Let me say right up front that Pure Distance is a lovely fragrance.
It is bright and happy -- and adult. And let me also say that it is GREEN in the best possible way -- and if you've been reading my blog, you know that I love green fragrances, especially in spring.

I was very happy when I was contacted and asked if I would like to sample their fragrance. Of course I said yes! At that point in time I knew nothing about their fragrance. It had not come across my radar, though several blogs that I read regularly have talked about it. Somehow, I missed them all!

Here's a bit about its pedigree:

The company
The company is small, but its fragrance is big. Jan Ewoud Vos is the owner and visionary. He is joined by two others. The fragrance was composed by Annie Buzantian, who originally created the perfume for herself, but realized how Vos' concept matched her own. This reminds me of Coco Chanel who is said to have shared her own personal fragrance with the world.

Who is Annie Buzantian?
She is a Master Perfumer originally from Romania, now from New York. In addition to this fragrance, she has created or co-created fragrances including ‘Love’s Musky Jasmine’, Clinique’s Happy for Men, Armani’s Acqua di Gio, Victoria’s Secret’s Pink, along with many others. Together with Alberto Morillas the two have created Estée Lauder’s Pleasures, Safari pour Homme, and Tommy Hilfiger’s Tommy.

In 2003, she was honored for the body of her work, when she won the American Society of Perfumers’ ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’.

The fragrance
Pure Distance is meant to be sophisticated, exclusive and classic. I think they have won on all counts.

If you prefer to be unique, to wear a fragrance that is not found everywhere nor worn by everyone, yet is modern, classic and uniquely your own, look into this fragrance. It has an expensive price point, but it is made more easily affordable by the smaller size.

It is 32% perfume strength, extrait or parfum category; it is not edp. This likely accounts for its longlasting aura.

The notes
Quite how they get such a luscious green out of these notes is surely a mystery! Only the perfume composer knows how to wend her magic wand to create perfection.

Top notes: tangerine blossom, cassis, and neroli bigarade.
Heart: magnolia, rose wardia, jasmine and natural mimosa
Base notes sweet amber, vetiver and white musk.

Their online brochure
The online brochure has understated elegance. Gabriel Conroy, fashion designer and illustrator, drew the accompanying illustrations. They are exquisitely beautiful! Folks have commented on the marketing materials, which read like an elegant sophisticate. I suspect this is because English is not their first language. It reads like an earlier time, but the fragrance itself is very modern -- a modern interpretation of an earlier time.

My take
I was curious to know how this fragrance would wear. I'm not always successful wearing florals, but I eagerly awaited its arrival. I didn't want to read other blogs. I just wanted to capture my own sense of it.

As I said, it starts out bright and happy, very green, but not cold. It is reminiscent of the fresh cut stems I had this past week. In a way, it reminds me of walking into a florist's cooler -- where the scent of flowers mingles with the scent of the water they are kept in; the cool, brisk air in the cooler; and the scent of the green stems. What could be better!

It smells real, not artificial or plastic.

When I start to test a fragrance, I take the smallest spray, because I have known some scrubbers in my day. I did the same with Pure Distance. One spray was delightfully strong and heady. It enveloped me in the scent -- and lasted for several hours.

While wearing it, I'm not aware that it moves through various stages, though it does. It keeps me company and changes in subtle ways, until I suddenly notice that it no longer surrounds me. Instead, it lays very close to my skin, maintaining its central essences. At this point, it becomes floral, but the greens are still evident. I have, on occasion, refreshed with a second spray -- or not, depending on the day.

It doesn't bore me. And it might even keep me from being boring. (I'm sure those of you who know me, will attest that I am anything but boring.)

The packaging
The packaging is both minimalistic and luxe. You can see Nathan Branch's excellent photos at his blog.

First, there is the quite beautiful, simple, and utterly functional 17.5 ml bottle.

Then there is the option of sheathing the bottle in a Swarovski crystal column, either clear or black. Each is handmade in limited numbers, engraved with a serial number on the cap and on the bottom. In black it is reminiscent of Chanel No. 5's metallic black packaging, though Pure Distance is crystal.

• The retail price of the 17.5 ml. PUREDISTANCE I PERFUME spray is priced at 165 euro.
• The retail price of the Crystal & Gold’ Limited Edition including two PUREDISTANCE I PERFUME
sprays is 2.750 euro.
• The ‘Crystal & Steel’ Limited Edition including two PUREDISTANCE I PERFUME sprays is 1.750 euro.

All are encased in a beautiful white presentation box.

Where can you buy it?
In keeping with its luxe reputation -- and to show you that it really is an excellent fragrance -- you can find it worldwide in well respected perfumeries that are known for giving excellent customer service -- Roja Dove's Haute Perfumerie in Harrods in London, Quartier 206 in Berlin, Tsum in Moscow and soon Maria Luisa in Paris, to name a few. It can also be found in the flagship store in Vienna.

You can buy samples or the full sized fragrance from their Pure Distance online store.

Have you ever tried this fragrance? Do you wear it?
Are you fortunate enough to have one of the crystal containers?

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

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Categories:

Amber, Greens, Jasmine, Mimosa, Musk, Neroli, Perfume review, Pure Distance, Rose, Tangerine blossom, Vetiver