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I wore heartache to Vegas

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IACH

Cape Heartache, that is.

The latest in the still moderate line-up from Imaginary Authors, I first experienced the fragrance in Josh Meyer’s basement laboratory in Portland, Oregon.

I traveled to Portland to work with Josh on our joint project: a bespoke fragrance for James Franco. Never mind that it was me & Josh doing the speaking, and James Franco merely inspiring through his varied projects. While we were narrowing down the mods, we’d take periodic breaks, step away to the work bench.

The truth about that: it was like going to Disney World as an 8-year-old. Giddy barely describes my childish glee as I sniffed the raw ingredients of my favorite fragrances. I got to sniff Josh’s personal collection (he’s a total perfumista, I don’t care how straight he is with his lovely girlfriend), I got to sniff specialty stuff he’d done for private clients (a menswear store, a museum commissioned project, et cetera), and I got to sniff what he was working on.

He handled the vial across the setting area, then waited for my response.

I sank back into the couch the moment it hit my prefrontal cortex. Immediately, I called it melancholic, purplish, and what is that note? Plummy, lush, evergreen? “Fir,” he confirmed for me.  Ahhh… fir does it for me every time.

Supposedly, in druid astrology, I’m a Fir Tree. Whatever the reason, I love fir wherever I find it.

Josh doesn’t mention iris in the notes list for this new addition, but that first moment of sniffing it blind in the basement has stuck with me. A silvery arrow striking ripe flesh, or an axe parting lively evergreen? Knowing about the perfume, its name and notes, has done something new to my perspective. Though that first blind-sniff is long gone, its ghostly trail snakes through my memory. Cape Heartache, it is named. As I experience this incarnation, I can tell you that it’s something… whole. It’s balanced, and it’s beautiful–even if it is pierced with melancholy.

I chose the sample of CH as my Vegas scent, and I chose well. This was my first trip with The Guy; which may on the surface seem melodramatic. But let me tell you why I chose it.

Evergreens are the trees that never shed, never go to sleep. They are alive and vibrant all year long, through centuries of life. Being awake that long, never being able to take a break, or look away from the life unfolding around them, I imagine evergreen trees as melancholic yes, but also wise and hopeful. When you’ve seen it all, you’re pretty much unshakable; the most essential beauty shines through.

Ok, so I like drama. Deal with it. The perfume smells great. ;)


Filed under: Perfume, Recent Acquisitions, Reviews Tagged: Douglas Fir, Fir, fleshy, Genderless Fragrance, Hemlock, Imaginary Authors, Indie, Iris, James Franco, Josh Meyer, Masculine, Mountain Fog, Old Growth, Pine Resin, Plum, Portland, ripe, round, Strawberry, Unisex, Vanilla Leaf, Vetiver, Western Hemlock

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