{Motif Olfactif // Vetu De Vert, Nectar Boise, Huaka’i, Makai // See Below}
Talk about a house with a realized brand. I always knew Motif Olfactif was high on my list of brands to try, especially considering it’s a black-owned brand! Each scent appears to be crafted with a distinct story in mind, indeed bringing to mind the idea of a motif. I’m also extremely grateful that the sample sizes are quite generous, allowing one to have ample time to get to know a fragrance.
Vetu De Vert (6/10)
This scent isn’t for me. In fact, I happen to believe it’s for natural history museums. What on earth do I mean by that? You see, this scent is just so green, so teeming with the scents of the rich, black soil of a jungle understory that I can’t imagine it being anywhere else than in some sort of exhibit on jungle growth patterns, native animals, or similar. So strong is the scent of dark green undergrowth that this scent is divorced from the concept of humans wearing it, and instead moves into the idea of becoming an ambient scent environment.
Nectar Boise (8/10)
Eau de buttery gingersnap cookie, anyone? Though lightly indolic to my nose, there is an unmistakable gourmand flair to Nectar Boise. This is a warm, balsamic vanilla scent, with a nice undercurrent of spice. Nectar Boise screams North American Winter to me, and would be well suited for coziness of all varieties.
Makai (6.5/10)
Makai smells a bit like fruit punch on steroids to me. Don’t get me wrong. To many, this type of mixture would be quite evocative of the tropics. But, apart from mixed feelings on non-Native Hawaiians utilizing Hawaiian names/themes for products, I find it a bit hard to believe that this relatively generic scent is truly evocative of being in Makai. In fact, the most apparent disappointment in this scent is that it does not smell much of green mango.
Huaka’i (6/10)
For some reason I cannot for the life of me divorce this scent from the smell of burning ear candles. Yes, this is a niche reference, but the smell of burning beeswax and linen is unmistakable to me here. I recognize there is a wealth of expensive woods in this scent, but once you go wax, you never go back… What a blast from the past.