Hedonist is a floral-woody fragrance for women created by Viktoria Minya. The fragrance Hedonist was released in 2013 by her fragrance house, Viktoria Minya, in Paris.
Hedonist is described as “A powerful and provocative perfume for a woman who dares to be true to her desires.”
THE PEACH PREDICAMENT
I waited far too long to try Hedonist perfume. It is billed as a peach fragrance, and to me, peach is the scent of my teen years in the 1980s. We washed our faces with Aapri apricot facial scrub, and covered our bodies in copious amounts of Bath & Body Works “Peach Nectar” body wash, lotion, and body mist. We used this “Lip-Licking Peach” lipgloss from the slide-open tin (everybody had this) and sprayed ourselves with Coty Ex`cla-ma`tion. We had orange “Mr. Sketch” markers that smelled like peaches. We ate Haribo gummy peach rings and peach Jolly Ranchers, and we drank Hi-C peach “juice” by day and Bartles & Jaymes peach wine coolers by night.
Even as someone who has an obsession with vintage Mitsouko, I have trouble reconciling the idea of a peach scent being something that a powerful woman full of grown-up womanly desires would wear. Peaches smell sweet and innocent. Young girls have “peaches and cream” complexions. The term “peach” used to be a colloquialism for an attractive young girl. The scent of peaches is so ingrained in my mind as the scent of young girls, I wasn’t sure that I could ever think of a peach as something grown-up, much less hedonistic.
HEDONIST – THE FRAGRANCE
Immediately upon spraying, before it even contacts my skin, Viktoria Minya’s Hedonist smells luscious. Lascivious even. It is the most voluptuous, lactonic peach I have ever encountered. My conscious brain, which tells me peach is the scent of my youth, is completely overwhelmed by my primitive brain, which tells me to devour.
This is not the simple, girly peach I grew up with. This peach was raised on créme brulee and Courvoisier, and she demands attention.
There is a brief moment of sharpness, like biting into the flesh of the peach and experiencing the tartness of the skin before the sweetness of the flesh hits your tongue. And then, the juices flow, so thick and sweet, washing over all of your senses. A floral honey dripping down over a warm, juicy peach, just on the verge of over-ripeness. Green jasmine and orange blossom waft above, but my nose wants to dive right into that fat, milky honeyed peach. I have to admit, it feels a little naughty to be voraciously huffing a peach scent like this.
After about 30 minutes, the heaviness and opulence of the honeyed peach is lightened by the arrival of an effervescence. Kind of like the sparkly effect of hedoine, it is as though the sun is illuminating everything in the scent. It becomes lighter and drier, which is a bit of a relief after the heady intensity of the decadent peach and white florals. A dry, bright vetiver and cedar are revealed, along with tobacco and hints of the leathery, animalic facets of osmanthus. The peach has moved out of the boudoir and into the sunshine. The overall feeling is warmth and luminosity.
Ninety minutes into the wearing, the citrusy-sharp edges of the peach are gone, the creaminess has subsided, and what is left is the golden glow of osmanthus, supported by a vanilla beeswax and dry cedar. During this phase of warming radiance, the osmanthus smells like resplendent yellow plums and peaches, apricot-hued leather, gold tobacco leaves, and deep gold raw honey. I feel as though I have the Midas touch, and everything around me has turned to glistening gold.
During the dry-down of Hedonist, I’m reminded of sunsets and butterflies, hot tea with honey, coral sand beaches, a glistening Morganite stone, the glow of candlelight. It’s like all the luminosity of feminine energy has been focused down to a single spotlight. And I get it. This isn’t the peach of bridesmaid dresses and cheap wine coolers. This is the nectar and essence of a woman — complex, sensual, and just the right balance of innocence and hedonism.
Longevity on my skin was about 10 hours, and sillage was large. Hedonist is a decidedly feminine perfume, but men who enjoy fruity florals would wear this nicely. It is not powdery-floral at all, it is very plush and round. Like a perfect peach.
Oh, and then there’s that bottle. Within the golden nectar-like liquid of Hedonist perfume, there are hundreds of dazzling Bohemian crystals. Hedonist is a feast for the eyes as well as the nose. It would be a spectacular gift for a special woman, or a pleasant little indulgence for yourself.
Notes listed for Hedonist are: Rum CO2, bergamot, peach, Indian jasmine absolute, Tunisian orange flower absolute, osmanthus absolute, Haitian vetyver, Virginia cedar oil, Indonesian Patchouli, tobacco, and vanilla.
For more information about Hedonist and the Viktoria Minya Hedonist line of fragrances, see viktoriaminya.com
