Puredistance Papilio, The Butterfly

 

I took a little break from blogging. I wasn't feeling inspired by what I was smelling, life was busy and a bit chaotic, and I took to wearing perfumes in the "easy, breezy" category that smell nice but don't require much notice from the wearer. Recently, though, I felt those stirrings coming back that have made me eager to explore new scents, and to write about those that touch or inspire me. So I finally reached for my sample of Puredistance Papilio which came to me during this off time.

I had the pleasure of meeting Jan Ewoud Vos several years ago when I lived in Singapore. Not only was I impressed with the quality of his fragrances, which numbered around seven at the time, but I liked his absolute commitment to producing a quality product that would withstand time. To do this, the creation of a new Puredistance perfume starts to germinate with an idea in the very creative mind of JEV, and then goes on to a storyboard. Picking a perfumer is key, and I can only imagine how exciting it must be to be picked as a creator of a Puredistance perfume, knowing that cost of materials takes a back burner and quality and execution of the scent are all important considerations.

Nathalie Feisthauer had completed work on Puredistance 12, and JEV decided to have her bring his vision of Papilio to life. I can understand why. When I wrote about Puredistance 12 here I spoke of how its subtle beauty and quiet presence stood out to me as a departure for the line, which in the past has not backed away from making a bold statement. Butterflies are ethereal, fluttery things, so when expressing that in perfume, one would look for a light touch. Perhaps this delicacy is Ms. Feisthauer's signature, at least in regard to Puredistance creations.

What are my impressions? Knowing that it is about butterflies and their cycle of life, I let me mind go with what I smelled. Fragrantica lists this as a floral musky scent, which are a favorite category of mine. When I first smell Papilio I get a woody, musky scent, with just a touch of light in the form of bergamot. The cumbersome caterpillar has transformed into a chrysalis. It hangs by a slender thread, waiting for the transformation into a beautiful free being which can fly through the skies. The smell is quiet, musky, cocoon-like if you will! On my skin there was no dramatic moment of transformation as the figurative butterfly transformed from its pupa state to a fluttering winged creature. Instead there was a light emergence of florals, unveiling their scent as if carried on the wind, the overall effect a gossamer lightness and transparency.

The notes listed in the heart of the fragrance are gentle and quiet. They are magnolia, orris, heliotrope, carrot, lily of the valley, and peach. The notes seem to speak more of the ethereal nature of the butterfly, with its delicate wings and floaty, airy movements. Some other butterfly themed perfumes tend to gravitate to using notes of the nectar it consumes, with strong white florals or honeyed notes. That is not the case here. Ms. Feistheuer has chosen to zero in on the butterfly in all its stages. It is always delicate, understated, but a airy, beautiful and transparent scent.

I found Papilio a gorgeous scent, but it hasn't replaced my love for some of the heavier hitters in the Puredistance family. Warszawa will always be my number one, and I love Antonia and Gold, in particular. But there is a place for quietness and understatement, and Papilio will cloak the fortunate wearer in their own gossamer wings of flight

Thank you to Puredistance for the sample of Papilio. The photo is from their website. 

Puredistance M V2Q, A New Bond For A New Era

 

Puredistance M, the original, was the third perfume introduced by the Dutch luxury line Puredistance, way back in 2010, and their first fragrance specifically marketed to men. Founder Jan Ewoud Vos is big on supplying his perfumers with story boards that capture his vision for the new scents, then letting them run with it, and granting access to the finest of ingredients with no limitations. Vos's vision for M was the James Bond image and the Aston Martin automobile Bond was famed for driving, especially its plush leather seats. The first M created by Roja Dove was a big success, but in late 2021 Roja Perfumes notified Puredistance they would no longer be able to supply the formula for M due to IFRA regulations. It would have to be reformulated.

Vos took the somewhat gutsy route of deciding not to imitate the original formula, but to come up with a new scent, similar in nature but modernized and more emotive yet still powerful for today's man. To do this he turned to a perfumer he trusts and has used several times to bring his creations to life, French perfumer Antoine Lie. I must admit that when I first smelled the new scent, I was a bit startled at how very different it was!

To explain, the first M, at least to me, seemed to be modeled after Sean Connery, all debonair style and sartorial elegance. The scent was definitely refined, and to me, the leather note spoke of a comfy wingback in a library of a stately home, where Bond would relax with a cigar after returning from an adventure. It had leather, but also a warm cozy spiciness.

The new M V2Q really captures the Daniel Craig version of Bond. When I first spray it on, it immediately conjures feelings of intrigue and a little danger. These are notes that I don't commonly smell, and there is an edginess to the scent. Yes, it is a modernized version of a leather scent, but it also captures a bit of Craig's Bond character's ability to outmaneuver and surprise his enemies. Because I don't know where this scent is going!

From the Puredistnace.com website.

If I list the notes for you, here goes: orange blossom, pink pepper, lavender, jasmine sambac, cypriol, pine tar, cinnamon, tonka, cedar, patchouli, vanilla, and labdanum; I promise you, there is no way you will guess what this smells like from these notes. The florals are not very visible to me. I definitely smell the cypriol and pine tar. I think these may be the notes that give me that "off balanced" feeling, but I like it! The leather note is green, and I would guess that the jasmine sambac, which can smell quite green, may have been craftily used by the perfumer here to enhance that effect. Also, the molecule used to give that leather note has a green element. This note reminds me of another favorite and high-end perfume, Dusita Le Sillage Blanc. In both, the green is bitter, a little pungent, and a bit dangerous!

The longer the scent is on my skin, the softer and more plush the leather note beomes. However, this is not a strong leather scent, but to me is more of an interpretation of leather. The green woodiness with subtle spice is equally important in this scent. Like all Puredistance perfumes, it has a high concentration of oils and it wears on the skin literally for hours and hours! I would say the longer you wear it the more beautiful it becomes.

Just like Daniel Craig was a very different James Bond than we'd seen before, M V2Q is a very different fragrance from M. I think Antoine Lie did an excellent job of capturing the excitement, danger, and more worldly aspects of this Bond interpretation in the new scent. 

M V2Q was introduced in September 2022. Thank you to Puredistance for providing me with a sample, and my opinions are my own. Apologies for the long absence here. I had two daughters marry in 2022, so family life took precedence, but I'm happy to be back!

Puredistance No. 12 Completes the Magnificent XII Collection

 

Puredistance founder Jan Ewoud Vos has announced that with the introduction of Puredistance No. 12, the house's twelfth perfume, the brand's completed collection will be called the Magnificent XII and kept to only twelve fragrances. In the twenty years since the name Puredistance was trademarked, just these twelve perfumes have been introduced, very restrained when compared to other perfume houses with flankers and multiple releases per year. Jan Ewoud Vos works with a carefully selected group of fine perfumers who he trusts with his vision for the brand, and French Perfumer Nathalie Feisthauer was chosen for this latest introduction.

Ms. Feisthauer came to the attention of Jan Ewoud Vos through a friend and associate. Ms. Feisthauer was interested in creating a perfume for Puredistance so when contacted, she came to their office in Amsterdam with eleven scents to present to Ewoud Vos and team. A scent titled Gold Taffeta immediately captured his attention as having the Puredistance DNA. This was in 2018 and at the time a formula for Puredistance Gold was being sought. Jan Ewoud Vos made the decision that while this perfume did not feel like gold to him, he did want it for Puredistance.

Puredistance No. 12 completes the Magnificent XII Collection. In the future when new perfumes are introduced, one of the older perfumes will be taken out of the collection and put into a private collection. The scents in the private collection will no longer be marketed, but will be available to those who know and love the scents.

In the publicity copy that went out with Puredistance No. 12, the statement is made: "A grand perfume that wraps around you like a cashmere veil. A perfume like no other, in many ways timeless and hard to describe with words." 

Truer words were never spoken! Puredistance fragrances are never easy to describe. I always find it difficult to condense the scents into a collection of descriptive adjectives. Because the perfumes are so well blended, they provide me with more of a mood conveyed, idea boards with images forming in my brain, rather than a clear way to explain the scents. But this is a review, so I will try.

Puredistance No. 12 is housed in a slim blue cylinder, at least the 17.5 ml size. Like all Puredistance perfumes, it is also available in 60 ml and 100 ml sizes. Jan Ewoud Vos nicknamed this perfume "Beauty in Blue", and he does seem to pick the perfect color to encapsulate each of his scents. The deep blue represents royalty, and blue can also represent calm. Puredistance No. 12 fits both of these criteria.

At first spray it goes on quietly, while still making a statement. The spray of perfume is like an exhale, releasing the worries and cares that have been weighing you down, and cloaking the wearer in a soft cerulean shield.

The spray leaves a sheen of scent on my wrist. Puredistance is known for their use of a high percentage of perfume oils, so applying them is always a bit of an experience to me. The spray shimmers like an annointment, and I gently rub the richness into my skin. It does not feel oily and quickly absorbs. The citrus opening is fittingly not bright or sharp, but rich and nuanced. Oils of mandarin, bergamot, coriander, cardomom, ylang ylang, along with narcissus absolute simmer with quiet elegance. 

Next comes a very slight powder scent composed of notes of heliotrope and earthy orris root, which gives the cashmere veil effect. It feels soft and plush, and makes me think of musky skin, powdered after a bath. (When I tried this originally, in warmer weather, the narcissus really sang and I thought it would be gorgeous for spring. Now that the weather is colder, the warmth of the spices appear, and it feels warmer and cozier.)

This stage lasts for some time but eventually other heart notes appear: jasmine, rose, geranium, lily of the valley, orange blossom, and osmanthus. Reading this list you would expect a lush, floral bomb of a scent but this is far from the case. Initially, I honestly can't pick out a single one of these floral notes individually. Instead, they are like a tightly woven tapestry, combining their various floral notes into one harmonious choir. The effect is polished and dare I say, sublime. It is understated elegance. Grace Kelly, not Marilyn Monroe. Audrey Hepburn, not Sophia Loren. All these ladies are elegant, but like Grace and Audrey, Puredistance No. 12 believes that less is more; that confident beauty can speak sotto voce.

The florals ebb and flow, but on my skin they are always on low simmer. This perfume feels personal when I wear it, as if it is to please me, first and foremost, and any others being able to appreciate it are secondary. After several hours the florals give way to soft base notes which smell slightly woody and musky. Official notes are vetiver, sandalwood, patchouli, oak moss, tonka, ambrette, ambroxin, vanilla, and musk.

This perfume has a different feel from some of the recent Puredistance releases I have loved. Let's put it in musical terms. If Warszawa is one of Chopin's Mazurkas, or if Rubikona is a lively composition of Mozart's The Magic Flute or Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Russian Dance; then Puredistance No. 12 is a more tranquil composition such as Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata or Debussy's Clair de Lune. Graceful, refined, classic, elegant...these are all words that come to mind while wearing this perfume.

So at the ending I am back to the beginning, a feeling of slight frustration at being unable to find the right words to describe this subtle but beautiful perfume. Reading the notes will not describe this perfume to you. Reading my description will only give you a glimmer. This is a beautiful perfume that confounds easy description. And it is a quietly confident ending to complete the circle of twelve Puredistance perfumes, the Magnificent XII, at least for now!

Images are from Press Release material provided by Puredistance. I was given a perfume flacon to test by Puredistance perfumes. Opinions as always are my own.

Puredistance Rubikona

A new launch by Puredistance Master Perfumes is always a cause for anticipation. Unlike so many niche perfumers that flood the market with new product, Puredistance has deliberately adopted a "less is more" philosophy. Puredistance 1 was introduced in 2007, and Rubikona will be just the eleventh perfume introduced in the thirteen year period since then. Each perfume stands on its own merit as a unique and individual scent. Each breaks new ground and offers Puredistance customers a new and distinct choice.

Puredistance founder Jan Ewoud Vos relies on just a few master perfumers to bring his inspiration and ideas to fragrant reality, and for Rubikona he turned to Cécile Zarokian, who also created Sheiduna. I know from a past interview I did with Mr. Vos that he takes great care in creating the names that will represent his perfumes, and he likes forming a word out of descriptive parts. The brief for this newest perfume started with the word "Ruby", to respresent the deep and warm red of the precious stones, and the word "Icon", to represent timeless beauty and style.

When perfumes are centered around a color, as several in the Puredistance line are, one can't help but draw conclusions in advance as to how the color will be represented in fragrance. With Rubikona's pictured inspirations of a ruby necklace and the vibrant color red, I expected something fiery, maybe even spicy, big and bold. I should have learned after Puredistance Gold, reviewed here, that Mr. Vos would have his own vision, and it would be led by class and restraint. With Gold I expected shiny and bright, and I discovered shimmer and mystery. So I don't know why I expected pyrotechnics or the red cape of the matador waved in front of the bull. Instead it is the red of love and comfort. At the same time it represents the color in a blood red ruby, revealing both shaded depths and glints of sparkling light. Rubikona the perfume juggles that contrast of light and dark with a scent that has  depth, yet also lightness and loft.

First, the notes: 

Top notes: Bergamot, Grapefruit, Mandarin

Middle notes: Rose, Iris, Ylang, Clove, Orange Blossom, Creamy notes

Base notes: Parchouli, Cedarwood, Vanilla, Solar Notes, Musk

So the big question is how does Rubikona smell, at least on my skin? The opening is a full creamy floral, but I smell the citrus notes too, a tart grapefruit and pungent mandarin notes. These citrus notes add a quick moment of lightness, but then disappear into the big bouquet of florals. The floral bouquet is blended in such a way that no one flower is distinct. When thinking of a "red" perfume and seeing that it has rose as a note, one might think they have the scent all figured out. For me this bouquet of flowers does smell "red". Just like you can identify a white bouquet in perfume, this one feels red, but don't expect to have a distinct smell of rose, or any of the other florals for that matter. In a style I find to be distinctly French in perfumery, everything is well blended. In addition to the rose, there is iris, ylang, and orange blossom. I always love the combination of rose and orange blossom which translates to a lovely opulence and richness. Both bring out a creaminess and sensuality in the other. The first time I wore Rubikona, I thought I could pick out carnation in the scent, but when I look at the list of notes I see clove. Carnation can have clove aspects, so I guess this is what made me think it was there. Carnation as a note always gives scents a chic and dressy feel, at least to my nose. The iris is indistinct to me, but certainly adds to the richness of the bouquet that is Rubikona.

During the blooming of all these beautiful florals there is one aspect of the scent that is a standout, and it is the sumptuous, billowy cream notes.

Ahhh, the cream! www.themerchantbaker.com

The creamy notes give an extravagant plushness to the scent, but at the same time give it a comforting aura. The creaminess is not too sweet, just soft, as if you've sunk down into a pile of billowy pillows. The ylang, and also vanilla, reinforce the scent's creamy nature.

Sink into the comforting softness! www.briannadamra.tubmlr.com

Rubikona carries on with the floral creamy notes, but patchouli, which was slightly evident in the beginning, becomes more pronounced. Rose and patchouli are an often done pairing, but here the combination is more delicate than is sometimes the case. As a patchouli lover, I find its presence brings the flowers and the light creamy notes back down to earth. 

The red and the earth! www.rover.ebay.com

The patchouli is subtle to me, just adding a slight earthy depth. Patchouli can sometimes take over a scent, but in Rubikona we have the florals, lashings of cream, soft vanilla, and also gauzy musk. Without the grounding of patchouli and cedarwood in the base, the florals, vanilla, and cream might have felt too sweet and the scent too edible. Instead, there is a balance, a yin and yang that translates to an extremely beautiful but also very wearable perfume. While to me this perfume leans more feminine  I am a firm believer in anyone can wear anything they like, and the patchouli does perhaps make this more man friendly.

Twenty-four hours later I can still smell Rubikona on my wrists, not surprising since it is a 28% extrait. It smell like what could be memories of a beautiful night— a box seat at the opera, a night at the ballet, a dinner out with friends; all the sort of events that have been missed in this solemn year of the pandemic. But as appropriate as Rubikona would be to grace a grand event, it is also warm and comforting, like sinking into the plushest, softest bed ever or being held in the embrace of a loved one. It manages to do a difficult thing, really. It is equally at home as a chic accessory or as simply providing casual comfort, a true definition of effortless chic.

As a final thought, the beautiful red flacon would make a stunning Christmas gift, or Valentines, if you plan ahead. Puredistance packaging is exquisite and substantial, and each finishing bow is hand tied by the staff and family at the brand's Amsterdam office.

By now you may have read other reviewer's opinions of Rubikona. They will all comment on the exclusivity and the exceptionalism of the scents from the Puredistance house. Some perfume houses hype themselves as exclusive and a luxury brand, and they tack a high price tag on their scents as if to prove this. Jan Ewoud Vos set out to create a truly exclusive brand and cater to that select group of customers who appreciate fine craftmanship and quality. In an interview Mr. Vos told me that perhaps his favorite customers are those that can't necessarily buy every new release, but save for one that really speaks to their heart. I respect the way that Puredistance deliberates over each release, perfecting it and adding it like a jewel in the proverbial crown....this time a ruby! Mr. Vos is proud to use master perfumers, quality ingredients, and high levels of perfume oils in his fragrances, never less than 25%, all the way up to 48% found in Aenotus. I know I risk sounding like a sales pitch, but do yourself a favor and buy the discovery set if you haven't sampled this brand. As a perfume lover, it is one of the best gifts out there you can give yourself.

In the literature I received from Puredistance, I believe Jan Ewoud Vos says it best and it's worth repeating here:

"The world is facing dark and uncertain times. The past six months have been very challenging for most of us. But I look back with pride....For this new perfume we selected a deep red colour that evokes soothing emotions of love and warmth in a luxurious and perhaps good old-fashioned way...I really believe that truly beautiful experiences and emotions can help us weather the storm better. So whatever will happen next, we will keep on trying to create timeless beauty."

I believe Rubikona could be an antidote to the year 2020, offering both comfort and beauty as a balm for the soul.

I met Mr. Vos a few years ago at an event in Singapore when I lived there, and since then he has generously shared with me his new creations. I would like to share some of his generosity with you. I have two spray samples of Rubikona to give away to readers. Please leave a comment as to what intrigues you about this perfume, or if you have another favorite Puredistance perfume. Draw closes November 7. Draw is limited to USA readers only. Apologies, but postal issues! Please either check back with comments, or private message me on facebook as to where I can reach you if you win.

All photos not identified are from the Puredistance website. Top photo of rubies, www.astleyclarke.com. Thank you to Puredistance for allowing me to try Rubikona.

Puredistance Strikes Gold

To discuss Puredistance Gold, the newest offering from the prestige brand based in the Netherlands, I would like to start at the end rather than the beginning. When initially trying out the perfume, it had been two sleeps since I sprayed Gold on my wrist. Initial impressions: Gold is a perfume that wears close to the skin and is fairly quiet in its reach. Yet as I lay with my  hand resting near my face I was startled by the most beautiful smell, a quiet imprint of Gold still present on my skin as if it has become part of my DNA. Puredistance has firmly positioned itself as a luxury perfumer and one of it's hallmarks is using a high percentage of perfume oils in its fragrances. This doesn't come at a cheap price, but here on my wrist, a full thirty-something hours later, is the result.

Puredistance is one of those rare perfume houses that doesn't flood the market with something new every quarter. Usually once a year a release that has been thoughtfully curated and tweaked will be introduced and in late 2019 this release was Puredistance Gold. The introduction of gold completes Puredistance founder Jan Ewoud Vos' vision of a trilogy based on the brand's three signature colors: Black, White, and Gold. Vos created his own Golden Mondriaan, a term coined to reference Dutch painter Piet Mondriaan who had a huge influence on modern art using a limited palette of colors and brush strokes. Vos wanted his perfume to display "a rich and harmonious fusion of gold tones", and I do find the perfume moves seamlessly through various stages, as if displaying various aspects and hues of the golden color.

When I hear the word gold in relation to perfume I tend to think of glitz and an almost gaudy display of wealth. Puredistance Gold takes the meaning of gold in its original connotation; a measure of something fine and rare. A perfumer has their vision when they create, but a beautiful perfume will connect with users on their own personal level. For me, Gold presented itself as the splendor and beauty of the color gold in the natural world. Gold represents warmth, be it a setting sun or a crackling fire. As the sun hits the water it can glisten and shimmer. This is what the fragrance of Gold suggests; shimmer, sparkle, warmth, glow.

The thing that cannot be argued when you smell a fragrance from Puredistance is the quality of the ingredients. A card came with the Gold sample, listing the top, middle and base notes along with their country of origin. It looks like a tiny menu in a haute cuisine restaurant and it is obvious that much pride is taken in the listed oils. Like all Puredistance perfumes, Gold has a high oil content, this time it is 36 percent.

Let me be honest. I've waited for a while to write this review because although I found the scent of Gold to be beautiful, it didn't initially move me, as when I first sprayed Puredistance Warszawa and heard church bells ringing, angels weeping, and fireworks exploding. Gold was undeniably fine, but was it me? But I kept thinking about Gold and spraying it again and each time I appreciated its beauty more and more. I enjoyed the way the fragrance kept unfolding literally hours after initially spraying. Gold has a certain fluidity as it gently changes and morphs ebbs and flows.

Image photographed by Anh Hoi from web.500px.com

Let's start with the top notes. At first spray, the green mandarin essence from Italy comes out singing. Green mandarin essence along with the Calabrian bergamot essence are front and center but they smell more zesty and green, rather than of lemons or oranges. Pink peppercorn, rosemary essence, and clove bud essence also appear in the opening. Do you know how the clove smell in carnation scents can be slightly powdery — emphasis slightly. I get a sense of that powder feel, a softness. The overall opening is uplifting and energizing, but also soothing and smooth. At this point it is quietly spicy.

Middle notes are jasmine absolute, geranium essence, cinnamon bark absolute, and cistus absolute. I never clearly smell jasmine. I do catch a touch of cinnamon and ciste absolute. The ciste labdanum is what begins to take this fragrance in the direction of a soft oriental perfume. It adds an amber and slightly fruity element to the scent. Gold is not about picking out individual notes, however. The development of this perfume is slow and unhurried and the various notes blend to a harmonious whole.

Photo from wake-my-soul.tumblr.com

Base notes further increase oriental aspects of Gold. There is styrax essence, benzoin resins, myrrhe, vanilla green beans, tonka beans, castoreum, and vetiver. My experience was that the perfume became pretty faint for quite some time, only to surprise me later with alluring aromas that were quietly intense. Benzoin, labdanum, and myrrhe are someof my favorite notes, but rarely have I seen them so masterfully hum with a soft warm energy.

Jan Ewoud Vos turned again to perfumer Antoine Lie to create his latest visionary scent. Lie is also the perfumer for Puredistance White, Black, Warszawa, and Aenotus. 

Don't try Puredistance Gold expecting a pyrotechnic display. Gold doesn't need to call attention to itself. It is pure class and elegance. The scent stays close to the skin, and in my opinion is worn for the wearer's pleasure rather than to elicit comments from those in your orbit. I am far too fickle and too much of a thrill seeker to ever have just one signature scent. If I were so inclined, however, I can see Gold's quiet charm and surprisingly seductive allure persuading me that it could be that one!

Thank you to Puredistance for the sample of Gold. The photo of the bottle is from the Puredistance website. Any other pictures not labeled are Pinterest images.

Puredistance Perfumes Has A New Release: Aenotus

In a world where some perfume brands have multiple releases every year, the Puredistance brand of luxury perfumes has distinguished itself by showing restraint in the practice of new perfume introductions. The last release by Puredistance was Warszawa in 2017 so it is some eighteen or so months later that there is finally a new perfume, Aenotus. Puredistance founder Jan Ewoud Vos has created Aenotus as his signature scent and it has been in the incubation stage for three years but is finally ready for its debut.

Back in 2017 when I was living in Singapore I got the opportunity to meet Mr. Vos and his daughter Tamara when the Puredistance line was brought to Maven Takishimaya. This was at the time of the release of Warszawa. During our interview I asked Mr. Vos if he had a favorite in the line and he replied, "I sometimes use Black and M but very sparingly because I like things a bit lighter and more behind the scenes." I was surprised, because so many of the Puredistance fragrances are statement scents and real powerhouses. I found it interesting that he was creative director to scents that did not cater to his actual preferences, but I suppose that is what being a good creative director is all about.

Jan Ewoud Vos went on to say that for thirty years he had been loyal to Chanel Antaeus but that all the reformulations had changed the scent and it wasn't the same anymore. When he began to work out what he wanted in a signature scent for himself, his love for the game of tennis and the sporting life in general were a big influence. Vos said he still plays serious tennis today but when he was younger considered going professional, so great was his passion for the game.

"So the fragrance I wanted for myself was something sporty but also something woody and this was almost impossible to combine so we worked on it about three years," Vos said. And now almost eighteen months after that initial conversation in Singapore, Aenotus has been released.

Antoine Lie and Jan Ewoud Vos

Antoine Lie was the perfumer who created Black, White, and Warszawa for Puredistance and Vos chose him as the perfumer to bring his vision to reality. In the Puredistance copy which describes the creation of Aenotus, Vos says:

I showed him (Antoine Lie) the idea behind Aenotus. A perfume that would first refresh and then - unlike the 1000+ perfumes that are fresh but quickly fade away - transform into a sensual but subtle skin scent. A refined and seductive perfume that doesn't give away its personality to everyone instantly.

Aenotus is an unusual name and when I first heard it I thought could it be a play on the perfumer, Antoine Lie's name?  But Vos likes to play with words, and as he did when he created the name Opardu for one of his perfumes, this was an original word he created inspired by the name of the mythological Greek god Aeolus, the keeper of the winds. Vos uses the description of Aeolus as the God of the winds who brings cool breezes to calm the intense heat of the plains of southern Europe as a descriptive device for the perfume Aenotus. It is a perfume that manage to have both warm and cool aspects.

Photo from www.GreekMythology.com

Aenotus opens with notes of orange and mandarin, as well as a very fresh and slightly bitter yuzu fragrance. There is lemon there too, and the notes are startlingly fresh, as if you've ripped a citrus segment straight out of the rind and you get that zestiness. This clarion chorus of citrus notes are strong and true and last for some time, probably due to the amazing amount of pure oils in the perfume. Puredistance offers only pure perfume extraits with a very high percentage of pure perfume oils but Aenotus has a rather remarkable 48 percent of perfume oils.

The perfumer lists heart notes of mint, blackcurrant bud, and petitgrain, all of which are exhuberant and vivacious notes but here are extremely subtle. I smell the petitgrain first and it has the orange mixed with the green and twig notes, and it also gives a touch of that soapy barbershop smell but that aspect is subtle and fleeting. I can also smell the mint and blackcurrant bud used to add a fresh tingle but they are well blended into the perfume. These three notes on their own can be very distinctive, but here I assume the perfumer has used them to keep the light and lively feel going as citrus notes are notorious for their brevity. Also these notes heighten the feeling of coolness. 

Eventually a woody aromatic essence begins to overcome the citrus. Here is where I will go off script. No wood notes or oud are listed but that is what I think I smell, just a slight and subtle touch of that woody tang that softer ouds can impart. Oakmoss, patchouli, and musk are listed as the base notes and maybe it is some alchemy of this combination that makes me think I can smell slight oud, as I am certainly not an expert nose in any shape or form when it comes to identifying individual notes. The woody slightly earthy aura is quiet and calm with just an occasional trail of distant smoke.  When I had an interview with Mr. Vos toward the end of 2017, right before the release of Warszawa, he admitted that he resists naming notes for his scents, preferring that customers come to the perfumes with no preconceived notions of how it should or should not smell. He seems to like for his perfumes to retain some air of mystery.

Aenotus feels very different from the other perfumes in the Puredistance portfolio. Maybe it is closest in spirit to Puredistance 1, which I also found to combine a certain power with restraint. But Aenotus is much more subtle and personal than the other scents in the Puredistance line. Although Mr. Vos designed this as his scent it could suit a man or a woman. The scent is very long lasting and will give the wearer pleasure as well as those who move in close enough to catch the simmer.

Maybe it was just because I went to the beach later in the day after applying Aenotus in the morning but a couple of photos I took that day really seemed to express the mood of the scent for me. Here in Adelaide, Australia, it is the tail end of summer and this was probably one of the last killer hot days. The water of the Southern Ocean was as still as that proverbial cliched pond, there was not even a discernible movement of the tide. We first were treated to a blazing yellow sunset (iphone, no filters) and then to a calm beautiful stillness in those moments where the sun has sunk below the horizon but it was not yet dusk.

At first Aenotus is bright and has a sunny warmth and a warm glow but there are cooling notes as well.

Eventually as the deeper base notes appear the scent goes still and smooth, but even in this warmth I find moments of coolness in the placid calmness and quiet tone of the scent. It is like a burner on the stove turned to low simmer. The notes become softer and fade into the skin but still have a quiet presence.

Puredistance is unabashedly a luxury brand and Jan Ewoud Vos has set these goals for Puredistance: exclusivity and timeless beauty, and the brand's tag line reads, "perfumes with a soul and signature." Although somewhat different in presentation, Aenotus continues the Puredistance tradition of quality scents with a large percentage of oils and beautiful packaging. The scent is available in three sizes: 17.5 ml, 60 ml, and 100 ml.

Finally, here is a video released by Puredistance to show their vision for Aenotus: 




To read more reviews of Puredistance scents and an interview with founder Jan Ewoud Vos, start here.


Photos from www.Puredistance.com except for two beach pictures which are my own. Thank you to Puredistance for providing me with this sample. Any viewpoints or opinions expressed about the perfume are my own.

Puredistance WARSZAWA: A Poignant Reflection of Times Past

A sculpture in Warsaw cemetery. 

Can a perfume make you travel back in time? If that were possible, for me that fragrance would be Puredistance WARSZAWA and it would transport me to Poland circa 1930s. Perhaps it was inevitable that I would love a perfume that embodies the rich culture and elegance of a country that has had such a tumultuous history and played a part in our family story.

We have one family scrapbook which my husband's mother carried with her to Australia, when she and my father-in-law left Poland to immigrate after World War II. Faded photographs show her with her two sisters and brothers on an outing, beautiful European-style ornate buildings in the background. The ladies are dressed in belted suits and slim skirts, hats, and gloves, and the gentlemen in suit and tie, sporting fedoras on their head. Another photo shows her as a young woman, lighthearted and laughing reclined in a field of flowers looking totally carefree and at ease. I never met my would-be mother-in-law but in later photos her eyes never had that casual ease present in the pre-war photos. She was fortunate that her whole family made it from Poland to Australia, and she lived in close proximity to her brothers and sisters. My husband tells me that though he was born in Australia, only Polish was spoken in his home (with smatterings of French, Russian, and German) until he was six or so. What must it have been like to leave your home behind and start over in some place so different, never to return?

Photo from www.vintag.es. Warsaw in the 1930s. 

The past was not discussed in my husband's home, and it was only when one of my daughters developed a passion for family history that some of the story was reclaimed. My husband and daughter went to Poland a few years ago to try to locate family, as my father-in-law had believed his entire family was lost in the war. With the help of a translator cum detective they eventually succeeded in locating some relatives, although because of borders being redrawn after the war, they now lived in Ukraine, not Poland. They discovered relatives thought to be dead had survived, and some of their discoveries led to even more mystery. Sadly, these questions will probably remain unanswered as all the principal players are now gone. It's a story with intrigue, some big surprises, and a lot of heartbreak, so how could I not love a perfume that spoke of the elegance of a country before it was shattered by war, and the resilience of its people in the aftermath?

My daughter April with a newly discovered relative.

First, and this is essential, learn how to pronounce WARSZAWA. When I in my flat Texas accent say War-saw, it doesn't conjure romance and beauty. War and saw, two rather ugly words that denote unpleasant things. But in our interview when Jan Ewoud Vos started talking about WARSZAWA, I was like, "What? What? Are we even saying the same word?" Europeans can skip this paragraph, but the rest of you or those that are clueless like me, click to hear the proper pronunciation which flows mellifluously from the lips and is indeed beautiful.

Ok, now that we've established that, let's move on. Directly from the Puredistance website, this is the description for WARSZAWA. "Inspired by the class and elegance of Polish women and the rich history of the city of Warsaw, WARSZAWA evokes the chic of the golden days of Fashion and Perfume. This perfume has style, warmth -- great depth of character -- and will make you feel beautiful in a lush way. It will transport you to another world...". I can say that perfumer Antoine Lie really hit the mark. The description says everything about the final product. Lie was also the perfumer for  Puredistance White and Black.

Puredistance founder Jan Ewoud Vos had visited Poland many years ago and was impressed with Warsaw's style and friendliness. Jan said, "The first time I went to Warsaw I was like, Wow, these women know how to carry themselves, proud and beautiful and also with  eye for fashion. That I wanted to see in the fragrance, rich, elegant." A friendship with the Missala family who operate a luxury perfumery in Warsaw was further inspiration and Stanislawa Missala, the matriarch of the family and founder of the family business, impressed Jan with her class and elegance, an elan reminiscent of old-time Warsaw.  "The family helped me in the development of the perfume but basically the inspiration was the city of Warsaw, in older times." After two years development, WARSZAWA premiered and the store was given exclusive right on the perfume for one year, but in November 2017 WARSZAWA became available to the general public.

Travel Poster, Google image.

WARSZAWA falls into the category of a chypre perfume and follows the typical structure. The opening is a bit sparkly, but grapefruit is used rather than the more traditional bergamot. Violet Leaf and galbanum give the scent a green earthy depth which adds to the air of mystery. These notes add a green tone to the scent, so it could thus be called a green chypre.  It smells rich and mossy, but the green is not as dominant as it is in the sister scent, Antonia. The green note is just one facet of this dazzler.  Broom adds a slight herbal, hay-like quality. Iris, or orris butter, adds a touch of melancholy and a quiver of passion. The jasmine is a sweet soprano, not indolic, and lilts with purity and shimmering brightness. The perfume is 25% extrait so it takes some time for the base notes to appear, but patchouli, styrax, and vetiver give an earthly slightly sweet finish, which fades slowly until it's nothing but a whisper.

But these are just notes. The sum total is a beautiful concoction that takes me back to a more genteel era. I hate to keep using the words "old world elegance" to describe Puredistance perfumes, but this one just calls for such a description.

In our interview here Jan talked about his customers and mentioned that a favorite group was the customer who saved up to be able to buy a Puredistance perfume because of their passion for the scent. I firmly fall into this category. This past Christmas I told my children and husband, join together and buy me WARSZAWA, it's all I want, so I am now the proud owner of a flacon. How much of my love for the fragrance is the personal connection to the backstory is hard to say, but there is no doubt that this is a beautiful, elegant scent.

For more review on Puredistance perfumes go here and here.

My samples were provided by Puredistance. Thanks to Maven at Takashimaya Singapore for the interview opportunity. Opinions are my own.

Puredistance Opardu, Antonia, and Sheiduna

I am reviewing today three scents from Puredistance: Opardu, Antonia, and Sheiduna or what I like to think of as the three beautiful ladies. Puredistance founder Jan Ewoud Vos considers his scents unisex, but in this case I think Opardu, at least, leans decidedly toward the feminine. Both Opardu and Antonia have an old fashioned vibe, and in my interview with Mr. Vos I asked him if there was ever any disagreement in team meetings about the final formulation of a product.

"Our customers are generally at least twenty five or thirty plus," Vos said. "The younger generation tends toward sweeter consumibles as I call them, so sometime I have to say to my team, I understand what you mean but I have to take your age into account. This is a mature product for mature people. So sometimes we may not be totally in accordance but in the end my vote is decisive."

Having a perfume house that gears its product to a mature audience is an uncommon but delightful experience. Any of us that have spent much time in online perfume chat groups have heard the term "old lady perfume" as a descriptive of perfumes that evoke past times, and let's face it, no one wants to be called an old lady, even if one could possibly be considered to fit into that demographic, ahem. If "old lady perfume" means appreciating the past and reinterpreting that style for today's world, count me in. If it means preferring  polish, beauty, and elegance over brassy, flashy self promotion, guilty. If by "old lady perfumes" you mean one that can only be worn by a woman or man of experience, self confidence, and assuredness, I'm all in! Puredistance fragrances, in my opinion, have embraced the glamour of a bygone era while still pleasing today's audience.

Opardu

At first spray I smell something timeless and a bit old fashioned. Opardu is unabashedly feminine and manages to display both oppulence and innocence.

Mia Farrow as Daisy Buchanan in the 1973 film, The Great Gatsby.

Jan Ewoud Vos described his inspiration for Opardu as vintage 1920s Paris. "You know the movie, Midnight in Paris, when he's being transported back into time? That was part of the inspiration I had.  I love that he's having drinks with Hemingway and Picasso in a bar. Paris is so romantic, but at that time in the 1920s and 30s, even more so. I want a perfume that goes back into that time, I thought powdery, purple lilac..nothing new, nothing modern, nothing metal, very soft."

The naming of Opardu came about from a play with wording. "Sometimes I make up names myself," said Mr. Vos, "and my feeling with this movie is that we've lost those good old times. In French,  "I lost" is "j'ai pardu", and an exclamation is like "Oh", so I combine to  O-pardu."

A scene from the movie, Midnight In Paris, which partially inspired Opardu. 

Opardu transports me to the memory of a childhood spring day. The gentle waft of pure sweet blossoms moving gently in the breeze; the fuzzy sweetness of flowers laden with pollen and the low hum or insects, the transparency of the gentle light in that bridge season before the sun will find its intensity. Everything is soft, beautiful, and pure, which was one of the goals Mr. Vos had for this scent. The purple lilac and the heliotrope take the stage for a time, and just when I think that Opardu is all about lilac, narcotic wisps of tuberose, or maybe it's the gardenia or jasmine,  drift from my wrist in a mesmerizing haze. I almost expect see yellow pollen dust on my wrist and to hear the buzz of bees in the background. I understand the pull to a past era; it's feminine, there is glamour, and it smells, well, expensive! But for me, more than a Paris nightclub it reminds me of Paris in the spring. In any case, I can't think of a more lovely fragrance to give the experience of springtime.

Antonia

From pixiewinksfairywhispers.tumblr.com

  

When I spray Puredistance Antonia I'm transported to a world of green wood nymphs, green buds just before they're ready to unfurl, or the green of a mysterious mossy grotto. This scent speaks of elegance and times past, yet at the same time breathes of life's renewal and fresh beginnings. I feel like I'm diving into a deep green pool but at the depths there is something bright and solid. All the happy pleasure receptors are firing off in my brain. We all have different tastes but you know that feeling when you find a perfume that seems personally created for you? That's how I feel when I spray Antonia. Actually though, Jan Ewoud Vos created it as a tribute to his mother, Antonia.

In our interview, Mr. Vos said, "My mother was like a movie star. Antonia...initially it's like my mother, pretty powerful, and boom, there she is. It is a very unique green floral scent. A favorite color of my mother was egyptian green so I tried to adapt it as much to her wishes as possible. I sent a picture of my mother to (perfumer) Annie Buzantian and I asked her, 'Do you have a second fragrance for us?' "
She said, "Well, I have something on the shelf which is rather unique."
I said, "What's the name?" and she said, "Antonia."
So I said, "Oh my God! Again ! It must not be coincidence so let's see if it fits the character of my mother. We fine tuned it with pictures of my mother and I described her because she was already gone by that time, so to me Antonia is very dear because basically it is the character of my mother in a bottle." Antonia was released in 2010.

The green flacon gives promise to the liquid inside with its elegant simplicity. This is a perfume that makes the wearer feel special. A friend and I were having a discussion the other day about how our mother's generation never stepped out of the house for the simplest of meetings without having bouffant hairdo in place and wearing a well thought out outfit with coordinating jewelry. Maybe that's just a Southern thing? My mother was the same until her death, and her friends I still visit always look perfectly coiffed and coutured, even though they're around ninety. This is the way their generation was, no shopping in yoga pants for them! Antonia makes me want to live up to that ideal. As much as I love Antonia I wouldn't necessarily wear it to get my groceries. It calls for special occasions or meetings with a special person, moments when I want to strive to be a more refined version of my day-to-day self.  In our interview, Jan Ewoud Vos commented that his perfumes, by virtue of price and formula, feel like special occasion perfumes, that extra step you take to add a touch of luxury to your toilette.

As a point of reference, Antonia reminds me in style of two other favorite green perfumes, both by DSHPerfumes: Giverny In Bloom and Madame Pour Vert, both reviewed on my blog. 

The florals in Antonia are listed as jasmine, rose, ylang ylang, and orris and they are blended in that French art of perfumery style where no one note stands out. I do smell the galbanum, because really, could you make a green style perfume without it? Maybe it's my love for nature that make green perfumes so compelling. They always give me a feeling of serenity, but in the case of Antonia, with one spray I feel more interesting, more elegant, and a good deal more beautiful than I actually am. Not bad for a bottle of perfume!

Sheiduna

From The Rubaiyat by Omar Khayyam, illustrator Rene Bull, 1913 edition.

Puredistance Sheiduna is the first and so far the only Oriental style perfume in the line and was created by Cecile Zarokian, debuting in 2016. For me this is the most different perfume in the Puredistance stable. While the others have a definite retro feel, Sheiduna feels to me like a more modern interpretation of the Oriental style of fragrance. On my skin the scent is contained and projection spills only gently around me. When I think of retro Orientals, take the original Yves Saint Laurent Opium, for example, introduced in 1977, it was a powerhouse and was literally a forceshield around the wearer. In our interview here Jan Ewoud Vos stated that the Puredistance line is rooted in sophistication and that the scents will never be overtly sexual or vulgar. In this way Sheiduna presents the idea of the Oriental with all the richness these notes present, but in a more gentle and elegant version.

The strongest impression I get from Sheiduna is the dryness of the desert; miles and miles of undulating golden sand dunes with an orange sun setting on the horizon. Amber, incense, and resins provide mystery and depth. In the first hour I smell something like cumin which is a bit acrid on my skin, but when the vanilla and tonka eventually come in, their creaminess, mixed with the resins, begin to dominate. This is a very well done Oriental scent, but I have many in my collection so I don't feel as drawn to Sheiduna as I do some of the other Puredistance scents. If you are looking for a polished Oriental to add to your collection, this is definitely worth trying.

Opardu, and especially Antonia are scents I'd love to add to my collection in the future. To find out which of the Puredistance scents prompted a buy, come back for tomorrow's review. For my interview with Jan Ewoud Vos and reviews of 1, M, White, and Black, go here. For a review of WARSZAWA go here.

Top Photo: Cyprien Boulet, Avant le Bal, 1877, Google Image. Perfumes were provided by Puredistance and opinions are my own.

An Interview With Puredistance's Jan Ewoud Vos and Reviews of Puredistance 1, Black, White, and M

Back in October I was given the opportunity to interview Puredistance founder Jan Ewoud Vos on the occasion of the introduction of the Puredistance line to the Maven studio of exclusive perfumes at Takashimaya in Singapore. Life intervened so I am just now writing my impressions of what was a very interesting interview with the visionary of these fabulous perfumes. It is clear immediately that Jan Ewoud Vos is passionate about what he does and he has some very specific opinions about the world today which influence the structure of the perfumes he wishes to present.

Talking to Mr. Vos certain things are emphasized: the commitment to exclusivity; the desire to be a true luxury product; translating an appreciation for beauty into the art of fragrance creation. He is the founder of the line but he also fills the very important job of creative director, beginning each fragrance with a very specific idea of what he wants, which may include storyboards or other visuals, but never a list of notes! As he elaborates on this is the interview, let us begin.

Q:   In ten years you've released eight perfumes. Obviously you haven't flooded the market with  perfumes. Is that a deliberate action on your part?
A:   I don't like floods! When you flood it, it's too much! Our motto is small is beautiful. In my personal life I'd rather have two or three good friends than 5,000 fans. I believe in quality over quantity.  This is really  prominent in Puredistance where we go for the highest quality. We need some basic sales to stay alive, of course, but not that much. On the one hand we are big because we are in 35 countries, but we only sell to 80 stores in these 35 countries, whereas a mass fragrance brand would sell to 80 stores in a big city. We more or less have the business model sales wise of Ferrari and Aston Martin, where only one or two stores in each country are allowed to sell these brands. Why? You need a sales person that really knows the car and can tell you everything about it. Same with Puredistance. I want sales people who can really know our brand, love our brand, and pass this on to the customer.  I want to know the store owners personally; it's impossible if there are too many. Lastly our promise to exclusivity is very prominent because I think if you buying an expensive fragrance it's maybe nicer if not the whole world uses it. I want to deliver that promise so I shouldn't sell to the whole world. To me it feels better. We have a small team of seven people in Amsterdam including my two daughters and everything there is done by hand.

Jan Ewoud Vos  founder of Puredistance.

Q:  What advantages does Puredistance perfume offer?
A:   The uniqueness of Puredistance is we only sell perfume extrait which is the highest concentration possible. The advantage of pure perfume is first of all it lasts much longer, but what I find more interesting is every scent fuses with the skin. If you have a lot of alcohol and only a little perfume oil like most mass produced fragrances there is not so much to fuse to skin. If you have a lot of oil it will fuse. You get development the whole day because it doesn't stop after two or three hours, and it's your own unique development because your skin scent is different than from anyone else. This is only possible with pure perfume extrait. So this is one thing that differentiates us from most brands.

The second thing is there are few brands with such an exclusive offering. For example every perfume has a certificate of authenticity that I sign personally, to show my customers we don't sell a lot. Because if I sign it personally you can't imagine that I sell 100,000s of units. It's a hard guarantee. You pay a lot, but you get, what do you say in the States,  bang for your bucks. We don't spend money on marketing. All that money goes into the product. Another thing, everything is assembled by hand in our company. The flacons are filled in the factory, but all separate parts are assembled by hand. There is some soul of a human being going into the product.

The last thing that differentiates us, we only launch every year one fragrance, sometimes two. To work out the concept, to find the right perfumer and then in the end I give him carte blanche regarding ingredients so he can spend what he wants. If he wants to spend 300 euros per kilo, fine. If he wants to spend 500 euros, fine. Whereas mass market perfumers may spend as little as 5 euros per kilo. He gets no time limit. Sometime it took two years if I'm not happy. This is unique that you work so long until it is perfect.

Q:   I'm interested in your concept. Would you mind using one of your perfumes as an example and going through the germination: where did you get the idea and how do you create a new perfume?
A:   It all starts with a very raw concept. Black, for example. Black started with an irritation. I got irritated by the fact that more and more people, especially the young generation, share everything with everybody. I have two daughters and I've warned them, don't show everything to everybody on Facebook or Instagram.  With some people their whole life, including their body, is being shared with the world. It's better to keep, sometimes, a secret.

Today we also have analysis of everything. If you go to the opera you can analyze the notes, but hey, close your eyes and enjoy the music. Take the whole thing in but don't analyze everything because you kill it. Some bloggers and journalists zoom in on a perfume's ingredients, but it is about feeling. So I was irritated by constant analysis that kills emotions and I was irritated by a constant transparency that kills intrigue and sensuality and secrets. So I said Puredistance Black must have ingredients like Batman and Zorro, where you get the mystery of a mask, a typical symbol of hiding something. Like a Zen temple where you only see a ray of light and the rest is black.  And all those visuals I give to Antoine Lie. How to translate it into a scent? I stay away from ingredients. I just feed Antoine Lie all this and he gives me after a while samples and I evaluate those samples with a team in the office. I do nothing alone. When you start a business you need talented people around you to make it all possible, so in the end it is a whole chain of people who make it possible.  We evaluate the four samples. I will choose one, or if I don't smell anything that's right I will say try again. But in this case I had an opening, one that I liked, but I said this was too sacred, it smelled too much to me like a chimney or a church.

Puredistance scents need to be rooted in sophistication. If I smell something that is too sexual or too vulgar, on the basis of that I reject it. Then we have two or three runs where the perfumer gets nearer to the subject. and when Antoine Lie presented me with what was the final version of Black I was like, "Ok, now I find it intriguing", meaning I don't know exactly what I smell. To me there is mystery in it, so now it matches the concept and we're done. It's like a premiere, I'm nervous when I launch something. I like it but what will the customers say? Fortunately in all these cases customers were on the same line as me and my team. We found Black appealed to both men and women.

When in 2002  I got the first idea of Puredistance, everyone said I was crazy for wanting to create a super luxury perfume house from the Netherlands without knowing the business at all. It took me five years to get the first perfume. The hardest thing after the concept was finding a perfumer, and by chance or fate, the concept ended up on the desk of Annie Buzantian who is one of the best perfumers in the world.  On top of the concept was a visual I tore out of a magazine of an old Donna Karan ad ... a lady standing in the snow, silk dress, no coat, Cuban skin, warm brown, so to me it was a nice visualization of the whole concept, warm and cold. The guy asked if she could use this visual to do a perfume for a guy in the Netherlands  and when she saw the ad she got pale in the face, she said, "I don't have to do that fragrance for him, I already have it."

She opened a drawer and took out the same visual that she had torn out of a magazine probably around the same time as me. She used it to create a signature scent for herself with a warm/cold contradiction. She wanted to do it as a challenge. Synchronicity, that two people who don't know each other are linked through their thoughts and have the same vision. Annie and are linked. We have many such occasions since. We probably broadcast on the same frequency! So her signature fragrance became PureDistance 1.

We are based in the Netherlands but the master perfumers are based in London, Paris and New York.  We have Roja Dove from London, we have Cecile Zarokian from Paris, and we have Annie Buzantian from New York.

Q:   How would you describe your customer?
A:   There are three type of customers that I discern. My favorite customer is the customer who loves fragrances and will probably save up money to be able to afford. They may say I love fragrance and this fragrance from Puredistance is the holy grail. This customer buys purely from passion and sacrifices in order to be able to do. We have type 2, who is maybe not as passionate but loves perfume and understands our fragrances DNA and loves it for what it is and has the money to spend, happy with the elegance and the sophistication. There is a small category, the nouveau riche who want to have the most expensive and most luxurious. Their decision is based on other's opinions. It doesn't often happen because we are not that famous, and the motives behind it are less dear to me than the other two motives.

Q:   What does the future hold for Puredistance?
A:    After ten years with Puredistance I am halfway. I always said I want to be in 150 stores and 50 countries, then I stop. I am now in 35 countries and 80 stores, super exclusive worldwide. So another ten years to go probably.We do what we have done; we never knock on doors. Last week I heard from a store in Belarus, we'd like to represent you. We go step by step slowly. We want to know the people who represent us personally. And I won't sell out. Many people sell out today, to Estee Lauder, L'oreal, and venture capitalists. I decided not to sell out. My daughters are both in the company. I want to stay independent as long as we can. It's fun and  It gives us total freedom. We can take our time and not rush.

I would rather have something good that costs a bit more. I've been loyal to Antaeus by Chanel for over 30 years. I still use it but they change the formula. Maybe they had to do it because IFRA, they more and more regulate what you can use, so Antaeus is not the same. Next year I'll have something from Puredistance that I'll use for myself. I sometimes use Black, and M very sparingly. I like things a bit lighter and behind the scenes and M is really a statement. Another passion I have is tennis. I was almost a professional player and it's something I do a lot. The fragrance I want to have for myself is something sporty but at the same time woody. That was almost impossible to combine so we work for three or four years and now it's ready.

Q:   What made you choose perfume as a business?
A:    It's the perfect carrier for everything that interests me: doing design, creating beauty, making movies, packaging, brochures, photos. I do everything apart from the fragrance and there is nothing like a fragrance, a scent;  you can't touch it. You need to create a dream around it. Coco Chanel created a dream around Chanel. Creating this dream to me is pure pleasure. Many other products are short lived and must be replaced. I like long term things. I like the composition of Chopin. Why? It has long term value and beauty.  Therefore I said it will be a perfume I liked creating something with long term value.  I knew that through a fragrance I would be able to do what I like most because I wouldn't have to change the core product which is perfume. The business allows me to travel and meet lots of people. If I'm honest about it, Puredistance wasn't born out of a passion of perfume; it was born out of a passion of beauty and creating beauty.

Q:    Any final words?
A:    I think the world today can be so transparent and negative.  You need a remedy. Do away with media for awhile. Read a good book. Have a good wine. spend time with your partner. and spray yourself with a good perfume.

My thoughts on the interview:

Jan Ewoud Vos is passionate about his product, but even more passionate about creating a luxury product of beauty. I really bonded with his discussion (some edited out) of the clutter of social media in the world today, the lack or privacy, and the loss of that thing called mystery. His products harken back to a time when the world was a bit more polished, the discourse more civil, and an aura of glamour could be created. I was so interested in everything that he was saying that I forgot to ask for a photo at the conclusion of the interview!

In any discussion about Puredistance the issue of price is going to come up. It is a super premium product and Jan Ewoud Vos is proud of the fact that only pure perfume extraits are sold and that the percentage of oil is between 25% to 38%, the highest in the industry. Also, the quality of the oils come priced ten to twenty times higher than those used in mass market product. I have always maintained that you can smell quality in perfumes, and this was the case for me with Puredistance. I have friends who save money to buy a high priced designer hand bag while I choose mine off the rack at T.J.Maxx. Purses are not important to me but perfume is. For some, obviously, the price will be a deal breaker but if you find the one that really speaks to you, all bets are off.

Reviews

I will review four perfumes from the line, saving my absolute favorites for the next couple of posts. In line with EWV's statements about not liking to list ingredients, I will keep that to a minimum and express the feeling and impressions that each perfume gives to me.

Photo from Elle Sweden 2008, photographer Oscar Falk.

Puredistance 1 was the fragrance that started it all, as told above in the marvelous story with perfumer Annie Buzantian already having created it for herself before being approached to create a perfume based on the visual of an old Donna Karan ad. The proposition was to make a scent that displayed both cool and warm aspects. The opening of 1 is delightful, giving the impression of delicate scents lilting in the breeze, swirling and dancing around you. Impressions I can capture: the fuzziness of neroli, the brightness of tangerine, strains of jasmine, and the uplifting scent of white flowers. If we could all walk out our door into a world that smelled so fragrantly pure, surely there would be less nastiness and dissention? Puredistance 1 is a guaranteed mood lifter. Alas, by its very fragile nature  this sort of  soft explosion of scent cannot last indefinitely and eventually it settles into a nice musky scent with warm accent notes.

Google image

Puredistance Black was released in 2013, and as described above was meant to be mysterious and full of unknowns. Even Luckyscent doesn't try to list notes, honoring the founder Jan Ewoud Vos's wishes. The visuals for its creation included masks, and some speak of a church incense vibe, but for me Black speaks of a whole universe. I picture myself wrapped in a warm and cozy blanket, gazing at pinpricks of light in the inky night sky, with smells of coniferous trees, warm wood resins, earthy patchouli smells, and streaks of something bright to penetrate all this darkness. For me Black is constantly morphing and changing, showing new facets. It is warm and comforting and the scent lasts on my skin into the next day. I like it very much.

Google image of Audrey Hepburn.

Puredistance White is truly the polar opposite of Black. Where Black is moody and mysterious, White is brilliant yet delicate. I chose the beautiful Audrey to visually show the pure innocent beauty of this fragrance. The various notes appear like ballet dancers on a stage; swirling in for a brief moment then out to give another ballerina her moment in the glow of the spotlight. The rose note is beautiful but this is not a rose perfume. I can tell you some notes: sandalwood, orris, tonka bean, but they in no way equal what you might expect. Jan Ewoud Vos wanted to make a perfume that made people smile and brought a feeling of happiness and White succeeds in this, yet at the same time feels very proper and elegant, reigning in the feeling of giddiness and euphoria. If I were rich I would scent my world with this beautiful perfume. Created by Antoine Lie and launched in 2015.

Sean Connery as James Bond, 007. Google Image

Puredistance M conjures images of drinking a Scotch in the clubby wood paneled library of a great estate, of lounging on the deck of a luxury yacht, of driving a McLaren coupe through a twisty Italian cliffside road; in other words, it breathes luxury. Jan Ewoud Vos gave visuals of James Bond (thus, M), Aston Martins, Jaguars, and the like to evoke feelings of old time, over the top luxury and they certainly succeeded. The smell of leather is always mentioned in reviews but it is so much more than that. I'm not always a leather fan and for me, leather (and the finest, smoothest leather) was only one component. M is also smooth, spicy, buttery, woody, and just plain delicious. I happily wore it but to be honest, this is really what I want my man to smell like. M  was launched in 2010.

As much as I have obvious enthusiasm for all these scents, I will be reviewing the ones I favor even more highly in my next two posts. 

Thank you again to Maven and Takashimaya for this opportunity.

For more Puredistance reviews go here and here.

** I participated in a joint interview so you may see similar quotes on another Singaporean reviewers page.