Sogni

Sogni by Meo Fusciuni. Okay, this perfume had me in a chokehold in the most positive way possible. I saw this perfume in a shop that sold very niche perfumes and I was just looking around when I came across this bottle and looked at the ingredients. The bottle gave me 1800's apothecary vibes. Smokey, dark and herbs and oils everywhere. It gave me these romantic gothic dark medieval vibes and I just love that. I had to smell it. At first, I was not a fan, but that is how love stories are built, aren't they? Enemies to lovers? Well, this fragrance definitely made me think about it every day afterwards and I HAD to smell it again. I went back and I just loved the smell, it was like falling in love all over again, but intense, like a toxic push and pull relationship. Ah, I just love this fragrance. Woody, smoky, earthy and still very indescribable, probably the tatami and the rice notes in combination with the incense and the tobacco notes. Maybe like Washington State rainy forest vibes, if you get what I mean. I feared it would be to masculine for me, since it definitely passes as a unisex, probably more masculine fragrance. The seller told me that mostly women tend to buy this fragrance (well I can understand because I ended up buying it) and I tried it on my skin. It developed perfectly, actually became more sweet and less incense on my skin. It fitted perfectly and just having it on my skin gave me more confidence. It is a very strong perfume that stays on your skin even after a shower. Not more than 1-2 sprays are necessary. The price was a commitment I have to say since it only comes in the 100mL bottle, but you really get a very high quality, very individual perfume. For me, this price was worth it, but I really fell in love with it. For some, I can imagine this scent is too woody, definitely not typically feminine and leans more to darker vibes and really not for somebody who wants to be liked by everybody. For me, a 10/10 and right now my signature scent.

Every time I put on Sogni I am reminded two things. One of them is that I love this composition. The other is that I think Meo is one of the remaining True artists in this genre or method. To start with nothing and end up here is a work of true passion and true art. From my personal perspective, I don't think a fragrance has to be 100% wearable to be considered a good fragrance. The thing is, sogni is indeed wearable. It is a dichotomy. It is unique, interesting and niche, yet somehow it is also attractive and wearable. Now that is difficult to find! I don't think I'm going to bore you today with what it smells like. Obviously you can look up at the notes and get a good assumption of its softness and woodiness. There is nothing I can say here that will enhance what has already been dictated above me. I can say, however, that the fragrance notes are true to form and smell very authentic. What you see is what you get. I find that very appealing because for me, when I expect something in a fragrance and it turns out smelling very artificial, there is no bigger disappointment. Meo expresses his heart through his fragrances. He is a poet, lovingly devoted to expressing his emotions through scent. There is real beauty in that rather than creating something for mass consumption. Instead of money being the motivating factor, we have something bigger. Something with a spirit. It is up to you and your personal experience to really sit with Sogni and have a conversation with it. Let it speak to you. It has an ability to which is far more than what I can say about a large number of other fragrances on the market. Almost all of them are dead on arrival. This one has a pulse and it is breathing.

I really get irked by all this 'worth the money' / 'not worth the money' talk. Like there's some objective line that needs to be crossed, regardless of the fact that you don't know what goes into making a perfume--from raw materials to lived experience. If you don't like the fragrance, fine, but that is not in and of itself commodifiable. Anyyyyway. I'm here to talk about sogni, a stroke of genius. I’ve never smelled anything like it. Rice absolute (the real deal) and tatami make for a warm, dry, contemplative perfume. It reminds me of my soba tea, or of course genmaicha (roasted rice green tea), those in-between moments you take for yourself. A glance out the window, a pause. Those pauses between songs, between chapters. Appropriate, because this was created while listening to Ryuichi Sakamoto and reading Yasunari Kawabata. There’s more to Sogni than the reigning rice and tatami of course—this is a fragrance inspired by lingering memories of Japan and a sacred friendship. Incense, green tea, pine, bamboo, peony and guaiac wood make no mistakes in reminding you of where you are. Yet there’s nothing cliche about Sogni’s reminiscing of Japan—Sogni isn’t a fantasy or concept outside of you, but a memory within. From a wearing perspective -- this is particularly glorious on warmed skin. Despite what the notes may suggest on paper, lived experience shows summer is its ideal season. It's a masterpiece.

I love Sogni. I’ll start by saying that outright. It’s incredibly soft, with every edge carefully rounded. A beautiful interplay of woods and a savory rice-steam accord defines the composition. This is a fragrance that truly comes alive on skin; I wouldn’t recommend judging it on paper. It feels both rain-kissed and woody to me. I close my eyes and focus on it... and it brings a sense of calm. I’ve never taken part in a Kōdō (香道) ritual, though I’ve always longed to. This fragrance feels like an homage to that meditative, elegant, and highly disciplined practice of scent appreciation; one centered on focus, ritual, and quiet contemplation, accompanied by tea. It’s truly magnificent.. Here, the incense and tea facets act purely as support; they’re present, but never dominant. There’s a perfume I deeply love and can’t part with (Naked Dance), which gives me strong artistic sensations, and interestingly, it shares fragments of what I experience with Sogni. I’m not saying they’re similar, but anyone drawn to that kind of atmosphere should absolutely try this one as well. In the final stages, what remains on the skin is a creamy, comforting woodiness. Wow. Tag(s): woody, calming, gentle, serene, rice-steam, rain-kissed

I rarely write reviews but I just have to write this one! Sogni is perhaps in my top three discoveries of 2023. Perhaps even my top discovery. Unlike some other rice fragrances this one does not feel like a novelty fragrance. Full disclosure I LOVE rice notes and that is the reason why I sampled it. This one can absolutely be a signature sent and an every day fragrance. I think it could be worn all year, except perhaps in the warmest most humid sunny days when you need something zesty or cooling. If you don't like rice ... I would still go I it a chance because the note is not too overwhelming. Sogni is indeed a really transportative and calming fragrance. I imagine a calm meditative place, with no sounds around me just me and my breath, or perhaps looking into the distance at a beautiful and peaceful landscape early in the morning. More practically it's a woody fragrance with rice and perhaps some incense notes. It is not too loud, but it is very long lasting. For me...10/10. It just does me in every time...