Hedonist (Viktoria Minya 2013)

"Let us have wine and women, mirth and laughter, sermons and soda-water the day after" Lord Byron

Advertisment has diseducated us since decades promising that a perfume, it doesn't matter which one will throw others to our feet. So the lost pleasure for perfume has been replaced by something else. That's why the first step to understand perfumes is rediscovering scents are above all a private pleasure. Two sprays of the right juice are far more than the final touch making you feel clean before going out, they're a bliss teasing senses, memory and fantasy all day long. "Let us have perfume, mirth and laughter, marketing sermons and shampoos the day after" would insist Lord Byron to have what I'm wearing these evenings with great satisfaction, the debut fragrances of a new line: Hedonist by Viktoria Minya.

I discovered Viktoria, a beautiful hungarian woman now living in Paris, thanks to the tempting review at Mais que perfume. Hedonist is simply exquisite, contemporary yet so full of classic quotes that only who possesses historic knowledge, good technique and refined taste could create it. Taking advantage of her great communication, I was so curious I asked Viktoria about her training.

"I studied the art of perfumery in the Grasse Institute of Perfumery (GIP), I believe it is one of the most technical trainings existing, due to the field experience related to its location in the heart of the capital of perfumery of the world. Thanks to the wonderful staff at the academy, we got to know hundreds of synthetic and natural raw materials; we acquired the tricks of the trade of formulation (mostly concentrated on fine perfumery, but we learned how to create perfume concentrates for functional products as well, i.e. candles, shampoos, etc.) We had courses on the current regulations concerning cosmetics and even on prevailing perfumery trends. After I had graduated with honors from GIP, I had the chance to work for various perfume creation companies in the region, and while I have enjoyed every minute of it and I am very thankful for my mentors, I felt that my creativity is bounded by price contraints, therefore I created Parfums Viktoria Minya".



Still life with peaches - Giovanni Ambrogio Figino (1548-1608)

Hedonist opens with luminous bergamot and a dash of highly diffusive CO2 extracted rhum absolute introducing a winning honeyed shade across acacia, hawthorn and linded that wraps the orange blossom accord reminescent of the most Noir of Carons. Tightly sewed in classic style, the heart notes picture a white peach in changing shades, from the candid yet sensual one of jasmin or the pulpy osmanthus suede to the more intense and troubling strokes of tobacco. It's a peach made to be seen, smelled and touched before biting it. The tactile sensation of silkness is so heady to be addictive and reminded me of the luscious forbidden fruit from Rosine. I can't imagine how intoxicating it could be in extrait de parfum but who knows if Viktoria hasn't yet started working on it.
Hedonist has such a wide evolution that's not easy to classify it. Of course fruity-floral and more feminine colours rule but afted a few hours clearly appears on skin the intriguing depth of a solid woody base with haitian vetiver, virginian cedarwood and indonesian patchouli that I'm sure will thrill dandies who proudly wear the ipnotic fruity woods like Feminité du Bois.