Monday, July 9, 2007

Where are the clowns? L'Artisan Dzing!


I'm not sure if it's my nose or body chemistry that are among the funkiest you could imagine, but this I know: They work in mysterious way.

Consider my holiest of grails: I wear all of the Tauers easily, year round. Including that smoke and leather manly scent, Lonestar Memories (and its precious little brother, Orris). Or the Lutens: concept fragrances or not, I wear them and they make sense on my skin, including that public enemy, Miel de Bois. Or Cartier's Le Baiser du Dragon, a fragrance that I remember reading in one of the blogs (apologies for not remembering which one) that it was suited for a Joan Crawford type of woman (That one made me feel great).

Also, just look at the list of perfumes I can't wear because my skin makes them ugly. I'm not even talking about popular but controversial ones like Angel or Prada. Both Light Blue (D&G) and Cashmere Mist turn sour on me. I don't mind, really. But not being able to find a Montale that doesn't smell rancid on me, or having Bois de Armenie reject me after the first 30 minutes was insulting.

I think I've made my point.

Here's another example: Reviews of L'Artisan's Dzing! are downright scary. They all talk about an animalic note, a serious fecal funk, wet fur and dirty beasts. Lions and tigers and bears galore. Read all the other blogs for explanations and elaborations on the circus theme that inspired this scent (for real!). In this case, thefunk is lost on me, and I don't know if I should be thankful or sorry.


I have no idea what they all are smelling. I have a house full of cats. I deal with feline waste management on a daily basis and sniff fur all the time. That's not the juice in my bottle. On my skin, it starts with rich brown leather. It reminds me the smell of an outdoor market that I visited in Florence many years ago. Then come roasted candied peanuts, the kind they sell on the streets of Manhattan. There's something a little burnt but addictive in the smell. And vanilla. All the time, the leather is still there, peeping under the sweetness that my skin plays up and makes stronger and stronger.

On the blond, it's much more masculine. The vanilla is almost hidden behind an assertive leather. There's something nutty there, as well, but not so much street candy, somehow fresher. I'm not sure which one of us smells better wearing Dzing!, but we're both fascinated with this scent. So much so, that I did something I hardly ever do: Bought the big, 3.4 oz bottle.

According to Ina from Aromascope, who is in the know, Dzing! is being gradually phased out, though it's still widely available at all the usual places. My crazy fantasy is that they'd replace it with an extreme version. That would be something.

edit: Apparently, Dzing was NOT discontinued and even the smaller 1.7 oz bottles weren't really phased out. It was just a matter of repackaging. The circus is still in town.


(photos in order of appearance: Joan Crawford, my cat, Peter, and a 3.4 oz bottle of Dzing!)

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