The last few years have seen perfume brands spring up from unusual sources. YouTube reviewers have brands. Visual artists have brands. They all have varying degrees of success. There is one section where I see more success. That is when someone who writes about beauty decides to try their hand at fragrance. I have found these to be surprisingly good. They also have an extra added benefit of not trying so hard. These creative directors seem to want to make nice perfumes which smell good. There is nothing that will be groundbreaking or aesthetically exciting. Their raison de etre is to make the wearer happy they are wearing perfume. Ouai Dean Street put a smile on my face.
Jen Atkin
Ouai was founded by Jen Atkin. She found her fame through doing hair and writing about it. She formed Ouai (pronounced “way”) at first to do what she knew, hair products. A couple years ago she decided to expand into perfume with a four-fragrance collection. I received samples of the entire collection which confirms my assessment as them being an easy-to-wear style. Dean Street is the first addition to the original four.
Each perfume is named after a street in a famous city. In this case the place where New Romanticism took root in late 1970’s, Soho in London. I like the convention, but I haven’t found any of the five perfumes to have a particular connection which makes my mind go there. They are amiable fragrance companions I am happy to have along.
Dean Street is a simple summery fruity floral. I like the choice of apricot and citrus as the fruit piece. The apricot keeps the citrus from being quite as irrelevant as it can be. It adds a juicier foundation to it. Which is ideal for the magnolia and rose waiting in the heart. The apricot and the florals create a breezy fruity floral accord. It gets a little spicier and warmer as amber and some musks provide the base accord.
Ouai Dean Street has 6-8 hour longevity and average sillage.
For those of you who want fragrance to be something which is more casual I think you might want to check out the Ouai collection. Even for someone who smells a lot I enjoyed a perfume which is well put together that doesn’t ask more than just to be enjoyed.
Disclosure: This review is based on a sample provided by Sephora.
–Mark Behnke
