My chameleon encounter
Tropical fruits and flowers, coconut and salty sea breezes – the first sniff of Chameleon is just as you’d expect from its summery notes. It’s a little drop of tropical paradise.
Ylang-ylang dominates the opening, then it swiftly softens and melts into super-soft sun-bleached blend with romantic wafts of blooming night jasmine.
The coconut is rich and sweet, and as the dry-down begins, out of the florals suddenly pops a banana note – not real bananas, but foam candy ones (banana isn’t listed in the notes list, but to my nose, it’s most definitely there, and it’s strong).
Chameleon is soft, pretty and gorgeously tropical – an great scent for seriously hot days. But (mystery banana appearance aside), it’s quite linear. In Chameleon, I was hoping for dramatic shifts and colour changes. The holographic trim on the label is a sweet touch.
If only that iridescence was reflected in the scent.
My dodo discovery
What an odd creature this perfume is. The notes are well-worth taking note of:
Top
Fern Lime Lychee RaspberryHeart
Ambergris Fir Balsam Geranium RoseBase
Amber Musk Oakmoss Patchouli Sandalwood
I guess it’s a fougere, but a unique one for sure.
The opening has a big strong blast of lychee and raspberry – really mouth-watering. I love lychee and it’s done beautifully in Dodo. I was surprised by how likeable and even dainty it came over on first sniff, expecting something more plodding and grounded.
But as we venture into its heart, the real character of Dodo reveals itself. There’s no trace of the opening and in its place is a a big salty blast of sea breeze. There’s something slightly astringent paired with a defined milk note – not unpleasant, but animalic. But mainly it’s a big, sharp sandalwood, flanked by firs and ferns. Somewhere, off in the distance, I can place the rose geranium. It’s definitely weird. Maybe wonderful.
Both Chameleon and Dodo will be released in the UK in mid-March 2019. I tried them out at Bloom Perfumery £145/60 ml EDP.
Nose Dives 