When it comes to the seasonal solar extremes I prefer the Winter version of the Solstice to that of the Summer. There is something about The Long Night which makes me feel contemplative, which might be as much about the time of the year it comes, but I prefer to wax poetic and claim darkness enhances soul-searching. It is always good to have something to ground you and allow you to be able to turn your thoughts inward. My tool this year came from the aptly named Soivohle Solstice by Liz Zorn.
Solstice is not a new fragrance by Ms. Zorn it is a re-issue of one of her most requested perfumes of a few years ago. Ms. Zorn describes it as an incense fragrance but it is like few perfumes that can be described that way. One of the things that set Ms. Zorn apart from her contemporaries is her use of not only quality natural ingredients but the right source of that ingredient for her fragrances. Solstice is an example of her meticulous ability to coax nuance out of the best natural components.
This care shows up right from the start as jasmine and apricot, from a tincture, open this night. It is the tincture which makes the opening special as the apricot is barely recognizable as a fruity note it carries a heft which is perfect complement to the jasmine. The jasmine is a very florid jasmine and left to its own devices many would probably find it overpowering but with the apricot tincture to set it off it seems almost perfect. A bit of clove heralds the arrival of the incense. This is dry sharp frankincense made even sharper by a violet whetstone. The top notes are still fully present as the incense comes to the foreground and for those of you looking for a fruity floral incense this middle part of Solstice’s development will deliver that for you. The base notes are oakmoss, sandalwood and Laotian oud. This is the third time in the past year the source of the oud in a fragrance I have really loved has been Laos. I have tried a number of Laotian ouds at this point and find the best of them to have an added bit of sophistication that when used right can make it the special ingredient it should be instead of yawning at its presence. Solstice settles down to an incense oud final development and unlike a number of fragrances that have overpromised on this combination; Solstice delivers it fully.
Solstice has all day longevity and average sillage. Solstice is a demi-absolute which means 18-22% oil content and this is what makes the sillage a bit surprising, as I expected it to stay closer to my skin.
What I spent this most recent Long Night thinking about is the nature of an artist listening to their inner voice and creating the tools to make that voice fragrant reality. Ms. Zorn has proven to be one of the most reliable artists I know at being able to put her inner voice in a bottle to share with us.
Disclosure: This review was based on samples provided by Soivohle.
–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor