With the 2020 scheduled release of two more new perfumes – Number 12, and a rich, red scent inspired by the ruby – luxury perfumer Puredistance will have completed its currently planned collection: a set of smooth, dense, aerodynamically designed contemporary fragrances : all in pure extrait form.
Though there is undoubtedly a modern yearning to the Puredistance florals such as 1, Opardu, Antonia, and Warszawa, and a more blatantly erotic tone to the dastardly leather M, the Three Colours of the series, White, Black, and now Gold, are to me more confident; less psychological : urban armour to surround, and contain you, with a tasteful, predesignated olfactory aura of chic. Imagine evenings in Dubai or Vienna; the warm glow of light in off the shouldered restaurants; effortlessness – the right clothes; right perfume.
Gold is Antoine Lie’s latest contribution to the house: a prickly ambered pepper with a diorama of seamless, overt warmth; spices kept under wraps and pressed tight in a full -bodied, but toned, oriental that has some similarities to Guerlain’s Heritage (the tonka bean, vanilla and benzoin base with a touch of castoreum and patchouli); all blended in a deftly controlled luxuriance that envelops the wearer in a matte like finish. Hints of geranium, jasmine, and rosemary occasionally make their presence known in the composition – allowing chinks of light and individuality to shine through – alongside an impressively long-lasting labdanum, styrax , and a bright, bergamotted tingle of sharp clove, cinnamon, and green mandarin.
As the scent progresses on skin (lasting throughout the day) it begins to pulsate more in the way that gold itself exudes a physical energy – this is most definitely a perfume of heat, and perfect for a cold winter. While it may not have the cool gash of vulnerability I find in Warszawa, another Puredistance Antoine Lie creation, it is clear that it is not supposed to: some perfumes are stories with an emotional hook; others are flawless impressions worn for pleasure.
The Black Narcissus 
As always, when faced with an excellent fragrance, you capture it poetically and make it sound ravishingly desirable . . . despite, in this case, of waging an initial uphill battle with the opening description of “a prickly ambered pepper.” Brilliant, Neil. And the photos are pure gold, tee hee. I really admire what puredistance has been doing for a long time, and consistently so. They are one of the few pricey houses that actually put the money into the ingredients. I also admire that they have a small lineup that’s evolved at a comparative snail’s pace.
I agree. And I like that they want to not keep expanding the number of titles into nonsense. 12 sounds good to me.
This is quite a dense little number, I must say- packed in like bullion – but I do think it is rather nice.
Plus – any excuse to include a picture of Marisa Berenson.
Ah. Marisa Berenson. Iconic.