domingo, 28 de fevereiro de 2016

Olfactive Studio Sends You On Vacation With Still Life in Rio

by: Miguel Matos

While in the Northern Hemisphere we are all fed up with winter, cold and rain, and while the sun is starting to show itself in a shy way with the first rays of light, we dream of summer. Well at least I do, since I am a beach addict. One of my biggest pleasures is to spend a whole day by the sea, relaxing with friends and just lying down recharging my batteries with the warm embrace of the sun. Oh well, for now this is just a vision, for it's still February. But Olfactive Studio got me dreaming of summer days with the latest edition Still Life in Rio.

The launch of Still Life in Rio is not really untimely, for February is a summer month in Brazil with Carnaval, beach time and very hot days. I just wish I was there. And it actually makes a lot of sense for this brand to make a perfume inspired in Rio de Janeiro, for Celine Verleure, the owner of Olfactive Studio, used to live in Brazil. And since Brazil is a top tourist destination during Carnaval, this is a logical move. Too bad the brand is not distributed there. Again, this perfume is selling a dream for those who were there or fantasize of going there.

Still Life in Rio is not really a flanker of Still Life. It actually has a life of its own and a very distinct composition. This is a citric fruity formula which recalls a cocktail like caipirinha splashed with coconut water and a woody base. This is a work of perfumerDora Baghriche (who also created Still Life in 2011) and I feel it as a very simple fragrance destined for days when it is hot outside and you need a refreshing and uplifting scent without strong sillage. Just plain comfort with a tropical hint.

When Celine and Dora tried to depict the city of Rio de Janeiro they decided to explore the quietness instead of the frantic movement this place has in its life of culture, tourists and workers. The image that usually accompanies each perfume in Olfactive Studio is in this case a panoramic view from the Corcovado, the famous statue of Jesus Christ, shot at dawn by the photographer Flávio Veloso.

"The picture captures Rio's beauty at that special moment when the sky ignites and spreads its golden shroud" - Olfactive Studio

In this contemplative image, Dora Baghriche found inspiration for this Still perfume. Still Life can refer to the photographic style and technique but also to the peaceful life. And this is really a peaceful scent. I confess to prefer more of a complex scent. This is the kind of perfume I only wear in July and August when the high temperatures demand this relief in a happy relaxed mood. To me this seems very straightforward: citrus and coconut water followed by woods, sprinkled with freshly picked mint leaves. All the other players seem to be there for body and structure. This is a mist, an enveloping embrace of beachy tropical smells that are very far away from suntan lotion. I think I could even drink this in a big glass full of ice. Yes, it reminds me of cocktails full of juices.

“Exotic and luminous, Still Life in Rio is a new and unique scent that opens with yuzu, ginger, mint and lemon essence. It blossoms and heats up with a blend of peppers, Jamaican hot peppers and coconut water, finishing with rum and Brazilian copaíba essences”, says the official description by the brand. Well, I really can't smell any of the peppers and the ginger is there but in a very subtle touch. Mandarin is evident and adds more to the juicy theme. Coconut water is the star, but it is done in a transparent way (transparent is a good word to describe this fragrance). The rum doesn't make it sweet. I have to wait until summer really comes to see what this concoction does for me. Maybe I will bathe in it while heading to the beach near my house. For now I mix it with E. Coudray Ambre et Vanille to make it deeper and stronger. They work wonders layered together!