Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo (courtesy of Four Seasons): Hernando wore D.S. and DURGA Jazmin Yucatan, Pistachio, and Italian Citrus

Love is in the air. I have been invited to four weddings. The first was last August. I went to Los Angeles to participate in an intimate wedding of forty in Malibu Canyon. While in town I visited the D.S. and Durga Venice boutique to write up a profile for our We Love This Store feature. I just celebrated the second wedding at the Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo in Mexico which is a sprawling 3,000-acre ocean-side resort on a private natural reserve. The property’s design incorporates elements of authentic Mexican style and pre-Hispanic heritage that took ten years to build. Major Wow Factor. White Lotus anyone? This fabulous wedding had two hundred-plus guests but felt so intimate. The bar has been set very high for our next two weddings! When travelling I always pack samples to try out. Getting ready for the first night of festivities, I realized my sample bag of scents had only D.S. and Durga fragrances. Now I have never worn one brand’s fragrances exclusively for one week, so uncharted territory. Not to fear, this tastefully controversial brand with exceptional quality has numerous scents to choose from. So, it allowed me a chance to try a number and D.S. and DURGA Jazmin Yucatan, Pistachio, and Italian Citrus Stood out.

David Seth Moltz and Kavi, Founders of D.S. & Durga

There’s nothin’ you can know that isn’t known

Nothin’ you can see that isn’t shown
There’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be
It’s easy

All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need -Songwriters: John Lennon / Paul McCartney All You Need Is Love lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Tratore

D.S. & DURGA Jazmin Yucatan

“Once-thriving cities are preserved in russet orange limestone ruins. Overgrown green vines and dark grasses swallow temples back into the jungle.” -David Seth Moltz on D.S. and DURGA (Jazmin Yucatan)

While the Four Seasons resort is not on the Yucatan Peninsula (it’s on the Pacific Coast) the jungle surrounding the hotel was striking in the same way. The opening is an explosive sweet, juicy floral with a jasmine accord for people like me who love the smell of jasmine. The jasmine here is so photorealistic. It’s a smooth, and clean complex aquatic. I can get past its somewhat linear humidity realistic wet and humid big ol’ dampness that reminds me of cement after a warm rain. At the base is copal, a resin that smells like perfumed wood. Burned as incense for spiritual and therapeutic purposes it is used in ceremonies and rituals by Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Dare I say this smells like Mexico? Oh, of course it does! A sensual treat.

Top Notes: water, passion flower, bergamot; Heart Notes: jazmín yucateco, sambac, clove; Base Notes: snake plant, vetiver, copal

 

D.S. & Durga Pistachio

“I think pistachio is an elegant nut. Also, a fun nut. It’s around good climes and everyone seems to dig it. We made this on a whim; a fragrance with no story that just evokes the fun of pistachio (especially as a dessert flavor). It was a STUDIO JUICE (limited edition of 100 bottles). People went nuts for the concept (pun somewhat intended) and we knew we had to add it to the line. It’s dank and unabashedly sweet which is something I don’t normally do.” -David Seth Moltz.

Released in 2022, Pistachio is a soft gourmand that has taken on a cult-like status. Delivering on a pistachio nut note without being pastry sweet, it layers a fresh and cozy earthy nuttiness. Yes, there is much patchouli too but not that 70’s head stores kind.  Make no mistake, this is not kids’ stuff, this is for the grown-ups. This is oddly delicious in the best possible way. The sweetness was creamy (vanilla crème), bordering on milky and the saltiness brings on the salted shells of the pistachio. Fun to wear. I found on different wears that the patchouli can be more prominent at times than the pistachio and then vice versa. Trying to figure that out. Sillage and longevity are surprisingly good.

Top Notes: pistachio, cardamom; Heart Notes: more pistachio roasted almond; Base Notes: even more pistachio, patchouli, vanilla crème

D.S. & Durga Italian Citrus

“Our Italian Citrus varies the formula in a few ways to create a fresh citrus scent where the citrus actually lasts into the dry-down. Overall Italian Citrus is lush and lasting.This is the accord that I want to take all the way down to the base. Instead of the herbs of classic colognes, we use violet ionones to keep the sweet going south. In the base, the liquid crystal smell of copaiba balsam, a white resin from South America, blends with incense absolute, and oakmoss. This gives an afterthought of citrus. Copaiba for the fresh peppery bergamot, incense for the orange-lemon notes, and oakmoss for the green.”  David Seth Moltz

From the early days of the brand, this 2011 release is fresh, simple, and sweet, with a subtle hint of a little darkness on the edge of town thrown in. There is also that posh summer resort vibe but don’t dare think about it smelling sun tanny. Most likely, because it was one of the earlier fragrances in the collection, it’s more conventional than those that have followed. For sure warm weather wear. The citrus trio of top notes fades away to a drydown that is a spicy slice of paradise smelling humid, aquatic, and earthy, with some warm greenness. Overall, this is a light airy and dare I say exemplary masculine eau-de-cologne. For sure one of the more classic scents in the Durga collection.

Top Notes: pressed lemon, chinotto, blood orange; Heart Notes: green mandarin violet leaf incense; Base Notes: copaiba balsam, musk ambrette, oakmoss

To best enjoy these fragrance, listen to the accompanying Spotify lists:
Pistachio, Jazmin Yucatan, Italian Citrus

The nose behind these fragrances is David Seth Moltz.

Disclaimer: samples were sent to me by D.S. & DURGA. My opinions are mine and only mine.

Hernando Courtright ~ Senior Events Contributor and Brand Ambassador

All Photos are courtesy of D.S. & DURGA except where credited otherwise and cannot be reproduced without permission.

 Greatest Hits Volume 1 D.S. & Durga

Thanks to the generosity of D.S.& Durga we have Greatest Hits Vol.1 -D.S. & Durga, a set  of six of some of the brand’s bestsellers for one registered reader. You must register here. To be eligible please leave a comment on what you enjoyed about Hernando’s reviews and how he matched a fragrance to each wedding he attended. The draw closes on 02/09/2025 and the winner will be announced within 10 days.

ÇaFleureBon has written extensively about D.S. and Durga over the years. Read David Seth Moltz’s Profiles in American Perfumery in his own words from 2013 here.

Please read Hernando’s review of Big Sur Eucalyptus, Deep Dark Vanilla, Rockaway Beach, Black Magenta, WE LOVE THIS STORE: DS & Durga NYC, WE  LOVE THIS STORE: D.S. & DURGA Venice, California Boutique

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