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cudba – :
watery iris with an undercurrent of mystery, i’ve often described this one to others as ‘goth grandma goes to the beach’. which is a compliment. must like iris though !
doudoune brillante – :
I won The White and The Gold, and also received the very polite apology letter with the 25% discount offer, indeed a rare experience these days.
The White is a strangely beautiful scent, very dry and powdery but with no sweetness to speak of, and a different sort of powder. It’s not baby powder or makeup powder, more of a “clean ash” aroma. The iris is a powdery flower, and in this case I smell a sort of incense made from dried iris petals.
There is a hint of leather and wood, too.
This is certainly a unisex perfume, and is office friendly if applied lightly.
Longevity and sillage are on the high end of moderate.
awaradssanO – :
This is a very serene, clean, fragrance. You put it on and immediately transcend the superficial problems of daily life. It just has that calming effect on the wearer… A effect which is almost like aromatherapy, but it doesn’t read like that to those around you. It smells like a quality Niche fragrance. I got this in a sample giveaway from The Sum, but being as I like it so much and I live in Portland where it’s created, I am going to go to the shop, buy a full bottle, and test a few others. I really encourage others to try The Sum fragrances. Especially those who like Niche fragrances that go against the mainstream grain without being so abstract they’re unwearable. The Sum White fits snugly into that category.
Oh, and a note about the packaging etc… It arrived in a Black, sleek, well insulated and padded envelope. Inside was a BEAUTIFUL letter complete with a old fashioned wax seal elegantly stamped with The Sum logo in red wax. In the letter, which was impressively addressed to me by name, he offered me a 25% discount should I choose to buy a full bottle because he felt there was too long a delay in the shipping of the samples and he wanted me to know that customer service was of utmost importance to The Sum. The samples were tucked inside a velvet bag which also had The Sum logo on it. A matte black card with contrasting metallic silver lettering gave detailed information on each fragrance. I mean, these people care about presentation and giving their customers the exclusivity and pampering you would expect to receive for the price point. Can we really say that about Dior anymore? I sure know I can’t.
amir – :
I’ve not really been a fan of iris notes up until this point. But, there’s something about this scent by The Sum that’s so different from all the other iris perfumes I’ve ever tested. Iris to me, has always been soapy, icy cold and unfeeling but not this one! I found White, very sultry with just the right touch of smoke to add depth and emotion. Mysterious and addictive. Sillage is very good and longevity is fantastic.
ne4kay – :
I had been chosen to try The Sum White, Red, and Black.
I am sorry that I was unable to review sooner – as I was very honored and excited to receive the trio and planned a prompt review.
I had some preconceived notions that the purified smoke would be one of sage, sweetgrass, and cedar burning.
Most of those notions were swept away from my expectations.
As if it had indeed white whifts the purest whitest silver smoke from a cedar fire.
The purity of the silver is what really gets me.
The iris is blended in so perfect – I did not detect at all an overly powder puffy note.
Woodsy, a clean clean musk – not at all what would be considered a white musk as I know it with the usual lily, gardenia or tuberose, or any “skin” musk. Silver white clean without soap. Must be that wonderful intermingling of conifer.
My review seems so mish mash… I have not a fragrance anywhere similar to this, nor have tried , so I have not a comparison.
I do not find it traditionally cozy as iris and smoke can be. But it can be a winter clean ice cold smokey metallic perfect for winter. Exhilarating and uplifting.
I feel this is a “For Me” fragrance . It`s not exactly a skin scent, it`s not hard to detect, but not at all overpowering.
Anyone near would be fortunate to catch a waft of this. It`s unique, unexpected.
My sillage meter has it as light. My longevity at moderate. My distinct and rare meter at a 100.
I am so appreciative for the opportunity to experience White, and do hope my review is received well from those who would like get to know White.
misha2484 – :
The Sum Fragrance trio was difficult to resist trying as they are the creation of perfumer Josh Meyer of Imaginary Authors. It seemed logical to start with The White, the purportedly lightest of the three.
Its main descriptor on the website, white smoke, seems the most appropriate after wearing. I detect a mixture of cedar, musk, incense, and perhaps just a touch of iris and patchouli, but the overall experience is, simply put, white smoke, and in that respect, The White is an interesting fragrance.
Performance is decent for a niche EDP, though I expect The Red and The Black to be stronger based on colorization alone. And The White strikes me as unusually versatile, able to adapt to cold and warm weather, and appropriate for casual use (as I’m wearing it now while streaming some of the Olympics at home) or formal occasions, and I imagine it could dress up very nicely, as it has a sophisticated edge to it.
At $75 for 30ml EDP, I’d say this roughly falls in the category of needing to “like a lot” or love it in order to buy it, The White is one I’ll probably need to try a few more times in order to determine if it’s bottle-worthy but to say the least, I’m intrigued.
7 out of 10
Hammerschtein – :
I have to say, this smells EXACTLY like the John Galliano candle from Diptyque to me, which is not a bad twin to have, as that’s one of my absolute favorite Diptyque candles.
A very light, smoky leather. It’s musky and woodsy and leathery—all those notes that generally feel heavy, but this is a very light, clean, airy take. This lightness makes it unisex, but the dominating leather does push this more on a masc side to me, although only slightly. Mild-to-moderate sillage, but a strong longevity that lasted through an entire day.
This is the first one of the Sum’s inaugural collection that I’ve sampled, and I have to say I’m considering a full bottle already. Looking forward to trying Red and Black as well.
schokk777 – :
Thank you to The Sum for the opportunity to try this fragrance. Excerpt from my review (search Articles for the full text):
The heavenly combo of iris and woody notes, enhanced with a puff of clean white smoke, is an aromatic mantra that translates roughly to “serenity.” The White exudes the comfort, joy and clean scents of the foam in my relaxing bubble bath at the end of a long day. I can’t stop sniffing my wrists when I wear this one. The scent is so pleasant that I found myself longing for stronger sillage, but I think I’m being greedy here. Its moderate sillage makes it a much more wearable and versatile perfume.
It’s fully unisex and the longevity is very good, with the last traces of a morning’s spritz still noticeable at the end of a workday, though by no means should it be reserved for daytime use only.