OLFACTIVE STUDIO
STILL LIFE

2011

PERFUMER
Dora Baghriche-Arnaud

Yuzu
Pink Pepper
Elemi
Black Pepper
Sichuan Pepper

Galbanum
Star Anise

Rum
cedarwood
Amber

Yuzu and pepper is the name of the game here. Straight from the opening it’s a citrussy affair with a spicy kick. The yuzu is very tart for some minutes, in a way that wakes you up. There’s a slight herbal, green aromatic-ish tinge as well, possibly coming from the galbanum and anise. It reminds me of a lemon iced tea.

Still Life is really refreshing. To me this is a straight up citrus fragrance; it lists rum in the notes, but it’s not as boozy as I remember Still Life In Rio to be. The base here is more of a clean, fresh woodiness with an almost mossy green. With the initial sparkliness of the yuzu fading, it becomes even more of a (green) tea scent with a spicy and sweet orange tinge to my nose.

For me, Still Life has one of the best citrus openings that I’ve come across. The tart lemon iced tea scent in the first hour is heavenly. The drydown has a surprising amount of body for a citrussy scent, albeit without the magic that the yuzu brings in the opening. So it leaves something to be desired at that stage, but it’s the mandatory price to pay if you want your Summer citrus to last more than a few hours and performance is solid for me.

I’d need to revisit Still Life In Rio, to see which I like most, but I think both are excellent. As I mentioned I believe In Rio is a bit more boozy and it’s more creamy, whereas Still Life feels more conventional, though equally pleasant.