Essential Parfums began with a modest proposal: to hire senior and celebrated perfumers to create scents and give them free rein. Then present these perfumes straight to the consumer at an accessible price point. They do this by cutting out the middleman, expensive advertising campaigns, and fancy bottles. All the money is put into the scent itself and savings make these perfumes an affordable luxury. After trying all the scents in the discovery set I can agree that they did an excellent job at delivering quality at a very affordable price, 75 Euro for 100 ml, a true bargain in today's market.
I've been dabbling in Instagram posts, and I took this discovery kit with me on a trip to Krakow in autumn. I had a lot of fun exploring each scent, describing them in a few words rather than a wordy review, then finding scenes around town to superimpose with the scent descriptions, thus making my exploration of Essential Parfums and Krakow a joint discovery. I am going to review the line here and use some of the photos I posted. I will start with my favorites from the line.
Bois Impérial by Quentin Bisch
An opening of thai basil, peppercorn, and grapefruit give an unexpected sparkly and bright opening to this woody perfume. Vetiver and cedar wood enhance the aromatics and make this refreshing and very sniffable. Eventually it deepens with akigalawood, which is an uncycled patchouli. This lends a spicy and earthy aspect and translates to a beautiful piece of ancient wood, burnished and polished to a shiny hue. Below is one of the slides I posted to help describe this fragrance. It's a favorite, not just with me but reviewers in general!
Divine Vanille by Olivier Pescheux
I'm not always a vanilla fan but this one won my heart. Rather than playing up the sweetness of vanilla, the perfumer used cinnamon, black pepper, and clary sage to give it a spicy and aromatic opening. Osmanthus gives a suede-like creaminess and there is a slight whisper of incense. Tonka and resins blend with the vanilla to give a boozy gourmand sweetness, but it's light on the sugar, which suits me fine! This is on my buy list.
Rose Magnetic by Sophie Labbé
This opens with a pretty note of litchi, mixed with playful notes of bitter grapefruit and mint. Like the perfumes above, it is an aromatic opening. The rose floats in an at first is light and pretty. Eventually cedar wood, musk, and vanilla deepen the rose and make it rich, strong, and a truly unisex choice.
Mon Vetiver by Bruno Jovanovic
Once again we have an aromatic opening, this time with a gin accord from notes of Mexican lime and juniper oil. It is a fresh but elegant opening. Lavender is present, but it is an herbal, not a floral lavender. The vetiver is joined by patchouli and cashmeran wood, which amplify the scent's earthiness. I don't always love vetiver but I quite like this one.
Orange X Santal by Natalie Gracia-Cetto
This starts with the smell of a bright pithy orange; skin, juice, and all. Then fairly soon creamy sandalwood smooths everything out. This is simple, fun, easy-to-wear and a great summer scent!
Nice Bergamot by Antoine Maisondieu
A burst of Calabrian Bergamot mixed with soft notes of rose petal, jasmine, and ylang ylang give this a light and pretty opening that speaks of easy breezy summer days. Tonka gives it a gentle creaminess and sweetness, grounded by cedar wood. I like this very much but unfortunately, as is usually the case, the citrus notes are elusive and gone fairly quickly.
The Musk by Calice Becker
A musk is a musk is a musk, unless that is, it's in the hands of a master perfumer like Calice Becker. These fragrances are all created by different perfumers who worked independently, but it's surprising how many of them started their scents with unusual aromatics. This one opens with notes of red ginger and spicy lavender. It smells warm, like skin. Musk and sandalwood form the base. I like this scent a lot, but it doesn't have great longevity on my skin. The good news is these perfumes are reasonably priced so repeated spraying is not unreasonable!
I like all of these scents and consider them good value. I particularly like the first three in the list here. Their discovery kit is reasonably priced and a great way to try out the line. I would be surprised if you didn't find something to love!
Photos are my own, all taken around Krakow. I purchased the Essential Parfums sample set myself. Opinions are my own.
Today, December 13th is St. Lucia's Day, celebrated in Sweden as well as other Nordic countries. I had always thought it was a pagan festival, bringing light to the longest day of the year, but in researching for this post I found out that actually quite the opposite is true. The day was founded to honor St. Lucy, a Christian martyr killed by the Romans in the year 304. Legend has it that St. Lucy took food to the Christians hiding in the Roman catacombs. (Have you ever been there? It's a fascinating side trip if you ever get to Rome). She wanted to carry as much food and water as possible, so she wore a crown of candles on her head to light the way through the dark tunnels.
Today the celebration falls on the longest night of the year and is meant to bring hope and life, and to celebrate the return of light as the days will again start to become longer. In Swedish homes, the eldest daughter would dress in white and bring lussekatter (saffron bread) and coffee to the family. Each town chooses a girl to represent St. Lucia who marches in a processional with other children robed in white and wearing wreath-like crowns. Traditionally a crown of candles was worn, but in more recent times the flames are usually replaced with bulbs for obvious reasons. They wear white robes to represent purity and a red sash to signify the blood of the martyrs.
To commemorate this day I turn to one of my favorite perfumers, nestled deep in the mountains of Boulder, Colorado, Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes.Every year for the past twenty one years Dawn has created a perfume for the holiday season. Ruby Candlelightis the 2021 holiday perfume. (Spoiler alert: she sells two discovery sets featuring all these scents). Dawn had a very specific memory from her own Christmas celebrations as a child. Her mother had advent rituals, one of which was a candle holder with ruby-colored glass and a golden angel on top. When lit, the flame would send the metal angels spinning. I have seen these referred to as angel chimes. It all made a deep impression on young Dawn, and she remembers the ritual being "solemn, mysterious, and joyful".
She remembered that the candles had a raspberry scent, so she has recreated the memory with scents of raspberry blending with melted wax, as well as the ambiance of the Christmas tree scent in the background. Ruby Candlelight is a softly solemn recreation of this ritual.
The scent does open with raspberry, the note quivering alone for a moment after application. Then it is joined by the smell of wax melting as it drips down the candlesticks. The raspberry is still very quietly present, not really tart but more just incorporated into the wax smell. As the scent deepens I get the occasional whiff of a Christmas tree in the background. Ruby Candlelight wears very close to my skin, creating an aura as intimate and special as the one Dawn has remembered and recreated from all those years ago!
I was so taken with this story that I did a little searching. I remembered seeing these candelabras years ago when I was at the German Christmas markets. I couldn't find any with the ruby colored glass holders that Dawn remembered, but I've found some at World Market and Vermont Country Store, and I'm thinking I may create my own ritual with my young grandchildren!
Dawn has other Christmas scents that give the smell of candles burning, which to me are so indicative of the St. Lucia crown historically worn on this day. Maccabeeswas Dawn's 19th holiday scent, inspired by the celebration of Hanukkah. It came out in that golden Christmas of 2019, right before the world descended into Covid chaos!
During the Maccabean revolt in ancient times there is a story of the rededication of the temple and the lighting of the Menorah. The oil to light the lamp was only enough for one day but lasted a miraculous eight days. Maccabee remembers this occasion through a scent seeped in the smell of beeswax candles. Today's candle tapers are usually dripless, and if this is all you've experienced than you've never known the luscious honeyed waxy smell that dripping accumulating candles impart!
There is a very light resin and incense aura in the background, but on my skin it is the honeyed beeswax scent that dominates. It is worth mentioning that the honey note is not strong or sweet, but really does take on the beeswax candle smell.
This last scent I'm including partially because of its name, Lumiere, meaning light, which has been the theme here. At the beginning of the scent a bright flash of bergamot glows like a candle flickering in the dark. Dawn always lists the notes of her perfumes, and reading this one it sounds like a delicious spice cake. There is cardomom, coffee, cinnamon leaf, coriander, boozy notes, nutmeg, hazelnut, rum, and too much more too name. So this scent does not have the candle wax accord of the two previous fragrances, but it does do a good job of juggling light and dark notes. All the warming spices notes are balanced by a glowing brightness, so you get traditional Christmas scents with the touch of luminosity which eventually smells like golden spice.
I became so fascinated with the beautiful ceremony of St. Lucia's Day while writing about it here. I have two youtube videos explaining the celebration more. The first is a two-minute version showing the procession into the church with participants singing the St. Lucia song. These brave girls, with real candles flaming on their heads!
The second is a "St. Lucia day primer for dummies" with lots of interesting facts and history.
I hope you have enjoyed this introduction to St. Lucia's Day and to DSH Perfumes!
Top photo Pinterest images. Perfume samples are my own.
When I bought my bottle of Gris Charnel this summer, I knew I would be playing a waiting game. I loved the scent, but for me it was definitely a fragrance that needed the snap of colder weather. Well, I've been waiting through an unseasonably warm autumn, but finally temperatures are dropping and I can give this one some wear and appreciation!
bdk parfumshit the perfume world with a big splash about a year ago. I participated in a very Covid-inspired trend, the ZOOM masterclass, to try various scents online with their brand ambassador and the lovely Josie from Osswald NYC. All the scents were nice in one way or the other, but the one that definitely impressed me the most was Gris Charnel.
Over past Christmas seasons I have written posts about perfumes that feel silvery and festive as suits the season. You will find those hereand here.Gris is French for gray, and if you are someone who gets color sensations when you try perfume, Gris Charnel imparts the colors of gray and silver. I was so excited to find another one of these scents that give the sensation of cold air going up the nose and make you feel the need to go grab a sweater, that I failed to realize one of the main notes. fig. Fig is a favorite note of mine, but one I usually associate more with summer scents. Once I knew it was there it was obvious, but I was so caught up in the warmth, the spice, the cooling feeling it imparted, that I was too busy swooning to dissect notes.
The opening has notes of fig, black tea, and cardomom. At this time of year this brings to mind the wonderful but brief time we lived in Scotland, and feasting on fine Christmas dinners at old mansions converted to restaurants with fireplaces roaring and snow blanketed fields. At this time of year a Christmas pudding was the grand finale to a magnificent feast. (I won't get into the technical differences between Christmas pudding and figgy pudding, but the Christmas carol with the refrain, "now bring me a figgy pudding," was a favorite with my young children). I have taken a trip down memory lane, one of the best pleasures that smell can impart, but suffice it to say the opening of Gris Charnel feels warm, cozy, and intimate. It also reminds me of the delicious spicy and fruity smell of this fragrant treat.
www.daringgourmet.com. Go here for a recipe.
Heart notes in Gris Charnel include iris and bourbon vetiver. I think the iris note is part of what gives me the chilly effect in this perfume. I was not familiar with bourbon vetiver, just the ordinary stuff, so I looked it up. It is described as smoky, woody, earthy, and rich, which probably explains the slight dry smoke I smell after the perfume has been on my skin for awhile.
Sandalwood and tonka bean are the base notes, but they make their presence known much earlier. The sandalwood displays as creamy, which is further emphasized by the tonka's warm rum and vanilla scented presence. I think what makes this scent work so well for me is the back and forth between chilly notes (iris) and warm notes (fig), and spicy notes (cardomom) and sweet notes (tonka). They all balance each other out with perfection.
This scent eventually becomes a "your skin but better" scent. In all honesty I love this scent enough to wear it anytime of year, but now is the time for it to really shine.
Top photo my own. I bought my bottle of bdk Gris Charnel. Opinions are my own.
Is there anything more symbolic of the Christmas season than bedecked Christmas trees with softly glowing lights? Although I no longer have a live tree in the house, I do my best to replicate their smell which is so indicative of Christmas. Many turn to scents of fir and pine trees in the winter to bring to mind a walk through crisply cold woods, but these scents seem especially apropos at Christmas. One such contender is Franck Boclet Fir Balsam.
Fir Balsam opens with notes of red berries, artemisia, and cardomom. The artemisia has a bitter green smell, but it is savory and appealing. The cardomom adds more spiciness. The middle notes are fir balsam, patchouli, and rose. The fresh outdoor smell of the fir tree is the most prevalent smell, and the patchouli adds a bit of earthiness. The smell of the fir balsam is subtle and not at all overpowering.
Photo from www.hermitageoils.com
Base notes are benzoin, vanilla, and labdanum, a delicious mix of resins. I have tried quite a few perfumes by Franck Boclet and they all have shared the trait of being at least slightly gourmand. Here it is subtle, as is the whole scent. The deepness of the benzoin and labdanum is tempered by the addition of vanilla to lighten and sweeten. This, combined with the fir scent make a merry Christmas scent indeed! They market this scent to men, but I am very comfortable wearing it and find it very unisex pleasing. My last word on this, performance. Sometimes pine or fir scents can be overpowering. Not so, here. This is a subtle scent, and I actually wish it lasted a bit longer on me, but it is at a pretty good price point so I don't mind respraying.
Franck Boclet is a French designer of men's clothing, specializing in the colors of black and white. He refers to his style as "rock and riot". He began introducing perfumes to his brand in 2013 and now has more than 40 fragrances.
Top photo: "Stick With Me Chocolate" by Lisa Feng. Bottom Photo: Google Image. The perfume and opinions are my own.
Olivia Larson of La Fleur by Livvy has released the second in her series of natural perfumes based on Impressionist artists of France, called The Other Side of Me, or TOSUM for brevity. The first perfume in the series was inspired by Monet, truly the father of the Impressionists movement, and Livvy's perfume, A Walk In Giverny, is a truly gorgeous scent representing a stroll through Monet's garden. This second fragrance is inspired by lesser known artist Frederic Bazille, who painted some of his best known works at just twenty three years of age. His career as a painter was cut short as he died on the battlefield during the Franco-Prussian war at a mere twenty eight years of age. One of his more famous paintings is shown below. Although it hardly looks revolutionary today, at the time it was considered quite daring to paint a portrait en plein aire, and in particular, to only show the subject's back.
The Pink Dress (View of Castelnau-le-Lez, Hérault) 1864 Museée D"Orsay
The Other Side of Me is an ode to the artist made in the style of a modern chypre. TOSUM opens with a bright peppery yuzu note, a little strident and bright. This starts to morph fairly quickly into a more earthy smell. As befitting a natural perfume, it smells very of nature. It is like strolling through a forest path, the leaves damp underfoot, and that funkalicious smell of nature in its decomposing state. There is a little bit of an earthy mushroom feel, although this is just an effect. Mushroom is not a note in TOSUM.
Forest Floor. Pinterest image: atatdusk.com
This pungency is short lived on my skin but it does announce in no uncertain terms, this is a natural perfume. You just don't get these notes in synthetic fragrances. I used to live in Scotland, and this smell brings to mind the scent of many tramps through nearby woods, through trees and moss-covered rocky trails. There is a quality of dampness and fresh air. Before I continue, let me list the notes found in the perfume.
Olivia Larson calls herself a rebel perfumer, just as the Impressionist painters were rebels in their own time. She is able to source natural organic, wild, and rare ingredients for her perfume palette. The nose for this perfume is Andrej Babicky, as it was with A Walk In Giverny.
As the perfume seemingly melts into my skin it becomes warmer and smoother, exuding a luxurious richness. The moss and leaves have melted away, and now I'm left with the impression of a woodland scene at the end of the day, when everything is dusky shadows but the sky is gilded by the last golden moments of sunlight.
As you may determine from my description, it is hard to read the notes and get an accurate depiction of what you will smell. I think that is a special magic of natural perfumes. They really create an individual experience according to who is wearing the perfume, making it very personal.
Olivia and Andrej have created a very different but another beautiful scent to add to the Impressions Collection.
Photos are from the perfumer's website: lafleurbylivvy.com. Thank you to the perfumer for sending me a sample of this perfume. Opinions are my own.
Puredistance founder Jan Ewoud Vos has announced that with the introduction of Puredistance No. 12, the house's twelfth perfume,the brand's completed collection will be called the Magnificent XII and kept to only twelve fragrances. In the twenty years since the name Puredistance was trademarked, just these twelve perfumes have been introduced, very restrained when compared to other perfume houses with flankers and multiple releases per year. Jan Ewoud Vos works with a carefully selected group of fine perfumers who he trusts with his vision for the brand, and French Perfumer Nathalie Feisthauer was chosen for this latest introduction.
Ms. Feisthauer came to the attention of Jan Ewoud Vos through a friend and associate. Ms. Feisthauer was interested in creating a perfume for Puredistance so when contacted, she came to their office in Amsterdam with eleven scents to present to Ewoud Vos and team. A scent titled Gold Taffeta immediately captured his attention as having the Puredistance DNA. This was in 2018 and at the time a formula for Puredistance Goldwas being sought. Jan Ewoud Vos made the decision that while this perfume did not feel like gold to him, he did want it for Puredistance.
Puredistance No. 12 completes the Magnificent XII Collection. In the future when new perfumes are introduced, one of the older perfumes will be taken out of the collection and put into a private collection. The scents in the private collection will no longer be marketed, but will be available to those who know and love the scents.
In the publicity copy that went out with Puredistance No. 12, the statement is made: "A grand perfume that wraps around you like a cashmere veil. A perfume like no other, in many ways timeless and hard to describe with words."
Truer words were never spoken! Puredistance fragrances are never easy to describe. I always find it difficult to condense the scents into a collection of descriptive adjectives. Because the perfumes are so well blended, they provide me with more of a mood conveyed, idea boards with images forming in my brain, rather than a clear way to explain the scents. But this is a review, so I will try.
Puredistance No. 12 is housed in a slim blue cylinder, at least the 17.5 ml size. Like all Puredistance perfumes, it is also available in 60 ml and 100 ml sizes. Jan Ewoud Vos nicknamed this perfume "Beauty in Blue", and he does seem to pick the perfect color to encapsulate each of his scents. The deep blue represents royalty, and blue can also represent calm. Puredistance No. 12 fits both of these criteria.
At first spray it goes on quietly, while still making a statement. The spray of perfume is like an exhale, releasing the worries and cares that have been weighing you down, and cloaking the wearer in a soft cerulean shield.
The spray leaves a sheen of scent on my wrist. Puredistance is known for their use of a high percentage of perfume oils, so applying them is always a bit of an experience to me. The spray shimmers like an annointment, and I gently rub the richness into my skin. It does not feel oily and quickly absorbs. The citrus opening is fittingly not bright or sharp, but rich and nuanced. Oils of mandarin, bergamot, coriander, cardomom, ylang ylang, along with narcissus absolute simmer with quiet elegance.
Next comes a very slight powder scent composed of notes of heliotrope and earthy orris root, which gives the cashmere veil effect. It feels soft and plush, and makes me think of musky skin, powdered after a bath. (When I tried this originally, in warmer weather, the narcissus really sang and I thought it would be gorgeous for spring. Now that the weather is colder, the warmth of the spices appear, and it feels warmer and cozier.)
This stage lasts for some time but eventually other heart notes appear: jasmine, rose, geranium, lily of the valley, orange blossom, and osmanthus. Reading this list you would expect a lush, floral bomb of a scent but this is far from the case. Initially, I honestly can't pick out a single one of these floral notes individually. Instead, they are like a tightly woven tapestry, combining their various floral notes into one harmonious choir. The effect is polished and dare I say, sublime. It is understated elegance. Grace Kelly, not Marilyn Monroe. Audrey Hepburn, not Sophia Loren. All these ladies are elegant, but like Grace and Audrey, Puredistance No. 12 believes that less is more; that confident beauty can speak sotto voce.
The florals ebb and flow, but on my skin they are always on low simmer. This perfume feels personal when I wear it, as if it is to please me, first and foremost, and any others being able to appreciate it are secondary. After several hours the florals give way to soft base notes which smell slightly woody and musky. Official notes are vetiver, sandalwood, patchouli, oak moss, tonka, ambrette, ambroxin, vanilla, and musk.
This perfume has a different feel from some of the recent Puredistance releases I have loved. Let's put it in musical terms. If Warszawa is one of Chopin's Mazurkas, or if Rubikona is a lively composition of Mozart's The Magic Flute or Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Russian Dance; then Puredistance No. 12 is a more tranquil composition such as Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata or Debussy's Clair de Lune. Graceful, refined, classic, elegant...these are all words that come to mind while wearing this perfume.
So at the ending I am back to the beginning, a feeling of slight frustration at being unable to find the right words to describe this subtle but beautiful perfume. Reading the notes will not describe this perfume to you. Reading my description will only give you a glimmer. This is a beautiful perfume that confounds easy description. And it is a quietly confident ending to complete the circle of twelve Puredistance perfumes, the Magnificent XII, at least for now!
Images are from Press Release material provided by Puredistance. I was given a perfume flacon to test by Puredistance perfumes. Opinions as always are my own.
Many years ago when I lived in Singapore I took painting classes from a South African woman who lived in one of the grand old Black and White historical houses, distinguished residences surrounded by the ever intruding jungle. Although I found out I didn't have much artistic talent, that didn't lessen my enjoyment of these weekly visits. The instructor had huge wall size replicas of several impressionist artworks, painted (and copied) in Vietnam. The painting above, Luncheon of the Boating Party, covered a whole wall near where we worked. Itwas painted by Pierre Auguste Renoir and he included many friends as well as his future wife in the congenial gathered group. I loved the way they all looked so happy in each other's company and the joie de vivre evident in the scene, and this illustrated the idea of friendships I wanted to achieve.
Friends became an even more important touchstone last year, when the pandemic kept many separated from loved ones. The Facebook online group, Eau My Soul, led by Christi Long, helped keep loneliness at bay those long months by bringing like-minded people together for perfume discussions. Ms. Long launched a project with input provided by the "Soulies", as they call themselves, to create a perfume that captures the scent of friendship. This was not the first time the group had launched a perfume, but this project seemed to grab the feeling of the moment and finding the perfect perfumer was imperative. Enter Pissara Umivijani of Parfums Dusita Paris. Anyone who has had dealings with Pissara has felt the warmth of her friendship and her kindness. In addition to creating stunning perfumes, she interacts very regularly with her customers on fragrance forums, always chiming in when someone asks a question about or compliments a Dusita fragrance. Customer service seems too cold a term for the interest and enjoyment she takes in knowing her customers, so she was the perfect choice. The forum members suggested notes and image ideas for the fragrance, and eventually all the ideas were turned over to Pissara who had the task of bottling friendship!
In time the perfume was created, and sample vials were sent to Soulies to inspire suggestions in naming the new creation. Anamcara was the name picked by Pissara and her team from hundereds of entries from Eau My Soul members. Anamcara is an old Gaelic term that translates to soul friend, and it speaks of a friendship between two people that is deep and without limits, and where each can show their true self. Three members came up with this name, and really hit upon the perfect descriptor for the new scent.
Pissara said there are many delays in bringing out a new fragrance, and although she knew Eau My Soul members were anxious, the perfume had to be perfect. Many months later I was lucky enough to virtually attend the September 11th introduction of Anamcara in an online presentation. Attendees were sent a box with a small bottle of Anamcara, as well as three accords which make up part of the fragrance. Pissara had asked us not to smell the accords until the Zoom call online. I happened to be in Krakow at the time Pissara presented, so in the same time zone as Paris. It was dusk where we were, but there were participants from all around the world in many different time zones.
Pissara shared with us her vision of Anamcara, the story of its creation, and most interestingly to me, she shared with us some of the famous accords she is known for that grace her scents. The first was a Tea accord, and it is has a strong fruity and juicy feeling. To me this is not a polite cup of green tea, spare and lean. It is a honeyed and warm, and I can see the reflection of the opening of Anamcara in this accord. For me, this is where the magic lies.
The second accord Pissara called Bouquet, and it is predominantly tuberose, but the softest, creamiest tuberose. All the rough edges of the flower have been smoothed out. This is like tuberose milk, if you will, and many of us agreed this would make a lovely perfume on its own. Notes of jasmine peek through and add to the sweet depth.
Last was the Rainforest accord, and it is just as special as the name sounds. Earthy, woody, grassy, with spicy nutmeg kernels, it thrums on the skin with the life of a rainforest. Pissara said she wanted to bring in the fact that animals can be a part of friendship too, and a rainforest teams with life. This is the lady who has five dogs, so she knows where of she speaks!
Pissara Umivijani and Bambi.
I think it is this last accord they gave me memories of her scent, Moonlight In Chiangmai. There is a moment in Moonlight that shimmers with magic and I can see a thousand lanterns lit by candles lift into the night sky. That same magic is here, although not an exact replica of the scent note. There is just an olfactory memory in Anamcara that remind me of Moonlight In Chaiangmai. Pissara told us that there were elements of her teakwood accord that made Moonlight so special in Anamcara, and the same jasmine is used.
It was interesting as the group tried the accords and scent together, how many different experiences we had. Several mentioned strong tuberose scent on their skin, but for me the first thing I smell is honey!
At the first spray of Anamcara on my skin there is a rush of lush honeyed orange blossom. For those who crave honey in a scent, this smells like the sappy, lush stuff that would send a bee into delirium as it buzzes around the flowers. The honey gathered from this hive would be the most eye rolling delicious orange blossom honey ever spread on a scone or toast. Honey notes can sometimes translate to a most unfortunate urine smell in perfume, but here it is honey in its natural state, as pollen dust and the sweetness from the flowers. This first rush of smell for me is almost delirious, a rich and honeyed orange blossom ambrosial in its wine-like deepness. Blood orange, which I have always found to be a "happy" note, adds to the succulence. Official notes in the opening are: blood orange, orange flower, and a freesia accord, so there actually is no honey. It is just the combination of the blood orange and orange blossom that give that effect.
Once the sweet lushness begins to lift I can smell the fruity tea, with florals dancing beneath. Pissara said she wanted to evoke the feeling of friends meeting over a cup of tea ... tea and sympathy, if you will. The ripeness of the fruity notes are now not quite as bright, but it is still an uplifting, optimistic scent which seems to give feelings of joy and happiness. The other feeling the scent evokes is comfort, and Anamcara reminds one of the feelings of comfort friendship can provide.
When I smelled this several times there was one image that kept coming to me.
Piglet recognized the value of a good cup of tea and honey when comforting his friend Pooh! Who couldn't use a friendship like these two? This is my favorite stage of the scent, but what comes next is also beautiful. Next I smell light florals on my skin and it amazing the way the perfumer is able to subdue tuberose, a flower I love but that can take over a scent fairly easily, and draw out its sweetness and softer floral side. The official notes are the tea accord with notes of peach and apricot, vanilla, rose de mai, tuberose and jasmine. At this point I do not smell one flower in particular, but rather a melange.
Finally the perfume fades to a softer scent of subtle woods -- sandalwood and cedar, as well as patchouli and vetiver. At this point the fragrance is much quieter on my skin and slightly smoky. After such an explosive start, it fades away to a whisper of fragrance in the end.
Pissara Umivijani and the members of Eau My Soul have created a warm tribute to friendship and I have found myself craving its fragrant hug that seems to wrap you in its embrace.
Top photo Google image. Anamcara photo from Parfums Dusita website. Pooh images from Google. My own photo of Pissara Umivijani. Thank you to Parfums Dusita for the sample of Anamcara. Opinions are my own.
