I chose Hummingbird as the second perfume to review in my look at the Zoologist Perfume line. I knew that Zoologist's creative director and founder, Victor Wong, selected Shelley Waddington to create Hummingbird. I have admired Ms. Wadddington's work at her own company, EnVoyage Perfumes, and previously reviewed one of her scents here.
The initial opening of Hummingbird is simply delightful. For a moment we travel with the tiny hummingbird, zipping from flower to flower in frenzied flight to sip the succulent nectar from the heart of the colorful blossoms. The air is filled with sweet floral smells as well as fruit and honey ambrosial scents. It is not difficult to imagine how this lush garden of fragrance drives the tiny hummingbird into delirium in its desire to sample everything .
These are the listed notes in Hummingbird:
Top Notes: Apple, Cherry, Citrus, Lilac, Muguet, Pear, Plum, Rose, Violet Leaf
Heart Notes: Honey, Honeysuckle, Mimosa, Peony, Tulip, Ylang
Base Notes: Amber, Courmin, Cream, Moss, Musk, Sandalwood, White Wood
The opening is very floral and I particularly can pick out the lilac. This is probably one of the prettiest lilac scents I've ever smelled. Maybe the strong lilac presence is unique to my skin as I checked a few reviews and didn't find mention of this. There is a slight citrus sweetness, think lemonade, not a basket of lemons. Flitting in and out are fruity notes and I particularly pick up the apple and pear. For a few minutes I smell these notes intensely but then other flowers start to flit in and out: mimosa, honeysuckle, peony. It is the sensation of zipping through a garden and briefly sampling the delights of each bloom then quickly moving on to the next. Honey notes give the florals a lush sweetness that feels golden. Hummingbird feels like spring in a bottle.
The florals stay bright and alluring for a surprisingly long time. They fade very slowly into the base notes which on my skin presents as a very light amber musk with a slight wood note. Even after a sleep I can still smell traces of crushed lilacs on my skin. Just as I was amazed at how the perfumer managed to capture the flight of the bat in Zoologist Bat, I am equally impressed with Ms. Waddington's ability to capture the flight of the hummingbird in a bottle of perfume. Well done!
The Zoologist blog has an excellent interview with the perfumer, Shelley Waddington, here.
Shelley Waddington is also the perfumer for the brand's newest release, Civet, but unfortunately when I ordered my samples it had not been released so I will not be reviewing it until a later date.
Read more about Zoologist Perfumes in Part One, Part Three, Part Four and Part Five.
Top photo www.azmzphotos.wix.com. Youtube video JCVDude. Bottom photo from Zoologist website. Samples are my own.
No comments :
Post a Comment