Aquelarre Indigo

Aquelarre Indigo is a pleasant surprise and a very interesting sequence of events after Aquelarre. The perfume in itself is a challenge for many but will be enjoyed by more experienced noses, and by those who tend to like darker, sweeter, smokier perfumes? Do not be misunderstood; what puts this perfume in the sweet category is that it has a balsamic /ambery quality, which makes it somewhat sweeter to my nose. The perfume begins with a very pleasant and realistic rush of rum, which is extremely powerful and seems to be overwhelming at some point, but it begins to soften around a minute or so after, and there begins to be introduced a swampy and dark blue lotus note with green facets like tea and mate. I was taken very, very much by surprise when I smelled this; I wasn’t expecting something as intense as this. Aquelarre Indigo is a tribute to our planet, to our nature, which has been neglected, and it speaks for her unhappiness with how we have treated it. This can be reflected in our relationship with it and within the progress of this perfume. The weaving of blue lotus to spicy ginger lily, romantic florals.. these notes dance around like souls that have been unleashed. all dancing around the fire,, the destruction of what’s harming them, a complete cistus note along with the classic leathery/oudy aquelarre DNA, reminiscent of our past, our freedom and connection with our nature. Once it he drydown takes place, it grounds the perfume, and it is not as chaotic as you felt you were beginning to be set on fire at the start.., but you are certainly still overwhelmed despite the change of pace. Once you understand the perfume; it really does get smooth, sweet, and opulent, which is such a great change, but almost as if you think you’re going to enjoy it a bit more, you are met with even more challenging facets as time passes within every wear. You are constantly battling between sweetness, smokiness, earthiness, and some sort of mossiness, which is a very, very difficult note/accord combination, but these somehow harmonize. This perfume has such a great natural content, but Indigo managed to perform on another level of perfumery. Sillage goes from extremely potent to somewhat strong, leaving around the meter mark. Longevity is more than excellent, and I have no complaints about this house whenever it comes to performance, but what I really do admire the most is that these perfumes manage to have such great performance and yet have such an intriguing scent profile, which is almost rarely seen in the perfume world. Much like other perfumers that I admire greatly, DL Jenkins has managed to crack the code, the fight against boredom, uninspiring work, and, of course, problems with the overall quality. Aquelarre Indigo has not failed to surprise me, and I think this is one of the most potent and most moving perfumes. It has the ability to punch you in the face and turn you around, yet caress you with her charming bold presence. It really helps you think and see things differently, with such overwhelming power you have no choice but to become part of it and leave with a part of you changed. Either olfactively, physically, mentally, or spiritually... It is a true challenge, and I have to advise those who love perfume to really check it out. It is beyond scent and becomes a beautiful story we live in today. It does help us reconnect with not only our truth but the problems that came with them... our corrupted nature within, and around. This is the work of a poet, Bravo! I will review this more objectively later; this perfume is a true beast, one to behold and study for a good while.

The top notes for this new Pictura Fragrans scent are musky, sexy, and dark. After applying, a forest of whirling aromatics buzzes around my body and skin with a dense jungle quality. Black pepper, gunpowder, autumn leaves, tanned leather, and dried tobacco blend and surge forward as the heart notes come forward. Then, there are lingering, popping cinders and smoke on the air over the base notes, which include a sweetly dense honey quality. Aquelarre Indigo rises and enters the nose as a male-oriented scent meant to be worn over a long, dark, sensual night. A bold, brave fragrance with a magnetic allure.

There are a LOT of notes in this concoction, but it is blended expertly. I am overjoyed to report that the note I detect most easily is the goat hair tincture, which is very musky, soft, and humid. It's a comforting animalic, not fecal or challenging at all. Hard to put into words. There's also a very creamy element to this scent. It feels cozy, fluffy, and rich but remains airy due to the delicate notes of lotus flower and lily. The smells of cistus and sweet tobacco are noticeable as well. There's an overall hazy, fuzzy, musky effect going on here - like daydreaming while sitting on a bale of hay as a friendly goat nibbles my fingers and scratches the ground with his hooves. Surprisingly wearable. PS: I really wish this house would stop using horrible AI art. It really cheapens an otherwise impressive and high quality experience.

A woodier version of Van Gogh’s Irises, meaning that it's still quite awful. Reminiscent of an uncomfortable road trip coupled with a shitty cabin spring mattress.