The Other Side of Me, also known as TOSOM, is La Fleur By Livvy’s latest fragrance created by perfumer Andrej Babicky in collaboration with Olivia Larson, the line’s owner and perfumer. It is also the second creation of the line’s Impressions series.
While A Walk in Giverny was inspired by Claude Monet and his gardens at Giverny (read my full review here), TOSOM honors the artist Frederic Bazille, who was instrumental in the Impressionist movement’s formative years. Olivia and Andrej thought that Bazille’s artwork, mainly composed of portraits and landscapes, would nicely connect to the idea of self-representation and looking deeper into one’s soul. Also, they thought that the artist’s use of color would nicely match the raw ingredients selected to compose TOSOM’s botanical natural landscape.
Like A Walk in Giverny, this creation is a modern chypre, the olfactory family that ideally represents the Impressionist art movement. Chypres and Impressionism are both timeless and eternal, and enclose everchanging nuances, contrasts, and layers that can be discovered with each wear, with each look.
Complex and magnetic, TOSOM is described by the brand as “a modern chypre with green and earthy nuances with hints of vanilla and earthy smokey vibes”. The fragrance has a dark and enigmatic quality, but also a grounding character.
While A Walk in Giverny is a stroll on a bright and warm day of spring after a rainy night, TOSOM is a walk in the damp countryside at dawn. I take in the aroma of fallen autumn leaves along with the dense and mossy undergrowth and cool herbs. Wisps of chimney smoke diffuse in the chilly air and the first rays of sunlight slowly warm the earth.
The opening is herbaceous and biting, sprinkled with black and pink peppercorns. On my skin, the citrus surprise comes through a little later and not immediately like in more classic chypre creations. The composition is brightened by a deliciously tart and energizing yuzu instead of a more traditional bergamot. This gives way to a damp earth heart enveloped by tendrils of smoky incense.
The floral notes form TOSOM’s backbone, but what primarily seems to come through on my skin is the lavender note, a calming and healing presence with its mint-like quality.
The amber-like base is shiny and golden, a lush blend of woody, green, balsamic, and caramel-like hues that persist for hours.
TOSOM is a 100% natural fragrance made of organic, rare, and wild sourced raw materials from different parts of the world.
The notes and their origin are listed as they appear on La Fleur By Livvy’s website:
Top:
Yuzu from Japan
Black and Pink Pepper from Madagascar
Heart:
Violet Leaf from Egypt
Organic Lavender from Gross, Spain
Jasmine Grandiflorum from India
Mimosa from France
Base:
Wildcrafted Styrax (Liquid Amber) from Honduras
Cypriol (or Nagarmotha) from India
Organic Angelica Root from EU
Vanilla, in-house A Grade Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean
Patchouli from Indonesia
Labdanum Wildcrafted and Grown from Spain
A note from the brand about TOSOM:
“Can you see my soul through my eyes? Can you see the turmoil and the storm that is imprisoned in my chest? I am not only just a shell, a being; I am more than my face, my hands, and my body. In addition to what your eyes see there is more, there is much more, a whole world where I am free from myself, where I am the color and the canvas, I am the quick movement of the hand that leaves behind gentle and coordinated strokes on canvas, I am sunrise and sunset, day and night, black and white, I am the sum of all colors and yet none of them. The world where I am me and where I am the world. This is the other side of me, the hidden part that only a few are given the key to discover. Can you see my soul?”
The fragrance is available on the brand’s website and in select retailers in 50 ml bottles and 5 ml spray vials.
The 50 ml bottle I reviewed TOSOM from was kindly gifted to me by Olivia Larson.
Launched in 2013, La Fleur by Livvy is inspired by Olivia Larson’s passion for flowers, travel, and art. All the line’s fragrances are handcrafted and filled in small batches and are animal cruelty free. The paper and packaging used is eco-friendly and the brand focuses on wellness and sustainability. To learn more, read my article with Olivia’s interview here.
Photos are my own and kindly provided by Olivia Larson, as indicated.
