Viktoria Minya is the perfumer for the new Parfums Viktoria Minya Hedonist Absolute collection Photo via Instagram ©
“In music one must think with the heart and feel with the brain.” – George Szell, Hungarian/American conductor and composer.
“I believe that perfume… should be a source of pure joy, something ceremonial, something exceptional.” – Viktoria Minya
Photo of Hedonist by Viktoria Minya Gail Gross (her bottle)©
After several years behind the scenes in fine fragrance and marketing, Hungarian perfumer Viktoria Minya took center stage in 2013, initiating Parfums Viktoria Minya. Her first and now iconic creation, Viktoria Minya Hedonist, was an immediate worldwide success. This stunning initial offering was followed in 2014 by Hedonist Iris, Hedonist Rose and Eau de Hongrie and by Hedonist Cassis in 2015. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of the original Viktoria Minya Hedonist, please give it a try. I believe Hedonist to be one of the “must sniff” fragrances of the 21st century. There has truly never been a fragrance like the carnal and incomparable Viktoria Minya Hedonist – that is not until this year with Viktoria Minya Hedonist Absolute, when after considerable anticipation and hard work, Viktoria Minya introduced three new scents in the Viktoria Minya Hedonist Absolute collection, adaptations of the original Hedonist as well as the new Hedonist Iris and Hedonist Rose Absolutes.
Viktoria Minya Hedonist Absolute collection Photo via Instagram ©
Hedonist Absolute is obviously related to its predecessor. The perfumer’s signature and the original genetic profile are unmistakable. But with the new Hedonist absolute, Viktoria Minya has suppressed (somewhat) the juicy peach and luscious osmanthus of her first sensual, feminine offering in favor of a darker edge, a more masculine, reserved, insightful soul, soaked in rum, tobacco and smoky birch. The skilled treatment of the honeyed orange flower and jasmine at the heart of Viktoria Minya Hedonist Absolute recalls the 2013 Hedonist Eau de Parfum. But from the first breathtaking experience to the last sigh of vanilla and tobacco, Viktoria Minya Hedonist Absolute, while retaining the power and sultry beauty of the original, is a perfume that stands on its own, a versatile, season-less fragrance suited to a man or a woman.
Notes: Jamaican rum, jasmine, orange flower, birch, tobacco and vanilla.
Iris Blossom. Photo by Gail Gross © 2019
While the original Viktoria Minya Hedonist and the new Hedonist Absolute are perhaps best characterized as reflections of one another, similar personas and personalities, one quintessentially feminine, the other somewhat masculine, the first Hedonist Iris and the new Hedonist Iris Absolute are obvious polar opposites. I can’t imagine more divergent presentations of the same iris flower. The 2014 Hedonist Iris is very fresh, clean, sparkling and woody; the cool, wet, spring-time scent of the blossom and of orris butter and black currant, are touched by the chill of late winter and the slightly smoky air of cacao and laudanum. The new Hedonist Iris Absolute, on the other hand, is a smooth, very round, elegantly soft presentation of iris. Hedonist Iris Absolute blooms in the late spring sunshine, all the sensual aspects of the flower released via notes of sueded leather, balsamic amber and ripe, rich vanilla.
Notes: Iris, leather, cocoa beans, vanilla, amber, woods.
Rose. Photo by Gail Gross © 2019
I was obviously in love with the 2014 Hedonist Rose, as my sample of the perfume has totally disappeared! My memories and friends’ recollections of the fragrance helped me recall the first Hedonist Rose as a cool rosy, white wine; a crisp and refreshing, spicy rose perfume, touched with the Hedonist penchant for peach. In Hedonist Rose Absolute, the cool white wine of the first rose is transformed into something absolutely divine! I am in love with the mysteries and Middle Eastern references, the intoxicating warmth of the oriental scents of Turkish rose, dark, precious oud and sandalwood. But Hedonist Rose Absolute is much more than a nod to an oriental rose attar. This new fragrance is a uniquely Hungarian/Parisian take on the ancient genre, an amalgam of the depth and peachy sensuality of the original Hedonist perfume with the most fragrant of Turkish roses and the finest, richest ouds and ambers. I now understand why the 16th century Turkish dervish Gül Baba, the Father of Roses, rests forever in Budapest.
Notes: Turkish rose, oud, amber and sandalwood.
Disclaimer: I would like to thank Parfums Viktoria Minya for the generous samples of the three new Hedonist Absolute Fragrances. My opinions are my own.
Gail Gross – Senior Editor
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Viktoria Minya Hedonist Absolute Photo by Gail Gross ©
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