Parfums Viktoria Minya | The Scented Hound

WHAT I SMELL: Hedonist Iris opens up with a soft and clean blackcurrent that seem to be wrapped within green stems. A white musk sits on top of the blackcurrent like a cotton ball which seems to be drying out the juice of the fruit. In fact, the perfume is surprisingly dry and it quickly begins to powder which helps to make the perfume project. The iris here is radiant; there is nothing dirty or earthen about it. And the iris is Iris butter, which gives the floral a smooth finish that’s rather weighty. After around 15 minutes, the musk really come into play giving Hedonist Iris a rather clean and sparkling glow.

From the Viktoria Minya website:

A romantic perfume for a graceful woman who cares for sensual luxury. The essence of this pure fragrance is the most expensive natural raw material of all – Iris butter. Its cool elegance is laced with tantalizing notes of cocoa and blackcurrant absolute and crowned by a fine blend of musks.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Think pink…Hedonist Iris is all Glinda the Good Witch of the North

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE HEDONIST IRIS: uber-feminine, gentile, clean

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT HEDONIST IRIS: Megan in Saint Maxime, Olfactoria’s Travels, The Non-Blonde

BOTTOM LINE: This perfume has me perplexed; on one hand the perfume is extremely feminine, but there’s almost a childlike quality as if the perfume is not suited not for a woman, but instead is best suited for a young lady of unintended virtue. Obviously, I’m not the intended audience.

Bone Rating: 2.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral Woody Musk
Nose: Viktoria Minya
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $200 for 45 ml Eau de Parfum

I’m a sucker for pretty packaging. If the fragrance is wonderful and housed in a special bottle, then to me it’s even better. Hedonist, the first offering from Parfums Viktoria Minya, is housed in a beautiful bottle filled with hundreds of bohemian crystals and comes in a luxurious handmade wooden black box. OK, the visuals alone have my interest piqued. Let’s look at the fragrance itself…

WHAT I SMELL: Hedonist is a perfume that goes on cool to the touch and opens with a honeyed peach accord. Peach can sometimes overwhelm me, but when it’s not too sweet as it is in this case, it really can be lovely. As cool as it goes on, it quickly warms to a mysterious combination orange blossom and jasmine. The light tobacco and vetiver help to hold back the overly sweet side of the floral notes which eventually do come out, but when they do, they do so in a whisper and not with a shout. What you are left with is a sweet and brightly warmed apricot vanilla fragrance that is pretty without being over the top.

Hedonist notes:

Top notes: rum CO2, bergamot, peach

Heart notes: jasmine absolute, orange blossom absolute, osmanthus absolute, tobacco

Base notes: vetyver, cedarwood, vanilla

From the Parfums Viktoria Minya website:

A powerful and provocative perfume for a woman who dares to be true to her desires. Lush notes of jasmine and orange blossom absolute flirt with the dark intensity of rum and the world’s finest woods for a scent that is as captivating as it is unforgettable.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A summer breeze which catches the light smell of burgeoning flowers.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE HEDONIST: sunny, warm, peaceful

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT HEDONIST: Kafkaesque, smellythoughts, Eiderdown Press

BOTTOM LINE: I was expecting with a name like Hedonist that this fragrance would be over the top opulence. Instead, I found it to be well crafted, pretty and delightful. I believe that Viktoria Minya has made a wonderfully fresh and beautifully created first offering and I look forward to her next creation.

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Woody Chypre
Nose: Viktoria Minya
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $130 Euros, 45ml EdP

Disclosure: Sample provided by Parfums Viktoria Minya.