Madness Of Blackcurrant. The Pencil

Sep 2

2 min read

Updated: Oct 16

Olfactorium

Lyova was sharpening a pencil over the wastepaper basket, and the lead snapped again. The third time that morning.

The project was urgent. For a week he had practically lived at the office, eating at the drawing board, and the lines on the paper came out limp, as if someone tired were drawing them in his place.

It was July. The blinds were down, the air conditioner pushed the same warm air round the room, and beyond the glass the city rang with heat.

That morning he had put Madness Of Blackcurrant on his wrists. It struck with a tart greenness, fresh and prickly, with a bright sourness, and Lyova straightened his shoulders without meaning to.

He packed his sketchbook into his bag and went out to the square opposite. He sat on a bench in the shade of the limes and began drawing the facade of an old house from life. By noon a juicy tartness had opened on his skin, and his hand moved quickly and surely.

An old man with a dachshund settled on the next bench. He breathed in and smiled. "Smells of blackcurrant, like our dacha in July," said the old man. Lyova laughed, showed him his wrist and turned the page.

By evening the green had gone, and a dense sweetness with a light creamy note remained on his skin. His sketchbook held six drawings, alive and precise.

Back at the office Lyova picked up the sharpener again, and the lead came out long and sharp as a needle.

How it smells

The opening is green and brisk: blackcurrant leaves and buds give a tart freshness with a bright sourness, as if you had brushed the branches of the bush on a hot day.

In the heart, the berry skin brings an oily tartness and a light bitterness, juicy and dense.

In the base, blackcurrant juice unfolds as a dense sweetness, a creaminess and a light saltiness appear over time, and the berry takes its leave with a delicate aftertaste.

What makes it special

Madness Of Blackcurrant belongs to the Olfactorium collection. It is a realistic natural scent that tells the life story of a blackcurrant bush: in spring come green leaves and buds, then the tart sweetness of the berries' skin and juice. The whole composition is built from blackcurrant alone, in all its forms. It is a fresh green fruity unisex scent for spring and summer.

Lokomi on LaParfumerie hears in it "sweetness, tartness and sourness," calling the base sweetish and creamy. She wears it at any time, "when it is sunny and joyful and you want to share that with others."

Maria_Maria on Fragrantica recognises "that very blackcurrant leaf" and notes: "People around me also notice how natural it is. The base is noble." Vera Veritas writes that the blackcurrant here is in balance, the leaves together with the sweetness of the berries, and the development is gradual and intriguing: "You want to breathe it."

People wear it for summer in the garden: freshness, briskness and a joyful mood all day.