Sit On It, Citronella [a review of CBIHP 610 Outside]

There are, for all of us, a small handful of creative visionaries that we quietly revere for a multitude of reasons. For example, I have a photo of Haider Ackermann with Tilda Swinton as my computer wallpaper. I have a little surge of inspiration every time I see it. Christopher Brosius is also part of my elite special forces. His is not the loudest voice in perfumery, and certainly not on the flashy tip. He does, however hold what might be the most enviable of all descriptives, simply because it cannot be bought, won or inherited: authenticity. His work is filled with the sort of good humor that does not aim to alienate. The inside joke is that there's no inside joke.

CB's latest is a limited edition scent called 610 Outside-- it's a perfume that does double duty as an insect repellant. I jumped at the chance to try it. It's fresh, aromatic and sharp right after application, then mellows to a more shadowy, slightly saltier version of itself. The layers of herbs, citrus and resins begin to warm and bleed into the aether and they really harmonize to create the beautiful fougere that it is.

Outside also contains a particularly round sort of lavender (the likes of which my nose hasn't sniffed since the fruit and lavender explosion that is Vero Kern's Kiki). This is indeed a true fougere, but you'll not have an arid, dusty tinderbox on your hands. This is an impossibly lush fougere, while remaining  relatively subtle from start to end. You will probably have a hard time believing that bugs would even give it the side-eye. Truth be told, I never would have known had I not heard it first. I feel I can safely recommend this to anyone with a pulse, including: humans-- male or female, children, dogs and cats, and not even need to mention that it moonlights as a bona-fide bug repellant. But I'll say this-- I may not have spent too much time camping in the past.. uh... decade (I used to love primitive camping trips back in the day), but a childhood spent in a perpetual cloud of DEET is not easily forgotten. I'll be buying some of this to wear inside.

610 Outside is one of those fragrances that erases the need for any distinction between naturals and aromachemicals. Whether you're a country or a city mouse, I think you'll find that it just smells damned good, and that's what it's all about.

[Worth mentioning: the kitten who is the newest member of my family is named CB-- but was not initially meant as an homage to Christopher Brosius or American indie perfumery in general, (it actually stands for the Prince song Computer Blue), but I like to think of it that way now. She's Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde, anyway... multi-faceted just like the rest of us.]

610 Outside is available in two forms, which you will already be familiar with if you are a CBIHP fan: perfume absolute and water perfume. It is available at I Hate Perfume online, and while you're there, Mr. Brosius is in a bit of a pickle (read: time-sensitive crisis) and is offering some tasty benefactor packages for donations so he can get the store moved as quickly as possible. Visit their newly redesigned website and read more about that HERE.

[sample sent by company for my consideration]