SEVEN GATES
IMMORTAL SHADE

2024

PERFUMER
Maia Lernout

CLARY SAGE
MYRRH

ORRIS
VETIVER
BLACK TEA

VANILLA ABSOLUTE
BIRCH
AMBER
CEDARWOOD
TOBACCO

‘Immortal Shade is a surrounding reinterpretation of Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss”. Conceptualizing the dual and symbiotic form of self and significant other… The composition excessively delineates steaming passionate love in the metaverse. The mouth watering vanilla evokes the concept of “sharing” while greedy and bitter immortelle note refers to poetic expression of immortal love. With a mysterious dusty and boozy feeling, Immortal Shade is a powerful take on a vanilla darkened by black tea and immortelle with an intense smoky facet of tobacco and birch. A creamy harmony, a tender and seductive composition surrounded by a shell of love.’ – Seven Gates

I had high hopes for Immortal Shade, but it didn’t end up being an actual favorite from the ones I wore on skin from Seven Gates at the time of writing.

To cut to the chase, there is a… fruitiness? That I would say reminded me most of plum, that keps coming back to me that I couldn’t place. Otherwise, there’s hints of bitter tea and chocolate, slightly boozy even to me as well. What absolutely stands out is its lactonic quality; creamy and dense in the way that tuberose can be. One of the heavier ones it seems from the brand. Although, not smoky to me, but way more creamy as also stated by the brand.

On paper, this one stood out to me most, but on skin, the lactonic quality can get a bit nauseating to me, the way it does in Bohoboco Coffee White Flowers. Most of the rather long drydown is purely vanillic and pleasant