Today’s independent perfumer sample is Splendiris, by Parfums Dusita. What an intriguing scent! There was something in the opening that I didn’t like, though I did like the overall effect. I truly can’t figure out what it was that annoyed me — perhaps the carrot seeds listed as a note, as it was an almost woody note that bothered me. Luckily, the combination of violet and orris appears quite soon, and it’s a beautiful friendship. At this heart stage, those two accords dominate, but gently, like a cool breeze wafting over a flower bed.

The notes are listed by Fragrantica as follows: Top notes are Violet Leaves, Carrot Seeds, Fig Leaf, Green Mandarin, Italian Orange and Calabrian bergamot; middle notes are Violet, Orris, Grasse Rose and Jasmine Sambac; base notes are Vanilla, Ambergris, Haitian Vetiver and Cedar. The overall impression I get from Splendiris is “cool”, but it is the cool of a bright spring day, lightly warmed by sunshine. There is just enough rose and jasmine in this phase to make it more multi-layered and textured, especially the jasmine, but I don’t think anyone smelling it for the first time would think of it, even at this stage, as a rose or jasmine fragrance.

I’ve been trying more Dusita fragrances lately; I’ve been intrigued by the brand since it has a contest to name what became Splendiris.

To my nose, Splendiris smells like the artwork above: shades of transparent purple and blue, illuminated by touches of gold, yellow and brown. The yellow, gold, and brown tints come from the base notes, such as vanilla, vetiver, and ambergris. There are some people who smell almost everything “in color”, in the phenomenon called synesthesia. I am not one of them, but Splendiris does lend painterly effects to the overall impressions, more than I usually perceive.

Have you had any experiences with synesthesia, or do you strongly associate any fragrances with a particular color?