Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Temptation- CB I Hate Perfume Revelation (and Musk)


You'll never convince me that the fruit of temptation was an apple. I like apples well enough, but for me, sensuality, danger and passion are symbolized in fig. I might be on to something, because Michelangelo seems to agree with me, as the serpent in his Temptation and Fall has taken up residence in a fig tree, from which he's conducting his evil business, resulting in Adam and Eve's fall from grace and condemning us, their offspring, to a life full with many unpleasant a scent, far from the heavenly fig tree.

Brooklyn might not be the first place in which you'd think to seek that magical tree. However, in his Williamsburg studio (93 Wythe Avenue), Christopher Brosius, the artist behind CB I hate Perfume, has managed to recreate it, from the roots up. Revelation is very different from other fig fragrances you may know. It's honeyed instead of fruity; there's not even a faint hint of coconut, a note which is often paired with fig, to bring out the lush green of this note. The sweetness is hidden under a dry, woody, twiggy surface.

On my skin, the development of the perfume absolute is not exactly linear as much as cyclic. The scent goes round and round, exposing its more leafy facets only to cover them up again with wood sap. The result is rich, sensual and makes me want to plant my nose firmly in my wrist so I wouldn't miss a thing.

My own version of the original sin is layering Revelation with Brosius most infamous creation, CB Musk. This is the scariest juice I've come across. Animalic doesn't begin to describe it. I have yet to dare leave the house wearing it alone, but safely tucked under Revelation, it's a magic potion. The result is every bit as sensual and sexual as you can imagine: Adam and Eve's last night of passion in paradise.

Perfume images: CB I Hate Perfume, to be found in Brooklyn, Bergdorf and other locations.
Painting: Michelangelo. To be found on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the vatican, where you might be able to catch a glimpse after fighting dozens of other cranky tourists.

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