Purple Haze
19-69 (2018)

Purple Haze was sampled in another attempt to change up my ordinary, go-to, everyday wardrobe fragrance. I love patchouli but only when it is well blended with florals and resins. I love oud and woods but they also must be blended. I prefer earthy, resinous, woody florals (especially well-done violet fragrances), incense-spicy fragrances with limited amber and other dark, deep, complex, bold notes. So based on all of this, Purple Haze seemed to meet the mark.

Not sure why cannabis note has become so popular; however any notes I detect with Purple Haze do not conjure up my memory of being around cannabis long long ago. Undoubtedly the fragrance opens with a blast of citrus-laden greens, fir & cypress. The opening almost smells barber-shop-y to my nose. Within minutes, a delicate violet floral note emerges, along with the slightest patchouli scent. Not dirty, dark or gothic, Purple Haze begins as a very green, woody, slightly resinous floral fragrance.

Mid-and base notes do little to alter or define this scent. Perhaps I get a small waft of vanilla, a bit of musk and some sandalwood (or wood) here and there. But by and large, Purple Haze remains light, rather hard to define and primarily on my skin, Purple Haze is a slightly ashy violet vanilla musk fragrance. As I search for unique, or defining notes, I strain to detect much beyond vanilla, musk & greens.

Purple Haze is not a 60's hippie fragrance, nor is it a fresh, young woody floral. While everything begins nicely, Purple Haze disappointments because with my chemistry, this fragrance lands as a rather bland, musky-vanilla fragrance, nothing more. In the end, most of Purple Haze's luster is gone.

Additionally, after the first 20 minutes or so, I have great difficulty detecting Purple Haze on my skin at all. After applying and reapplying the fragrance, I find myself frustratingly searching for ANY type of fragrance, or scent. Another reviewer described this fragrance as "muddled" and in many regards, muddled is a rather apt descriptive.

Silage is minimal, longevity is poor. After a promising opening, Purple Haze sadly disappoints. This is a nice enough fragrance but nothing I would wear on a daily basis. Overall, the fragrance is just too bland and generic for my tastes.

The opening is your generic herbal woody patchouli, but the drydown takes an interesting twist with the addition of violet leaf and thyme. The violet leaf, along with the cypress, adds a green forest-like vibe. It's still on the drier side due to the woods and light pepper, but that slight ozonic quality makes this fragrance stand out from your typical fresh spicy patchouli.

Performance is moderate. I'm enjoying the drydown quite a bit because it doesn't lean too medicinal. This fragrance doesn't smell like cannabis, so it doesn't become too herbal. That green, slightly wet, ozonic quality is what brings me back. The cypress and violet leaf note really save this fragrance.

Give this a try. It's one of my favorites from the line.