Yseult

Did this hyacinth come from some other planet? Is this a far distant cousin of the hyacinth that I know, or adulterated in some extraterrestrial’s laboratory? How is this possible? I have smelled real and well-cared-for hyacinth a handful of times in my life but only here in Yseult do I actually smell the real thing, like I have shoved my nose into a cluster of its flowers still on the bush yet Yseult smells even more alive than the best of the real-deals, as if it is so alive and dynamic to be actually speaking to me. Watery, hyper greens, cold and stiff white florals, a minty edge, fleshy density, cool aromatic herbs, a wet petrichor bent living very quietly underneath it all - oh my science is this good! The lavender material is a big help to the hyacinth accord. It is sans its sometimes typically soapy characteristic to instead hyper-elevate its green and floral herbal notes. Then there is the jasmine adding a quiet citrusy headiness as a plinth for the hyacinth to project from. The precision with which Reinthal has dialed-in these materials is exceptional. They never detract from the hyacinth chypre mandate. Then there is the “chypre accord” in the dry down. This is where we find the genet material, which I must admit my experience with is very limited. Presuming this is a faithful presentation, it smells of one of the best honeyed and floral tobacco accords I have yet to smell. What is different about it is that the vanillics, woods, and earthy notes most common to tobacco accords are notably quiet if completely absent from the genet; this is a very bright, sweet, lively, piney green tobacco accord that is an absolute treat to smell. Infectiously happy and refreshing dynamism. Wearing Yseult has been great fun. There are no shortages of hyacinth forward chypres, look to the 70s and 80s for some of the mainstays, so to say that Yseult is novel would be false. But it is a great example of the unexplored corners of common structures/genres, that even in the mainstays of modern perfumery there is more to do and to smell than what we’ve had.

Ancient + fecund + imaginal. Tiny flowers on hairline stems in a black earth bog, in the night, after weeks of rain. Alicia Vikander in The Green Knight. Seeing Cymbeline at the DC National Theatre as a kid, knowing I'd start reading Shakespeare tomorrow and love him forever. The places my 10 year old imagination went, reading a warped paperback copy of Roots in the damp summer basement. My skin chemistry loves this, and it loves my skin. Intimate as it should be - not much projection. It gets mossier as the day goes on. The hyacinth is still there, but the late day humidity of my skin makes the peat steam. On clothes, I get very clean night flower wafts through the day.

Although not up to par with offerings like Pagan Nar. or Rainbird, this basic, wet and dirty floral concoction comes on strong until the intensity gives way to a more subtle, linear balance. Strong essence of fern in the under and overtone. Nice concept but just not the best combination of elements for me. Quality nonetheless.