Full disclosure here. My younger son is a Virgo, so I approached Strange Invisible Perfume’s latest fragrance which was inspired by said astrological sign, with a bias for wanting to love it. Knowing that neroli, sandalwood, and mandarin are in the Virgo blend also tipped my inclination I’ll admit, but bias or no bias, this is a gorgeous perfume.
I find neroli to be an utterly enchanting essence that moves beautifully through the seasons. It’s floral, kind of spicy and woody, and in the colder months it takes on a cozy aspect. In Virgo, neroli is all of the above and then some. Its woodsiness is enhanced by the well known sandalwood, and at least to me, the lesser known Palo Santo. Although now, I am this close to ordering Palo Santo essential oil after learning more about it.
Palo Santo, or sacred wood, is native to South America and is protected by strict government protection. The oil can only be harvested from fallen twigs and branches that have matured on the jungle floor for two years, allowing enough time for the resin to move into the hardwood. The Incas used this precious wood for purification and cleansing and since it is closely related to frankincense, I can imagine it has a similarly intoxicating incense aroma when burned.
Virgo, the sign and the fragrance, are about introspection, precision and comfort. Sandalwood and Palo Santo usher forth the introspection and comfort, while the neroli and mandarin embody those qualities as well but with a crisp and radiant expressiveness.
Neroli infuses this fragrance with a floral gesture and a hint of sparkle- aided by a gentle dose of jasmine sambac- throughout Virgo’s duration. But it’s in the drydown that Virgo’s soothing quality becomes increasingly apparent. Ultimately, it evolves into a cushion of benzoin and vanilla balsams that are as warm as an embrace from my Virgo son.
Virgo is available as eaux de parfum in 1.7 fl. oz. custom engraved bottles hand-painted with sterling silver for $275. It is exclusively sold at the SIP Boutique, but mail orders are welcome. Please call 310.314.1505 for inquiries.
Disclosure: A sample was sent to me for consideration by SIP. Opinions in this review are my own. I was not financially compensated for this review or any other.
Image: A Virgin by Abbott Thayer at Hektoen International
thefloraesthetic.com 
As another Virgo, I too was curious about this perfume. I’m happy to hear a favorable review! Lately it seems I’ve come across several perfumers who are Virgo’s(SI’s founder and DSH if I’m not mistaken), so though we do get some of the worst reviews of the Zodiac (critical! persnickity! Shy! Boring!) I am happy to see that perhaps creativity runs thorugh our veins. .
You are correct, Alexandra and Dawn are both Virgos. Maybe they are creatively diligent?? I know that’s how my son is. 🙂
Another Virgo here! While at that price and exclusivity, I’m pretty sure I won’t be trying it, it’s nice to know our sign is well represented. And I just love that painting – I lived in the DC area for many years and would visit that painting every time I went to the museums.
Yes, SIP is representing the Virgo sign quite well! I absolutely love this painting, hope to see it IIRL sometime.
This sounds very pretty indeed, although I agree with Julie that the price is beyond what I’m likely to be comfortable plunking down. I’m going to tell myself it is your writing about it that is so appealing, and ignore the perfume. 🙂 (fingers in ears)
Ha! You’re sweet Natalie 🙂 But I do think the perfume is better than any words I can come up with 😉
XOXO
Trish
It really is amazing – it’s so enormous! And it’s in the Freer which is one of my favorite galleries (and the other is next door – the Sackler). I miss DC a lot sometimes. I hope you get to see it!
I have a sample of this. The neroli makes me happy. 🙂
Beautiful.
I love SIP work,….would love to try the virgo perfume. My little daughter is a virgo.
Thank you for this inspirational article.
Blessings
Tanja
I LOVE this perfume. Mine just arrived today (ordered it from Future Naturals, a lovely natural cosmetics/ bath/ body site) and it smells absolutely lovely. I can’t get enough of it. Strange Invisible is one of my favorite perfume brands (if not my all-time favorite for spray-on perfumes) because they smell lovely & don’t make me nauseous (I’m extremely sensitive to most perfumes, especially commercial perfumes).
To me Virgo has a sweet, clean & slightly creamy smell. I definitely prefer the dry-down to the initial scent, but I LOVE it to bits. 🙂
I ended up getting a sample of this from BeautyHabit with my last order, and I am obsessed. I started getting into palo santo this year, and the combination of rose, neroli, and jasmine is one of my absolute favorites. I had just settled on Vered’s Blue Violet as my signature scent, but I think I need to get this as my “other” signature!
I have found that many signature scents is the way to go!! 😊