Smelly Thoughts Reviews ZELDA

ZELDA ENVOYAGE PERFUMES

I had been very, very excited to try this a new release from Shelley Waddington of EnVoyage Perfumes. I have only little experience with her line (a few inclusions in the Primordial Scents project) but loved everything I tried. However, I didn’t have my hopes set too high as I hadn’t tried any of her other fragrances - so I didn’t read too much preliminary info about this one.
The backstory behind this fragrance can all be read over on CaFleureBon, the inspiration behind this scent being the life of Zelda Fitzgerald a great read!
Anyway I’ve lived in my sample for a few days now

Zelda

Holy crap. What an awesome opening!
A bizarre, instantly vintage-inspired citrus/green/spice opening of galbanum, lemon, orange, bergamot with a touch of warm clove and cinnamon, has a creamy/lactonic quality to it giving way to a sweet, boozy vanilla. It’s not at all “fresh” as it sounds (green/citrus) neither is it remotely “cologne-y” with the inclusion of typically masculine/culinary spice - the almost gourmand like quality underneath and the hidden florals (gradually getting louder and louder) make this tooth-achingly rich, full-bodied and feminine. An oriental to die for.

Rich is a word I could use over and over in this review, from the start until the end it has a white-chocolate-like quality to it overlaid with waxy, white florals and a ganache-like civet texturixing Zelda it’s ridiculously smooth and harmonious but extremely powerful.
The florals as they come in are dominated by magnolia and a brilliant rose. The magnolia, totally unlike the green treatment of the magnolia in the gorgeous Mito by Vero Profumo, concentrates more on the creamy, slightly candle-wax-y, lemon-y (y y -y I know, excuse the poor adjectives) aspects. It’s beautiful and slightly old-school-glam.

The galbanum in the openings adds that touch of greenery but Zelda from here on is definitely not “green”. It’s a spiced vanilla underneath, the memory of the culinary spices of the opening staying there throughout. The rose I mentioned earlier is a bright, pink rose smelling dry, innocent with just a touch of pink-pepper spice and a honeyed sweetness. A butter-soft tuberose underneath bulks up the florals more so, totally clean with a fur-like texture that certain natural tuberose oils seem to have.

This gorgeous, smoky, spicy vanilla/benzoin/tonka thing that came out first is here until the end, still a touch boozy like a great liquor (with a touch of syrup). There’s a tobacco note that I surprisingly love (not usually being a fan) the sweet, dry smoke is there (enhanced with a bit of castoreum?), without the overload of dried-fruit notes that usually go along with it. There are hints of resins (labdanum), a heavy dose of sandalwood (super smooth and not too dry) - and a clean musk that throws Zelda off the skin for hours and hours. The civet is about as rich as it can get working with the gourmand notes and florals to amp everything up into an almost unbearably rich, musky floral drydown.

In the late hours of wear, it dries out more-so, getting darker and even a touch leathery. The smoky resins burn, and turn just a little bitter (not a bad thing!), whilst managing to not taint the whole fragrance. It stays sweet, smoky, woody, lactonic, waxy and classical throughout perfect <3

Zelda 15ml EDP $55 EnVoyage Perfumes www.envoyageperfumes.com