[unpaid/sample] Using a tornado reference – both olfactorily and visually – that has been the pandemic and taking us to the home of famous tornados, Kansas, Jonathan Ward’s first fragrance is interesting. Firstly, I’ve never seen a bottle like this and finding artistic newness in the big world of fragrance is quite something, and secondly, it’s difficult to pin down exactly what category Kansas would naturally fall into.
At the first spritz, I found Kansas bright and sweet – there’s a top jasmine note that my nose immediately said thank you very much for as well as ylang ylang and bergamot mingling in the juice. I’m surprised at how those big, striking top notes settle into something more earthy and warm as the wear progresses but to my nose, the jasmine fuelled sweetness stays throughout.
This fragrance makes several changes in the wear – I thought I’d lost the jasmine trail when drier more earthy notes became apparent but they moved out of the way when the tonka bean came into play and put the flowers back nicely. There’s cedar and sandalwood that give it a masculine aspect under the feminine (speaking traditionally) tones but it’s designed to be gender fluid which I think it really is. Assigning gender to fragrance is difficult – everyone has different tastes regardless, but in my own mind I didn’t discover the ‘masculine’ element until some way through the wear and when I did pick it up I liked its presence. It’s my theory that your nose will pick out what it both loves (or loathes) first, so I’m happily in a jasmine swirl right now and have to seek out the other notes with more purpose. It’s £92 for 30ml EDP or £6 for 10ml HERE.
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All products are sent to me as samples from brands and agencies unless otherwise stated. Affiliate links may be used. Posts are not affiliate driven.
6 comments
I love your honesty.
In the same way that you noted it is difficult to find gender fluidity in aroma . . . You really are so diligently honest and that is the steer into journalism rather than bought and sold commentary.
When, the movie “Jane” appears, I do hope I’ll be a plus one.(regardless, I always got into Paris fashion shows with a folded piece of A4 paper and a smirk).)
J
Thanks JW 🙂
I’m interested in trying this and have contacted the company to see if they ship to the US (I dealt with a very saucy and rude seed company in England last year and I don’t care to do it again!). This sounds like it treads the line in the same way L’Artisan’s Timbuktu does, a fragrance that I just love.
It’s an interesting idea and name; as someone who grew up on the upper edge of Tornado Alley, I can’t say I don’t have a little fondness for the sickly green color that comes with supercell storms, but I hope never to be in a tornado myself (though the rest of my family all have, separate storms).
Now I’m intrigued by the saucy seed company!!
They were just incredibly pert and the email made it sound like I was the stupidest person to ever purchase seeds from them and didn’t I know that they put all the overseas shipping information in the terms and conditions! Fine by me; I’ll spend my seed money elsewhere!
quite right! there are good seeds everywhere :-))