Vesna Cologne
Bortnikoff (2020)

Bortnikoff Vesna Cologne (2020) is a fragrance designed to continue in the tradition of the previous year's Musk Cologne (2019), presenting a light but lasting interpretation of the "cologne" style, but with nagarmotha or cypriol as the anchoring base material. Described by the brand as being themed around the Slavic Goddess Vesna, the scent is indicative of spring blooms and therefore can be expected to smell quite floral throughout most of its wear time. The key floral note in the composition comes from tagetes, also known to English speakers as marigolds, dressed with various citrus and fruit notes to give it sweetness. Some may find this unisex creation as veering feminine because of the note choice, but the cypriol base adds a sharp sourish vibe reminiscent of men's citrus chypres of old, serving in the same capacity as labdanum might in those instances, making Vesna Cologne ultimately wear right down the middle gender-wise. I think if Musk Cologne was still a bit too scary or considered tabu for people who are ethically against real animal notes in perfume, Vesna Cologne may seem a bit of a safer wear overall, too. Vesna Cologne was also released alongside Moss Cologne (2020), which feels like it may be the nod towards the old-school chypre lovers that can't abide the modern hanky-panky of a cypriol-based scent like this one.

The opening of this scent is going to be a whoosh of lemon and pineapple, with a drying aromatic black tea note that moves in shortly thereafter. Now before anyone opens their claptrap, this is not a Creed Aventus (2010) clone and the pineapple is but a brief support player as the magnolia quickly takes to the stage after a few minutes to dominate the middle. From there on out, Vesna Cologne is a study in magnolia for better or worse, with the tea keeping the floral note from being too sweet as it did for the fruity opening. The cypriol creeps up and slowly fades in while the magnolia starts to fade out, never completely of course, establishing a sort of 50/50 balance by the end. The perfumer mentions dried fruits and I guess they're there, but they must really be dosed low and blended to the point of being a nondescript jamminess, like a "pectin" note as I mentioned in other fragrances that do similar (pectin has no smell, so it's a metaphor on my part). Because this fragrance is so friendly and easy-to-wear, it could very well be gateway kind of fragrance to those uninitiated in the world of artisanal "haute" parfum, as it were. Wear time is going to be about 10 hours, so not endlessly tenacious like Musk Cologne either, but the final hints of tea and magnolia set upon the backbone of sourish aromatic nagarmotha is quite lovely. Best use is for casual spring and wear.

Bortnikoff Vesna Cologne is deceptively simple, and seems like something someone could almost make on their own if they acquired the essential oils on their own and knew the ratios. There is nothing too terribly noble, rare, or expensive detected in the mix, so for the alpha male of perfumery that all-natural artisanal handmade fragrance is made out to be by insufferable snobs in this hobby, Vesna Cologne feels surprisingly humble. But then again, I guess that's the point with Bortnikoff, who generally makes bigger batches and doesn't sell out quite as fast or at least remakes some of his better-known fragrances to perpetually sell and stem off "FOMO" frenzies, making his brand feel marginally more approachable than equally-esteemed artisanal perfumers like Areej le Dore or Auphorie that seem constantly under the assault of "investment" buyers or scalpers. Not that this truly is something you could easily make on your own, nor is actually cheaply made, since the skill and expertise in creating then blending this formula is evident in how it wears harmoniously on skin, it's just that Vesna Cologne is among the more friendly and down-to-earth artisanal fragrances I've tried (price aside), which is a credit to the brand. Obviously, something of this price per milliliter is not to be dived into without sampling first, regardless of how amiable it is. Thumbs up.