The Gold

I won The White and The Gold, and also received the very polite apology letter with the 25% discount offer, indeed a rare experience these days. The Gold is a rarity, a dry, not-quite-sweet gourmand! This is a gourmand that men would also enjoy wearing. I mostly smelled cloves, but my partner says he detected a strong cinnamon accord as well. The spices are very realistic and lovely! The earthy but clean notes combine well with the powdery sandalwood. I smell the slightly indolic (but not pungent) jasmine towards the drydown. This is an exotic unisex perfume which has good longevity and sillage, better than The White but not overpowering, making The Gold good for the office if applied lightly.

the ideal summer/beach perfume to wear while walking with a cool breeze through the sand in the dark at midnight. the dirt and clove add a mysterious edge for the jasmine (a jasmine which gives off more of the nostalgic suggestion of sunscreen, rather than a freshly bloomed bush), while the sandalwood is the creamy foundation that binds it all to the skin. my personal favorite from the sum (and i adore the whole range and prefer it to meyer's imaginary authors). i actually don't find the range more mainstream to imaginary authors, as suggested below, but rather a perfect example of how minimalism does not always equal simplicity.

The fifth fragrance from The Sum's fragrance collection, The Gold, is another solid entry in the line. A blend of clove, sandalwood, jasmine, and earth (soil, perhaps?), it has a warming, semi-masculine quality that makes it feel more cold-weather-appropriate, as most of the fragrances have been so far in the collection. It's slightly provocative but is overall a fairly safe spicy/woody/earthy blend that could be used frequently and enough, comforting enough for casual wear but still well-put-together enough for formal wear. Created by Josh Meyer, The Sum collection is certainly a bit more mainstream than Imaginary Authors, but that the quintet of The Sum fragrances is a pretty agreable lot probably extends its appeal to those that find Imaginary Authors too quirky. My response is very much the opposite--I like The Sum fragrances but have not yet felt compelled to buy a bottle since they do not push the envelope like other perfumes I'm now accustomed to buying. That said, The Sum fragrances are still well-done and probably bridge the mainstream/niche effectively. Performance is moderate on projection but long lasting as far as longevity. Overall a very nice fragrance. 7 out of 10

I was lucky enough to win several samples from The Sum and Gold was one of them. Gold manages to be a delicate negotiation of creamy, earthy, spicy and ever-so slightly metallic. A truly unique and impressively well executed fragrance with above average longevity and moderate silage. This fragrance could very easily be worn by women or men... another area in which it's superb balance reveals itself. It doesn't lean heavily in either gender direction. Often times in fragrances, that type of neutrality can translate as "boring" or "overly cautious." That is not the case here. It truly is obvious that this fragrance was developed by a knowledgeable nose. My husband really loved Gold best. I think we will probably end up buying a full bottle. A word about the packaging: It arrived in a sleek, well padded and insulted black envelope. Tucked inside was a beautiful letter, impressively addressed to me by name, complete with a old fashioned wax seal. The samples themselves were housed in a elegant, black velvet drawstring bag with The Sum logo stamped on it. A lovely, matte black card with metallic silver lettering which was also included described the fragrances, notes, & company in exquisite detail. I include this detail in my review because I do believe it's relevant to the type of exclusivity, quality, & customer service one expects to receive from companies with such a price point. The Sum is clearly a company who cares about customers and cares about presentation.

I'm wearing a sample of this from my Olfactif subscription. It smells warm and earthy. On me, the warm earth smells similar to a warm suede, like the same warm suede in TF Violet Blonde. If this is meant to represent the color GOLD, then it's pure gold, as in the veins of gold that run through the earth. I really don't get any jasmine, which is a shame because I'm a huge fan of the note. It doesn't matter, this fragrance is beautiful with and without jasmine. I am quickly becoming a huge fan of this house. The fragrances I've worn are simple, intriguing, and gorgeous!