There are few perfumes as defined by their stories as is L'Artisan Parfumeur Dzing!. People who have heard about Dzing! but not smelled it still usually know that it's supposed to smell like a circus — well, either that, or like cardboard.
When Dzing! was launched in 1999, it was called Désir de Cirque. In what surely must be one of its most successful bits of perfume copywriting, L'Artisan described perfumer Olivia Giacobetti's inspiration for the fragrance as the full range of the circus's "sights, sounds, smells and tastes". They topped off the description with a tiny drawing on Dzing!'s label of a lady wearing an ostrich feather in her hair and riding a tiger. With this idea planted in a person's head, one whiff of Dzing! invokes images of leather harnesses, caramel apples, sweaty trapeze artists, elephants, and the greasy underbellies of aging trucks with hay spilling out their backs.
The story is alluring. But if you can, forget about circuses when you smell Dzing!. Instead, focus on the marvelous unfurling of its notes and the crazy, original fragrance that results. L'Artisan's website describes Dzing! simply as leather, musk, toffee, iris, and saffron. Osmoz defines Dzing! as an "oriental-vanilla" and lists its top notes as rose, orris, and daffodil; its heart as ginger, cinnamon, and saffron; and its base as castoreum, Peru balsam, benzoin, and musk.
Dzing! opens with a whack of rubbery leather that reminds me of Bvlgari Black. Soon, the rubber scent fades slightly and is joined by cinnamon and saffron and softened and given body by flowers that aren't distinct or even present enough to call out by name. Gradually, a sweet, spicy musk — still ticklish with a whisper of rubber — takes over and the fragrance evolves into a gorgeous skin scent. I've heard complaints about Dzing!'s longevity, but it lasts about six hours on me.
Although Dzing! is like nothing else I've smelled, after its opening act it turns into a scent that feels natural and quiet. I've had more compliments on Dzing! than on any other fragrance I've worn. (For the record, Christian Dior Miss Dior has turned up the most noses. I love it anyway.) Dzing! is great when the weather is cold, but it's also nice on a warm evening. It's fine at work and excellent on the town. It's a dream to smell on yesterday's scarf or on the head of a dog whose ears you've scratched. Dzing! is definitely one of my top ten favorite perfumes. I only wish cardboard smelled so good.
Last year rumors swept the internet that L'Artisan planned to discontinue Dzing!. Fortunately, although L'Artisan did stop producing Dzing! in 50 ml bottles, it's still available in a 100 ml bottle. If you haven't yet tried Dzing!, it's worth tracking down a sample of it. If you're lucky, you'll be like one friend who discovered Dzing! and who sent me an email the next day saying, "I just can't stop smelling myself!"
For buying information, see the listing for L'Artisan under Perfume Houses.
Thanks Angela, I was waiting for this review! Dzing! is in my top 10 too. To me it's a wonder that can reset my nose when it's tired, soothe my bad moodwhen it comes and, sprayed lavishly on my scarf, makes me feel quiet like a napping cat when I walk around in the city.
It's great to hear about Dzing! I'm an other fan of that watercolor beast… It's a mean and sultrys as quiet can be! cheers! bo.
Isn't it amazing? It's such an original fragrance, and yet it's so soothing. At least to me–and it sounds like, to you–it is.
Angela, you're a Dzingvangelist!
What a description! It's a sultry beast, for sure.
one of my favorites, always different, always interesting, between leathery- sweet- marshmallowish but mostly subtly so… and sometimes irritatingly like Fahrenheit, but better
I guess I'm amazed that Dzing hadn't already been reviewed here. I got my first decant 4 or 5 months ago and it's definitely gone in the FBW category. I may actually stop by L'Artisan when I'm in New York during the holidays and see if there's any truth to that rumor that there are still 50ml bottles to be had.
I haven't fully explored the leather category yet, but Dzing is great. I don't get much of the vanillic aspect that many seem to, nor do I think it smells particularly like cardboard or paper. It was certainly “weird” to my nose at first, but I've come to love it. I may need to wear it tomorrow (or later tonight) after your nice homage to this seeming cult favorite.
Yep, I'm preachin' the gospel of the Church of Dzing!.
I've never tried Fahrenheit, but now I will!
I was amazed that it hadn't been reviewed either–I feel like I mention it every other post or so, so I guess that I thought somewhere along the line it surely was reviewed.
I don't get the vanilla, either, so Osmoz's classification as Oriental-Vanilla doesn't ring true with me. Its drydown has a sweetness, along with the musk, but it isn't a vanilla sweet to me.
I heard this was a good scent to pick out the note castoreum in – is that right? Castoreum sounds like a first cousin of civet, and must be smelt, I figured, in order to be ruled in or out of my repertoire!
yay, love at first sniff! so dirty, yet so subtle
Yes, it definitely has castoreum, but for me it melds with its friends into Dzing!'s leathery-rubbery backbone. Do try it and let me know what you think, though. Some people get a really animalic hit from it, but I don't so much. Musk, yes, but not super animalic musk.
Exactly!
I tried to order samples of this and a few other L'Artisans from their site but it didn't accept my debit card. So I got my dad to order them with his credit card and I was like “they can be stocking stuffers!!!”
if I hadn't said that he probably would have let me have them before Christmas but now I have to wait 🙁
If you're searching for a 50ml size of Dzing!, looks like bluemercury.com has it in stock. FYI!
Dzing is just heavenly. I don't think about the circus when I wear it. Rather, I think of a worn leather armchair one would see in the corner of a library.
Since embarking on my fragrance education, I've grown quite discerning when it comes to buying perfume. Dzing! has officially landed on my “must-have” list. Thanks for reviewing!
Loves me some Dzing! I tore through a used bottle I bought and have been craving another full bottle ever since.
To me it evokes the olfactory association of the smell of where animals sleep – that musky, slightly sweet yet animal hair suffused warm aura. And cardboard. 🙂
I always tell people who like this, to please try Nostalgia by Santa Maria Novella. Another benzene/automobile engine/leather scent that dries down to a comfy/sweet base note.
As a newbie perfumista who has been reading this (and other) blogs/books/recommendations for the past few months and sniffing as many perfumes as I can get my hands on, I found Dzing!'s description and story to be one of the most intriguing I had come across. I finagled a sample from L'Artisan and upon first sniff found myself nearing a headachey state, a situation I was not anticipating. I tried it the next day and found some of the top notes a bit unpleasant, yet couldn't stop smelling myself after about two hours. The fragrance suddenly became oddly comforting.
Clearly another try is in order, but my question is, how does the fragrance compare when sprayed versus dabbed? I feel like I may be missing out on something by not having the spray vial.
P.S. Also, I have so enjoyed my introduction to this art and science and love reading both the blog posts and everyone's comments! Keep it up!
Just like when we were kids! Remember how hard it was to wait until Xmas morning?
I'm sure they're around here and there. But heck, I need the big bottle anyway!
You're welcome, and I hope you land a bottle soon.
I tried Nostalgia once and liked it, but now I'm determined to track down a sample.
Isn't it fun getting to know perfume?
I think lots of fragrances smell different depending on how they're applied–sprayed or dabbed. I've only sprayed Dzing, so I can't help you much, but the scent has enough “range” built into it that I'm guessing it will give you a better idea of how it smells if you spray it.
I bet you that if you aren't crazy about the top notes now and put your sample away, by February you'll love it and be huffing the rubbery motor oil and leather top of it.
I have college finals coming up so December will probably pass by pretty quickly this year. Thank gawd.
I was reading the Dzongkha review (which I also have to wait until Christmas for) and a lot of people seemed to dislike the bottle design. I haven't seen this bottle or the old bottle in person, but I like the bottle. And I especially like the the little lady riding the tiger, so I really would like a bottle of this
Bvlgari Black is my favorite perfume so hopefully I will like it.
That's exactly it! There are times when it's best to revisit a scent at a later date, or try it in different weather. One never knows.
Isn't it amazing how different a perfume can be on different people? I adore Dzing! and bought a bottle as soon as I could. On me it smells like a stable. Dung, sweat, horses, lots of saddles (I mean LOTS of saddles) and a little bit of hay. Love love love it.
And the best thing about moving to the country is that I can wear Dzing! every day and no-one turns a hair. Stables are pretty old hat here.
If you like Bulgari Black, you're already halfway to liking Dzing!.
I think some people regret the passing of the old L'Artisan bottle, which was shaped a lot the same but had more of a crown-shaped cap.
So true.
That is interesting. What you just described is just what L'Air de Rien smells like on me! You don't get any of the rubber?
I need to stop reading the Dzing comments! I don't need another fragrance to fall in love with, (especially another L'Artisan).
It was the Chandler Burr books that did it for me. Totally hooked. I just love getting samples from TPC and reading here, too. Welcome!
Well, when the time comes and you find yourself with a little extra cash, it's definitely worth giving Dzing! a smell. Who knows? You might find you don't like it and save yourself a lot of money.
The Burr books were eye-openers for me, too, and the blogs definitely turned my little fragrance “problem” into a full-blown addiction.
Will do – have a sample en route courtesy of lovethescents!
Angela, thanks so much for reviewing this. Dzing! was early on in my discovery of L'Artisan (and niche perfumery). While it doesn't smell as good on me as on many others, I still remember my shocked surprise and delight upon smelling it — the discovery that perfume could be so interesting!
March, have you tried it lately? I thought about you when I last wore it, mostly because both it and Courtesan have that lovely musky dry down.
Hearing all of your Dzing buzz prompted me get a sample and is now on my FBW status list. Thanks!
Another convert! You won't regret it.
Can't believe BFL doesn't own it yet. You buy nearly everything! LOL. How about we split 100ml? I've constantly see great deals on eBay….
Lol…no I don't own it yet…but I'm very close to pressing the BUY button HA! 🙂
I am hoping not to fall in love. But after reading your review, and WordBird's description, it was very tempting.
I might put it on the “smell” list and be thankful for the much less-expensive Bal a Versailles, it develops in much the same way on me.
joe805
Just checked ebay, there's one bottle, (50 ml nearly full) selling for $75.
Ah, as I suspected. The rubber in Bulgari Black has always rubbed me (pun intended) the wrong way. I sniffed Dzing briefly once upon a time and came away thinking that it was a weird, somewhat unpleasant scent. Now I know why.
Lizbeth: Believe me, that ebay bottle was already on my “watch” list! Are you trying to “enable” my addiction? Or just getting back at me for unknowingly getting you to buy Voleur de Roses? Ha! If I end up with a bottle this month, I'll ship you the rest of the small decant I have now, ok?
You know, it seems weird that Osmoz doesn't list a leather note at all, doesn't it? Are they usually fairly accurate, or is there some scientific method to their classification? If i read that list of notes (rose? daffodil?? ginger? cinnamon – maybe?), there's no way I would ever conjure something like Dzing in my head. L'Artisan's own list of notes seems more on the mark, because for me this is all about the leather. Turin mentions something interesting in The Guide regarding how as paper ages it breaks down and emits a vanillic aromachemical, which he uses to explain the cardboard/vanilla thing that so many people get.
Again, if I didn't say it before, thanks for this review. I thought all the 'hype' over Dzing! was just another product of the perfumista “cult of weird”…. until I smelled it. On a related note, I have a recently-purchased sample of Cumming that has been toying with me from time to time…
Hi, I recently reviewed Dzing! and found it very interesting, my bf liked ist also.
To me it is heading towards earth, dirty muddy waters, and whiskey. It might be better in summer, it is also something for winter though. The sweetness underneath ist very nice, like a warm embracing.
It seems to be one of the best sold LAP scents so why should they discontinue it?! Hopefully they will never ever discontinue my Chasse! *knockonwood*
You can't go wrong with Bal a Versailles.
I guess not everyone loves it!
You're welcome for the review, of course. Osmoz is usually pretty good, I think, although I was surprised not to see leather listed, too. I guess it always pays to smell….
Cumming is another good one!
So many of the L'Artisans are favorites of so many people–I hope they don't discontinue any of them!
llol! Honestly, I do have a touch of the devil in me, but I'm just trying to be helpful.
I've been receiving 10% off coupons from the 'bay, which just adds to the temptation to surf for fragrant goodies….. The decant sounds nice, thank you for the offer. :~)
And I was the kid sneaking in the closet shaking the wrapped gifts to see what possibly could be in there. I was lucky I didn't get a lump of coal!
I have been wanting to try Dzing! ever since hearing about it – but the (otherwise wonderful) store I go to for my niche perfume fix DOES NOT STOCK IT! Argh. I don't mind buying samples from online stores, but I still feel cheated because they have the entire L'Artisan line minus this one.
Lovers of Jacinthe des Bois, Oeillet Sauvage, and Fleur de Carotte all felt the same way. (And no, I'm not one of them — I've never sniffed those scents.)
I only did that once! (Really)
That's horrible! Time to stage a demonstration!
And Orchidee Blanche, too (I'm pretty sure that one might be d/c'ed).
I wanted to let everyone know that the Chicago Boutique is fully stocked with Dzing! I've been wearing it ever since I read this review. Merci!
Hi Zoe, Call the Chicago Boutique. They have several. And I think shipping is free depending on how much you spend.
Je vous en prie!
Hello Angela!
Your post made me search the whole Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for a bottle of this. Unfortunately, all shops I visited do not carry the brand. I still have to check the 2 major shops here in Riyadh and cross my fingers one of them has it.
Can't wait to wear this perfume in the cold month of December.
Regards,
Edward
Good luck finding it! I hope you like it after all your efforts. In any case, you probably know the perfume offering of Saudi Arabia pretty well now!
Well, what do you know? Although I found the opening a little peculiar, once it settles down I think this is very pretty, in a leathery, slightly rubbery, slightly sweet way. I am astonished that I am using words like “leathery” and “rubbery” in a positive sense, but any dirty or masculine notes are sweetly orchestrated, as they are in my new discovery, Bal a Versailles. Though BaV is more animalic to me, while this is more about the leather. Thanks, lovethescents!
No repulsive civety overtones? Hurray! I've come to love the rubber, leather, motor oil feel of the opening. It's great on a man, too, if you have one handy for experimentation.
No civet at all, but after my Bal a Versailles epiphany, I think a little smidgen could have been accommodated…
I have a man handy, but absolutely not for experimentation, even at night. Lovethescents suggested I dab things on him while he sleeps to see how scents behave on masculine skin, but I do not think I would get away with such “stealth perfuming”, not least because I am the only other occupant of the house. Man's verdict on Dzing! “Craft shop selling leather purses.”
Well, I guess as long as he likes perfume on you….
Craft shop selling leather purses isn't bad at all!
Sadly he doesn't! And we are currently in discussions about whether perfume anywhere on the forearms should be banned for “kitchen operatives”, which means me, effectively – I have recently been accused of inadvertently perfuming cups of tea and slices of bread…
Well, darn it. And it looked like he had a promising career as a perfume describer, too.
I should count myself lucky. Hubby has been very open to scents, both mine and his, and he likes the leather & chypres I adore!
Lucky you!
Not anymore. I ordered the 50ml last week and just received a call from a bluemercury rep letting me know that it's no longer available. Ah well, guess that means I'll just have to get the bigger bottle! 😉
That's the attitude!
I recently received a sample order from L’Artisan and I just had to include Dzing to try. Include me in the ‘love it’ camp. Such an interesting, yet comfortable fragrance. There is something in there that reminds me SO much of an incense my [elegantly Bohemian] mom used to burn. This was a cone type – before incense ‘sticks’ were the norm. No idea what the scent was – but the olfactory memory is strong. I now think I understand when ‘rubber’ and ‘leather’ are used in a fragrance description. I don’t get the vanilla from this at all though.
I’m glad you like it! “Elegantly bohemian” is a good way to describe Dzing, too.
The weirdest thing happened when I was in Luckyscents store in LA (called Scent Bar I think?) – I had a dozen of samples I was trying and gave my sister the card that had Dzing! on it and asked her what she thought – she is not into perfume at all being very sensitive to smell (she says although I think she’s warming up). She said “It’s smells awful… like a circus or something”. Hah! Who knew the smell of leather, rubber, and hay are hardwired as “circus”?
Wow! Your sister hit it spot on. It sounds like she has a knack.
I’ve been reading this blog for a few weeks now, and I have to tell you that I love it.
I got my sample of Dzing! in the mail yesterday, and I put it on this morning. Definitely circus/petting zoo, which is something I actually like very much. That “petting zoo” quality is something I like in my red wines, too. I think it’s actually a “hay” note, but “petting zoo” is much more fun to say.
I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog! And I’m glad you like Dzing!, too. It’s one of my favorites. Next time I smell it, I’ll focus on the hay note.
I love the blog too! While reading “Water for Elephants”, about the circus, I had to wear Dzing!, just for kicks. The first time I sprayed it, on paper, I thought, this is just Bulgari Black, what’s the big deal? But then I tried it on my skin…sigh, love.
It really is wonderful and changes on skin, that’s for sure.
I keep trying to like this one. The first time I smelled it, I instantly recoiled. It smelled *exactly* like cadaver lab- formaldehyde and all. 🙁 I was expecting to fall in love at first sniff, and was very disappointed. Still, there’s something in the very oddness of the scent that makes me keep on wanting to try it again… What *is* it about this crazy scent?!?
Maybe one day you’ll smell it and–instant love! If not, there are plenty of other scents around to love, that’s for sure.
Apparently this perfume is being discontinued?!?! is this TRUE?!?
PS: I realise in your review you mention it was the 50ml that was discontinued…….but when i went to order a sample from TPC, they stated it was being discontinued. I’ll double check though, but i don’t THINK i’m going mad…….
I think there was talk of it being discontinued, but it’s still in production (thank goodness) in the 100 ml size.
Good! Well, it would be utter madness to get rid of it. The sales assistant in the Marylebone shop said that Dzing, Dzongkha and Timbuktu are their top sellers. So. Good for L’Artisan and good for us.
One of my main scents. Especially, working in the circus.
It would be perfect for that!
Having begun a perfume obsession and worked through most of Sephora, Macys, and Nordstroms over the last 3 months, I’m entering the exciting world of online samples and hit it big last week when I tried my new sample of L’Artisan Tea For Two [love!!]. Having loved the various descriptions of Dzing and enjoying both hay and leather notes, I was excited to see what this one held.
Well, on me it smells nothing like what I’ve been reading about! There is a chilly overlay of daffodil or iris, I imagine, that reminds me of certain kinds of generic dishsoap, covering a warmer incense. That’s all I get. The cold sharpness of the top reluctantly melds into the warmer underlayer over the first two hours, and a thread of sweet spiciness emerges. I don’t get leather. I don’t get hay. I don’t get cardboard. I certainly don’t get fur or candy apple. Nope, this one makes me feel sad and forlorn, like I am standing freshly abandoned on a downtown sidewalk as it begins to rain, warm tears filling my eyes and spilling over to vanish in the rainwater on my cheeks. It may not be what others are getting from Dzing, but I can at least say I’ve never had a perfume alter my mood like that before.
Do you at least get sweet musk in the drydown? Give it a few more tries, I say. Maybe something will happen. Or not.
My lovely friend Julie just sent me some of this today and I love it.
It’s soft and buttery suede, it actually recalls to my mind my runs on the horse trail that I go to everyday in a forest and that is the most comforting smell to me.
I smell earth and sweetness from drying grass in the breeze.
Also Angela I sensed a similarity to Cuir de Lancome which I adore , it’s more powdery in the beginning of that though.
I want to fold and get some D’zing! but wondering if I can justify it when it smells like something I already have?
But one can never have too much of smooth leather scents right?
It’s delightful!
Always LOVE your reviews, they the most descriptive and imaginitive ones on here.
Very whimsical and alluring,
you have convinced many people,
me included to venture out and try a beauty that you’ve written about!
Thank you<3
xo~T
I’m glad you enjoyed the review–and the fragrance. I have both Cuir de Lancome and Dzing!, and although, like you, I find similarities, I’ve convinced myself that they’re different enough that I must have both!
May be one has to be a horse person to appreciate this…although I’ve learned to pick up on other notes in other fragrances, when it comes to Dzing!, Dzongkha, K.Khan, Jicky…all I get is one smell – that animalic thing. I fail to pick up anything else, unfortunately. I wish I could smell what everyone is writing about. Perhaps spraying them might help.
Otherwise, the only animal smell I like is the smell of my cat’s head au naturel. Having tried the aforementioned perfumes on her, I still get that note that’s unpleasant to me. So it must be my nose & not my skin. Oh, well…
Great reviews here, and the Chandler Burr books just opened up this whole world to me! Thanks!
Animalic has a lot of forms, from civet to musk to a vague, unidentifiable “funk”. I get a lot of sweet musk in Dzing!’s drydown, that’s for sure, and you can’t miss the civet in Jicky. Save your samples, though, and try them in a year. For me, my appreciation of Jicky changed immensely. (Although fresh kitty fur is one of the best smells I know.)
Welcome, and I hope you have fun digging around on the site! There’s a lot of good stuff here.
I just tried Dzing! over the weekend. There is a shop nearby that carries a lot of the L’Artisan line, so I was excited to see it. I was trying a lot of other stuff too, so I can’t give a full-on analysis, but I liked it. I didn’t get cardboard, thankfully. I definitely get the animal fur thing. The rest was basically leather and wood smoke. I imagine it’s what sitting by a campfire in a leather chair while sniffing my cat would be like.
My cat would not be fond of this situation, I’m sure.
I bought a bottle of Dzing! yesterday. Finally it’s mine! My prrrrescious….. 🙂
I hope you and Dzing have a happy life together!
Thank you Angela, I am sure we will!
Oh my! I finally got to try this a few weeks’ back. The opening notes are almost identical to that of the old version of Brosseau’s L’Ombre Bleu, which I wish one of you guys would review. I wore *that* perfume all through my early twenties and loved its off-kilter opening notes, almost like insect repellent and therefore a particularly nostalgic note for an Australian. I despaired recently when the bottle of L’Ombre Bleu I discovered in a perfumery, and forked out about $200 for, turned out to be a reformulation that had toned done all the crazy and replaced it with sickly candy instead. BUT Dzing! in those opening moments brings all the crazy back. What a shame I used up all my perfume bucks on that pale blue imitation of a once glorious perfume.
I’m so sad to hear about the L’Ombre Bleu reformulation! That must have been a huge disappointment. At least Dzing! is still out there, even though L’Artisan threatens to pull it from time to time.