There is something about summer that calls for having an effortless perfume or cologne in your collection, one that you can grab and don't have to think about spraying because you know it will be right in any situation. Office? Check. Night out? Check. Yoga class? Check. There is a fine line for a perfume to be multipurpose and non offensive in summer's heat, without veering into the land of boring and uninspired. I have a few perfumes that straddle this line perfectly but my new favorite since last year is Jeffrey Dame's Mate, Heliotrope & Patchouli Eau de Toilette. Dame Perfumery's line includes Eau de Toilettes for women and men that are composed of three notes to give a bright top note, a floral heart, and finally a warm sensual dry down. I honestly haven't found one I didn't like, but out of all my samples this turned out to be my favorite and my first full bottle order. I was surprised because it probably would have been the last one I would have thought I would prefer, simply judging by the listed ingredients.
When I'm wearing Mate, Heliotrope & Patchouli it feels clean and effortlessly chic, much like the photo of Ali MacGraw pictured above. I remember as a young girl seeing her pictured in magazines and on the big screen. She seemed the ultimate cool girl, never having to try to hard but looking approachably beautiful. That is how this perfume strikes me. It makes my skin smell like a better version of itself, yet it doesn't feel like I'm trying too hard to smell beautiful. When I'm wearing it I can almost believe that I too can have creaseless linen trousers, that horizontal striped shirts won't make me look as wide as the side of the barn, and that my hair is a sleek chignon rather than a frizzy mess!
Mate, Heliotrope & Patchouli opens with a mate tea note. Yerba mate is the traditional drink in several South American countries and is hailed for its healthy and energizing properties, without the jitteriness that caffeine gives some sippers. Mate is closer to green tea in aroma than black tea, but it is more herbal and grassy and altogether more hearty than the typical green tea. The opening of Dame's fragrance offers this tea fragrance but it has a brighter characteristic than that of my Trader Joe's Mate brew. Heliotrope has been described to have notes of marzipan, vanilla, cherry pie, or almond, depending how it is paired with other notes. It often gives a comforting feel to fragrances and some people describe a Play-doh scent. In Mate, Heliotrope & Patchouli the heliotrope doesn't come on strong with any one note but it does provide a soft slightly sweet almond-tinged aroma on my skin. Don't let the word Patchouli scare you with it's 60's hippie vibe image. Patchouli has characteristics of being earthy, woody or musky, but in this perfume the patchouli note seems greener and cleaner. Patchouli blends to provide warmth to the perfume and early on in the wear I can smell tendrils of patchouli grounding the perfume. The final result is a meld of notes that give off a "my skin but better" aura. I know that musks are thought of as the traditional skin scent but to me this combination of notes feels like slipping on my favorite worn and comfy jeans.
Jeffrey's Eau de Toilettes can be liberally sprayed and reapplied as necessary. When looking for the strength of the various types of fragrance, parfum which is concentrated with higher levels of fragrant oils is strongest, followed by eau de perfume, then eau de Toilette and finally eau de Cologne. Eau de Toilette still has roughly up to ten percent aromatic ingredients so while initially appearing lighter than a perfume, it offers more longevity than a cologne while still providing the lift and refreshment of a cologne.
Anyone who has dealt with Jeffrey knows what a generous soul he is. His perfumes are very well priced so feel free to indulge! When your package arrives it will have a nice offering of samples for you to try and I dare you not to love at least one. Those of us who have a fascination with niche perfumes and are always looking for the next thing to try can get caught up in the chase. Dame Perfumery distinguishes itself by offering simpler and pretty (or manly!) perfumes that you don't have to feel challenged by applying. You can just kick back and enjoy the ride!
Photo of Ali MacGraw from Google. Bottle photo from Dame Perfumery website. Perfume my own.
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