Hello everyone, and welcome to another Singaporean review! On this shiok Sunday, I’m reviewing the new Dual Crayon from local perfumer Maison 21G.
The Dual Crayon is Maison 21G’s latest production, and it essentially combines two roll-on perfumes into one. I had the chance to attend the product launch event recently, and create my own customised Dual Crayon. Let’s see how the process went!
Maison 21G – the Brand
I’ve covered Maison 21G as a brand in my previous review of their perfume workshop. For those who are interested in the brand story, you can read the article here. I also covered their new ION outlet here, as well as their home scents here.
Maison 21G – Dual Crayon Experience
I had a blast at Dual Crayon launch event, held at the brand’s lovely Duxton showroom – Maison 21G certainly knows how to impress.
First of all, I was heartily told that there would be free-flow prosecco during the event – who doesn’t love a glass (or five) of bubbles? After being given a gift box and multiple refills, I was passed some stencils and a couple of markers, and “encouraged” to decorate the box to make it my own. At first, I was a bit hesitant about the entire arts-and-craft concept – I haven’t done any drawing since primary school probably – but after a couple of glasses of bubbles I found myself happily doodling on said box. I guess alcohol unleashes the inner child in me…
Like regular perfume creations, Maison 21G encourages their customers to do the personality quiz first. I’ll have to give props to Maison 21G for constantly updating and improving its quiz using artificial intelligence. Based upon my inputs (whereby I stated that I wanted something seductive and attractive) the quiz recommended that I go for a combination of Havana Harvest and Cashmere Wood. I should stress that the quiz results are mere recommendations – you don’t have to stick to them. However, after smelling both scents mixed together, I felt the combination was substantially different from the previous perfumes that I’ve gotten from the brand, and thus decided to stick with the quiz’s recommendations.
Cashmere Wood is a “heart” note, which the brand describes as “an uplifting fragrance” that evokes “a romantic walk through wintery woods, hand-in-hand”.
In contrast, Havana Harvest is “addictive yet refined”, with a distinct oriental and exotic touch. It’s easily one of the more memorable scents I’ve tried from Maison 21G. I also really appreciate that the brand goes the extra mile to provide cards detailing the characteristic of each scent, thus educating its customers better. If you’re particular about your perfume, there’s certainly a lot of information to be had here.
The ingenuity of the Dual Crayon concept is perhaps best explained by its tagline, “1+1=3”. In other words, you can either apply each scent on its own, or layer the two together to create a sophisticated third scent. Personally, I preferred to layer Cashmere Wood and Havana Harvest together. The woodiness of Cashmere Wood complements the spicy, tobacco nature of Havana Harvest perfectly. There’s a rakish element to the layered scent that makes me feel like I’m on the Cayman Islands, sipping a Negroni while smoking a Cuban cigar. It’s also eminently different from the previous scents I’ve made with Maison 21G, which were more “day” perfumes with a fresher note. This would definitely be something I apply more at night, especially if I’m heading out on a date, or attending a glitzy event.
That being said, I did find myself occasionally applying the scents individually, especially Cashmere Wood. The Dual Crayon, as compared to the regular perfume bottle, is significantly more compact and portable. As such, I found myself turning to the Dual Crayon during my excursions to the gym, where I apply Cashmere Wood afterwards to freshen up. I did try applying Havana Harvest, but unless I was going on a date right after exercising (not likely) I felt it didn’t suit the situation as well as the fresher Cashmere Wood. For those wondering how roll-ons perfumes work, one simply rubs the ball-shaped end of the perfume on either your clothing or your skin, instead of the usual spray mechanism. I’ve no problems getting used to the nature of roll-on perfumes, and found them very easy to apply.
Conclusion – so the Dual Crayon “shiok” or not?
I really liked the Dual Crayon from Maison 21G. It exemplifies the raison d’etre of the brand – customisation – and is also highly practical. While I used to carry my Maison 21G perfume bottle whilst out and about, I now bring the Dual Crayon out, which I find to be much handier. It’s also almost half the price of the regular perfume creation, so the Dual Crayon will also be an accessible option for those that want to try out the brand and its scents. An area of improvement however would be to make the Dual Crayon refillable, like the perfume creations. That would be more in line with Maison 21G’s sustainable brand mission.
Those interested in Maison 21G’s offerings can use the promo code “WAHMAISON20” for 20% off all workshop bookings (including both weekdays AND weekends), as well as all other products on their webstore. Simply enter the promo code while checking out online, or mention it/flash this article in-store. After the discount, the perfume workshop would cost just $144, while the Dual Crayon would cost just $42, making it one of the brand’s most affordable products. And in case you’re wondering, I’ve found the Dual Crayon to be good for about a month of use. If you have an active lifestyle and want something easier to carry around for your mid-day spruce-ups, the Dual Crayon is a unique proposition that won’t break the bank. I think that is a great price considering that most off-the-rack departmental store perfumes already cost that much, if not more. It’s also a memorable experience for those who are curious about perfumery, or simply looking for a nice date idea.
Book the perfume workshop or customise your own scent from Maison 21G here.
View the Dual Crayon Creation here.
P.S Do check out the new “Discounts!” page for exclusive discounts for Wahsoshiok readers! More brands will be added very soon – stay tuned!
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P.S.S.S Shiok is a common word Singaporeans use to express admiration or approval. As of 2016, you can find the definition of the word in the Oxford English Dictionary.
