Une Envie de Sel

I can't really list this post in my "favorite things" category, since this is a product I have not yet tried. So I'll have to designate it among "intriguing things", which it most certainly is!

One of my blog readers tipped me off to the WienerBlut (translates as "Vienna blood") brand of scents created by her brother.

I looked it up and was instantly intrigued. The website has the feel of a multimedia installation you might find at a contemporary art museum. The eerie, whispery soundtrack with undertones of ghosts from a bygone era. The scratchy arthouse visuals that smack of old projectors and musty rooms. Clearly not your typical perfume company. There's something edgy and extremely contemporary here, a departure. Again, I have not smelled these scents myself, but you can read about them here and here. WienerBlut founder Alexander Lauber based his scents on the 19th century tradition of handkerchief perfumes. They are handmade in Vienna. Klubwasser, his first (unisex) scent, employs essences of oakmoss, hay, cumin and coriander.

Now, I've mentioned before that I'm picky about scents. I have a strong aversion to nearly all traditionally feminine scents, and I usually resort to either men's scents or very clean, woodsy unisex scents (my old standby being Hermés Eau d'Orange Vert). So I am attracted to the elements of this scent. Hay, oakmoss, and spices...these are things I can get behind. Because, quite frankly, things like rosewater, vanilla and (heaven forbid) gardenia make me gag.


Now, here's the catch: WienerBlut's first scent, Klubwasser, is at present only available at Collette in Paris, Breathe in Berlin, and Campomarzio70 in Rome.

So, uhm....anyone tried it yet? I'm dying to know what you think!