A perfume of two halves, Evonimo creates an interesting sleight of hand to turn sour dryness into lush sweetness.

Listed notes

Mandarin, galbanum, blackcurrant, jasmine, hyssop, euonymus, vanilla, tonka bean, ambreine.

Top notes

Given the rash of lovely gourmand fragrances out at the moment, it seemed fitting to change tempo this week with a very elegant and well blended fruity floral number from Italian fashion brand, Rubeus Milano.

The interesting thing about Evonimo is the sheer difference between the way in which the scent begins and the way in which it ends. It feels like two halves which would have been difficult to marry, but the journey between them is as seamless as a leaf floating from the airy tree tops and coming to rest on a busy garden floor.

Evonimo starts with a sharp, dry, greenery. It feels very lively and energetic. Think fragrant twigs twinkling with a sparkly citrus. The citrus has tang but isn’t too bitter, almost like the oil that has escaped from the rind of the fruit as it is peeled, hanging in the air for just a moment. There is something a little pear-like in the fragrance as it starts to open and settle on the skin and a sense of dampness on the foliage surrounding the fringes of the fragrance – little drops of morning dew perhaps?

The blackcurrant is discernible in the scent and gives a sense of sharp astringency which plays nicely against the more dewy notes providing a little tension and contrast.

Experiencing the start of the fragrance you could well be led down the path of this being a pleasant, softly green scent right the way through, but instead the perfumer really shows their skill and takes the fragrance in a more unexpected direction and does it so seamlessly that come the end point, you can’t really remember the beginning with any clarity at all.

Heart notes

There is definitely something a little dreamy as well as very chic and elegant about Evonimo. From the gentle diffusion of the fragrance through to the way in which the scent leads us through its softly twisting and changing composition. If Evonimo is the fragrance of the woods in a fairytale, it begins green and lush, but ends up cosy, warm and sweet – the walk through the woods has taken you to a clearing where the most beautiful tropical flower blooms.

The middle phase of the fragrance which unites the top and base is an interesting chameleon. Rather than feeling like the scent fragments into difference facets, it seems as if they meld closer together, mixing in ribbons of fragrant colour and texture. A musky, sweet floral aspect starts to slowly unfurl, joining the remaining strands of greenery and the rapidly departing dew drops. A drier and more powdery tone sweeps in, but it isn’t ever dead and dry, somehow Evonimo manages to retain a plumpness within.

The floral side to Evonimo is honeyed and intoxicating. Warm, sweet and both delicate and possessed of backbone it gradually rises up into the composition like the scent of flowers on warm, tropical evenings before a rainstorm. The florals are heady without being overbearing, and feel like those particularly rich types of scents which smell best as dusk falls. There’s an interesting phase of Evonimo where you can see the landscape of the fragrance laid out before you and it feels as if it shouldn’t quite make sense: the green astringency leading eventually through to musky, honeyed sweetness, but somehow it works.

Base notes

The final phase of Evonimo is piled with sweetness but it retains the sense of Italian chicness that the fragrance has exhibited throughout. The vanilla is warm and enfolding, reinforced by the tonka bean. The honeyed facets that we noticed in the more floral phase peep out from time to time, and a warm muskiness pervades the composition.

If, at the start of Evonimo, we were smelling the greenery of the forest, then at the midpoint we smelled the blossoms on bushes and trees, at the end we take a close up of the largest, most extravagant blossom, sticking our noses right in its centre as if we were a bee or other insect. So close the floral aspects receded and what we get is something slightly woodier but most definitely sweet, honeyed and enticing. This evokes the sort of blossom which I imagine would drive bees insane with desire. And who wouldn’t want that?

Evonimo is indeed a contradictory and somewhat contrary beast, but the way in which the scent flows and changes is a delight. This is the scent of someone with purpose, on a mission, but executing that with poise, flair and nary a hair out of place. The sort of person who doesn’t sweat, even on the hottest of days, and who steps off an aeroplane looking like they have just stepped out of the salon. That’s the impression this peculiarly beautiful scent creates, and, when you wear this, it’s possible to feel that some of that poise is conferred without the significant effort which goes into that sort of deportment.

The other stuff

The perfumer for Evonimo was Rodrigo Flores Roux.

Evonimo is part of the I Giardini Di Venezia collection from Rubeus which is designed to evoke the lushness of a Venetian garden. Other scents in the line are Quercia, Gelsomino, and Calicanto and they are all worth checking out for their elegance and sophistication as well as soft edges and gentle but strong characters.

The longevity of Evonimo is strong, lasting a full day of 8-10 hours following an application. The sillage (or projection) of the scent is beautifully diffuse and almost misty in the way in which it encircles the body, going to handshake distance or beyond effortlessly. It isn’t too punchy or hard though, so it’s unlikely to cause discomfort to those around you who may have to share your space.

The brand

Rubeus Milano are predominantly a fashion brand, specialising in bags, clothing and jewellery. Like many good fashion houses they have recently augmented this line up with perfumery as well. The Venetian Garden line is their latest set of fragrances to be released.

Like the brand they represent, the fragrances are towards the more luxury end of the scented spectrum, with heavy glass and metal bottles and a similarly weighty price tag. Definitely one for those with deep pockets and serious collectors.

Despite all that there is a sense of modernity and fun about the range, which feels upbeat and relevant in today’s marketplace.

Buy it

Evonimo is available from the Rubeus Milano web boutique where it is priced at €370 for 50ml of EdP.

We were very kindly gifted a no strings attached bottle of this fragrance by the brand, our thanks to them.

Main image by Cristina Gottardi on Unsplash. All other images by The Sniff.