LUSH's
new Gorilla Perfumes collection whisks Lushies away to new and exciting places with nine dynamic, innovative scents inspired by the British countryside, as well as its heritage, music, emotions, and literary figures. Each fragrance evokes a distinct image of the story behind it--many rooted in folklore.
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| The setup at LUSH Robson in Vancouver |
Furze is inspired by a British flowering plant of the same name that blooms even in winter. This plant is believed to have the power to protect a home from curses and if made into a broom, "sweeps away" evil influences. This perfume features coconut and vanilla for a warm scent.
A tale of an English hillfort, haunted by Romans and sunken into the sea, inspired
Flower's Barrow. Sage, thyme, geranium, and blackcurrant are used to capture the spirit of this ancient fort. This is probably the closest to a "floral" in the collection, but it's a very, very earthy floral.
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| Euphoria |
As its name suggests,
Euphoria is co-founder/perfumer Mark Constantine's attempt to capture the rush of euphoria that can lift and invigorate a heavy heart. This perfume draws its cheerful fragrance from clary sage, grapefruit, lime, and neroli.
The Sun is inspired by Mark's roadtrip to Cape May, New Jersey, while listening to Simon and Garfunkel's "America". This is intended to be summer and sunshine in a bottle, with notes of orange, tangerine, mimosa, and sandalwood. It is similar to Euphoria due to the citrus notes, but Euphoria is greener. This was my favourite of the bunch for its citrusy brightness; on my skin it smelled a bit like orange juice (and not in a bad way).
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| Sikkim Girls |
Sikkim Girls is inspired by a certain anecdote that takes place in Darjeeling: a cafe owner warns a visiting musician to stay away from the "dangerous Sikkim Girls" who had previously seduced his son-in-law with the sensual sway of their bodies, all while covered head-to-toe. The seductive yet subtle image of the Sikkim Girls is reproduced with frangipani, vanilla, and tuberose.
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| The Voice of Reason |
Picture a hip basement coffee shop where the smell of cigarettes and the words of beat poetry are heavy in the air, and you have
The Voice of Reason. The main notes are French Gitane cigarettes, espresso, sandalwood, and tonka bean. Of all the scents, this one reads the most traditionally masculine to me because of the strong tobacco smoke smell.
Devil's Nightcap is inspired by a legend of the Devil throwing a stone across the sea in an attempt to hit a British castle. The stone, once believed to have Druidic properties, is now a mysterious standing stone in the town of Studland. Oak moss, clary sage, and ylang ylang are used to recreate the magic and mystery of this story.
Hellstone is the name of an ancient standing stone used as a burial ground 4,000 years ago, once believed to have been flung by the Devil (he seems to do this a lot). This perfume uses vetiver, cumin, and beeswax to evoke the image of unearthed roots and freshly turned earth, but also has something fiery and devilish to it.
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| Sikkim Girls / The Bug |
Inspired by music and the "paranoia of the modern age",
The Bug was created as a "protest perfume" to a society full of surveillance cameras, secret police, and anonymous hackers (the book
1984 came to mind, personally). The notes of sandalwood, tonka, galbanum, and black pepper are intended to create a disjointed scent. If you understand this then it makes total sense, because this is indeed a very jarring fragrance, especially upon first smelling it.
If you are in the UK, you also have access to the exclusives
Lord of Goathorn (seaweed, lime, basil) perfume,
Jasmine Revolution (jasmine, ylang ylang) incense, and
Lavender Hill Mob (lavender, tonka, sandalwood) incense.
All perfumes are available in six different bottles, ranging from a 0.3 oz baby bottle to a much larger 3.1 oz. Only the 0.8 oz bottle comes with a dropper; the others have a simple screw cap, so for these bottles you'll need to press a finger over the open mouth, upturn the bottle quickly once, and then dab the perfume on your pulse points. Price ranges widely between the perfumes: The Sun, Euphoria, and Furze are among the most affordable at $14.95 for 0.3 oz and $44.95-$55.95 for 3.1 oz, while The Voice of Reason is most expensive at $24.95-$174.95.
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You may know LUSH Gorilla Perfumes by fan favourites such as Dirty, Lust, and Breath of God, but this second collection is totally different. I find the first collection (now referred to as the "Greatest Hits") pretty straightforward scent-wise, while the new collection features more layers of fragrance and tend towards an earthy feel. If you are used to mainstream/mass market fragrance, the new Gorilla Perfumes will come as a total surprise and may take some getting used to. I loved the backstories to each one (especially those inspired by legends) and they are definitely interesting and very unique scents, but I can't say that any of these perfumes will be replacing my mainstream fragrances; the ones I tried on didn't play as nice with my skin chemistry as I would have hoped. That being said, I know some people will love the originality and authenticity; the new Gorilla Perfumes have already gotten some love from notable noses such as Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez of
Perfumes: The A-Z Guide.
The new Gorilla Perfumes are available online and in 10 select LUSH stores in North America, including Vancouver's Robson location. Fragrance is a super personal thing to try because of the way it develops on your skin, so it's a bit unfortunate that there aren't more LUSH shops carrying it. Maybe if the line does well, it will get expanded to other locations, though.
Which story captivated you the most? Which scent are you most intrigued by?
