scent is a powerful recall trigger for memories, and a beautiful way of interpreting and cherishing special moments in our lives. there's so much significance in experiencing a perfume that was inspired by a memorable incident, something personal and uniquely meaningful, akin to the privilege of hearing a friend share about a cherished experience, and watching it come alive in their passionate retelling.
such is the case with the third and final perfume that was so generously gifted to me as part of my Broken Anatomy Perfumes discovery set - Burnt Remedy is a unique scent experience that is so much more appreciable for understanding the backstory and inspiration behind it.
this perfume was inspired by an unforgettable memory of the owners, husband and wife couple Ryan and Liberty. Ryan is a firefighter serving in Arizona and was part of the efforts in a grueling firefighting event nine years ago, which involved eighteen days of back-breaking work separated from his wife and family.
there's an intensely strong undercurrent of emotions in the inspiration for this scent, the love child of eighteen days' battling fiery smoke and a sweet chocolate kiss in their reuniting after being apart for so long:
"Sleep is his only remedy to not thinking about the love he misses back home. The return home from a long wildland fire is filled with tobacco, old smoke, rich hay, and a chocolate kiss from an eager beauty awaiting her wildly tamed man. Fragrance notes: hay absolute, propolis, smoked cashmere, vetiver, wet tobacco leaves, chocolate."
the first sniffs of Burnt Remedy are decidedly unconventional, with the hay and wet tobacco leaves creating a distinct atmospheric aroma that one wouldn't have expected from a 'perfume'. yet there's something quite significant about this interpretation of fire from the personal experience of a firefighter, and everything comes together so smoothly like a practised firefighting team - no one element stands out to overpower the rest, and the resinous propolis and earthy vetiver work hand in hand to lay the foundations for the strong smokiness, creating a scent that's powerfully rugged and a realistic interpretation of a haystack on fire.
i've waxed lyrical before about my insatiable craving for strong smoky scents in my earlier review of a favourite perfume Campfire by Long Winter Soap Co (here), and to me Burnt Remedy really eclipses that one with its realism through the raw unrefinedness of the hay and wet tobacco.
the part when Burnt Remedy really shines though is with the drydown, when the full scent experience reaches its climax. the blazing pile of hay is gently and gracefully tempered by a soft chocolate kiss, a lingering subtle sweetness that ties all the notes together in a wearable format.
this shift in the perfume is nowhere near gourmand territory, yet the combination of the realistic smoke with a touch of sweet chocolate is a stroke of brilliance. it's at this point that the perfume really showcases its perfumer's craft and the powerful inspiration behind it, of creating a scent experience that is a masterfully vivid retelling of the tired firefighter husband holding his loving wife again for the first time in eighteen days.
like the glowing embers of an unrelenting flame, Burnt Remedy lasted for around eight hours on my skin with a decent sillage of two feet or so. this is a powerfully realistic yet wearable smell of a rural fire and an extremely special personal memory of its creator, one that i was very honoured to have experienced.
9/10 i loved this so much that after my first wear for review purposes, i found myself unconsciously tucking my little sample vial into an inner pocket of my handbag as the default perfume to wear, not just for the next day but the rest of the week ahead.
Burnt Remedy officially launches today (3 march 2021) and it's one of the top scents on my list to full-size, a definite go-to perfume to spritz on whenever i get a craving for smoky smells. if you are as passionate as i am about smoke in your scents, and value the sentimental memories behind such inspired perfumes, i highly recommend checking this one out.
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this review is of a product that was received as a gift without any expectation of review. i wasn't asked to review this as a condition of receipt and didn’t receive any incentives for writing this. i’m not affiliated with Broken Anatomy Perfumes and as always, all opinions remain my own.
Broken Anatomy Perfumes' website is available here.
all information correct at time of publishing.
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