Abyssis

Fragrantica does my head in sometimes, it really does. If you were blind buying this fragrance you'd come onto the reviews for it and be told in no uncertain terms that it smells of dank caves, fetid seaweed, farts, dead squid, rotten wood, stinky crotch, gasoline and the decomposition of ancient, indescribably evil sea creatures. Seriously. Now I'm all for the wonder of the subjective way different people experience fragrance differently, but if you're Les Liquides Imaginaires and especially Shymala Maisondieu you must be reading these comments questioning your life choices. I'm not suggesting I have a better nose than these reviewers but it honestly doesn't smell like any of these things. I promise you it doesn't. Abyssis is an absolutely gorgeous aquatic fresh fragrance. The petrichorian note is from a very clever use of Calypsone in the head which is somewhere between fresh rain, the ozone after a heavy storm and that fresh watermelon smell. Not fruity watermelon, but the water in the melon if that makes sense. This works very cleverly with some black pepper in the background and the effect is similar to Sailing Day by Maison Margiela (which was my favourite aquatic before I got my nose on this) but not as dense. It is more airy and less sweet as there is no iris or juniper in it. Abyssis has a crust of salt running through its heart that stops it becoming cliched and I absolutely love the sandalwood in it. If you've ever sailed you know the smell of varnished, cared-for hardwood and it very carefully adds this note with a tiny hint of styrax in the base. It is subtle but it is there if you know it. It washes around on a deep, rich and satisfyingly dark hardwood deck that anchors the whole thing in a very maritime sense. It dries on your skin a little salty. There's that ubiquitousness too: there is no occasion on God's Green Earth or the Deep Blue Sea that this doesn't work for. Abyssis is, at its heart, a very deep aquatic that captures the sea beautifully. It isn't the literal smell, but the feel. This is what I love about fine perfumery: the ability to create fragrances that evoke a bit of tension. This is a wonderful example of that. What does a fragrance that smells like the sea feel like? Not everything has to evoke crystal clear Tahiti water, powdery sand and being in carefree love. For those who know the sea - and I mean really know it - you know that it can be beautiful but is always moody and deep. It is green, blue, turquoise, black and white and a million shades of grey. It is bitter, melancholic and salty. It doesn't need to threaten; the threat of its awesome power is implied and it can change temper in a minute. Even on its calmest and most serene days it is incomprehensibly vast and it dominates its environment as far as the horizon and beyond. I've been to sea, lived at sea, I work in shipping and the only time I have ever truly known peace is on or by the sea. I understand it, I respect it and I love it deep in my bones. My soul needs it. The sea is in me and it always has been. So when I smell Abyssis it speaks to me in certain way. Can a fragrance with the tension and depth of the sea truly feel peaceful? Absolutely yes, for me it is. Maybe you need to truly love the sea to find peace in this fragrance. I cannot believe I need to apologise for saying this but Abyssis is the best, most atmospheric and ridiculously wearable aquatic I've ever smelt. Bar none. It is absolutely magnificent. If you have even a passing interest in aquatic fragrances you need to get your nose on it and get it drying down on your skin. It has that authenticity you - like me - may have been craving. It isn't cloying sweet and it isn't selling you airbrushed postcard pictures of resorts you've never been to. This is the real deal. Three Word Summary: The Real Deal Scent - 10/10 Sillage - 7/10 Drydown - 7/10 Bottle/packaging - 10/10 Performance - 8/10 44/50

My heart says I love this more than I do but my brain says this all too familiar. As someone who loves LLI's concept and presentation, Abyssis is instant like. It is what aquatic should be. Deep, dark and murky. It opens with an instant blast of salt and peppery smoke, like an ocean wave crashing over you. It's briny, musky yet oddly fresh, at least when compared to Abyssis's siblings, Tom Ford's Oud Minerale and Zoologist's Squid. Those familiar with these two will find instant familiarity with Abyssis. Yet, I find myself slightly disappointed in the sense that I miss the smokiness of Squid, its inky, deep darkness and its touch of incense making it almost a spiritual experience, which is what I wanted from Abyssis. You also find that odd "concrete" like vibe Oud Minerale has which I love, but I miss the oud and I miss the piquant saltiness. The familiarity with Oud Minerale isn't all that surprising, since they are by the same perfumer, Shyamala Maisondieu. Her signature is very easily found in both. I make Abyssis sound terrible here but actually, those who found Oud Minerale too dark, too austere may find Abyssis more approachable, fresher and musky whereas both Oud Minerale and Squid I would say are very dark and mysterious. So, I can't say I adore it because it's too familiar to my nose yet it's a fantastic true aquatic, far removed from the cute, citrusy designer "aquatics". Edit: After several wears, I switched from like to love, mostly because of the opening. The opening of Abyssis is much fresher, fruitier (guessing it's the calypsone). The drydown gets closer and closer to Oud Minerale. So, I love the first hour or so. Then it's basically Oud Minerale but longevity is much shorter. Still, worth it for the opening. Good stuff!

looooveeee.... so mysterious, which surprised me since this is a quite calypsone forward. i kind of expected it to smell like a watermelon rind or a cucumber, since i almost always get that experience with perfumes with calypsone; i thought it was going to take me away from the deep sea illusion they are trying to sell but it did not. it really does feel like cave-like or deep sea ish. doesnt feel marine in the beachy way that sirenis does. the pepper + ambroxan + wood makes for a wonderful, mysterious, and almost sexy (?) depiction of the ocean, which i think is amazing.

This is how an aquatic perfume should be. After an initial smoky opening the rest is swimming in the sea, exactly how one would imagine the perfect sea perfume to be. Many aquatic perfumes are either fishy or generic. This is pure salty sea air and water, like looking at the horizon while swimming on a sunny day. Minimalist, salty, deep, like sea drops that remain on your body and hair after a swim. The best aquatic perfume. 10/10

One of the best aquatic perfumes that evokes the beauty of the depth of the sea and is very cool and fragrant. If you like this style of perfume, you will love it.