Boudicca Wode

A cobalt shock of metallic greens. Juniper, galbanum, sage, but not as in nature, rather as if someone simulated the memory of a forest inside a machine. Cold oxygen running through metallic trees. A green laser shot through opium smoke. There are few perfumes so stunning and unique, that transcend their medium, and among them there are even fewer that remain alone in the ground they've broken. Boudicca Wode is definitely one. Fresh, comforting, with a unique delicacy in structure that taps into my waning childlike curiosity. The name itself, Boudicca, the warrior queen who led a fierce revolt against Roman rule, and Wode, the cobalt blue warpaint of her tribe, and their shared frenzy, sets the stage for something uncanny. Yet it never prepared my nose for Boudicca's Wode, limited only to all that I had smelled. Geza Schon spent seven years honing it, stripping down natural ingredients into their transparent, shimmering holograms. A design by subtraction: the idea of stripping away every detail of something that doesn't add to the intended experience. Capturing the essence of each note. He started those 7 years first chasing the “scent of burning raw opium” and found his way to distill that ache into something ghostly rather than overwhelming, for every bit of his piece. Review: Remember, BW is a difficult to describe scent and even harder to imagine, it should be experienced. I will explain each layer later on, but the perfume itself isn't what the notes conjure in one's mind, despite unmistakably having those notes. Layers in brief: Top: piercing bright metallic greens and spices, like a canopy repurposed through technology. It starts playful, interesting, fresh. Heart: florals drained of flesh, tuberose, jasmine, orris, glinting in mineral light, with coriander’s crisp paper dry edge. It has a soft romantic heart. Base: opium, clean animalic whispers of opium and musk, like a temple burning in memory, lingering as a faded echo throughout. The omnipresent base is transparent alluring sweet (slightly) smokiness. It's a calming, cold, meditating, complex, and beyond all interesting scent. It starts by that conceptual digital alien natural metallic forest and flora and then develops into the soothing opium temple. What does it make me feel? Like looking at undeniably interesting art or landscape. Not only new, but so alluring and hard to look away. What do I imagine when wearing it? Walking through ruins of an alien forest that somehow recognizes me, with flora glitching in and out, showing glances of the fauna meditating high on opium; simultaneously grounding and disquieting. Giving me natural nostalgia in what it is and a digital look into the unknown in how it is. Who do I imagine wearing it? For how alien it still remains to me, no one real -let alone real and famous- comes to mind. Boudicca is an elegant rebel with metallic skin speaking through the machine and thin air. An ancient hacker, a shaman of a digital age, writing the ancient ritual in codes. I imagine someone like Motoko Kusanagi from the 90s sci-fi Ghost in the Shell smelling like this. Who do I recommend it to? If you see beauty and art in perfumery (not in a critical gimmicky way, but as in enjoying it yourself first and foremost, and not wanting something "panty/boxer dropper"...) there you go, this is innovative and actually so pretty. If the idea of synthetic lifeforms or alien nature excites you, this probably will as well. If you like green perfumes, doesn't matter of which subgroup you are, just please fo yourself a favor and try this. If you like classic aromatics, but want something that breaks the mold, it's here. If you don't like usual green perfumes, if I have to bet on an exception, it'd be this! As unique and innovative as it is, it is safe. Notes may sound too loud, bold, suffocating, in reality it's a harmony of minimalist takes of each note in an airy complex concoction. You can wear it anytime, anywhere, man, woman, alien, AI, anything in between. Radiant airy for the opening 1 to 3 hours, then thins into a transparent, smoky aura that lingers 8 10 hours. The greens and florals doesn’t fade, it glitches in and out; the smoky musky opium doesn't stick, it creeps and haunts beautifully. Wode doesn’t ask to be loved- it intrigues to be explored, it commands olfactory addiction. It marks you, claims you, and its natural/synthetic nostalgic/futuristic contradictions isn't a confusion; it's Boudicca being all-encompassing, timeless. Even the history behind the perfume is both melancholic and encouraging. Like dear Boudicca losing her battle against Roman intruders and ending herself with the poisonous black hemlock flower, the oil of which is used in this perfume- alongside real opium oil. And yes, in 2008 they released Wode in a cobalt blue paint spray can (real bold glittery woad cobalt paint that fades in seconds), a fuckin brilliant flourish. But truly, the scent alone is its own warpaint. It’s enough to leave your mark on anyone who knows what to breathe for when they smell it. In the end, I think Boudicca's Zowie Broach puts it perfectly: “Wode is a simple moment that to this day can capture someone and expose them to a new emotion unexpectedly.”

After reading so many reviews raving about how ‘unique’ and many saying it’s a waste of time I finally decided to make a blind purchase as it is not sold in Australia. Soooo.... does it live up to any of the hype... well, yes! I’m not sure it’s quite that ‘life changing’ but then again I am admittedly spoilt. So, perspective is required. Let me start with the experience. Green, skanky, Illicit, musty, sweet, forest. A green herbal, somewhat opium/cannabis opening, tinged with a sweet syrupy urinic vibe (the urinic stage quickly softens to inoffensive) quickly settles over 15 minutes revealing a tidal wave of notes all mixed in - there is so much going on - nose to skin I can pick it amazingly apart as per the note table though I strong disagree with the strength of some votes. What makes this successful is the balance - beyond the first 30 minutes the impression of denim jacket loaded with a packet of weed and an old packet of cigarettes softens enough that a keen nose might still conjure that image though many would just as likely think it’s just an unusual herbal scent. There in is the fun. The fact that blonde Tabacco and a mish mash of damp spices with the impression Of said person with jacket is leaning against a cedar tree in a green forest is still pretty amazing that that can be conveyed. So yes, it is a scent that you probably want to try whether you like it or not. For me I still think Norne by Slumberhouse and Serge Lutens Fille en Aiguilles (and even Profumum Arso) which conjure up similar feelings of a Goth or Occult like rocker in Black with a herbal forest like perfume head nodding at a Cure concert do it better and are great offers for virginal noses wanting something left field - this I think is more about shock value with the opium connotations. Still it’s definitely up there. I will happily wear this but it is very much not for business or formal occasions - it would no doubt likely make a lot of people either move away in embarrassment or attract people asking if you have any to spare lol. It may be challenging for some, but when I’m at a pub or off to a Nick Cave concert I’ll gladly pour it on...

I could write a dissertation on this one, but I will spare all of you. Be that as it may, there is a lot to say about Boudicca Wode as it comes together incredibly so despite so many disparate elements. It also begs the question: what delineates natural from synthetic when it comes to scent? Here my left brain detects what I know are many synthetics, and my right brain is all in a flutter Bouddica Wode evokes in my mind, my memory. Natural doesn't necessarily mean "real" anymore than synthetic means "fake." Let me take you on a brief tour of this one... Herbs and narcotic white florals are hedged by privet and boxwood, tart and pucker-lip berries staining the mouth and the nostrils, further and further into the woods and greens we go, yet we look below our feet and there's hot, fresh asphalt, we smell the hot sun baking it. Virginia Creeper crawling over the ground, its tell-tale five leaves, its tendrils curling around sinewy branches, embracing, just short of choking, a firm grip on the trees. English Ivy on the other hand, has been hacked away so as not to swallow the courtyard (and its groundskeeper), and it gives off a green, crunchy, damp aroma. There are bulbous bell peppers, crisp, saturated, undulating through prickly nettles and sticky weeds. The green blends with mauve, puce, tints that signal ripeness, of fullness, and then there are shades of clay and brown. Psychedelic glowing cedar, huffing pencil sharpener and seeing the holy spirit kind of cedar, while concord grapes, elderberries, and chewing wood sorrel, pretending they are shamrocks, that's what I feel as we enter the core of Boudicca Wode. The summer fecundity of woodlands and greenery mingles with perspiration (cumin and saffron together lending a somewhat sour but addictive effect) and the magic of animal husbandry. Castoreum, musk, dirty daisies, tansy, teases one away from any idea that nature is immaculate. This is Boudicca Wode in a nutshell. A perfect wear for near delirious hot summer days.

This is probably the best creation of all the futuristic houses I know. The best from Escentric Molecules, the best from Zarkoperfume and the best from NU_BE One Of Those. Its unique characteristic is the ability to transforms timelessly on the skin. It feels it has dozens of layers. It's very spicy, woody, slightly smoky, resinus, aromatic, fresh spicy, warm and relaxing, suitable for year round use except extreme low/high temperatures. Today we have 28 °C and it feels OK. But it will shine in temperatures between 15°C and 25°C imo. It leans to masculine scents imo. Starts with citruses and a beautiful cumin note. After that comes the juniper and the sage. Then I get black pepper and cedarwood. One after the other emerges and it changes continously. Then comes the corriander and the angellica. After that comes the saffron with mild styrax, mild leather and mild moss. Later emerges the white tobacco with the mild amber and the musk. I also get mate tea. The rose is at the background very discreet. OK, it's annoying describing it every minute, you get the point. The dominant notes throughout the whole blend are : Strong opium, safe and nice smelling cumin, cedar, black pepper. The scent feels very spicy so you must love spices. Sillage is moderate. The projection starts heavy and it calms into a moderate. Longevity is/must be somewhere 6-7 hours, I'm still evaluating it. Definitely it's not weak and it's not a beast. It feels safe and modern. What can I say, it was a nice surprise from a futuristic house. I love it!

this is one of those fragrances that is very difficult to describe. even a fragrance reviewer(and a perfumer himself) wasn't able to say more than one sentence. it's undoubtedly unique. I don't know about that opium in particular, I'm not familiar with how it smells like (probably never will), however, I can tell that it smells "green in a multifaceted way". but I have to give my two cents: every time I apply this, I discover, or pay attention to another aspect of it. Here's what I experienced today; In my country, we don't use mosquito repellent tabs according to the instructions, because it is effective in long-term and we are not that patient. we want to see them fall like struck battlefield planes. So, instead, we put them between the scissors' blades, ignite, extinguish and walk around to the corners. the distinctive vapor fills the room and after a few minutes, we can observe the victor. and not to mention, nobody opens any window to maintain that long-lasting result, therefore, we sleep through it. So today, after a few minutes of spraying, weirdly, I thought Wode smelled like a very high quality and powerful repellent mat burning under my nose. You know, there are numerous types, most of them smell similar and there's this green Raid Eucalyptus scent. it somehow reminded me of that, but only for a short time. it's spicy, it's botanically herbal, it's aromatic, maybe a little animalic, definitely not linear and it's far from mainstream. puts a weird smile, a wry grin on my face. wondrous work.