Ancestral Papyrus

On the first sniff before spraying you can tell that this is a very peculiar scent, like nothing I own or have smelled before so what a lovely surprise this is. I love being taken on a trip by a creator, a trip that makes my brain, who likes to categorise things in order to be able to recall it later on, work on trying to find a smell that can be related to something in it's scent library , decoding this weird green, dry, sweetish smell, that makes it think :" oh, this smells like this or reminds me of this ". But alas, for the moment it has not found a category it can file this under yet there are some connections bubbling up. After spraying it on my skin and a few moments /sniffs later : it's starting to think now: hmm, did I forget to take out the flowers of the vase and now the water is green and stale, it reminds me of that a bit, this greenish smell of decayed stems in water. Do I like this? Weirdly enough I do . Other flash , now it's been reminded of when I put my nose into a flower and smell the pollen it contains, like in a sunflower or gerbera , that natural uplifting green smell . Or that smell of cut grass that has been in the sun for a while and hay, fresh cut hay An other connection is just made : the smell of coriander when you cut it comes to mind Now it's detecting this vanille pudding powder smell that's activated. Oh, brain, you intensely intricate organ, how smart and fast you work. This trip is so much fun as it's taking me to meanders in my memory that makes me feel alive . What a great creation this is by Miss Jo. Of all the 4 I have of this collection , this is the most unique and peculiar and I love it, as I love to be surprised and taken on a scent "memory" trip. I'll leave it here for the moment, let my sensitive nose and brain enjoy the voyage . I'm sure it's going to get me to some more other places in my scent library as it evolves on my skin... It's been a few hours now and the it's still going and I love it, it's such a unique smell. It's green and earth like, a bit sultry, quite alluring and weird at the same time. I just love it ! Hands up to Zara and Jo Malone to bring this to the masses, even though I'm sure the masses won't like this and that's fine by me. We all want to stand out in one way or an other, be unique and authentic and wearing this as a perfume will surely give you that appeal .

The opening is very single-noted papyrus, but almost immediately it turns fresher and more complex. I'm not normally a huge fan of violet leaf, but the addition of the acidic grapefruit note makes it palatable. At dry down, it definitely has "old book sitting next to an open window in Spring" vibes. This is one of those fragrances that successfully juxtaposes a warm, slightly woody scent with a cool, fresh green/citrus one. The complexity is lovely, frankly, and I'm thrilled I bothered to hunt this down on eBay. Also, there are relatively few fragrances that I feel can be worn almost year round, but I'd put this in that category. I could see in as a daytime fragrance in all but the dead of winter. Note: I was wrong. This is fabulous in cold weather. I retract any limitations I may have given this fragrance.

I get the green wet ozone papyrus scent. I was so surprised when I smelled this because it's different and it's pleasant and it smells rich. It smells, to me, like a very rich posh library with glass ceilings, sky lights, a green rainforest smell every time someone opens the door, and there are gold and green bankers lamps with rose wood heavy desks and old rich leather bound volumes of books - an exclusive Ivy league library full of class, learning and opulence. This scent also, on me, lasts a very long time for a zara/jo malone offering, about 6-8 hours. It's distinctive and special and gorgeous. I miss those university days when I'd be forced to walk in the rain after studying all night and this scent reminds me of those wonderful times.

This is a really good green ozonic scent!! Definitely my favourite from Zara’s Emotions Desert range! Jo Malone just keeps on surprising me with her collaboration range!

Smells like a pond. Stagnant water, vegetation, dry grass and for some reason underripe melon/melon rind. Very green and juicy (that's where the melon comes is) but bitter rather than fresh/smooth. In cold weather is feels drier, with more papyrus/dusty notes. I really enjoy the scent on its own but not sure how I feel about it as a perfume, and its definetly not something to wear everyday.