Tucson is a dry, woody fragrance inspired by the evergreen forests of the Arizona high country on a sun-warmed summer day. Originally released in 2010 as “Arizona”, it was created by Ellen Covey and features notes of ponderosa pine, Southwest juniper, acacia, sagebrush and chaparral. Tucson is a parfum.
OLYMPIC ORCHIDS TUCSON REVIEWS
Fragrantica: "Wow! Tucson (formerly Arizona) is amazingly evocative of western/southwest landscapes. The opening salvo is like rubbing your hands on sage bushes as you take a walk in the dry desert climate. There is then something hazily/vaguely floral-green-herbal-airy that conjures up the atmosphere/air surrounded by chaparral. I think of lavender, other herbs, and a slight grassy sweetness that brings to mind coumarin but not the candied tonka. This herbal top and heart segues into a sticky resinous pine-like amber accord that evokes sap without being treacly and overly sweet. Most impressively, there is a dry, luminous, airy quality to the whole thing, which is quite a feat to capture in scent, especially when working with such potentially heavy and bold materials. Quite a successful scent in both the image it conjures and wearability."
Fragrantica: "Wow, this actually smells like the desert! A hint of juicy green, some subtle woods, and then a solid, realistic dusty sage. Several minutes in, Arizona goes anisic; there’s a hint of cooling, slightly sweet licorice blended in with the light, dry desert woods and dusty herbs. The drydown is quite faint, a light woody-earthy-herbal buzz with a very natural feel. Overall Arizona does what it says on the tin; it’s a Desert Scent with all that entails (light, sand-and-sage tonality, dry woods and dusty herbs)."
Fragrantica: "Oh yeah. Take me outside, baby ... in scent. A fascinating, quirky, honest breath of fresh air and sheer magic in its conjuring-up of distant lands far from my concrete jungle. A magic carpet, whisking you away - it fills the brief with Olympic Orchids' usual amazing brio. I have never in my life been to the US grasslands - the high chaparral is a purely imaginary landscape for me - but this precious juice takes me there effortlessly. Definitely a scent of place more than a perfume, yet a seriously impressive work of perfume art at the same time. Incredibly vivid sense impression of dry, almost crispy leaves and grass underfoot, all sorts of volatile oils shimmering off sunbaked wood, a sense of golden dust. Yes, I get serious tangs of turpentine and conifer at first (and love that) ... it's certainly raw, rugged not a 'salon perfume' in any way. Some might find it too weird, too rugged and ungroomed - round the edges it's almost ragged; if you get downwind of it at the wrong moment it verges on a liniment or a perfume oil - but in a strange way that's exactly what I love about it. Serious herbal vibes of artemisia and juniper make it almost medicinal, bracing like one of those borderline-horrible European liqueurs, but in a way that opened both my nose and my heart to it. Won't be a crowd pleaser; it's not interested in doing that, just wants to be true to itself. More sophisticated than it looks, then. Is there a wisp of smoke in the distance or the whiff of saddle leather in there as well? Not in the pyramid here, but definitely present in my mind. Very much of the same nature-heavy school as D S & Durga's Mississippi Medicine or Freetrapper but closest to the high, dry, herbal-aromatic feel of El Cosmico. I have an old bottle of this in its incarnation as Tucson and sprayed today for the first time in conscious memory. Was crazy to leave it untouched for so long. It doesn't wear as tough as it smells - the full thrill of the opening canter slows down a fair bit, projection is discreet, and it's down to a (still bewitching) skin scent only in 3-4h. Somehow I don't care and all my usual gripes about wanting value for money have been thrown out of the window, 'cause I'm galloping away for my own private Western adventure here. This stuff is worth every penny. When every respray brings a ride like this, who could resist? File under: EXHILARATING."
Fragrantica: "Just like other reviewers have stated - desert in a bottle. It's so incredibly arid, bone-dry, but hosting a cool breeze if you're lucky enough to catch it. It really evokes the sense of being part of the land. This is super niche."
Fragrantica: "Arizona (or in my case, Tucson) isn't the usual easy to wear, attractive scent with a forest theme - this is taking a deep breath of warm, balmy, dry air in a coniferous forest. Absolutely beautiful. Longevity and sillage are excellent."
Fragrantica: "This smells like an expensive way to be outdoors. Very outdoorsy, but also quite luxurious. Not like glamping though. It smells like a very luxurious forest. Natural smelling. Very relaxing and beautiful scent."
Fragrantica: "Out of OO's all-star line-up, Arizona is truly exceptional! The middle notes hint to an acoustic version of Shalimar. Although zero notes are shared, Arizona feels like the botanical, natural scent structure of the Guerlain classic. I love this. Dry down takes me back to the Danish teak Mid-Century Modern furniture at my parents' home. Spicy-teak woodsiness at its best. There's similarities with another favorite-- Diptyque's Benjoin Bohème, with its angelica-patchouli-sandalwood-benzoin. Gorgeously blended labdanum in the ending. There's a 5 second opening of eucalyptus-pine sharpness, a part of the house DNA I've also seen in Seattle Chocolate x Olympic Rainforest, but this is a a briefly passing phase. I was born in Phoenix, and was hoping to like this. OO made this easy to do. Takes me home to dry heat, unique flora & fauna, on a tranquil dusk-to-evening desert-scape."
