"Dead or Alive" and "Scarlett Lady" are masterfully perfumed and blended by Artisanal Perfumer Darren Alan. Darren is trained in the classical French method of perfumery, and has own style and aesthetic developed over the past 29 years with 19 years of experience in fragrance development for the personal care industry. He specializes in creating “Olfactory Experiences”… fragrances that literally transport your mind to another place and time. He also specializes in vintage and historic perfume recreation, which utilize period-correct natural materials as well as artisanal distillations, handmade aromatic tinctures & seasonal effleurage using native flowers of Western Pennsylvania.
About the Perfumer
An 1880's Outlaw and a Burlesque Saloon Girl...
A masculine and feminine paired release themed after the height of Wild West 1880's classic Americana. Paying homage to an era of untamed freedom, Statik Olfactive's newest releases evoke imagery of wild saloon nights filled with high spirited outlaws and sultry burlesque dancers.
The idea to come out with a his and hers paired released themed after the height of 1880's Wild West was one that was on the backburner for quite a while. This wasn't a release that Statik Olfactive's owner Chris Martin wanted to jump into right away. He knew it had to be "just right", and not created by just anybody. To do fragrances with such a distinctive theme as this, it had to be someone that specifically specializes in the art of story-telling, providing olfactive experiences through their work... an expertise in vintage and historic perfume recreation a plus. Enter Darren Alan. After creating Statik Olfactive's exceptional first release "Into the Wild", Chris knew there was no one better for the task at hand.
"Dead or Alive"
The plan was to create a scent that didn't just portray the "idea" of a an outlaw in the height of 1880's Wild West, but to create one that almost breathed life into the narrative. One that was photorealistic and that utilized period correct ingredients to really do it justice. But how does one go about that? Chris knew he wanted it to be a boozy, whiskey dominant scent with all the supporting notes one would expect from that era. The vision was for the scent to be all about the outlaw in the saloon, covered in dirt and dust, tired and weary as he winds down from a long day riding his horse through the Arizona desert with his posse. He sits along the long oak bar top slinging back shots of whiskey, smoking his cigar...
Darren Alan was excited about this project and got to work. The stars were aligned and Darren coincidentally just so happens to have a historian friend that specializes in the history of the American West and cowboy culture. They were talking one night and Darren was telling her how he is currently working on a project that is themed after the Wild West. She shared with him some valuable insights to the culture and lives of those during that era. One of those insights was that the whiskey that was popular in the saloons during that time was made by a distiller by the name of Basil Heydon Sr. whose family started distilling whiskey in 1785. This specific type of whiskey has a very high rye mash content, much higher than others. That same family still owns the company today, passed down from generation to generation. The formula for this whiskey is the same untouched and unchanged formula that they still use today. So Darren went and bought a bottle of it to study its aroma. He worked meticulously for weeks to replicate its exact scent to make a photorealistic accord of that precise whiskey that the cowboys and outlaws drank in the saloons back in the 1880's Wild West to use for this fragrance.
We knew that this incredible photorealistic custom whiskey note had to be upfront and center in this fragrance. The whiskey note here is highlighted in all of its beauty... slightly sweet, slightly dry, and that charred barrel woodiness with a slight smoke. It has some spice contrasted with a light earthiness that really really gives depth. The complexity of the whiskey note alone really aids to all the other supporting notes, blending beautifully with one another, almost providing the framework for what is to come. This composition truly is a unique work of art, and truly transportive. If you are a lover of boozy fragrances, then you owe it to yourself to experience the olfactive journey that is "Dead or Alive"!
"Scarlett Lady"
To pair "Dead or Alive" with a feminized dual release, it could be none other than an homage to the burlesque saloon girls that were also very much a main stay of the Wild West saloons. These sultry women were just as prominent within the saloons as the cowboys and outlaws that frequented them. They took on many roles inside those double swinging saloon doors. They were "bookies" for the gamblers, "company" for the cowboys and outlaws that frequented, served drinks and tobacco, provided entertainment, and attracted new business from those passing through town. These women would often bake chocolate cakes with a cherry inside to treat their favorite "clients" with, and were so popular that men would often bid against each other for the chance to keep these saloon girls' stockings.
After discussing with Darren the narrative for this release as well, we both agreed that it would be really cool if both fragrances could have some shared notes between the two that could tie them together. The trick would be to blend some traditionally "masculine" fragrances notes in a way that they could be "feminized", and vice versa.
Come to find out, the real trouble would come when trying to create something with a vintage flair using traditionally modern "gourmand" notes like marshmallow and tuberose. This created a challenge, and one that had to be overcome if this fragrance was going to work. Luckily, this is a perfume style that Darren Alan not only does, but excels at. Darren exceeds at creating fragrances in a vintage style but with a modern edge or twist, as to not smell "dated" or "old". The addition of the marshmallow with the tuberose gave the rest of the formula too much of a "youthful dessert" type feel, not at all matching with the vibe or story that it was set out to be...
The solution? Mousse de Saxe. A synthetic "vintage style" musk MADE for this formula. Mousse de Saxe has a complex, deep, and somewhat intense scent profile. It's described as having a dark, sweet, mossy, and woody aroma with a somewhat powdery and musky leathery/animalic background. The tiniest of drops go a LONG way... a delicate hand is needed as to not overpower the formula. This addition gave just the right amount of "vintage flair" needed to make this perfume what it was meant to be. It complimented the Rose de Mai, suede, and wood notes beautifully; becoming an exceptionally orchestrated symphony of notes that dances off the skin. This gorgeous perfume is truly transportive - a highly unique composition that is everything that these saloon girls were. Seductive and alluring. Undeniably sexy.