RANDOM REVIEWS: THREE FROM SOIVOHLE

A while back, the now-defunct online retailer Rei Rien sent me several Soivohle samples along with some other things I ordered. Since most of these aren’t listed on my usual review posting venue, here are three of them.

Soivohle Solstice
To begin with, this all-natural perfume smells floral, but in a good sort of way. As it dries down, it turns into a mildly spicy and heavily resinous scent with frankincense, myrrh, and a good bit of vanilla, as well as a hint of smoky and leathery notes. It’s fairly linear, and has good longevity, especially for an all-natural scent, at least 5-6 hours. It just proves that if you use enough base notes, all-natural perfumes don’t disappear as soon as you put them on. This excellent perfume was discontinued for a while, but was re-released for the winter 2011 solstice in both the original version and a mixed media version that appears to be a trial run to see if the mixed media one will be well-received. Good call, Liz Zorn!

Soivohle Daybreak Violin
This is a light, green fragrance with an extremely odd note that sticks in my throat. I could swear it’s overdosed with isoamyl salicylate, which I’ve nicknamed the “dementor aroma chemical” since it feels like it’s sucking my breath away if sniffed in more than minute amounts. A dementor clothed in green violet leaves is not a pretty image or smell, so I’ll pass on this one. For me it was a scrubber up front, so I don’t know what it might have evolved into if I’d given it the chance. I think there are a lot of people who are anosimc to the dementor note or perceive it very differently than I do, so take this as being a peculiarity of my nose.

Soivohle Green Oakmoss
This is a lovely, citrusy, aromatic, spicy scent, somewhat chypre-like. To begin with I mostly smell mixed citrus and cloves, along with some green notes and maybe a little vetiver. There are some faint floral notes that I don’t really find identifiable as anything specific, and a note that reminds me of rosewood. I don’t smell much in the way of tuberose. It’s soft, it’s green, it’s earthy and plant-y, and it’s good for a couple of hours of sillage and a couple more on skin. Overall, I like this a lot.

[Solstice photo adapted from Wikimedia]