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Portia
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Hi there Indie Lovers,
You know when you get some samples and you sniff a few till you find one that floats your boat? Sometimes there are a couple that don’t get a sniff because you’ve already discovered gold. So, this is exactly what happened with Onycha (On Ee Ka). It was left unsniffed and now I am bloody kicking myself. What a fragrance, it is absolutely lovely.
Onycha by DSH Perfumes 2016
Onycha by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Sea water, animal notes, incense
One of the families of fragrance that I love to travel with is amber. Somehow ambers seem to add richness and patina to every adventure. On our holiday in 2016 Jin, Anna-Maria and I went to Croatia to see where Anna-Maria’s family came from and meet some relatives.
Imagine sitting in an historic, crumbling church on a small peninsula in Croatia at the end of winter wearing an amber fragrance. The sky is blue but the cold has washed almost all the colour from it, so it’s an arctic ice blue. The wind is blowing through the trees around the church so you hear it as the shivering whistle of leaves being buffeted. The bells are pealing and you have just finished wandering around the graveyard. Inside there is no wind and you can sit in ancient pews that have only the merest hint of wood smell overlaid by wax and the shine of thousands of bottoms. There is the smell of the incense used in the last mass and over all of this the smell of humanity and dust.
Below you can see Jin, Anna-Maria and her cousin Ana wandering around the old church.
Amber, incense, briny winds, dust and honey. Dawn has made a beautiful, slightly offbeat amber that is ultimately cosy and comfortable. I can easily imagine Onycha becoming a go to fragrance for people who love ambers but are bored by their similarities.
Further reading: Scenthive
DSH Perfumes starts at $6
Are you up for religious experiences in your perfumes?
Portia xx
Australian Perfume Junkies 
The photo…the video…stunning…loved how you have described everything…..
I think Dawn is a genius…even if I am not floored by everything….
Yes, I am always up for a spiritual experience involving fragrance…real sandalwood and frankincense essential oils are my go tos for that….
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Heya CM,
YAY! So glad you liked it. That day was really special and it’s good that a fragrance brought back the memory. Finding the image & video were a work of love to because SO MUCH to go through.
Dawn sure does make good perfumes. You’re right, not all of them call to me either but when she hits it, few do it as well.
Portia xx
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Beautiful review, Portia! You make me want so many things, and I like it 🙂
I’m absolutely up for religious experiences when it comes to perfumes, frankincense, labdanum and myrrh are among my favourite notes. Having said that, I admit that it’s not only certain notes that matter. What I love most about perfumes is the moment when you try something new, and it strikes you like lightning. Priceless!
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Oh yes Diana,
That MOMENT! When you know that this perfume gives you a positive adventure. Priceless, yet very expensive at the same time. He He He
Portia xx
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Worth it, though! XX
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Not sure about religious experiences Portia (I do love incense in my perfume though) but memorable perfumes, or as Diana said ‘moment’ perfumes when you try something and go ‘where have you been all my life!’
Memorable for me is Lorenzo Villoresi Alamut. I was lucky enough to visit their outlet/office in Florence as part of an awesome tour I did some years ago. We missed out on visiting Villoresi on a previous trip because they were renovating. I ADORED everything. Lorenzo’s office looked out over the Ponte Vecchio and the lovely lady who let us smell so many scents was delightful. I was in heaven! I spent nearly all of my pocket money in this wonderful space. And typing this up has me getting misty eyed me because I was just so in love with the moment and with Florence. Every damm time I wear Alamut I’m back there, without a care in the world and smelling amazing. Thanks for taking me there again xx
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Oh Melanie,
We loved Florence too but I never got to the Lorenzo Villoresi store. BUMMER!
Glad to have reminded you of such a happy memory.
Portia xx
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