New Perfume Review: House of Kerosene Unforsaken + Luminescent Dessert Draw

JOHN PEGG KEROSENE EATING FLOWERS

John Pegg and his industrial edged scents at Kerosene are huge favourites of mine; each new release sees new facets and an evolution in John’s inventive self-taught olfactory journey. I wrote last year on his quite beautiful Dirty Flower Factory, a piercing scent of oil-stained longing set against a backdrop of darkened neon-flickered rooms and exhausted blue collar love. I loved it and wore it to death in the depths of winter, a talisman against the bitter granite cold of Edinburgh’s winter. Since then John got married (BIG BELATED CONGRATS BTW JOHN!) and released a limited edition of his wedding scent called Kindred, a blushing elixir of woods, cardamom, ginger and musk.

UNFORSAKEN HOUSE OF KEROSENE

John is a busy boy. Now we have something new for spring 2015, a scrumptious trembling gourmand called Unforsaken. (John just has the best of names… ). He has played with gourmand notes before and does them with wit and imagination. Unknown Pleasures is a delicious mix of earl grey tea, lemon and ice cream cone on an unpredictable British summer’s day. And 2014’s Black Vines was a fabulous rendition of curly, chewy liquorice. There are always startling moments of olfactory realism in Kerosene perfumes, it is something I like in John’s work. As you smell the various stages, images suddenly leap out, coalesce and fade into fumy knocked back storytelling. It’s a gift he has for assembly, working hard from his early experimental days, placing notes and effects together to create landscapes, memories and desires that communicate his uniquely realistic view of life and his place in it.

 

Unforsaken. ..Not forgotten... It is a singular moniker for a sweet heady gourmand, one that toys with the tropical hurrah of coconut and douses it in the amber juices of tangerine, a superbly rendered clementine note and yuzu. The name suggests a touch of desolation and alone time, something difficult to reconcile with rather joyous rush that the notes flourish on skin. But I’ll go with it. I love the blast of orange blossom, hinting of beaches and tanning lotions, the benzyl salicylate a gorgeous evocation of Ambre Solaire lying tucked in behind the fruity dessert ensemble.

CORDON BLEU COOKERY COURSE

In fact the more I wore it, the more my mind wandered through a set of Cordon Bleu Cookery Course magazines my mother had from the 70s, neon-bright with cocktail catering and garish sauces, time-consuming masterpieces and culinary savoir faire to stun husbands and neighbours into submission. The sharp, luminescent desserts always fascinated me, sculpted creams, frozen waves, elaborate piped crennelations and camp showcase frou frou concoctions. As a child growing up in ex-pat communities at this time I saw (and consumed..) my fair share of this elaborate richesse. Unforsaken reminds me of this excessive, glowing stuff, excessive laden bowls and culinary experimentation. It is marmalade glass coupes of barely set creamy quivering vanilla custard decorated with plump slices of oozing clementine and tangerine, the juice staining the seed-speckled cream. The dessert is topped off with freshly grated wet coconut and the kitschy addition of casually tossed hundreds and thousands, the shocking rainbow colours bleeding slowing into fruit and custard.

 orange cream custard

I know this makes odd and perversely sweet reading, but this is how Unforsaken unfolds on my skin. It’s quite the piece of olfactory theatre. The massive whoosh of juice and tropical blast in the top slides rather beautifully into the smooth and comforting jasmine-tinted vanillic arena of the base. There is the slightest hint of ginger used to offset any potential overspill into sugarmania; it just cuts carefully and astringently through the milky coconut while somehow still complementing the gustatory balance of the composition. The final stages are very soft, lacteal and a little powdery as the musks and benzoin open sleepy eyes. I like the fact the ambrosial charm of the opening coconut/citrus accord does not fade entirely but lingers like gentle sun on tired skin. John Pegg has excelled himself with the gathering of his gourmand palette for Unforsaken; with each scent he seems to improve elements of his technique, here the use of tropical motifs over defiantly robust citrus and big vanilla elements is beautifully handled. It has taken me a number of arguably confrontational wearings to really love this juicy oddity, but I will be adding it to my collection and wearing it to exhaustion come summer. The coconut is calling.

Disclosure – Sample of Unforsaken kindly supplied by John Pegg at Kerosene.

The Silver Fox, Editor and author of The Silver Fox

Thanks to John Pegg we have a USA only draw for all ten of fragrances in the line including Unforsaken. To be eligible, please leave a comment with what intrigued you most about TSF review and your favorite Kerosene perfume Draw closes February 20, 2015

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30 comments

  • I loved the descriptions of the creme desserts. My Mother was renowned for her Jello salads. Copper Skies was my first Kerosene, and still a favorite.

  • I’m not eligible but want to say I enjoy the sampler I won half a year ago immensely. Very much in love with Pretty Machine. Thank you!

  • TSF’s luscious description of that dessert had me salivating! I haven’t had a chance to try any Kerosene scents yet, which is why I’d love to win the sampler. I’m in the US; thanks for the draw.

  • Mmm… that review has me salivating! I haven’t tried any Kerosene fragrances but I’ve heard great things. Thanks for the draw; I am in the US.

  • My favorite Kerosene fragrance is Unknown Pleasures – I’ve only tried a couple of them. I would LOVE to win a sampler – there are so many that I’d like to try! I love the review – it really speaks to what the fragrance must be as it wears on your skin. I can almost smell it as I read. Thanks for the draw! I’m in the US.

  • this fragrance is exciting because John plays with both gourmand and citrus elements in this. As TSF points out John has done gourmand stuff before but I dont remember any citrus elements on John’s creations before. my favorite is Copper Skies. Thanks for the lovely draw. I am in the US

  • Oh, the coconut/citrus combination sounds amazing during this cold dreary February… Thanks for the great review and the awesome draw! I’m in the USA.

  • Usually I’m not a huge fan of gourmands, but earl grey, lemon and ice cream? That actually sounds amazing! This could be my kind of gourmand. Sadly I’ve yet to try any Kerosene fragrances but I’ve read about several and they sound really intriguing and unique. Thanks for the draw, I’m in the US!

  • I have not tried any Kerosene fragrances yet, but simply said;
    “The coconut is calling” to me! I love TSF reviews!
    I live in the US. Thanks!

  • The way you describe this is simply delicious, and I compltely agree with the descriptions of Unknown Pleasures (my favorite Kerosene) and Black Vines. I’m in the US.

  • The best part to imagine is the vanilla/citrus and the coconut calling.
    My favorite is still Unknown Pleasures. 🙂 US

  • I mix roud elements and copper skies. I Get compliments every time I wear them. They also last all day.

  • I cannot wait to smell the new creation of Kerosene-Unforsaken since my favorite smells are beach and suntan lotion. My continued favorite of John’s creations have been Whips and Roses which the name lends itself to the true testament of leather entwined on the rose bush with a beautiful introduction to its complexities including musk which has always been a favorite.

  • I’m always intrigued by John’s olfactory visions, he has a unique take on perfumery. I’d love to win a sampler of his scents, having only tried Black Vines so far. I’m in the US and thanks for the generous draw!

  • Most intrigued by the description of Kindred, John’s wedding scent which is the only Kerosene besides Black Vines that I have not tried.
    Copper Skies remains my favorite! I am in the US.

  • I remember sniffing Copper Skies and loving it, adding it to the “To Buy” list that is much more of a wish list in all honesty. I would love a crack at the sampler and live in the US. Great evocative review!!

  • Wow you make this sound amazing! Maybe it is because of the chilly fog in San Francisco today, but I have been craving warm, comforting scents. The coconut and orange blossom that hints of warm beaches sounds so appealing to me. I haven’t tried any of Kerosenes yet, but I will be looking out for them in the future. Thanks! I’m in the US.

  • I love coconut scented perfumes for the summer, and this one sounds like it has an intriguingly different spin on the genre. I also would love to try Unknown Pleasures, mentioned in the review as well. Anything Earl Grey gets my attention.
    USA. Thanks for the draw!

  • Milky coconut totally called out to me, as did the benzoin. Who wouldn’t want a a scrumptious trembling gourmand fragrance?

  • Gentle sun on tired skin? Sounds like just what the doctor ordered. I am in the USA and I have not yet tried anything from kerosene.

  • I would love to try this scent.
    Who wouldn’t want to try ‘tropical motifs and robust citrus?
    I live in the U.S.
    Thanks.

  • I am usually weary of gourmands (although some of my favorite fragrances fall under that umbrella), but this one sounds like it might be worthy of consideration to fall within the parentheses read earlier in this sentence. 😉

    TSF’s reviews are always great to read, and this one has left me hungry. 🙁

    Thanks for the draw. I’m in the US.

  • Who wouldn’t want to try a “scrumptious trembling gourmand”? The coconut citrus vanilla combination sounds wonderful! I have not had the chance to try any of the Kerosene Perfume line yet. In the US. Thanks for the draw!

  • My favorite is Black Vines. Unforsaken sounds really intriguing,
    I am in the US; thanks for the generous draw.

  • “The more you wear it, the more it smells like Cordon Bleu Cookeey classes? “Lol I have never smelled any of Kerosene’s fragrances. This hew one sounds divine. I’m in the US

  • I haven’t yet tried any of the Kerosene perfumes, but they all sound interesting, and he has a knack for choosing intriguing names. Unforsaken sounds like a worthy addition to the line, combining a plethora of appealing gourmand notes yet without “any potential overspill into sugarmania.” I’m in the US.

  • A very belated Mazel Tov to John Pegg!
    Kindred sounds so amazing…like all the notes I love hanging out together.
    But the tropical sunny warmth of Unforsaken sounds so uplifting during the winter. Like landing on Tatooine after being grounded on Hoth for a while. Take me away, please!
    Also I love delicious, edible fragrances as a way to indulge my sweet tooth that’s easy on my teeth.
    USA
    Haven’t tried any yet but hopefully soon. Thank you for the reviews and draw!

  • Cynthia Richardson says:

    I was intrigued by TSF’s review of this “piece of olfactory theatre” and his conclusion that he loved Unforsaken after “a number of arguably confrontational wearings’. I have not yet had the pleasure of wearing a Kerosene perfume.

  • I’ve not yet tried any Kerosene fragrances, but Unforsaken sounds like a gorgeous gourmand. I’d love the chance to win! Thanks, I’m in the US.