Patchouli: Von Eusersdorff & Lorenzo Villoresi

Source: colourbox.com

Source: colourbox.com

Classical, true patchouli is one of my favorite notes, so I thought I would take a side-by-side look at two soliflores that highlight the note. The first is Von Eusersdorff‘s Classic Patchouli, and the second is Lorenzo Villoresi‘s Patchouli. Neither fragrance is hugely complicated and, in fact, at first glance, they seem to be quite similar.

There are differences, however, and they add up at the end, resulting in fragrances with divergent focuses and aesthetics. As a result, one of them is an easy, approachable, refined treatment of the note that might be a good beginner’s introduction to patchouli, or suitable for those who don’t worship at the Temple of the Leaf. The other, in contrast, is more classical, traditional, and hardcore in nature, and only likely to appeal to a true patch head. One of them wins out for me, but they are both very enjoyable fragrances.

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Von Eusersdorff: Classic Mimosa, Orange, Myrrh & Vetiver

Camille Henfling of Von Eusersdorff.

Camille Henfling of Von Eusersdorff.

Von Eusersdorff is a Dutch-based perfume house that is run by the descendents of German immigrants with roots dating back to the 15th century and who are now inspired by the vibrancy of New York City. According to the company’s website, the original Von Eusersdorffs ran an apothecary for three centuries, “dealing in rare perfume materials, spices and herbs.” The brand was reborn in 2010 as “Von Eusersdorff New York” under the direction of Camille Henfling-Von Eusersdorff, and its five eau de parfums finally became available in America a few months ago after being European exclusives.

I first tried a few of the fragrances last year at Jovoy, but didn’t have the time to give the full range a thorough assessment. Finding the scents in America turned out to be impossible, despite the “New York” part of their name. Then, several months ago, a very thoughtful, generous reader, “Petra,” kindly sent me samples of all the fragrances from German. About six weeks later, the perfumes became available in America, first at Twisted Lily and now at Indigo Perfumery. So, I thought it might be useful to briefly cover four of them — Classic Mimosa, Classic Orange, Classic Myrrh, and Classic Vetiver — leaving the fifth one, Classic Patchouli, for a comparative review with Lorenzo Villoresi‘s Patchouli.

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