Vero Kern is a much admired woman in Perfumeland. Many of us not only revere her creations – Vero Profumo – but also the woman herself. She is inspiring and exudes a joy for living, a happiness, a positive energy that, paired with her strikingly beautiful appearance and a sharp intellect, makes for a fantastic role model.
You might rightly infer from the paragraph above that I am a fan of Vero, the woman. I am also a fan of her work. Rubj, Kiki and Onda (Oh, Onda..) in extrait and the corresponding Eaux de Parfums are staples in my collection, and eventually I would like to own full bottles of all of them.
So I was very curious about Mito of course. The first new perfume to be released in five years, it was hotly anticipated by the fragrance community.
I was also strangely reluctant to try it though, maybe I didn’t want to be disappointed… And I have to say, I was right, Mito was not love at first sniff. But, as is my custom, I try perfumes again and again, and one evening I took out my Mito sample – and lo and behold: it clicked. I got it. I got it and I fell for it. Totally.
Mito was created by Vero Kern and includes notes of citrus, magnolia grandiflora, white magnolia champaca, jasmine, galbanum, hyacinth, cypress and moss.
When I read the press material for Mito, what struck me most was Vero’s description of the gardens of the Villa d’Este in Tivoli, her inspiration for the perfume. She talked about the fountains, the cool water breaking into thousands of tiny mirrorlike drops that shine in the sunlight filtered through green leaves and white flowers.
That is how Mito opens – a burst of fresh citrus sparkling, alive, radiant and cool. Later the white floral aspect gains steam and on an evergreen bed of moss and galbanum the flowers bloom. A green, floral chypre, never sweet, never dry, it strikes a cool balance that evokes elegance and refinement. I am reminded a bit of Chanel’s Cristalle.
Mito evokes a place removed from time, outside of time, a haven, a secluded realm that is eternal, timeless, peaceful. Mito takes you into fairyland, where you are prone to forget time, forget your worries, forget your everyday, tired self.
Let Vero be your fairy godmother, who leads you to a place of stillness and serene beauty, a place to recharge. Be suspended in time, see your worries disperse in the clear air, like the tiny, glittering drops of water from the fountains, only to find yourself whole again in the reflection on the water.
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Lovely review! Just as you did, I fell so very hard for Mito’s – and Vero’s! – innumerable charms! 🙂
Thank you, Sheila!
Vero is incredible and so is Mito, I cherish both. 🙂
Oh, this does sound refreshing for summer with its balance of citrus and floral aspects. Is it also anything like OJ Tiare or Estee Lauder Jasmine White Moss, which Siri had as “Moth”, hehe?
It is very wearable year-round, I believe. Tiaré and Jasmine Moss are certaily in the same vein, but Vero’s perfume smells incredibly rich and nuanced, the raw materials must be first rate.
Nice review… And I’ve never heard of this brand.
Oh you should try Vero Profumo, a truly amazing line!
do they offer samples for sale? This line is not carried here.
First in Fragrance sells samples of Vero Profumo. You could also email Campomarzio70, they sell them too.
Thanks I might do that one day, as for now I decided not to buy samples in a few months. I need to deal with those I currently own.
That is a very wise thing to do. My unsniffed samples box is overflowing… 🙂
Many people from Basenotes or other bloggers offer to send me something and I happily accept If I don’t know something. So there are many to try, some will be love some will be hate, I keep those I like and swap those I don’t. We can swap one day too 🙂
Or even write guest articles for each other if we felt like doing so 😉
I was lucky enough to win a sample of Mito earlier in the year, before the name or the notes were announced. We were asked to send back our thoughts. This was such a lovely idea and an act that engaged the perfume community and encouraged discussion of the perfume – so a lovely idea and very clever marketing – mark me down as impressed.
I loved Mito (not Onda-extrait-obseesive-loved, but loved), it takes me to a very specific moment in my past in the dappled shade of a lemon grove in Italy, sigh. What a lovely review and what a nice way to start my morning – thank you!
Great to hear that you know it already, Alex. It’s uplifting and calming at the same time – all I need. 😉
Mito is indeed very lovely. I love how, after that explosion of energy and happiness at the beginning, it becomes so calming and reassuring. It was a fitting companion to the opera as well as to a funeral. I’m eagerly awaiting the release – and can you imagine the (rumored) extrait? 🙂
Exactly, it is elegant and a perfect companion in all kinds of situations.
Oh, don’t talk about an extrait, it would be heavenly. I just can’t afford them though, as much as I would like to. 😦
Oh, and forgot to add: Sofo’s illustrations are wonderful!
I agree, so funny and fitting!
Vero is indeed a lovely lady, I was lucky enough to receive a sample of this one and like you I didn’t get in on first sniff, it is residing in my sample box and I really should give it another try as Rubj and Onda were not immediate loves for me but I now own both of them.
Maybe Vero Profumo are an aquired taste, but once you love them, there is no looking back. 🙂
I adore Mito! Cool and green and strong. If I’d had more than my little sample I’d have worn it nonstop this summer.
I’m very glad I waited a while to get to know it, because now the waiting time is not as long until it comes out. 🙂
Yay! There’s only about one wearing left in my sample–I will definitely be getting decant when it comes out.
-Christy
I fear I will need a bottle, they are so beautiful, I can’t pass up a beautiful bottle. 😉
Ooh, I loved Mito at first sniff! An exquisite addition to Vero’s line. (Although my favorite of hers is still the willful bad-girl Onda, in extrait.) 😀
That doesn’t surprise me. 😉
My favorite is Rubj extrait, but Mito will be worn more often probably. Of Onda extrait (despised by my husband) I only wear a single drop now and again for courage. 😉
It took you so long! Mito is fantastic, it took me by surprise the first time I tired it too – the bitter greenery and intense lemongrass was an attack on the senses, but what a fantastic classic fragrance it is, a standout.
Well, I did have one or the other thing to do in the mean time. 😉
I just did not crave this kind of perfume, my summer was all about seductive white florals, until recently with cooler weather it seemed interesting again and then it was a perfect fit.
The green is a little heavy hitting for the summer your right – tropical florals were all my thing too.
I found it interesting how she decided to scrap her usual passionfruit signature – apparantly she included peach instead which I kind really detect, it still manages to have that industrial vibe I love in her fragrances.
I had to laugh, because our perceptions are so different! 🙂 Industrial vibe???
I find her perfumes very natural. 😉
Oh no I find them extremely natural smelling too – BUT, that passionfruit signature that is most prominent in Onda, then Rubj then Kiki – it’s like a flourescent yellow intensity that comes across as almost nuclear! In Onda, (the EDP I’m talking), blended with the citrus and ginger and sharp honey – well, that’s what makes it so challenging, I find it almost has a similar effect to aldehydes – making everything sharper and brighter.
I prefer the extraits to the EdP’s, so the passionfruit note which only appears in the latter, is a bit hard for me to get used to, especially in Onda EdP.
Vero is working on a Mito extrait, so I’m extremely curious to smell that of course!
Swiss perfumery doesn’t work for me : Andy Tauer, Vero Kern – in fact, I’m allergic to them, they make me sick. Still, I’ll make another try with Mito.
I think you’ll find Mito to be quite different from the others, and a lot easier to wear.
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