Vero Profumo- Kiki, Onda & Rubj in Eau de Parfum

Vero Profumo's three original perfumes, Onda, Kiki and Rubj have been cult favorites ever since they came out as an extrait de parfum. Their limited distribution has made them a sort-of-secret , word-of-mouth (and blog) thing among those in the know. The heavy concentration, bombshell  character and stunning composition (not to mention a liberal use of animalic notes) made sure they remain the darlings of only a small part of the perfume community.

As of today, Kiki, Onda and Rubj are also available in eau de parfum concentration. Vero Kern, the Swiss perfumer behind the brand took a long time working on the formulas and tweaking them to her standard of perfection. The final product she presents us is not a diluted juice but a variation on each theme, and I have to say all three have exceeded my expectations.

Kiki EDP might be the one that follows the original most closely while still smelling new. It always had a very gourmand aspect and a boozy fruit somewhere in its heart. That part has been amplified, the heavy curtains of the Parisian boudoir opened a little and more light is now shining in. A day that starts with a couple of Kiki spritzes can never go wrong. As long as one wears the right shoes. And lingerie.

I was most worried about Onda. The extrait is very dear to me- I have felt a strong connection with it from the very first time I sampled it three years ago. The EDP may be less animalic but the sensuality hasn't diminished. It's more polite, perhaps, a little less smoky , but it's still a firecracker in a black leather jacket , ready to raise some hell and take on the world. I doubt anyone who found Onda objectionable in extrait would come around and enjoy it. However, if you loved it but was too self-conscious to wear it in public and deal with the stares, the EDP should make it easier for you.

Rubj might have gained a new level of sensuality in EDP, if that's even possible. It was always sunshiny and bursting with life and energy. The fruity musk drydown now has friends to play with it. A passion fruit note has been added to all three perfumes, but here it gets a solo. I'm not exactly a fruity person, but I love the way Vero has made it work. In the case of Rubj, there's a hefty dose of spice making the fruit as far from a mainstream cliche as can be. There's cumin here and for once its use is not a poor excuse for a sloppy reformulations but a perfect tool to bring out the heat of the composition.

All three EDPs have an excellent all day longevity and a good (though not obnoxious) projection. I'm having a very hard time convincing myself that owning all three extraits (they were a Valentine's Day gift a few years ago) should be enough for me and I don't really need full bottles of the new versions. The problem is they really are that good.

Kiki ($165), Onda ($165) & Rubj ($195) in Eau de Parfum by Vero Profumo (all bottles 50ml)  are available now from Luckyscent. They also sell samples, which I highly recommend if you're not familiar with the line.
I received samples of all three directly from the perfumer.

Art: Woman In A Yellow Dress by Tamara de Lempicka, 1929

Vero Profumo Rubj- Prozac In A Bottle

It's January. The new year is not nearly as exciting as it seemed last month, Valentine's Day is still weeks away, and no matter what the rodent from Pennsylvania is going to say on February 2nd, we still have a couple of months of insanely cold days, dirty snow and icy roads ahead of us.

Am I depressing you? I know I've got a raging case of the ho-hums, the doldrums and the "why don't I just move to L.A.?" all wrapped into one. This calls for some serious sunshine-in-a-bottle, and my current pick in the category is Rubj, Vero Kern's creation.

I was not supposed to like it. A white floral, quite heavy on the jasmine, is not something I'd necessarily choose to wear. But there's something in Rubj that seems to speak to many and triggers many different interpretations of this scent (just check the list of other bloggers' reviews at the end of the post).

What I'm getting varies on the day and the weather. I wore it on some of the hottest and most humid days last summer and felt like I was entering a greenhouse, full of lush blooms. There was more than a hint of tuberose, though I couldn't find Queen T in any list of notes. It almost felt protective, a barrier between my skin and the poisonous air. But in winter, Rubj feels like a promise. It's still opulent and petal-like, a good reminder of days to come. And it's such a happy scent, full of sunshine, thanks to the orange blossom, and very much alive. The jasmine is all flesh and blood (a nice way to say indolic, I guess) and makes one feel very much alive even before the musk makes appearance. I'm not sure what kind of musk it is, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's somewhat related to the one in CB Musk, since my skin makes it sweet with a berry note. The musk is not overly strong, it's just makes the scent more rounded and grounds the flowers so they don't shriek like too many orange blossom-jasmine combos.

Skin chemistry makes a huge difference here: I had my mom try it last summer, and on her the flowers were more light and airy and the whole thing far less carnal than what I'm experiencing. She wears white florals a lot better than me, so no surprises here, except for the fact we both like Rubj, just for different reasons.

All three Vero Profumo's creations (Kiki and Onda are the other ones) are in parfum concentration, strong and extremely long lasting. The sillage will not clear the room as long as it's sanely applied. Can this be worn by a man? Yes. See Nathan's review below.

More reviews of Rubj can be found here:
Tom for Perfume Smellin' things
Nathan Branch
Perfume Shrine
Legerdenez
SakeCat
Perfume Posse
Vetivresse

And in The Guide, Luca Turin smells rose in Rubj. I have no idea what he's talking about, but if any of you got a rose, please say so and I'll try harder...

Rubj ($185 for 7.5 ml, as well as Kiki and Onda) is available in the US from Luckyscent. It can also be purchased directly from Vero's web site, where there's also an excellent sample set of all three.

art: A White Day by Victoria Montesinos.

Uplift- Kiki by Vero Kern (and a giveaway)

During the wonderful dinner at the restaurant that is fast becoming my favorite eatery in Manhattan, Broadway East, the conversation turned to things we do to cope with stress and improve our outlook. A couple of my friends are outdoorsy and look to nature for inspiration. Another is into zen and likes reading about Eastern philosophy. I don't do spiritual. At least not in the traditional sense of the word. Corrupted by earthy, sensual pleasures, I go for the bottle. The perfume bottle, that is. I'm not really comparing, but it's simply one of my greatest joys, and the right scent not only makes my day, but also changes the way I feel about things.

Kiki by Swiss perfumer Vero Kern (creator of the irreplaceable Onda) is among the happiest things you can find in a bottle. In theory, the mix of notes should never have worked: lavender, caramel and exotic fruit sound like a nightmare brought by those who unleashed Angel upon us and cast the cruel spell that made women all over the globe believe they smell "yummy", while most of us gasp for air as they leave their unmistakable sillage around us.

But Kiki is a winner.

Maybe because it's Paris in a bottle. Lavender is a very French thing. Little embroidered sachets hidden in drawers housing exquisite lingerie. Expensive laundry detergents. Cool and crisp linens. White sheets on a fluffy hotel bed in a room with a very Parisian view, the smell from a nearby pastry shop wafting in through the window.

The exotic fruit note is not what you think. It's more of a subtle candied element, just as the caramel is more praline than fudge. It makes me think of lavender-infused milk chocolate, there's no chocolate note, and the perfume is only marginally sweet. It's just heavenly like that.

Not everyone enjoys lavender, and if this herb normally makes you think of your great aunt Tilly and her moldy purse, then you may skip it. Gourmand notes haters are not as easily excused. This might be the one to change your mind about them. Or at least make you crave this.

Thanks to Vero's generosity, I have a sample to give away. If you're interested, please say so in a comment. I'll announce the winner next Monday.

Vero Kern's perfumes are only available from her web site. All of them come as extrait de parfum, the highest concentration, and have an impressive staying power. You can purchase a sample set of all three scents (a review of Rubj is coming soon), which is how I first fell in love with them.

Image: Lavender's Sway by Fawn McNeill Barr from EBSQ Gallery.

The Greatest Romance- Onda by Vero Kern

The first time I wore Onda by Swiss perfumer Vero Kern was on a rainy winter day. The streets were grey, damp and miserable. The wind was fierce, but not in a Christian Siriano way. It cut through my clothes, under my shawl , blowing my hair in all directions. But what I remember most from that day is feeling beautiful. And much taller than my 5'3" self.

People in the know (like Helg of Perfume Shrine) compare Onda to one of the biggest perfume legends of all time, Guerlain Djedi. I've never sniffed this 1926 masterpiece, but I'll take Helg's word for it. Onda definitely smells and feels like a creation from a beautiful, romantic, bygone era. It is utterly luxurious, rich and very complex.

This scent, with its smoky opening, leathery notes and vetiver-gone-wild earthiness is wonderfully different than anything else I own. It's unlike perfumes one would come across on the market, and I suspect that there's no chance it can be a commercial success outside the realms of niche scents. This is the opposite of everything "fresh" and "light", and would encounter a thoroughly disgusted look from both your teenager niece who wears Pink Sugar and from your mother who associates this kind of scent with the "old ladies" she remembers from her own childhood in the 40s or 50s.

Let's ignore them.

Onda is Greta Garbo, Norma Shearer, Paulette Godard and Ingrid Bergman. Beautiful, dramatic and romantic. It's smoky and leathery enough that I'm curious to know how it would work on a man. It's almost dirty, but not quite. It's strong, the spiced up vetiver lasts and lasts, but since it's a very concentrated extrait de parfum, the sillage wouldn't precede you. But make no mistakes: those close enough would smell it. Hopefully, they have what it takes to thoroughly enjoy it.

You can purchase samples the same way I did: directly from Vero's web site, $20 for a sample kit of all three of her scents, and almost as much in postage, if you live in the US. Full bottles are also available, the price is on the very high side of things and completely justified and worth it in my opinion. It takes a while to ship, as my husband discovered the hard way, so figure in about two and a half weeks, especially if you're buying it as a present.

Image: IMDB