WHAT I SMELL: The 7% Solution opens with a buttery, warm and intoxicating osmanthus and the deepest almost wild mandarin that’s feels like it’s been boiled and concentrated. The creaminess in the perfume feels like a lullaby with peppered florals that are being rocked to sleep under a warmed flicker of a candle. The perfume stays in this dreamlike state with none of the flowers taking dominance besides a soft and pretty tiare. You can picture the damp, cool rain from the gray skies outside your window…but The 7% Solution is like a woolen blanket of comfort keeping you warm and secure. As the perfume slowly develops, the creaminess once again turns more towards the buttery as if remnants of hot buttered rum (without the booziness) were lingering in a mug next to the fire. In the end, the perfume resides in this warmed creamy and lightly spice dreamlike dimension with softened florals dancing down an autumn path. The 7% Solution is liquid opium for your skin.
From the En Voyage website:
Legal at the time, heroin and cocaine allowed Holmes to relax and refuel. Sherlock alternated between morphine and cocaine, which he always took in a 7% solution. Transcendently stimulating and clarifying to the mind, such drugs were regularly taken by aesthetes of the day, including the poet Colridge and even Queen Victoria herself.
TOP NOTES: Wild Oranges, Mandarin, Green Citron, Osmanthus, Curacao
HEART NOTES: Tiare, Frangipani, Narcissus, Summer Blooming Flowers
BASE NOTES: Sandalwood, Vanilla, Amber, Oak, White Woods and Musks
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: I will not argue with perfumer Shelley Waddington’s inspiration of Sherlock Holmes.
THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE THE 7% SOLUTION: easy, comforting, calming
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE 7% SOLUTION: CaFleureBon, Megan in Saint Maxime
BOTTOM LINE: I fell in love with this perfume when I first smelled it as a judge for the 2015 Artisan Salon Fragrance awards. It’s a perfume that is truly unique, interesting and like no other. Shelley Waddington captures perfectly a dreamy state of comfort.
- Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
- Nose: Shelley Waddington
- Classification: Unisex
- Expense: $60 for 1 oz. eau de cologne. Review based on eau de parfum version.
DRAW: For US readers only, one 15 ml bottle of The 7% Solution Eau de Parfum to be chosen via random.org. To enter, please provide a comment below stating who your favorite actor portrayal of Sherlock Holmes is…or list your favorite En Voyage perfume and why. Drawing closes at midnight EST on Thursday, October 27, 2017. Good luck!
October 20, 2016 at 6:03 am
Cumberbatch…and in case of EnVoyage I refuse to take a pick! Please include me in the draw!
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October 20, 2016 at 6:13 am
Good luck 123!
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October 20, 2016 at 6:16 am
Thank you! Would love to be lucky in the draw, suffering from jetlag dislocation and temperature drop.
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October 20, 2016 at 7:55 am
I guess I’d say Cumberbatch; he’s much better suited than Downey, Jr. Thanks!
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October 20, 2016 at 7:57 am
Cumberbatch! Although, come to think of it Robert Downey Jr wasn’t bad! Both of them have refreshed the character brilliantly.
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October 20, 2016 at 7:58 am
Cumberbatch as well. Zelda is my favorite EnVoyage. It has a comfortable note it in that I can not put intowords…but it is closely followed by Captured in Amber. Thanks for the opportunity
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October 22, 2016 at 7:31 am
Lilly…Cumberbatch seems to be a winner among those responding…as for Zelda, she is an incredible perfume.
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October 20, 2016 at 8:00 am
The first Sherlock Holmes I saw as a child was Peter Cushing. He is still my favorite although Cumberbatch is a very close second, followed by Ian McKellen.
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October 22, 2016 at 7:32 am
Wow…I didn’t realize that Peter Cushing played Sherlock Holmes. I only think of him in horror movies. I’ll have to look him up. Best of luck on the draw!
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Pingback: The 7% Solution by En Voyage Perfumes and Sherlock Holmes Inspired Draw | hazelshappenings
October 20, 2016 at 8:03 am
Reblogged this on hazelshappenings.
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October 20, 2016 at 8:06 am
Basil Rathbone! I like the classics ^.^
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October 22, 2016 at 7:32 am
You can’t argue with the classics Connie!
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October 20, 2016 at 8:54 am
I have to agree with the original Sherlock, Basil Rathbone!! I love old movies!!
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October 22, 2016 at 7:33 am
When I think of Sherlock Holmes I think of Basil Rathbone too. Good luck Charlotte!
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October 20, 2016 at 9:42 am
Basil Rathbone is my favorite Sherlock. Hard to choose a favorite Envoyage, there are so many great choices. Go Ask Alice is heavenly. Thanks for the draw, I live in the U.S.
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October 22, 2016 at 7:33 am
Best of luck on the draw Tami!
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October 20, 2016 at 10:25 am
I think Cumberbatch. But probably to me the definitive is Basil Rathbone. Thanks for the draw.
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October 20, 2016 at 11:08 am
McKellan was marvelous. So is Cumberbatch, but McKellan’s was better-written. I’ve always wanted to try En Voyage.
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October 20, 2016 at 11:42 am
This sounds heavenly! I would love top try. My choice for SH may not be classic, but it’s Robert Downey Junior.
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October 20, 2016 at 12:33 pm
Basil Rathbone. He was made for the role! Thank you.
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October 20, 2016 at 12:59 pm
I will sound like a broken record but yes to Cumberbatch! Thank you for this draw!
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October 20, 2016 at 1:06 pm
This one has a funny name but it sounds really charming thanks to your review.
Seems like many perfumers around are on an osmanthus spree these days
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October 22, 2016 at 7:34 am
I’ve noticed that too!
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October 20, 2016 at 1:17 pm
Basil Rathbone for the win! The most comprehensible Holmes, and the closest to A.C. Doyle’s literary characterization. Thanks so much for the wonderful draw! -Robert H.
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October 20, 2016 at 3:56 pm
Thanks for the draw! This sounds like a winner to me. I have some En Voyage samples floating in the sample sea, but the only one I’ve tried is Indigo Vanilla and it’s lovely. My favorite Sherlock is Basil Rathbone.
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October 20, 2016 at 4:26 pm
Since the name of the Soviet actor whom I knew and loved as Sherlock Holmes from when I was a child won’t tell much to the English-speaking audience, can I instead say that I hate Cumberbatch in this role? 😉
My favorite En Voyage perfume is Captured in Amber, which reminds me that it’s almost time to start wearing it again.
Thank you for the draw!
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October 22, 2016 at 7:36 am
Now you have to provide an explanation of why you hate Cumberbatch in the role. I guess I need to check out Captured in Amber as you are the 2nd person who said they love it.
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October 22, 2016 at 5:31 pm
Maybe it wasn’t the right choice of words… Cumberbatch is a very good actor, and I think he plays brilliantly. But the character he plays can’t be farther from Holmes I knew growing up. So I hate rather the character than the actor. “Our” Holmes was a genius but he wasn’t a sociopath, or socially awkward, or an ass as I saw him portrayed in modern interpretations. I should probably re-read the original books in English to see how much of his “niceness” was introduced by the translators.
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October 20, 2016 at 6:23 pm
I love Robert Downey jr. In anything he does but the sense of humor he brings to this role is just perfection. Thank you for the generous draw I enjoyed your review.
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October 20, 2016 at 8:01 pm
Woo hoo! I am throwing my hat in the ring here. Let’s see, I like Jonny Lee Miller in Elementary because he is just totally sick and wack and lots of fun? Thanks for the generous draw. Woof!
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October 22, 2016 at 7:36 am
You’re the first for Jonny Lee Miller…maybe that’s a sign that you’ll win!
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October 20, 2016 at 10:42 pm
Jeremy Brett!! I grew up the most with him. I also liked Downey but since that was just one movie and not a series, I prefer Jeremy Brett. I’d love to enter this draw! Thanks so much! 😀
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October 22, 2016 at 12:35 am
I adore The Cumberbatch! There are a number of Shelley’s creations that I love, but today I’ll name “Go Ask Alice”.
Thank you for the draw!
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October 22, 2016 at 10:25 am
I’d have to choose Cumberbatch as much as I love Robert Downey Jr. and my favorite perfume by Shelley Waddington is Hummingbird. Thank you for the draw!
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October 22, 2016 at 10:45 am
I have yet to experience Hummingbird…it sounds incredible! Good luck with the draw!
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October 22, 2016 at 10:18 pm
It’s odd how sometimes a theme emerges in life and then seems to follow one around. In recent years I had managed to avoid the numerous Sherlocks as they emerged into popular culture. Lately Sherlocks seem to be everywhere. Recently I watched a single episode of Mr Cumberbatch’s portrayal and was startled and unnerved. It was wonderful but disturbing. I vowed not to watch another episode, at least for now.
Then the movie with Sir Ian McKellan fell into my lap and I could not resist him. He is charisma, charm, and pure presence embodied. We are a richer humanity for having watched and loved him for so many years. I was completely undone when McKellan’s Sherlock says, “Let us be alone together.” That is the moment he became my favorite Sherlock.
Thank you for reviewing Shelley Waddington’s new work here at The Scented Hound. I admire her Fiore di Bellagio, it is a perfume that feels like it is out of another time and place. I imagine the 7% Solution must be similar in its power to transport one to another realm.
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October 22, 2016 at 10:19 pm
It’s odd how sometimes a theme emerges in life and then seems to follow one around. In recent years I had managed to avoid the numerous Sherlocks as they emerged into popular culture. Sherlocks seem to be everywhere. Recently I watched a single episode of Mr Cumberbatch’s portrayal and was startled and unnerved. It was wonderful but disturbing. I vowed not to watch another episode, at least for now.
Then the movie with Sir Ian McKellan fell into my lap, and I could not resist him. He is charisma, charm, and pure presence embodied. We are a richer humanity for having watched and loved him for so many years. I was completely undone when McKellan’s Sherlock says, “Let us be alone together.” That is the moment he became my favorite Sherlock.
Thank you for reviewing Shelley Waddington’s new work here at The Scented Hound. I admire her Fiore di Bellagio, it is a perfume that feels like it is out of another time and place. I imagine the 7% Solution must be similar in its power to transport one to another realm.
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October 23, 2016 at 2:37 am
Thank you for the draw. The moment I saw Osmanthus, this shot up my gotta have it list.
I have not been following Sherlock Holmes movies recently, but I pretty much read every Sherlock Holmes story printed. Growing up in Russia, there were a few adaptations, and the guy playing Sherlock was my favorite. Cannot remember his name for the life of me.
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October 23, 2016 at 11:23 pm
Im really late to posting but I read the review and then got distracted and only now thought to come back to some time.
I’m a big Holmes fan and enjoy several versions in print and on screen, but my favorite actor’s portrayal is Robert Downey Jr. He managed to capture the weirdness without making the character too cartoonish (barely), and I don’t care for Holmes as a creep so the other recent portrayals I’ve seen small amounts of don’t do it for me.
I admit that I haven’t tried any of the En Voyage line but Hummingbird is by far my favorite Zoologist scent and on my FB list.
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October 24, 2016 at 10:58 pm
I loved Jeremy Brett’s Holmes, but Benedict Cumberbatch is amazing!
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January 10, 2017 at 3:33 am
1.Jeremy Bratt
2.Robert Downey Jr
3.Benedict Cumberbatch
Sorry, I’m not from US, I just type 4 fun…if you don’t mind…😅
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January 10, 2017 at 8:42 pm
🙂
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January 13, 2017 at 2:35 am
👍
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