2020 has been a difficult year, one which I’m sure most would say they would rather put behind them. I thought about doing a year end list of recommendations for Christmas earlier this month, but I just wasn’t feeling the spirit of the holidays. So instead, I decided to look ahead to 2021 and the promise of a new year. And thankfully, Frassaï has just released a trio of perfumes as part of their new El Sur collection. All three perfumes in the collection, El Descanso, Cuir Pampas and Rosa Sacra are wonderful in their own respective ways and I will be reviewing all three in the upcoming weeks. But today, I thought I would start off with probably the most unique perfume in the collection, El Descanso.
WHAT I SMELL: El Descanso opens with a breath of lemony green and a warm and dry ambrette that is soon met with a lightly nuttied grain. Right from the first spritz, the perfume feels earthy without the dirt and soil, but in the abundance that the earth can bring in grains and grass. The perfume begins to grow in volume, but it remains in the grassy field as starts to warm in a late afternoon sun. After some time, a layer of puttied mimosa hovers over the wheat like grass which makes the perfume more rounded. The addition of the mimosa is ever so slight and it adds just the right amount of sweetness to the natural splendor of the grass. As the perfume continues to slowly develop, a spice is added along with an ambery sandalwood. Still natural in the grass, the perfume now is deeper in its warmth and radiation with just a tinge of green. El Descanso is a perfume that can bring the golden warmth to the day no matter what the weather is like outside.
From the Frassaï website:
In Argentina’s Sur, the golden wheat fields stretch with confidence into the limitless horizon. Time is ripe and the skies have been generous with their abundant rains. Not far, an alazan horse grazes under the shade of an ombú tree, the echo of the pampas beating in its hooves. Tribes of sparrows find their way back to their nests, lulled by the wind that lingers on the whispering plains.
Notes:
Top: Ambrette, Galbanum
Heart: Bran absolute, Ombu leaves
Back: Cedarwood, Sandalwood
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Golden wheat fields drenched in the sun.
THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE EL DESCANSO: original, comforting, calming
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT EL DESCANSO: Colognoisseur, CaFleureBon
BOTTOM LINE: I love perfumes that will carry you away to a far away land without every leaving your own home. El Descanso does just that. It’s a wonderfully easy perfume to wear and every time I wear it, small nuances appear that reveal a new bit of mystery from the plains of Argentina. El Descanso is absolutely lovely.
- Bone Rating: 4.5 out of possible 5 bones
- Scent: Woody
- Nose: Irina Burlakova
- Classification: Unisex
- Expense: $175 for 50 ml. eau de parfum
WHAT I SMELL: OroNardo’s opening is heavenly with creamy buttery lightly spiced tuberose that sparkles and buzzes with just the lightest of earthiness brushed with orange blossom. The warmed perfume wafts and dances like sun-kissed florals in the Mexican summer breeze. A greenish stem comes forward taking the perfume from the garden to the most luscious of bouquets. This is tuberose that’s not heavy nor overbearing, but tuberose that’s fresh and lightly dewy and which is very much alive. As the perfume continues to develop, the florals become lighter and rise into a heavenly aura. Here the perfume resides in a true essence of floral harmony wrapped up in the lightest of powder. Breathtaking.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Golden tuberose.
WHAT I SMELL: Lui opens with a warm, lightly spiced benzoin that’s deeply sensuous and lightly tar like, but without the heavy weight. Soon enough, a buzzing carnation makes an entrance in the quietest of ways. And then, a nutmeg and clove spice begins to take shape after a short time adding just a bit of a bite. The perfume is rather brooding in it’s spicy persona with a mix of benzoin, leather and vanilla spice carrying the perfume on its journey. In the end, you’re left with a light smoky dry haze of a perfume that hugs close to the skin.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Autumn in Paris.
The Scented Hound 