Slumberhouse- Jeke (Extrait, 2013 Edition)

Jeke extrait de parfum from Slumberhouse is the fragrance of a dark and stormy night that you spend inside, in front of the fire at your cozy home. The blackened green color of the juice clues you right away of the atmosphere perfumer Josh Lobb has created. It's smoky, it's woody. And have I mentioned dark?

Jeke opens with a column of smoke. It's pretty rough, actually, and will probably intimidate those who never ventured outside the realm of clean, fresh or "pretty" fragrances. It's also incredibly robust-- I've learned to never apply more than half a spritz of Jeke. I'm serious. Regular readers know that I'm not very subtle in my perfume habit, but I assure you: half a spray or even a careful dab is all that you need until the next day. But we're still talking about the first few minutes and the way Jeke presents itself:  turbulent, leathery, and-- I must admit: quite masculine.

It's interesting: the masculine facets of Jeke travel the full spectrum from a sexy firefighter in full gear to a distinguished gentleman in his wood paneled study. But before the smoke and tar take over, things begin to sweeten. This transformation, a magic of skin and perfume will be familiar if you tried other Slumberhouse fragrances. The quality of the raw ingredients is very apparent, and the complexity of the scent, the honeyed aroma that melds with the body, the warmth-- all of these create a gender-neutral sensuality.

On my skin, Jeke is sweeter than one would expect from the smoke and leather opening. Wood and hay can be outdoorsy, but here I mostly get coziness, a warm blanket over my knees, an oversized sofa and an old book. The heat from the fireplace almost lulls me into a nap, but it's just too beautiful and engrossing to lose any second of the magic.

Notes: cade, tobacco absolute, patchouli, labdanum, benzoin

Slumberhouse originally launched Jeke in 2008 as an eau de parfum. The current version is an extrait ($125, 30ml). I find it very true to the EDP, only smoother and even more long lasting. Available from Indiescents.com, http://slumberhou.se as well as from Parfum1.com.