Among all the brands I had never heard of in my recent AMA was Stora Skuggan, which apparently translates from Swedish as big shadow. From long experience, I can often tell even from passing mention when people feel passionate about something. I therefore wrote to Stora Skuggan but got an automated email saying they did not send any free samples for social media. This is understandable, given that perfume bloggers probably outnumber artisan brands at this point.
Fortunately, they ignored their own policy and sent me their seven fragrances. I absent-mindedly picked one at random and stopped in my tracks. It is good, in life as in perfume reviewing, to reset one’s expectations at intervals. The best way I can describe that first impression is intelligence. It gave me the feeling of joy one experiences when a casual acquaintance, maybe the person sitting next to you on a plane, turns out to be humorous, smart, cultured and articulate, and you suddenly feel that the dreaded six-hour flight may be too short.
The rest of the range confirmed this impression. Stora Skuggan’s fragrances are fully worked out, deliberate, thoughtful compositions. At the origin of each is that mysterious thing that should supply the impulse for all creative work and is often missing: something to say. I remember once going to a festival of ballet, a different company every night for a week. On the last day, Carolyn Carlson’s company took the stage, and I realized that until then everyone had been filling time with movement and music, whereas Carlson had an urgent, momentous message.
For paid subscribers: reviews of Thumbsucker, Mistpouffer, Moonmilk, Azalai, Fantôme de Maules, Hexensalbe and Silphium.
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