Swiss-based perfumer Vero Kern’s Onda is not for the minimalist. It’s a big bouquet of spice that will precede if not exceed you, and you’ll need a glittering personality to go along with it.
Onda has a distinct, clear-the-decks entrance that can be chalked up to the eye-watering mace on its ingredient list. The herbaceous ginger and coriander (cilantro) elements buttress this note while simultaneously working to build a bridge to the leathery, grass-root scent of vetiver that brings up the rear, creating a sliding scale of a perfume that starts off in the stratosphere before descending to earth.
There are also whiffs of mown hay plus a bit of musk, though the musk lends the fragrance an on-again off-again soapy quality I could have done without.
Nevertheless, Onda is a refreshing change of pace among big, contemporary perfumes, appearing to prize intellectual curiosity over the easy, blatant sensuality of the increasing number of patchoulis, sandalwoods and ambers cluttering the market.
Not that I’m against patchoulis, sandalwoods and ambers (au contraire, mon frere), it’s just nice to encounter a recent perfume that’s not stuffed to the gills with one of them . . . or all three!
Onda is not overtly feminine or masculine, so can easily be worn by both sexes, but I have noticed that the girls tend to succumb with more abandon to its musky charms.
You can order Onda directly from the Vero Profumo website. [Note: Vero Profumo fragrances are now available at Lucky Scent.]
UPDATE:
I just recently did another run-through with Onda. I wanted to see if my first impressions remained my impressions, and I was also thinking I might want to pick up a bottle (or two) as potential Christmas gifts.
The conclusion: yes and no. Yes, my first impression stands (I like the bright intro, then the descent into grassy hay and vetiver root), but no, I won’t be purchasing any as Christmas gifts. The soapy quality of the musk used in the formula is a deal-breaker for me — it drags the entire thing straight out of its really nice earth and grass territory and dumps it into the corner laundromat.
Too bad, really. It starts off with such promise.
Vero Profumo Rubj, however, is terrific.
{ 5 comments }
Nathan,
Great blog! We share a taste for lots of the same.
(I guess that’s a good thing…)
I’d like to link you on my blogroll.
CV
Christopher! Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment — especially on the Onda post. I keep going back and revisiting my impressions of Kern’s perfume. It sticks in the brain.
I would be happy to be added to your blogroll, and I’ll make sure to return the favor.
Cheers!
Wearing this today for the second time. I don’t find it at all deck-clearing, and fortunately, no laundry soap either. More and more I like these things that are sexy if you are paying attention, rather than things that are overt. I made the mistake of wearing Nuit Noir on a first date and felt oddly all night like I was misrepresenting my interest (nil). On the other hand Messe de Minuit was perfect for a first date. Not in your face about it, but sexy if you are paying attention. Its a very nice approach. Thank you for the sample, I adore the scent.
It’s always good to hear from the portion of the population that can wear Onda with no hesitations or regrets. I just received an email yesterday from a perfumer who said she has a friend who pretty much donned a hazmat suit to dispose of her Onda sample, she reacted so badly to it — and then I read across the net all these glowing reviews.
I just wish I could experience the beauty in Onda that you’re getting out of it, but like I’ve said before, I can cry myself to sleep holding a bottle of Rubj, so life isn’t all that unfair.
Glad you’re loving the Messe de Minuit. It’s a terrific piece of work, and under-the-radar sexy is a great description. I agree about the Nuit Noir. Really nice scent, but a bit on the overt, “Hey look at me!” side of things. I can only imagine how you must have been feeling on a first date as Nuit Noir radiated from your skin — “No, really, I’m not that kind of girl! Honest!”
Or – “I might be that kind of girl, but oh lord, not with you”
I’ll get those samples together and out in a week or so – thank you again!