What a beautiful scent, I absolutely love this one. I’d say out of the 18 samples I got, I love 7 and like the rest. So I only got 7 full bottles. I sold this one because it just didn’t last long on me. Half hour does not justify the price imho. It is a beautiful unique scent that I love, but it’s gone all too fast. I don’t know what he did to his scents because they USED TO BE very strong and so worth the money. But this years scents are all weak. The samples I ordered this year are but a ghost of the ones from years ago. I realize every perfume house eventually reformulates their fragrances but this is butchering it. This is 25% of what Fields Of Rubus used to be. It makes me very sad. I would rather he up the price by even $50 and keep it as strong as it used to be. But he chose to butcher it and keep it the same price and for that, I will not be repurchasing any more of Kerosene’s frags when my bottles are finished. I even used one of those perfume primers that work great on other perfumes, it barely did anything for this one. It maybe lasted a half hour longer with the primer. Still unacceptable. He used to be a reviewer, he KNOWS better. He knows the frustration we all have with perfumers reformulating and weakening their perfumes. He has no excuse. What he did was pure greed. I hope he learns his lesson when ppl stop buying his watered down frags. These perfumers never learn til u hit them in the pocketbook. Let’s hit him in the pocketbook. He can not be allowed to get away with this . Pisses me off! Another perfumer sold out.

Nothing I can add to Scentzilla's TERRIFIC review. It has captivated me since I first smelled it and don't take the smell out of the bottle put it on your skin. Raw patchouli, sweet thick, jammy rasberries and though not mentioned I get a little dirty musk. So for me the notes are: Apple+Patchouli+Rasberry+Musk. I don't know much about the notes above so I will only speak from my experience. It opens with this unique apple+patchouli combo (and the first of its kind as I know) then the apple subsides and the rasberry comes in and that combination is so good it is unreal. The Patchouli stops the rasberry from becoming high school girl fruity and overly foody and the Rasberry takes the rough edges off of a dirty patchouli note (as Scentzilla points out this ain't the recent patchouli folks) keeping it from headshop but it does not tiptoe at all. Patchouli fans will love this one. Great job again. This guy is special and takes risks that many perfumers steer clear of. I may dedicate a shelf to the entire line!

I've been smelling the Kerosene samples in my tin blindly and this one is fantastic. I haven't smelled too many feminine fragrances but this one doesn't smell like any I have smelled before. I got a juicy, red fruit first that I struggled to identify. I thought it might be something like apple, watermelon, or fig. I also picked up on the vanilla and woody notes but they're not at the forefront like the fruits are for me. I didn't guess tobacco and had to read the note breakdown to smell it. This fragrance to me smells like walking in an outdoor market with plenty of fruit stands. I could see this fragrance fitting a playful, adventurous woman. John did a great job balancing the vibrancy of the fruits with the smoothness of tobacco and wood. So far I've liked every Kerosene sample I've smelled but this one is in the top two. Can't wait to see about the others.

Intoxicating as a patchouli lover who also enjoys raspberries, plums, black currants and blackberries mixed in with my earthy, wet patchouli. Fields of rubus is a masterful blend of patchouli and raspberry with a hint of ashy smoke, cream and warm gourmand notes. This is a scent that reminds me of raspberry bushes in eastern europe - collecting baskets full of ripe raspberries to later make into a syrup. Sticky, sweet but never cloying. Very creamy, warm, sweet but with a hint of freshness. The earthy patchouli rounds up all the sweetness and adds in sophistication, veering away from hippy territory (for me). This has a very natural quality to it unlike a lot of synthetic fruit fumes. Very long lasting with large sillage. A must try, another instant kerosene love.