Today’s sample for Advent is Puredistance’s Warszawa No. 08, sent to me a while ago by a kind reader. The perfumer for this Puredistance fragrance is Antoine Lie. The website states that it was created for a store in Poland, and was inspired “by the class and elegance of Polish women and the rich history of the city of Warsaw”.

Puredistance is a brand I haven’t really explored before, so I appreciate having this opportunity. The house only creates its fragrances in parfum strength, with concentrations of perfume oils that range from 25-32%. The two other perfumers who have created for Puredistance are Annie Buzantian, and Roja Dove.

Warszawa No. 08 was launched in 2016, initially as a store exclusive and then worldwide in 2017. Top notes are listed as: galbanum, violet leaf, and grapefruit; middle note as: broom, jasmine, and iris; and base notes as: patchouli, styrax, and vetiver. It is a unisex fragrance, although the brand writes about it in terms of “classic feminine beauty”. The opening is very nice; I smell violet leaf more than galbanum. To the extent that any grapefruit accord is present, it is more like the rind than the fruit or juice, but that may be because it is made more bitter by the galbanum. To my nose, the opening is more green and herbal that citrusy.

As the middle notes develop, the broom is most dominant, but the jasmine is not far behind. Iris’ presence is detectable only in a certain softness that blurs the edges of the broom and jasmine. The broom is an interesting accord; it smells to me like a mix of green and yellow, with some woodiness mixed in. It’s a bit odd, but it works.

The base notes work to evoke the earthiness of, for instance, broom plants growing in the wild. The vetiver especially recalls the kind of dry meadow in the image above, while the patchouli smells like earth. Throughout the development of Warszawa No. 08, the quality of the ingredients shows; there is a depth and texture to the fragrance that one doesn’t experience with even the most appealing “cheapies.” On balance, although I like this fragrance very much as a sample and I appreciate the artistry behind it, it’s not one that I would wear often just to please myself. What a relief — no need to yearn for a full bottle!

Have you had that experience with a fragrance — that you like and appreciate its quality, but you’re relieved to find that you don’t want anything more than a sample?