Popcorn in the Barnyard

Who enjoys a trip to the circus? Those sights and smells still live fondly in my memory and Dzing! feels like an impressionist painting of that experience.

The first thing I get is an animalic leather that feels equally aqueous, airy and medicinal - it's as if a raw, musky hide has been steeped in a vat of antiseptic and pulled out dripping wet. It's bizarre to say the least, but stranger yet is how the scent develops into something resembling caramel popcorn being sold within a rustic barnyard.

Through circus-tinted glasses, it begins to make sense: I can imagine elephants being scrubbed down before stepping onto a straw-laden stage, a faint dung-like aroma still clinging to the air, mingling with the sweet wafts of circus snacks served during the interval and the soft, lightweight woods used to raise the tent.

I don’t hate it, and the drydown improves things, but it's moments like this, when my olfactory is sent down a rabbit hole of sheer sensory intrigue, that I'm reminded about why I love exploring perfume so much.