Hummingbird
Zoologist Perfumes (2015)

Wow, what a scent! Absolutely no one knows what is in this concoction. And certainly not what is making it smell so great.

(Though it’s probably the honeysuckle.)

Contrary to popular belief, this is NOT chopped-up hummingbird. I hope. If so, I’m really not sure I’d mind all that much, given how wonderful it smells.

Sniffing this is better than watching two turtles f*c* each other. Need I really say more?

Okay, then—you simply haven’t lived until you’ve experienced the juggernaut of olfaction that is Hummingbird from Zoologist. It hits like the bugbird itself hits a flower. And it’s then entirely relentless until hours later.

As if we even needed something that’s better than watching two turtles face each other...

Honeyed amber immediate, then the pounce of indolic florals: jasmine, ylang ylang, tuberose. A lick of banana rice pudding, a nibble of rosewater pastry. I don't get the fruit salad described -- just the syrup left at the bottom of the bowl, sapped of fresh tartness. A Bridgerton picnic, all flouff and flounce and unwashed undergarments, followed with your nan's violet soap that masks rather than cleans. I don't hate it, but I'm not in love.

Lilac and cherry, this one grew on me and the hint of mothballs I smelled on first wear disappeared…

One of the best sweet florals I ever smelled. Very tropical.

When I was a kid, my grandma taught me how to pluck the blossoms of lilac and honeysuckle and suck the nectar out of them. It's so sweet and so floral, and when I took a breath after spraying Zoologist Hummingbird, I swear I could taste this same nectar. I was expecting this, along with the cherry note I picked up on, but I was not expecting the undertow of musk, sandalwood, and wood notes pulling my down into instant infatuation for this fragrance. I thought this would be perfect for my daughter, but I think this one will be one she has to steal from me.

A close cousin to Zoologist Bee, sharing a similar sweet nectar note.

The image of a hovering hummingbird drinking from a flower symbolises what perfumery is all about, and it is no accident that it was adopted by one of the most famous European supply houses, still appearing on their logo.

Underlying the honey and nectar is a floriental aspect bringing it into the territory, in mass market terms, of perfumes such as Amarige. I apologise to you Hummingbird for that comparison, but it means that this fragrance will be well liked by nearly everyone, whilst retaining it own unique charm.

Hummingbird is somewhat lighter than Bee but equally complex and intriguing. It is a totally delightful scent which very few will dislike.

Hubba Bubba grape flavored gum, three days old

This one is definitely feminine. I smell lilac, muguet, a touch of pear, rose, and a little violet leaf for the top notes. The lilac carries over into the middle where I smell honeysuckle, mimosa, and ylang ylang. Lilac is very dominate in this perfume. I love lilac so I am not disappointed. The base notes are puzzling as I don't get many of them. I smell a whipped, creamy musk which is delicious. My take on Hummingbird is that it is light, airy, and screams of spring. I love it!

This scent is nothing short of superb.

Honeysuckle, cherry, pear and lilac combine with an every so slight musk: a sweet floral scent, yes, but with an added depth and darkness from musk and some touches of sandalwood. It is unisex, yes, but may lean slightly towards the feminine side (although any man could wear it as well). Like most of Zoologist's scents, the illusion of the animal in their natural habitat is wonderfully realistic: I rarely get visualizations when thinking of a scent but Hummingbird brings to mind the light, soft flutter of wings of the creature surrounded in a plum-violet red energy. As the notes settle, you smell its entry into the woods: wet and soft, the light earthiness of moss surrounds.

Expensive yes, but if I were to pay such a price for a scent, this would be a prime candidate. Great longevity (8-9 hours) and moderate silage (just greater than a skin scent). The complexity of the notes is incredibly alluring, and you can tell a great deal of time, effort, and ingenuity went into this.

9.5/10

EDIT: I'm bumping this up to a 9.5. The complexity of the notes and the subtle yet alluring changes from initial spray to drydown are remarkable.

You're a hummingbird, and in case you forgot, your entire diet is flowers. Today, you have an infinite garden before you, but you can't stop fighting the other hummingbirds for your spot at the honeysuckle, lilac, and cherry trees. The other hummingbirds are like okay, whatever, and they leave you alone so you can indulge. It's a pretty good day until the evening, when you get home after a day of selective sampling. To your surprise, you find out that mama hummingbird sampled just about every kind of flower there was, and you sigh as you get into bed with her, because you realize that she isn't at all as picky as you, and you begin to wonder if you're at all anything special to her, if she'd happily sample any of the other hummingbirds in the way she's sampling you, and you slowly fall asleep. Hummingbird by Zoologist.

This is a fruity-floral and has apple.

That sentence contains two perfume descriptions that can often send me running for the hills. But not today - I'm loving this!

Apple is a note that I often can't stand due to fashion for something called Green Apple shampoo in my youth. I worked as a lifeguard at an indoor pool and the changing rooms used to reek of it. I love apples but there was a sickly quality to whatever accords they were using in the shampoos that was almost headachey to me. So I'm very very wary of apple showing up in perfume.

However, Hummingbird has a more realistic and soft apple note, which I quite like as it has apple's freshness as well as sweetness, and Hummingbird is a delightfully fresh and sweet perfume without a citrus in sight.

After the apple, there's a gorgeous cherry note - verging on artificial cherry (black cherry yoghurt) - this by contrast is a fruit accord that I always love to bits in its most artificial form - probably because in my wet and windy Irish childhood we never got to smell real cherries! There's also plum and a host of florals including honeysuckle - I can feel a sweet honey taste on my tongue with this one. AND it has that 'Flex shampoo' sweet balsam feel that reminds me of my childhood - this smell featured in little make-up remover pads that my mother's generation had.

The sweetness is almost powdery bubblegum in quality and very much a taste (meaning physical tongue taste) as well as a smell. This is off my usual beat and I'm glad of it - it's cheery and sweet and loveable and hopefully these qualities rub off on the wearer!

As I've said with all of the Zoologist reviews I've done, I'm amazed at the complexity of this fragrance. It opens with a light, sweet floral that is very feminine. A bit of sweetness enhances the flower odors. Hidden deep within this is a more sinister combination of sandalwood, moss, and spice to balance the otherwise overwhelming florals. It evolves as the top notes disappear into a more green and spicy fragrance. I couldn't wear this, it is very feminine.

UPDATE
Drydown is a disappointment. I was blown away by the opening, but there is something off-putting in the drydown. The combination of lingering floral and the basenotes gives it a melted plastic synthetic discordant smell. This settles down after an hour, but it is not pleasant.