I Like the L’artisan Dzing!

L’artisan Parfumeur is one of my favorite perfume houses. It was the first niche fragrance line which caught my interest; I still remember agonizing over which bottle to buy when I visited the L’artisan boutique in Paris back in 2002. After much internal debate, I chose Mure et Musc, which is still my default, no-brainer fragrance for any occasion. I’ve fallen in love with many other fragrances in the line over the years, and am still in the process of testing all of them. When I visited the relatively new boutique in New York City, I picked up samples of the more unusual fragrances, such as Mechant Loup, Timbuktu, and Dzing!

From the L’artisan website: Discover Dzing! A unique fragrance inspired by the circus. Possesses all of the distinguished fragrances of this wonderful universe: saddle leather, sawdust from the ring and the caramelised smell of candy. A perfume that reveals itself completely on the skin.

This creation by Olivia Giacobetti is yet another bizarre and quirky fragrance which is way off the beaten path. It starts with a lion’s roar: strong rubber and leather notes, garnished with a touch of sawdust. I haven’t been to an animal circus since I was a little girl and don’t recall much about circus odors, so the topnotes of Dzing! smell more like an industrial wasteland to me. After about ten minutes, the rubber and leather soften to reveal the surprisingly faint drydown of cinnamon, vanilla, resins, and woods. This phase is subtle, elegant, and gourmand. It actually reminds me of the cinnamon-dusted Snickerdoodle cookies I picked up at the Almish farmer’s market during nerd camp summers in Lancaster, PA. It also has the softness of how I imagine lion’s fur would feel and smell (if it were clean). Unfortunately, the lasting power is quite poor on me; after a couple of hours, I can barely detect anything at all on my wrist.

This is a highly evocative fragrance with much wonder and humor. While I’m not a huge fan of odors which the fragrance tries to evoke (except for the Snickerdoodles), I nonetheless enjoy the artistry behind its creation. It’s one of those fragrances which is so distinctive that it would make a fabulous signature scent for the right person. I’m not that person, but I’m glad that this fragrance is on the market for her.