By Tara
4160 Tuesdays is the quirky independent perfume house of Sarah McCartney, who makes all the fragrances by hand at her studio in west London.
“The name: if we live until we’re 80, we have 4160 Tuesdays.
That’s all. Let’s not waste them.
On a Tuesday, do something different. At the moment, we’re using ours to make perfume.”
Sarah’s scents tend to be as whimsical as their names, which include Invisible Ben, Tart’s Knicker Drawer and The Sexiest Scent on the Planet. Ever. (IMHO).
I particularly liked the sound of Doe in the Snow because it’s a retro fragrance inspired by the fruity chypres of the 1960s and 70s. A time when many of these kind of perfumes had a laid-back, throwaway chic.
Launched this year, Doe in the Snow has top notes of grapefruit, cedrat, yuzu, peach aldehyde, snow; heart notes of cedarwood, rose, jasmine, oak; base notes of opoponax, oakmoss, leather and green tea absolute.
The icy citrus in the opening burst of fizz gives the initial stage an enlivening feeling, like stepping out first thing into a freshly snow covered landscape. You look at familiar surroundings with new eyes. Your senses seem extra sharp as the white blanket makes everything quiet and bright.
The florals in the heart are smooth, silky and pleasantly sweet. In the drydown the snow has melted on a patch of ground and we get a slightly earthy, mossy base.
The lovely vintage feel is sustained from beginning to end.
Although it has a snow white theme, for some reason I keep visualising it as green. I can only think this is a result of the combination of the tart citrus, oakmoss and green tea.
The frosty covering gives Doe in the Snow a clever twist. It has a crisp, crystallised quality. Think “Diorella on Ice” or even “Sous le Vent on a Snowball”.
Despite feeling like “Citrus fruits, flowers and woods, stirred with an icicle” as Sarah so nicely puts it, Doe in the Snow doesn’t feel cold and uncomfortable. You’re walking into the Big Freeze but the serenity of the scene insulates you from the chill.
Doe in the Snow is elegant as chypres usually are, but what’s good about it is that it’s so relaxed and easy to wear. It doesn’t have the stand-offish nature of some in the genre. There’s no lofty attitude.
It does indeed have gentle doe eyes rather than a steely stare.
Photo via blog restivo
So although Doe in the Snow was created for a bride on her winter wedding day, you don’t need a special occasion to wear it. It would add a dash of class no matter what clothes you had on. In much the same way a slick of red lipstick can pull together any outfit.
I think it would be fun to wear Doe in the Snow on Christmas Day. A special time of year, but one many of us spend a large amount of lounging around in our pyjamas.
Did you try 4160 Tuesdays? Any favorites?
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