• About
  • Login to comment
    • Bluesky
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Now Smell This

a blog about perfume

Menu ▼
  • Perfume Reviews
  • New Perfumes
  • Archives

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Kaleidoscope & Wasabi Shiso ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Jessica on 18 August 2016 10 Comments

Farmers Market

For the past week, we've been coping with a heat wave in my part of the world. Most of my perfumes suddenly felt too smotheringly heavy and sweet, the olfactory equivalent of fluffy sweaters — I couldn't stand to have them anywhere near my skin. There are a few tried-and-trusted exceptions that I turn to every August, of course: 4711, Diptyque L'Ombre dans L'Eau, Clarins Eau des Jardins. This week I also sampled two recent releases from Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, named Kaleidoscope and Wasabi Shiso. Both belong to the house's Eau Fraiche/Eau de Cologne series.

Kaleidoscope is described as "a juicy and swirling, deliciously succulent ‘vegetable gourmand,’ citrus to floral, eau fraiche scent" with notes of neroli, green mandarin, lemon, pink grapefruit, orange flower, lettuce, citrus leaves, white flowers, rose de mai, sambac jasmine, grandiflorum jasmine, pink pepper, orris root, guaicwood, sandalwood and vetiver. The notes blend in ways that become more than the sum of their parts: the pepper and green notes combine to suggest tomato leaves, and the citrus notes are made earthy and complex by the surrounding woods.

To me, Kaleidoscope feels like a walk through a farmers market where freshly picked fruits and vegetables are being sold alongside wildflowers. I wore it to an actual farmers market last weekend, where it was a perfect fit. Since it's an Eau Fraiche, it's light and not long-lasting. That's fine, though, because it seems to cut right through the hot, humid air and provide me with a brief respite. I can always re-apply!

Wasabi Shiso is "an unusual vegetal green and citrus scent in the eau de cologne style with a modern twist of piquant spiciness" with a composition of wasabi, green tea, sandalwood, yuzu, green grass, cucumber, bergamot, coriander, holy basil and absinthe. It is very unusual, and it's another good summer fragrance, thanks to the clever way it captures the hot/cool effect of certain herbs and spices. Just like its namesakes, Wasabi Shiso is sharply aromatic, but its hints of mint and grass balance out its pungency. 

With its very green (almost bitter) citrus notes and its soapy coriander, Wasabi Shiso feels more typically "masculine" than Kaleidoscope. As it evolves, its definitely not a "clean" green-tea scent — it has a smooth and subtle dirty side. It lasts longer on my skin than Kaleidoscope, although it's still definitely a cologne concentration.

While wearing these two scents over the past week, I've been remembering the mid- to late-1990s, when fragrances like Mottura Grass (later part of The Gap's fragrance line) and Demeter's Lettuce and Tomato were new and refreshing alternatives to mainstream perfumery. Although Kaleidoscope and Wasabi Shiso are much more complex, I've enjoyed thinking about the ongoing appeal of fragrances based on sensory experiences that we don't traditionally associate with "perfume." And we have so many more choices nowadays — too many, we might argue, but when options like these exist, I'm happy.

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Kaleidoscope and Wasabi Shiso are sold in a variety of sizes and formats, $6 - $120. For buying information, see the listing for Dawn Spencer Hurwitz under Perfume Houses.

Note: top image is Farmers Market 020 [cropped] by Britt Reints via Wikimedia Commons.

Possibly of interest

4 from Dawn Spencer Hurwitz ~ new fragrances
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Pomegranate Rouge & more ~ new fragrances
4160 Tuesdays Hush Hush, Sora Dora Mallow & Dawn Spencer Hurwitz The Stratosphere ~ fragrance reviews

Filed Under: perfume talk
Tagged With: dawn spencer hurwitz, green

Advertisement


10 Comments

Leave a comment, or read more about commenting at Now Smell This. Here's our privacy policy, and a handy emoticon chart.

  1. mrsdarcy says:
    18 August 2016 at 6:53 pm

    Are there any other “vegetable gourmand” fragrances? It seems worth trying just for the uniqueness!

    Log in to Reply
    • hajusuuri says:
      18 August 2016 at 9:59 pm

      If the iris in OJ Vanille d’Iris was rootier, it would fit the vegetal gourmand. As it is, I find the iris anemic and the vanilla too thin.

      Log in to Reply
    • Jessica says:
      19 August 2016 at 8:16 am

      I’ve never seen that phrase before! It’s definitely a “vegetal” scent…not sure about the gourmand part, at least, not in the traditional sweet sense!

      Log in to Reply
    • Yurpdod says:
      30 August 2016 at 3:45 pm

      I can think of a couple. The Jo Malone fragrance “Carrot Blossom and Fennel” from their Herb Garden collection is a very starchy, carroty fragrance. “Like This” by ELdO is sort of a pumpkin gourmand. And B. Balenciaga has a pretty realistic edamame/green pea note.

      Log in to Reply
  2. hajusuuri says:
    18 August 2016 at 9:36 pm

    I need to place a DSH order soon! These sound interesting!

    Log in to Reply
    • Jessica says:
      19 August 2016 at 8:16 am

      P, they really helped me to cope with some of the recent over-100-degree-heat-index days we’ve been having!

      Log in to Reply
  3. nozknoz says:
    18 August 2016 at 10:25 pm

    DSH has so many interesting fragrances. I’ve tried only a handful, but have bought several: Matahari, Le Smoking, Cimabue, and Scent of Hope. These sound very different, and I’ll try to get samples.

    Log in to Reply
    • Jessica says:
      19 August 2016 at 8:17 am

      Cimabue is gorgeous! I’ve bought mini bottles of a few…Beach Roses is one of my favorites (big surprise). I really appreciate that she offers everything in multiple sizes, from tiny bottles to purse sprays to full-size bottles.

      Log in to Reply
  4. mayfly says:
    19 August 2016 at 6:17 am

    These sound wonderfully weird, I wish DSH was available in the UK, I think the cost of p&p would prove prohibitive to my enjoyment of the perfume alas! Still it’s good to know about talented indie perfumers out there.

    Log in to Reply
    • Jessica says:
      19 August 2016 at 8:18 am

      Aw! I hope you’ll find a way to try some of them eventually, maybe in a swap. Yes, there are some really talented indies out there — and some of them (like DSH and Aroma M) have been doing their thing for a while, so they have lots of knowledge and experience!

      Log in to Reply

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Advertisement

Search

Recent reviews

Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus
Moschino Toy Boy
Arquiste Misfit
Diptyque Eau Capitale
Zoologist Bee
Parfum d’Empire Immortelle Corse
Comme des Garcons Series 10 Clash
Frédéric Malle Rose & Cuir
L’Artisan Parfumeur Le Chant de Camargue
Yves Saint Laurent Grain de Poudre
Régime des Fleurs Chloë Sevigny Little Flower
Chanel 1957
Gallivant Los Angeles
Amouage Portrayal Woman

Blogroll

Bois de Jasmin
Grain de Musc
Perfume Posse
The Non-Blonde
More blogs...

Perfumista lists

100 fragrances every perfumista should try
And 25 more fragrances every perfumista should smell
50 masculine fragrances every perfumista should try
26 vintage fragrances every perfumista should try
25 rose fragrances every perfumista should try
11 Cheap Perfumes Beauty Outsiders Love

Favorite posts

The Great Perfume Reduction Plan
Why I Love Old School Chypres
New to perfume and want to learn more?
How to make fragrance last through the day
Fragrance concentrations: sorting it all out
On reformulations, or why your favorite perfume doesn’t smell like it used to
How to get fragrance samples
Perfume for Life: How Long Will Your Fragrance Collection Last?

Upcoming

List of upcoming Friday projects

15 March ~ swapmeet

3 April ~ damage poll
26 April ~ splitmeet

3 May ~ spring reading poll
17 May ~ Haiku challenge!

 

Back to Top

Home
Archives
About Now Smell This :: Privacy Policy
Perfume Reviews
New Perfumes
General Perfume Articles
The Monday Mail

Glossary of Perfume Terms
Perfume FAQ
Perfume Books

Noses ~ Perfumers A-E :: F-K :: L-S :: T-Z

Perfume Houses A-B :: C :: D-E :: F-G
H-J :: K-L :: M :: N-O :: P :: Q-R :: S
T :: U-Z

Copyright © 2005-2025 Now Smell This. All rights reserved.