Qimu & Musicians
A House of Music and Fragrance

Top

Very fresh, with fig and cassis. It is a little herbal, but not in the way Artemisia is herbal; rather in the way that the leaves of some berry bush would be (again; cassis). It is electric in that sense too. It is not as spectacular as it is well done. It smells like the underbrush of a gentle summer forest, with the forest strawberries, the twigs, the little bushes and plants, and the moisture that is held within the soil of it.

I would put it as my top fig leaf fragrance I think. Whereas most fragrances in the industry attempt to really single the fig out, this combines it with lily of the valley, cassis and some other things to make a very nicely balanced fresh and green character that is not carried by one thing alone (fig leaf). It makes it enjoyable, and way more multi-faceted compared to the status quo of its like.

Mid

In its heart, guitarist continues smelling the same; which is not a bad thing, rather an impressive thing, especially noting my previous point about fragrances that tend to tunnel vision the fig leaf within their composition; my reasoning being that in the latter fragrances (such as Premier Figuier by L'Artisan Parfumeur), the fig just disappears as soon as it reaches the 5 minute mark. Here, the fact that it has been almost 30 minutes since I sprayed it and I can smell the fig still, as well as ever, is a pretty cool thing.

It did turn a little sweeter, and a little more musky, but asides from that the character is consistently the same. I feel that this part is the one that would show most interpersonal variation when worn on skin. Just a hunch though.

Dry Down

This is more diffusely aromatic in the dry down as is a little more difficult to tell where this aromatic character comes from; but despite that, by process of elimination you can still tell it’s a fig leaf. This is also my first instance of smelling this note in the dry down. The sweetness from the middle persists, but it is now the second most prominent part of the perfume. I don’t know where it comes from to be honest: it is a gentle and subtle sweetness, not sugary nor synthetic, and I suspect that my inability to identify it is justified by it being well blended with the green character of the fig leaf, and therefore I making it difficult to isolate.

It eventually turns quite abrasive as all the notes merge together. The fig leaf is there, but it would not have been recognized had you not smelled it in the top and/or mid.

Top

Smells quite dense, and slightly minty with floral aspects to this. From the very top it smells a little like fresh laundry, but that quickly goes away.

The density is then becomes something between saffronic and lactonic, with it being very very warm despite it not having the classical warming elements (like vanilla, amber or resins). There is sharpness too, which I feel comes half from saffron and half from some white floral. Tuberose maybe.

Mid

It being called vocal does suit it, as I can image the scene after a concert smelling like this: dense and drunken with smells individualistic to this event: the heavy air of a room which’s supplies of oxygen have dwindled after the crowds sang and danced for hours; and the smell of warmth combined with liquor (here, I am mainly talking about the saffronic accord, although this is only a character rather than a smell, because I have never once went to a concert and have smelled saffron there – not even the Persian ones) .

Dry Down

This remains the same in the dry down, except turning a little sweeter. Base Dry down is still sweeter.

Top

It starts off very light and very pleasant. I could pick up on galbanum and patchouli, though the galbanum was supportive, and it was the patchouli that was at the center. I feel like I can appreciate that, because patchouli as a note agrees with bass as an instrument more than any other. It is deep, earthy, a little sharp and very much there.

I can also imagine this smelling like a field that has recently been ploughed. It doesn’t smell like the earth itself, but rather every other aspect of the image. There are definitely some animalics to this too.

Mid

In the middle, this begins turning quite aromatic, and loses that patchouli heaviness that it was characterized with earlier. I feel there is newfound emphasis on pepper.

Dry Down

Now, it smells of ambers, but differently compared to the French ambers. It smells more salty and more balsamic. It smells good and high quality.

I feel that generally speaking, we got used to the very basic formula of vanillin, labdanum and some balsam which often does not extend beyond smelling appropriately basic and very mid. This accord feels cheap simply because I have seen it be included in both: bad dupes and high end stuff. I feel that there are very few instances where an isolated amber accord could elicit any sort of reaction, but this is one of them. This is personally what I wish high-end ingredients would be used for when working with an amber accord.

TL;DR: The dry down is an amber accord that is unique.

Top

Extremely sharp! So very very sharp in the top notes. It is an overdose of pepper - in character, I feel it is a little similar to Tiger Rouge by Byermia. There is also thyme, but I could only pick up on this after I have checked the note pyramid. Nutmeg too! That one is quite obvious. There is a little trigeminal activation too.

Upon a first smell, it is not particularly complicated, but it is really well made.

Imagine your kitchen. In the wooden cupboards, there is one which has all the spices, which when you open, you get absolutely blasted with all the smells that are trapped inside from the last time it was opened. It feels warm, and spicy, but sharp too, which is not from the ingredients’ quality but rather than sheer overdosed quantity. I feel it is also because of that that I could pick up on hints of incense - which I feel is an accord rather than an ingredient or a note.

Mid

In the middle it is the leather that peeks through, and the previous image of spices in the closet turns more into an idea of spices being held in a 15th century merchant’s leather spice pouch. I’m honestly quite happy with this image; especially noting that the spices used here were nothing extraordinary: it was literally pepper and thyme.

Dry Down

It maintained the quality and the mixing character. I smell mainly leather and nutmeg. The leather is the type that is often found in the top notes; which is sharp and very present, and my best guess for why it is in the base is because of the nutmeg combining with its character. Maybe some of the pepper also made it to the base.

Despite it somehow linear, I would not say it was classically linear. Linearity I feel can exist as a change in the smell character and the ingredients that you smell. This is definitely the former, because when it comes to Drummer; the ingredients that you smell remained the same more or less, but it is the one that you could smell the most that changed, while all others were supportive. In the start you had the pepper and thyme that were center stage, with the leather and whatnot supporting them. In the base, it is the exact opposite of this. Maybe the middle was transitory.