I am a fan of Quentin Tarantino’s movies. One of the reasons is the way he writes. I think he loves using words. That is probably the only thing I share with him. In the movie “Kill Bill Part 2” one of the characters has poisoned another one and is soliloquizing over her victim. The one line I always think about is this, “You know, I’ve always liked that word….’gargantuan’….so rarely have an opportunity to use it in a sentence.” The same is true for this perfume reviewer. At least until I tried Eris Parfums Green Spell.
Barbara Hermann
Eris Parfums is the brand of perfume begun by Barbara Herman in 2016. Ms. Herman made the leap from writer on perfume to maker of perfume successfully. Her preferred subject when she was blogging was vintage perfumes. Through the previous five perfumes she has shown an aesthetic which is diametrically opposite of the current transparency trend. Influenced by the great perfumes of the past Ms. Hermann has produced a collection which nods to that without becoming mawkish. Another reason for that coherence is she has exclusively worked with perfumer Antoine Lie. This partnership is renewed for Green Spell.
Antoine Lie
I have come to enjoy galbanum in a perfume ever since I got a vintage bottle of Balmain Vent Vert. The genius of that perfume is the galbanum which appears in the opening. I have always wanted a perfume that didn’t pull the green in favor of florals. I wanted one which just kept getting greener and greener. Y’know a gargantuan green. Green Spell is what I wanted.
It begins with a blast of galbanum I luxuriated in. There is a duality of raw vegetation and emerald-like verdancy which is what appeals. M. Lie then piles on more. An acerbic tomato leaf follows a metallic violet leaf. Fig leaf assuages some of the intensity of narcissus. It leads to a base of rich vetiver. At every turn, another source of green adding a new layer. At the end, a bit of ambroxan provides a woody frame for this green olfactory tapestry.
Green Spell has 16-18 hour longevity and above average sillage.
This is a fantastic perfume for anyone who wants more green. Ms. Herman and M. Lie don’t even think about letting up. Which is exactly what a gargantuan green perfume should be. There I got to use it twice.
Disclosure: This review is based on a sample provided by Eris Parfums.
–Mark Behnke
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