Discovery Set Diaries | Entry No. 02: Mind Games — Soulmate Collection
- Hilary Burke
- Jan 2
- 5 min read
Note: Since each fragrance mirrors the significance behind a player’s move, I took some creative liberty to develop a scent legend to navigate this full fragrance house in the spirit of chess.
The Soulmate Collection
From the brand:
Mind Games is a fragrance debut that transports you to the decisive moments of competition—tests of character, skill, and intellect. It asks the wearer to consider their style of play.
Notes unfold with intention, transforming first impressions into layered compositions where every ingredient performs a role in the greater strategy.
The result is a collection as nuanced and insightful as the game itself.
My Mind Games Experience
The bottles alone look like chess pieces—sculptural, intricate, intentional. While I was only sampling from vials, the images on the website are those of pieces of art. The materials, the detailing: each one looks as though it’s telling a story before you even spray.
The brand partnered with the niche fragrance house Symrise and its master perfumers, sourcing high-quality ingredients to honor the complexity of chess—from the player to the board, to the pieces themselves. That reverence is evident throughout the collection.
Full disclosure: I am not a chess player. My son is. And through him, I’ve come to appreciate the artistry of the game, the choreography of the mind, the tradition, the patience, the quiet intensity. It’s almost a dance. And Mind Games honors that spirit beautifully.
I explored all 20 fragrances across two collections. And I can honestly say — I loved every single one. Never before have I experienced such a complete and immersive fragrance journey. Even as a non-chess player, the essence of the game was not lost on me. The names, the note structures, the way each scent unfolds— it all echoed the mental movement of a chess match, and it was deeply felt throughout the sampling.
The Soulmate Collection - Discovery Set #1
The first discovery set I explored was The Soulmate Collection, described as “embodying the strength and unity of pawns.” Pawns, the most numerous pieces on the board—symbolize potential and sacrifice. Often underestimated, they are transformative, essential to the endgame, and crucial in making space for power to emerge.
The Soulmate Collection includes:
En Prise
French Defense
Gambit
Sissa
Ruy Lopez
The Forward
Sans Voir
Queening
Lionora
Vieri
Of the ten in this collection, seven spoke to me.
One I purchased immediately.
Six went straight onto my wish list.
Gambit (immediate purchase)
I instantly purchased Gambit, a woody-leather fragrance that captured me from the first spray. The name immediately brought to mind The Queen’s Gambit—
a story of strength, sacrifice, and resilience that I deeply connected with. This scent carries that same energy and connection.
In chess, a gambit is an opening move where a player sacrifices a piece—often a pawn—for positional advantage. This fragrance mirrors that boldness. It’s confident, commanding, and formidable from the jump.
Like its namesake, Gambit takes control early and holds it effortlessly.
Queening is wildly popular right now—and I completely understand why. From the first spray, vanilla sweetness lifts and captivates.
In chess, queening is the act of promoting a pawn that reaches the opposite end of the board into a more powerful piece. This fragrance celebrates that moment of transformation.
An amber-woody composition, Queening opens with clean cotton accord, cypress,
and apple—fresh, structured, tactical. At the heart, rich rum and orris soften the sweetness, while the base of whipped vanilla bean, fluffy musk, and coconut brings warmth and elegance. It’s dynamic, confident, and quietly inspiring.
The Forward opens with a beautiful blend of citrus—mandarin, lemon, and pomelo— setting a bright, energetic tone. Jasmine, creamy tonka bean, and a salt accord follow, and that salt note is such an unexpected, subtle pleasure.
The dry-down of Madagascar vanilla, Cashmeran, and milky sandalwood grounds the fragrance, giving it warmth and momentum.
True to its name, this scent feels like movement—purposeful and assured.
Vieri, described as “the nobleman who captivated Lionora’s heart,” captured mine as well. A spicy-citrus opening of red lemongrass, lemon, and pink pepper immediately drew me in—I’m a longtime lover of pink pepper, and it’s used beautifully here.
The heart introduces camellia tea and Rouge Groseille Delaire—a signature base accord from Symrise —adding a tart, fruity tension that disrupts the sweetness of peony.
Earthy, woody base notes give the fragrance a mystical quality. Enchanting, romantic, and absolutely wish-list worthy.
En Prise is wonderfully multidimensional. In chess, the term (French for “in take”) refers to a piece that is exposed and vulnerable to capture.
This fragrance transported me instantly.
I imagined a mythical forest at perpetual twilight—a princess on her white stallion galloping through freshly turned earth, her headdress trailing in the wind. I love when a fragrance opens a door to another realm.
The effervescent opening of grapefruit (one of my forever notes), ginger, and bergamot feels bright and alive. As it settles, sugar accord and cassis emerge before grounding into a woody heart of vetiver, moss, and cedarwood. Earthy, magical, and deeply evocative.
Sissa is sweet, nutty, and unapologetically gourmand. An amber, edible, woody fragrance in the truest sense.
Toasted sesame seed oil and coumarin create a warm, powdery opening. Creamy milk accord and roasted tonka bean follow, while labdanum and musk add a balsamic, almost animalic depth. Madagascar vanilla rounds it all out into a full-bodied, scent that feels indulgent and comforting.
French Defense is out of stock, and I know why— its a show stopper!
It feels grounded, composed, and quietly powerful. In chess, the French Defense is a response rooted in structure and patience, favoring long-term strategy over immediate flash. This fragrance carries that same restrained confidence.
The opening is smooth and balanced, with notes of black cherry (I don't usually like cherry notes but in this case, it's perfection), violet and chamomile bring subtle spice and aromatic freshness. As it develops, warmer notes emerge—earthy, slightly resinous, and deeply comforting — creating a sense of calm control.
The dry down sets the tone of success in match and scent with its ambary and woody footing, there’s a steadiness to French Defense that I found incredibly appealing.
Final Soulmate Collection Thoughts
All ten fragrances in the Soulmate Collection are beautiful—each distinct, each intentional. Together, they form a strategic harmony of notes and accords that feel both powerful and deeply considered.
Every scent opens bright, crisp, and stimulating—mirroring the opening moves of a chess match. As a collection, there is a clear synergy: fragrances that evolve, respond, and shift, much like the game itself.
The Soulmate Collection isn’t just a discovery set—it’s a study in movement, patience, and transformation. And for me, it was a reminder of why discovery—
true discovery—will always be more meaningful than blind buying.
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