Canturi eau de parfum

I listed Canturi eau de parfum as one of my favorite releases in 2010 then I didn’t write much of anything about it.  Now that fall weather has finally arrived in my geographic region I’ve been able to pull out some of my old friends again. I can’t even tell you how thrilling it’s been reuniting with Canturi.  My dear readers, you must understand, I’ve been living in 95+ degree weather (olfactory hell) for the past three months which means I’ve hardly worn perfume at all and if I was able to muster the strength to spray something it was more along the lines of a refreshing tonic than anything resembling real perfume.  We broke records this year in my state; this was the first time since 1945 that we experienced 90 consecutive days of 95+ degree heat.  Seriously.  Records were broken the year I arrived.  Joy.

Canturi is an Australian jeweler, known for bold geometric designs.  Canturi eau de parfum was created by Kevin Verspoor and presented as a modern interpretation of classic oriental and chypre perfumes.  For once I think this fragrance gets pretty close to its description as a “modern oriental and chypre perfume.”  It’s a woody oriental for sure, with a wonderfully classic structure similar to Opium or Coco but without all the old fashioned attributes that make those scents unwearable for me in 2011. Well, maybe I could wear Coco these days, but if I were in the mood to wear Coco I’d rather wear Canturi.

Canturi is dry.  It’s dry, spicy and incense-y yet remains reserved and subtle, not a powerhouse.  Canturi is only a little more potent than Chanel 31 Rue Cambon and shares a seat at the table of dry, multi-layered oriental/chypres.  I’m always reminded of plum sake when I first spritz Canturi.  The plum wine fades into a gauzy, soft-focus oriental without any of the specific floral notes sticking out.  I’d go so far as to say I don’t even smell anything identifiably floral here, it’s all airy spices. I love this lack of density, the way it billows around me, detectable with some sillage but far from heavy or sweet.   

If you like classic orientals and chypres, but prefer them reserved, then Canturi is worth trying.  It’s my favorite modern oriental, second only to Alahine.   And if you like the scent, the bottle will be icing on the cake.

Canturi’s notes are listed as:  Calabrian bergamot, mandarin leaf, neroli, Damask rose, night blooming jasmine, Florentine iris, lily of the valley, patchouli, amber, musk, vetiver, Tahitian vanilla, red cedar and oak moss  (and it really does smell like there's oakmoss in here)

Another review of Caturi: Eiderdown Press