VAR

I love vetiver. Therefore I am surely going to at least very much like Lasheras’s vetiver, VAR, right? Yes, of course. Although this notion of tranquility, soothing, peacefulness, calmness - those words used in the brand description - is not an effect I’m pulling. This isn’t the first time my wearing experience is misaligned with Mallo’s description of a perfume, but far be it from ever resulting in a less than very pleasant experience anyway - at least so far. So, though I cannot confirm nor refute if the creative mandate was delivered upon, since I cannot smell it in the slightest, what I smell is an exercise in creating one of the most dimensional, harmonic, and evocative vetiver accords I have ever smelled. Every major house has a vetiver perfume, so why not Mallo. Let us be glad Lasheras decided to jump on another mainstream bandwagon, and give it his own unique spin of minimalist presentations with extraordinary amounts of detail. Before you go thinking I am speaking in oxymorons, let me explain. You can create a beautiful perfume by jamming it full of a lot different materials to create one big idea - the non-minimalist/maximalist approach. Or one can be minimalist - small ideas with a small amount of materials executed very well. Then there is Lasheras, a rarity that manages a combination of the two. Like what he did with the simple fougere as a basis for ARC and ARA, VAR is a minimalist vetiver, yet so much close attention has been paid to this single, solitary accord you could believe it was an idea of enormity and complexity. The vetiver in VAR briefly starts off with a sweet galbanum and hay grass-like note quietly smiling in foreground and almost unnoticeable. It is beautifully round and smooth, and just a touch sweet. The classic notes of vetiver are already playing upwards with gusto and bright energy. Sharp, salty, green aromatics, sour earth, and woody. Immediately upon application you can tell this vetiver is going to have a rare and massive breadth of dimension compared to the vast majority of vetiver perfumes. VAR comes across as far closer to a petrichor scent than SOD does, even though that was more SOD’s mandate than VAR’s. Pushing my perception of this is an almost floral quality presenting like narcissus. The sharp green note needed for narcissus is definitely here, and to complete the picture there is a bright yet earthy honey note as well. Research would later inform me that Aragon pine, and Spanish pine in general, usually has a warmer and more balsamic character compared to its terpene-forward kin. It’s gorgeous, and the honeyed, earthy, floral, balsamic woodiness continues to come forward in the dry down without losing touch with its vetiver soul. Sandalwood helps establish a natural link to the woody vetiver material(s), while a tiny touch of oud gives a resinous depth. Only at the final skin scent many hours later do I lose the vetiver and find the woods remaining. Not tranquil. Not soothing. Not meditative. Not peaceful. Not calm. I feel like I’m smelling vetiver for the first time, giddy, gleeful, my own personal adventure into terra incognita. This is what vetiver is supposed to smell like?! The bright greens and yellows, the sharp and salty aromatics, and the verdant and young woods want to enliven me with their unrestrained energy. I am perfectly happy to let them do so.

This one took me a while to wrap my head around. At first smell, it immediately evoked a combination of talc and barbercide, making it the most evocative barbershop smell I've come across barring something like Clubman. In that sense it's like the vetiver sibling of ARC, which also felt extremely gentlemanly/barbershop to me, to the point that both feel a touch too mature for where I'm at and how I dress. The vetiver then sort of cycled between almost papyrus touches, rooty ruh khus, and powdery facets, along with the prominent sandalwood and slight oud and woods. I was hoping for more of a forest vibe and was expecting the woods to be more prominent, but after I let go of the associations and expectations I found myself craving this one often. A couple sprays on a hoodie ended up following me on a 2.5 week trip and I was immediately comforted every time I put it on. To that end this has crazy sillage and longevity, a puzzle for an all-natural perfume and a best in class example of a vetiver fragrance.

Today, I wore this to the foothills of Mt Hood, but I did not apply it until after we got to our destination. The setting put VAR into an entirely different context, instantly making any traditional gender associations simply moot. The cold air, with the sharp snow, sparkling river water, and various evergreens, perfectly emulated the singular experience that is VAR. Inhale deep.

Quite literally my favorite Vetiver and I collect vetivers. VAR is a gorgeous green yet light fragrance with a gently added vanilla note. Warm and refreshing at the same time. The best ruh khus ever!! This is gorgeous, “unisex”, completely wearable yet unique and intriguing. It’s no surprise it sells out so fast.

Barbershop-style powdery with a tang of dried spit. Cozy as all get out. Feels like a boreal forest under a thick layer of snow, except that snow is made of sandalwood dust. I’m in love.