How To Dress A Perfume Note: In Love With Opulence

How does a perfume dress? Not a very obvious question or even a logical one. But it’s actually quite a technical one. A note in perfume can mean a single ingredient or a group of ingredients that make up a smell. So how does it dress? You could ask why it even gets dressed? Find out more here in How To Dress A Perfume Note: In Love With Opulence

In perfumery, a fragrance note is a distinct scent ingredient that contributes to the overall aroma of a perfume. You could explore the idea like a single musical note in a song; it’s a part that, when melded with others, creates a complex and layered experience. A refined perfect note in music or perfume.

A note can be something singular, like a single Rose oil, or it can be slightly more complex when it is a Rose smell made up of several elements to create a Rose smell. This would be referred to as a Rose Accord.

Either way, notes in perfumes tend to be a way to describe the opening, middle and end of a fragrance journey. Often, notes are a way to explain how a perfume unfolds. The initial hit of the opening notes, the heart of it being the middle and the finale of the notes being the end.

It’s easy, in a simple way, to think of perfume notes like the ingredients in a recipe, carefully combined to create a complex, evolving perfume; ultimately, it’s all about the aroma rather than the ingredients used. 

But the big question here is about ‘dressing a perfume note’ which comes down here almost like an accessory if you like. Think of a key note in an outfit as the main skirt and blouse; the other things that dress up the core outfit are the jewellery, bags, hats, scarves, and shoes, those that make the most of the initial skirt and blouse look.

Each perfume note in a scent is made up of a core note and then accessorised, and it is the accessories that affect the total balance and scent. The overview of the tone of the final juice, if you like.

Maybe a good expression of this is to observe a note that is expensive, complex, and used in decadent perfumes. Let’s give the example of Oud. Also known as agarwood or aloeswood, it is a fragrant resinous wood derived from the Aquilaria tree, primarily found in Southeast Asia. 

Oud only forms when the tree gets infected by the ascomycetous mould, causing it to produce a dark, resinous heartwood. Only then is this resinous wood harvested and distilled into oud oil, which is the basis for Oud fragrances. 

It’s highly prized in perfumery and is known for its complex, rich aroma.  It is one of the most expensive natural raw ingredients in the world due to its rarity and the complex process of its formation. 

And not unlike many of the best perfuming ingredients, it is multifaceted. From warm, smoky, and slightly sweet, all the way to woody, smoky, balsamic, and animalic, even with nuances of spice, sweetness, and leather. This gives a perfume creator or nose the option to explore different routes within this singular constituent.

So, how does a perfumer bring out the desired ‘effect and scent’ they want for a specific perfume? What ‘mood’ does it feel like dressing up in?

This is what we may refer to as the nose dressing the scent. And the latest scent from niche British perfume brand Electimus London does exactly this. It takes Oud and explores a fruity facet of it. Meet Astrum Nova by David Chieze, as it was David who smelled a fruit facet to Oud, and utilised this to construct a fully scented outfit

“This composition is an exploration of a different facet of Oud. It has been expressed before through its woody, spicy and animalic aspects. But to me, there is also a fruity facet in it, that if dressed properly, makes it shine in another way“

David Chieze

A great perfume can be built as a yin-yang affair, with opposites attracting, or it can be a mirroring effect of balanced notes that echo each other.

Here, in Astrum Nova, find a scent dressed akin to a perfect 1970s evening ensemble. Think rich dark brown with surrounding tonal colours of marigold, pumpkin, amber and custard tones. Rich, deep and juicy.

So the main dress is an A-line brown wool tunic, but to start highlighting the dress, the sweet, bright, juicy notes of Mango, Lemon, Mandarin, Bergamot are used to lighten the outfit alongside Ambrette seed with soft, sweet, and musky, subtle hints of juicy pear, and even a touch of leather.  This adds luxury and opulence to the fresh and juicy fruit, like a hand-sewn silk scarf, whilst the pattern of the scarf via Ambrette seed echoes the brown of the Oud dress, hinting at its majesty.

The added handbag here is made up and the deep purple warmth and sharpness of Blackcurrent, with soft animalic, suede-peach-skin soft tinge of Osmathus, with a swirl of earthy smoke swirling from Orris

Finally, the shoes, the key accessory and the ones that bring the whole ensemble together; muti-coloured and trimmed in snakeskin. Amber, with its warm, resinous, comforting angle, alongside a sweet kick of Vanilla and Tonka, matches up with Musk and Ambroxan, which reflect each other, alongside the tempering damp wood and leather facets of Oakmoss. But the golden buckle on the shoe is, of course, the Oud. The very cornerstone of this whole outfit, with its multiple layers of intrigue. All of the Oud is refracted back on itself.

It is the brown dress at the heart of the outfit, spreading her numerous ‘colours’ depth and animalic charm, but heightened by her fleshy, sharp and juicy fruit and earthy animalic accessories.

She is the queen in the room; she is the best dressed, she is blended to perfection. She stands magnificent in the centre of the room, showing everyone else how to do it. She goes where others can only wish to follow. Every level of her look is blended to perfection, in total harmony, whilst standing out from the crowd.

Nothing in her layers is there by chance; every added item is there to add something new while echoing back what’s already there, presenting it afresh.

“That is why this juicy and ripe Mango in the top note can be experienced, as it blends with this aspect of the Oud. The fruity and animalic facets of Osmanthus link the Mango and the Oud together. A careful blend of different soft woody notes, Vanilla and Orris, makes sure the bottom notes stay smooth and accompany the oud with elegance and richness, taming the more animalic aspects of it.”

David Chieze

This beautifully crafted scent is the wardrobe equivalent of Couture. The very best ingredients blended to bring a new facet, a new allure to the ancient Oud. Not unlike all the fragrances in the Electimus London, this is a standalone, individual glown of glory.

This is perfume opulence, vivacious and distinct, made all the better by a perfume house that leads with ideas and values and works with noses not just with high levels of skill, but with those that are prepared to walk a lesser-travelled path to create true wonderment. So that is how a perfume gets dressed.

Find everything you want to know about Astrum Nova here at Electimuss.com

If you enjoyed reading How To Dress A Perfume Note: In Love With Opulence, then why not read The Rebirth Here

.Cent Magazine London; Luxury Minded