Hemlock

My new favourite, although I really try not to stick to one scent on a daily basis. I blind bought this from the U.S.A., which was risky considering the VAT charges Customs slapped on (20%, IN GBP, which hiked the total cost to nearly 200.00 USD for a wee 50 ml bottle! ACK!)...HOWEVER. It is STUNNING on my skin. And I mean...WOO-HOO. Okay, so heart goes pitter-pat as I read on the box that this is a "Limited Edition" line. I paid through the trousers for it, but it’s worth a backup buy because I get that fragrance anxiety when I smell something that is pretty damn close to IT for me, and know that it won't be around possibly as soon as a year from now. It helps that Six Scents includes a discount code with the first purchase, for 20% off of the next purchase from the same collection, and free shipping over 120.00, I think. I can't state anything that the other three reviewers didn't state PERFECTLY; I'm a true devotee of "weird", abstract, surreal scents, and I covet plastic, vinyl. packing tape, lightbulb, tar, (yes, it was all YOU CdG, way back in 2000 with Odeurs 53 and...72, was it? Totally mesmerised, never looked back at a vanilla-amber-white musk-floral-fruit-aquatic concoction again) and all of those modern goodies, BUT, I lament their lack of, well, smell, after 30 minutes. Hemlock isn't a heavy-hitter by any means, and it all but disappears after about two hours, but what a couple of hours they are! A very yellow vanilla custard, snappy-green leaves, AMAZING hot plastic (vinyl?), and pale pink flowers...I'm just going with what comes to mind immediately when I experience it. It's simultaneously pretty, gritty and cosy. The box is a work of art, literally, as there is a large, removable, metallic card that presents a print of what appears to be Japanese calligraphy in psychedelic colours, poss the name of the frag? by Mestrovic. It adds a little edge to the frag-shelf propped up behind the bright, bold, contemporary, blue bottle containing a stunning fuschia-coloured juice. Six Scents kindly included four samples of the deadly florals line, and this is my favourite one by far, followed by Wolfsbane (a bit like CdG 2 with cinnamon and more florals) Bloodflower (actually has a blood note in it, not for me) and Soma Poppy. The latter is a FiFi award-winner, but far too cloyingly sweet for me, with a knock-out tuberose, which I can’t stand, but fantastically blended nonetheless, and I now own Mandrake as well, but Hemlock remains my true love; the angelica/vanilla/vinyl is addictive. This is worth at least sampling, and I think it should be enjoyed for not only its uniqueness, but for its Art; from box to bottle to scent. I may not be 100% onboard with the ad campaign for this collection, as I’m drawn to at least a bit of romance, brevity and beauty attached to the things that I love—even the most contemporary, modernist creations can have a beating heart at their core, and all gore and nightmarish, sweaty, over-dose hallucinations, sinister-looks and cold, hardcore, painful sex in a dank dungeons, without a whisper of heart or passion, isn’t my idea of “Gothic” or beauty. I’m no prude, but I’m decidedly more Byron than Lovecraft, and so I’ve ignored the blood-smeared videos for the most part. For those who can appreciate a (oddly approachable & cosy) psychotic vanilla floral—there is nothing in my collection like it—a hint of Guerlain’s Angelica, but only for a split second in the opening, then no similarities at all. I admittedly love telling people I’m wearing “Hemlock”, the many times this has evoked joy from those in my scent-orbit...it has a great gravitational pull, if only for the intrigue. Fantastic.

Hemlock is a study in the contrast between soft/cuddly and sharp/spiky. It has the same personality as a cute little teddy bear covered with cactus spikes. This fragrance has a ton of vastly different notes, but all of them does not have a place in the spotlight. It's a very well blended fragrance, smooth and with a lot of depth and originality. It's like all the notes give this fragrance a muddy quality, or maybe even clay like. It doesn't smell like mud or clay, but Hemlock has a muddy and clay like texture, if that makes any sense There are three notes that play a majore role all the way from the opening til the very end. And that is vanilla, benzoin and tonka beans. They create this super soft, smooth, cuddly, cozy smell that would have been a tad average and boring if it wasn't for the spices in here, and the weird star: Vinyl. The spices - I detect pepper, clove and cinnamon - gives the soft balsamic vanilla cloud a dark edge. They feel warm, sharp and stingy, and actually quite agressive, but they get softer and dissappears within 15-20 minutes or so - and that is when the vinyl shows up and steals the show. It really smells like vinyl. It's such a photorealistic smell. I've never thought about it before, but vinyl has a slight leathery vibe combined with something shiny and cold, like chrome maybe. To me this association creates a feeling of bikers. Or rock, like the music. It's not the rough and not very well groomed type of biker we talk about here though. Because of the cozy smoothness, and sweetness, from tonka, vanilla and benzoin, this biker feels very suave. The vinyl actually gives Hemlock an edgy, but still elegant, aura. Towards the base and in the base, all the edginess and sharp spikes are gone, and we are left with this sweet, smooth, soft balsamic vanilla. It feels like an enveloping cloud of goodness and grace. It's like the scent has a stupefying or numbing effect. All the sharp edges, the sting, the pain and agressiveness from the opening (and in the world) is gone and you can fall back on something akin to your own personal cloud number nine. I'm still impressed with this perfume house after testing this (the fourth one I've tested from them so far). A gorgeous creation! Longevity is, as usual with these scents, great. I can smell it on me, faintly after 10 hours. Sillage is pretty strong right away, but dries down to a solid medium.

The prior reviewer summed it up pretty well. This was one of the more subtle ones from the line. A sweetish, vanillic floral(nondescript white flowers but mostly jasmine or ylang if I spray heavily) that skews into the strange and unnatural with the addition of a vinyl note, paired with crushed greens and salt which give it a cool, slightly metallic and mineralic quality. The whole becomes an experience of "pull-push"- drawn in by the comforting sweet notes while pushed away slightly by the weird and almost sinister aloofness of the rest of it. Which fits nicely with the poison theme. I like industrial and unnatural smells in perfume, as long as as they don't render the scent unwearable. Others in this wearable category for me are Charenton Macerations Asphalt Rainbow, and even closer to Hemlock, BVLGARI Black. As Hemlock wears on it becomes a skin scent of the "lived-in skin" variety, and you're ultimately left with a faint musky, fluffy vanilla. The longevity is ~8 hours on me and projects for only an hour or 2 before staying close to the skin. I think this is really well done and I did get a FB so I can spray it lavishly to get the full effect and all the nuances which are greatest in the early development. And I'm finding it all rather addictive.

Hemlock is a fairly light eau de toilette that, despite its sweet and amber character, has a fresh background that makes it ideal for me to use during the day even with high temperatures. Despite all the notes described, what I mainly notice are white flowers, fresh but quite sharp and with an animalistic point, on a slightly amber base. The rum and the plastic point of the vinyl are present, especially in the output, and all this is also accompanied by a small touch of spice. I think it is a highly recommended perfume for those who are looking for something for the day now for the summer but want to escape the typical citrus and marine perfumes; or for those looking for something sweet but not harassing or cloying. I would also encourage those who like white flowers and are looking for something different, because if something characterizes hemlock, it is precisely that, which is different. The performance is very moderate, but it is not surprising being a UAE de toilette. As for the price, it is not bad considering that it is a niche brand with a very limited production. If this fragrance offers something, it is just that: exclusivity. Scent: 8.5 Longevity: 7 Sillage: 6 Versatility: 10 Originality: 10 Overall: 8.5

Hemlock is uniquely restrained. Upon first wear it comes across as a sweet, (indistinctly) floral-vanillic fragrance but the more I wear it the more I pick up on a whole plethora of subtleties. Theres a spicy facet, giving the sweetness a nice little bite without straying into autumnal spice-cake territory. The addition of rum gives the opening a unique depth. I pick up a touch of incense that coupled with the smoothness of the composition gives the whole thing a sort of milky-smoky-sweetness that somehow straddles the tightrope of edible and atmospheric. It's at once cordially familiar, and subtly alien. To be quite honest, much much better than I initially expected. I have thoroughly enjoyed testing this and look forward to trying both more perfumes from the Quartana line, as well as more fragrances by Christelle Laprade. 8/10