As a lover of floral scents I knew I had to try the Puredistance house. They may at first seem ridiculously exclusive and that they are taking themselves far too seriously. I mean, the Crystal Column alone is enough to make one shake their head and say WUT. The perfume comes in an elegant glass tube, which I quite like, but there is a holder available- from their website, “Limited Edition Crystal Column ‘Clear Crystal & Gold’ (no perfume spray included)
A timelessly beautiful accessory designed to hold a Puredistance Perfume Spray, this jewel is made with great craftsmanship by Swarovski exclusively for Puredistance. The column is handmade and only obtainable in limited numbers. A serial number is engraved making each piece unique.” This can be yours for $2,270 US. Don’t worry though, you can get one without the gold for $1670 US. I’m saying this tongue in cheek, of course. Some people take their beautiful perfume very seriously, and having a precious vessel to protect their gorgeous product makes perfect sense. Luxury is luxury, and as the French proverb says, ” It is impossible to overdo luxury”. The presentation of this line is nothing short of gorgeous, and if elegant is what you are looking for, well, Puredistance is your line.
It all seems a bit much, yet I was quite hopeful based on the provenance of this Dutch company. The perfumer, Annie Buzantian, is responsible for such perfumes as Estee Lauder Pleasures and Sensuous, which are both lovely perfumes, Pleasures being an Estee Lauder Groundbreaker as far as genres go. She also created Ralph Lauren Pure Turquoise, which I really liked, one of the clean green & ever so slightly floral scents I love so much. Ms. Buzantian has an experienced, discerning nose and created the Puredistance line for herself, holding nothing back, sparing no expense and going for unabashed luxury.
But, no worries dear reader. Upon first sniff of Puredistance 1, I knew I was dealing with A Serious Perfume. Vienna-based niche brand Puredistance launched their first perfume, Puredistance 1, in 2008, and it was billed as “the world’s most exclusive fragrance concept”. One of the world’s most exclusive fragrances, Puredistance 1 was created (initially as her own, Private Masterpiece) by renowned Master Perfumer Annie Buzantian in New York: understated elegance in its purest form.
It is classified as an Oriental Floral and here are the ingredients as listed on the Puredistance website: Fresh Tangerine Blossom, Cassis, Neroli Bigarade, Magnolia, Rose Wardia, Jasmine, Natural Mimosa, Sweet Amber, Vetiver, White Musk. It is a true perfume extrait which is why it is only available in 17.5 vials. It is rich and concentrated and a teensy drop is all you need.
This is a rich perfume that calls for a light hand. There is a touch of oddness in the slightly ozonic notes but these notes serve to fill the perfume with an airy float-y feeling. The fruity top notes are chewy and delicious and slowly fade into the background while the rich creamy floral notes begin to glow. Again, this is Perfume, and if you are looking for something light and fluffy, then move on, Puredistance is for someone able to wear Perfume with a capital P. Again, the odd ozonic notes keep the floral and fruity notes from becoming unbearably sweet. Like a fresh breeze blown through a dense bouquet. The elegant dry down of green vetiver and amber is slow to appear and settles into the skin like a powder. The musk I smell is only in hints, and it is teeny hints of a slightly dirty musk, which only serves to add a grown up and sensual feeling to this scent. It lasts forever on me and only gets richer and prettier as time goes by.
Puredistance has been very well received by the perfume world of reviewers and one can read glowing reviews all over the internet by people who know this craft much better than I. The presentation of the perfume vial is so gorgeous, with the vial resting in a leather satin lined box protecting the precious liquid gold, making this an idea special occasion gift. In my opinion this would make a stunning and perfect wedding scent/gift. Next, I have to try Puredistance Antonia. It sounds divine…
Puredistance perfumes and accessories are available on their website e-store