Slumberhouse Pt.2 (Newcomers and Old Goodies)

Norne

So, where to start from? Here: The juice is really pitch black. If you're familiar with Black Tourmaline, you'll probably know what I mean but Norne is even more black (if this makes any sense) and much more dense...just like ink. You should better avoid applying it on clothes...

To those of you who already have some familiarity with other compositions by Slumberhouse, Norne shows all of the house's hallmarks: bold structure, powerful smell, dark atmosphere, strong herbal quality and, most of all, the usual spicy, sort of medicinal/camphoraceous/resiny vibe (maybe some clove as well?).

Norne opens sort of smoky/sweet and immediately brings to mind of Black Tourmaline but whereas many of the previous releases by this house kept this vibe throughout, Norne pushes on the accelerator by introducing a strong and dry herbal/woody quality supported by a monolitic dose of coniferous notes and frankincense. In this phase I can't help myself from thinking about a sort of Fille En Aiguilles devoided of the dry fruits and with the addition of a subtle raunchy/mouldy feel. On skin, Norne shows a perfect balance bewteen sweetness and the dark-resinous facet while on paper it results much more sweeter (skin test mandatory).

Overall Norne is pretty interesting if you're into the aforementioned fragrances and, after testing quite a few compositions by this house I can honestly say that this guy has his own, unmistakeble style. By any means Slumberhouse-ish.

Be careful, Norne projects for yards during the first two hrs.

Side note: If you'll happen to like Norne, I strongly recommend you to give a chance to the whole O'Driù line.

Rating: 7/10

Rume

Rume striked me as very Lutens-like. A full bodied composition where a strong resinous presence (myrrh and labdanum) is joined by clove and bay. Somewhere between Serge Noir and Fille En Aiguilles. It has an overall burnt-sugary, sort of roasted, vibe. It's spicy and slightly (slightly) medicinal. The myrrh remarks its presence with pungent accents while a honeyed note adds even more density.

Rating: 7/10

Kere

Immortelle minus the curry. This is a pretty nice concoction of liqorice, honeysuckle and hay that dafeinitely brings to mind of Immortelle. The point of strength of this composition is that while many fragrances listing Helichrysum among their notes tend to smell like curry, [B]Kere[/B] is completely devoided of this aspect enhancing its anisic/liqorice-like undertone and pairing it with a caramel/praline note in the base. Aldehydes and fruity undertones add a necessary balance saving the fragrance from heavyness or from becoming overly sweet.

Not my type of stuff but can do great on the Lolita Lempicka / Eau Noire axis.



Rating: 7/10

Flou

Flou is all about a tremendously realistic grape and honey. It's a sweet, multicoloured concoction that brings Slumberhouse to a more feminine territory. The fragrance is light-hearted, kinda spring/summery and to the usual artisanship quality, it shows a slightly bizarre, sort of chemical vibe that brings to mind of some of the funniest compositions by Lush or Demeter. Somewhere between a bubblegum and potpourri. Personally, I'm not very fond of this type of fragrances but if you're in the mood for a fruity-feminine, Flou could definitely be a nice option.

The vial of Flou I'm reviewing is an oil but, appearantly, Slumberhouse have been asked for an alchool based version (due to be released in spring 2012). The new Flou has been slightly modified. The grape have been toned down while a consistent dose of florals should enhance the overall summery vibe.

Rating: 6.5/10