If anyone could make an animalic fragrance radiant and dream-like, it would be Olivia Giacobetti. Originally called Désir de Cirque, Circus Desire, when it debuted in 1999, Dzing ! is a fragrance inspired by the circus ring, the smell of the talcum, animal fur and candy apples. As if by a crack of a whip, tarry and balsamic notes spring forth, creating a leather accord against which rose suddenly appears. The effect is simply bizarre, but memorable, setting a perfect stage for a more tranquil undulation of sweet and resinous notes that combine into multifaceted chords, one moment of hammy lapsang souchong and cinnamon, next vanillic sweetness of benzoin and balmy complexity of musks.
A vaguely familiar note keeps hiding underneath, teasing my memory and conjuring visions of stage. I have not been to the circus in ages, but a rosin box in the corner of my ballet studio is a fresh enough recollection. Rosin is used by musicians on bows to produce a better sound and by dancers to prevent satin pointe shoes from slipping on the floor. The scent of this brittle grey resin, a by-product of turpentine distillation, is what lurks underneath animalic notes, lending a strangely ethereal quality to the base. Like Toulouse-Lautrec’s paintings of seedy Montmartre corners, Dzing! has a certain juxtaposition of oddity and fascination. It would be daring and arresting on a woman, and wonderfully sensual on a man.
Painting: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Trick rider at the Fernando Circus. 1887-8. The Art Institute of Chicago.
Rosin! I've never actually smelled it. Now I want to tell my sister to bring her violin when she visits me, so I can sniff at the bowstrings. (Dzing! still manages to surprise me whenever I revisit it. What an odd scent—and a must-have.)
Posted by: Tania | July 01, 2005 at 10:06
I was horrified the first time I smelled Dzing, but bear in mind that I was horrified the first time I smelled Philosykos. Tried it again much later and was very impressed. It still isn't something I wear, but it is a beautifully constructed scent, and I love the saffron in the dry down.
Posted by: Robin | July 01, 2005 at 10:28
Robin: "Horrified"? Do you also jump up when you hear a creak somewhere at 3 a.m.? HA! I do think "rosin" MUST be the keyword here -- that gurgling turpentine note is what keeps me away from Dzing! When I wore it the first two times I felt flammable...about to ignite (and not in a good way). It brings to mind artists' studios or furniture refinishers' stores. I do love the smell of turpentine, gasoline, kerosine, glue...all things that no doubt rob me of much-needed brain cells -- but I just can't wear Dzing on my skin. I did smell its weeks-long dry-down on a scarf and THAT smelled nice. (Victoria, I'm imagining you in Russia...and since you can't respond to this I can keep dreaming.) Kevin
Posted by: KS | July 01, 2005 at 14:32
T, I like the scent of rosin, probably because of the memories associated with it. Dzing! manages to weave in this note remarkably well!
R, I have plenty of scents I appreciate but cannot wear. Thankfully, Dzing! dries down into something dark yet ethereal. I really enjoy how it handles animalic notes.
K, it took me a while to start appreciating some of the notes you mention in perfume, however sometimes they work remarkably well. Gasoline and honeysuckle in Farenheit is one such example. I do know what you mean about Dzing! drydow. I started liking it after I sniffed a scarf that absorbed the remnants from my testing spree.
Posted by: Victoria | July 14, 2005 at 20:09
I can totally relate to the initial feeling of horror by the first smell of Dzing!. I was very sceptic to say the least when i first got to smell the fragrance. Probably because my expectations were so high. Now, after having tried it without that stress, I've fallen helplessly in love with the scent and when my samples are empty I am so going to get a full bottle of this baby.
Thank you for a wonderful work here by the way!
V.W.
Posted by: Viktorov | January 16, 2006 at 23:38
Viktor, I think that I was just unprepared for its animalic/cardboard side when I first tried it. Yet, when I revisited, I had the same feeling as you did--I knew that this one will be a keeper!
Posted by: BoisdeJasmin | January 17, 2006 at 12:34
i just got a decant of this. i feel like i'm wearing eau de cardboard. utterly bizarre!
Posted by: sdn | February 06, 2007 at 21:12
Whoever HAD to drink Altayan Mumio, now can enjoy the same in perfume. Good God...
Posted by: BGfan | May 24, 2007 at 13:53