Imaginary Authors - Slow Explosions

As many of you know, Imaginary Authors is known for stories and fragrance that go hand in hand.  Slow Explosions (“Explosions”) is an oriental fragrance released in 2016 that tells the story of a life reimagined.  (See brand story below review.)

Explosions opens with that quintessential saffron note; it is an edgy, raw, and rubbery.  Accompanying the saffron is an equally bold leather.  The leather and saffron seem to combine to give the essence of an oud or woody note.  There is nothing “slow” about the opening of Explosions. 

After the initial notes make their appearance in the opening, they are closely followed by a hint of apple.  The apple is juicy, tart, and sweet but somehow seemingly just beyond reach.  As Explosions wears I get a light, warm rose that seems to waft across the fragrance.  It is here in the wear that the fragrance takes on a mesmerizing smokiness from the benzoin.  The leather, smoke, light fruity floral, and spice wear all the way through the drydown. 

For me, on wear, I don’t so much get “slow explosions” as such but rather more of a bold reinvention of a life.  The bold notes and wear speak to me more as a life being lived with new confidence.  Slow Explosions wears on me with strong to moderate projection for roughly 8 hours.

Notes: Saffron, Rose Absolute, Leather, Apple, Benzoin, Cashmeran, Arpora Night Market

Perfumer: Josh Meyer

The Story

In 1980, Gwen K. Vroomen quit a monotonous job, went to the corner bar, and – on the bartender’s urging – threw a dart at a world map tacked on the wall. She had never heard of Goa but knew immediately she needed to go. Three months later she was celebrating Hindu New Year at a tea garden high in the hills of Kerala, fireworks exploding below. She wrote of that night: “I was resuscitated by color, redeemed by the vibrant unknown.” Her self-proclaimed “Journey out of darkness,” dotted with unforgettable stories of night markets, river floats, and harrowing moped rides, inspired a generation of young Americans eager to buck the drudgery of ordinary life.

“I was lost, aimless, and depressed. Now I’m only two of those things.”  (Gwen K. Vroomen)