A solution for the “What’s a good fragrance choice for the office now that the weather is getting warmer?” question could very well be the Beth Terry Creative Universe line, a breezy collection of scents from a perfumer with stints at Comme des Garcons and Chrome Hearts under her belt.
The Atlantis Home blog mentions how Ms. Terry sent them bottles of Element of Desire and Vita (the same two bottles she sent to me), stating that “Beth chose these herself knowing that I like heavier scents,” but if there’s one thing that Element of Desire and Vita are not, it’s heavy.
Attractive? Yes. Decent longevity? Yes. Heavy? Oh, h*ll no, unless all you’re used to is the scent of dryer sheets and Irish Spring soap; barring that, these are fresh, transparent fragrances that are the very definition of “sheer” — The Posh Peasant states that “all of Ms. Terry’s fragrances are subtle, clean, sparkling and contemporary” and that’s a summation I can agree with.
ELEMENT OF DESIRE: Element of Desire is about as Spring clean and light as you’re ever going to find in a bottle: a bit of white tea, some drenched florals and a spot-on recreation of the crisp ozonic scent that follows a burst of sun dazzled rain.
If I were ever going to be trapped in an elevator for a few hours with a group of total strangers, the happy, fresh vibe of Element of Desire might be the perfect antidote to claustrophobic anxiety. Hopefully, some kind rescue worker would pump it in through the air vents.
Beth Terry herself, in an April 2007 interview with Michelyn Camen, describes Element of Desire as an attempt to “express (her) smoldering, feminine side,” but while it’s definitely feminine, the only thing “smoldering” about Element of Desire would be the white cardboard box it’s packaged in . . . after you set it on fire.
Listed fragrance notes are: rain drenched greens, citrus, dimbula tea, apricot, peony blossom, water jasmine, pink muguet, white sandalwood and golden amber. There’s nothing that particularly stands out in the mix, which is a sign of a perfumer who knows how to blend, so the specific fruit and floral notes seem more like suggestions for how Ms. Terry wishes the fragrance to be perceived. The third to fourth hour in is less sparkling fruity-floral. I’d say it was woodsy or earthy, but it’s too transparent to be convincing at either.
VITA: The formula for Vita allegedly contains four different kinds of tea blended with some fruits and a dash of lily of the valley, and while the extra dose of tea results in a slightly warmer, even muskier, effect than what I got out of Element of desire, the fragrance is still clean and sheer, just less effervescent, which makes it cling more closely to the skin.
Both Element of Desire and Vita last about four hours before they start thinning out, but the price point is excellent ($72.00 for 4.3 oz /127ml) which makes the idea of spraying extra throughout the day less painful.
A photo of the Beth Terry Creative Universe bottles below. The ribbon is a detail I added, and is not included with the packaging:
***Note: Ms. Terry describes her packaging as “minimal,” but “generic” is closer to the truth, with plain white boxes and bulk glass bottles adorned with white labels that look fresh off a laser printer. This undoubtedly keeps costs down, and while she is good enough to pass that cost-saving on to the consumer, the generic look and feel of the packaging makes for a less than stellar presentation.
I don’t consider packaging more important than what’s in the bottle, yet presentation obviously matters a great deal to the success of a brand. Laurie Erickson, Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, Mandy Aftel and Liz Zorn are all small, uber-independent perfumers who do a terrific job of packaging and branding within the scope of a limited budget. Even Andy Tauer, whom I’ve criticized for packaging choices that I thought didn’t really match up to the quality of the work he produces, is light years ahead of Beth Terry in the presentation department.
A fragrance is meant to be worn, so yes, the focus should ultimately be on what’s inside the bottle — yet a consumer has to reach for that fragrance bottle every day, perhaps choose it from among others in a collection, pick it up and hold it in his her/hand, which makes the visual and tactile elements important for the supporting roles they play in the overall brand experience. While I can appreciate Ms. Terry’s fragrances on their own merits, the lack of attention to packaging and presentation has the unfortunate effect of undermining the creativity of her work.
UPDATE:
Click on the photo below for a larger, full view of Terry’s bottles:
P.S. — The sis has been commenting lately that she’s looking for a light scent for work, so I’m going to send her the two bottles (she also has two teenaged daughters) and see what kind of extra feedback I can get from both the older and younger crowds.
