Strange Invisible Perfumes has launched two new limited edition fragrances for summer, Tahitian Honey and Vacances:
Both celebrate the idyllic locales of summer…
About the author: Trish Vawter is the creator of Scent Hive, a blog dedicated to natural perfumes and beauty products. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two boys, and is a practicing nurse midwife.
I come to this guest post with sincere excitement and admittedly, a dose of trepidation. Since I write primarily about natural perfumes and beauty products at Scent Hive, I am acutely aware that discussions can get heated around the “natural” topic. While I do prefer natural perfumes, I don’t want this post to become a natural vs synthetic debate, mostly because I don’t believe one to be superior to the other. But I do have reasons for my preference which I will share with you.
Beauty is ephemeral, and I appreciate that in a fragrance. It’s not quite the first thing most people regard as a virtue in perfume, but there’s delight in reapplying perfume over the course of a day. Oftentimes it’ll be a different perfume depending on my mood or where I am going. But there’s a balance to be struck: a perfume that’s too fleeting is frustrating, so I want my perfume to last a few hours, if not longer, which most high quality natural perfumes do. Yet, I don’t like a perfume to last into the next day, or to have huge sillage. Less tenacity and more intimacy are the qualities I seek. Additionally, longevity and sillage are commonly enhanced in synthetic perfumes with phthalates, a petrochemical I try to avoid in all beauty products.
While I find the evanescence of naturals compelling…
One of the first plants to greet visitors by the front walk is a rare 15-foot-tall Chinese perfume tree. “It has the tiniest flowers you have ever seen,” Ms. McCoy said, “about the size of a match head.” Gathering these yellow blooms, by her account, sounds like it’s about as much fun as picking cat [...]
New York-based indie natural line Tallulah Jane has launched three new fragrances:
Misae (shown) ~ “Redolent of an April stroll in the gardens and groves of Saint-Paul de Vence, Misae is a breath of springtime…
I don’t drink much (anymore) and maybe (or maybe not?) that’s why I’m such a sucker for booze notes in perfume. Stuff like this…
She commissioned a twelfth-generation master distiller, also located in Napa, to produce an exquisite batch of French oak essence for the perfume. One of the defining alchemical accomplishments of the composition, the oak essence was triple distilled in old European copper stills from a wine called ‘Esprit de cognac’ which is aged in French oak barrels.1
…gets my attention, and add in rose, white sage, black currant, wild honey and lavender (ok, in all truth I can often do without lavender) and you’ve got something I’d like to try. The ’she’ in the quote above is Alexandra Balahoutis, of indie botanical line Strange Invisible Perfumes, and the perfume is Essence of IX, a limited edition project in collaboration with California winery Colgin Cellars.
Essence of IX opens quite boozy (really, maybe it’s just the alcohol) and herbal, and it’s slightly medicinal to boot…
French organic line Honoré des Prés will launch We Love New York, a collection of three new fragrances, in late April. Vamp à NY, I Love Les Carottes and Love Coco were all developed by perfumer Olivia Giacobetti…
Indie botanical line Strange Invisible Perfumes has launched Essence of IX, a new limited edition fragrance created in collaboration with California winery Colgin Cellars and named for Colgin’s IX Estate vineyard:
In its latest pure perfume, Strange Invisible Perfumes taps this Colgin mystique through a blend of rare…
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz has launched Bancha, a new unisex natural perfume:
In alignment with nature, the refreshing fragrance of Bancha eases the wearer through transitional months…
Indie botanical line Roxana Illuminated Perfume has launched Green Witch, a new perfume to celebrate the vernal equinox:
GreenWitch is a liquid, natural perfume began as a recreation of a traditional Chypre…
Jo Wood Organics has launched two new Ecocert-certified natural fragrances, Tula and Langa:
Tula (shown above) ~ “A big white floral fragrance…”
Strange Invisible Perfumes will launch Peloponnesian, the line’s first Eau de Parfum for men, this spring. The new scent is “inspired by the Aegean Sea and the mythical aromas of the Greek Peninsula…”
Ancient Egyptians believed sycamore trees grew on the border between the land of the living and the realm of the dead. Greek myths tell of humans transformed into trees. In Japan, pine trees represent longevity (even immortality) but cherry trees’ fleeting blossoms are a reminder that life is brief. Where I live, several Northwest Coast Indian tribes carve clan histories into revered cedar wood, creating large totem poles and house posts. I’ve always loved the story of Siddhartha Gautama reaching enlightenment (and becoming the Buddha) while meditating in the shade of the Bodhi Tree at Bodh Gaya in India.
Trees are interesting as cultural and religious symbols, but they’re also beautiful plants whose bark, wood, roots, resins, leaves and fruit make perfumes smell “divine.” Infusion Organique Buddha’s Fig Eau de Parfum was inspired by a particular Bodhi tree — the ancient Sri Maha Bodhi located in Sri Lanka.
Buddha’s Fig contains certified organic fig extract, rose geranium, lemongrass oil, hyacinth, iris, wood, and amber. Buddha’s Fig begins with notes of fig leaf and “green”/barely opened hyacinth flowers…
Roxana Illuminated Perfume has launched “the second tier” in their series of natural chocolate perfumes (see the first set here):
Figure 7: Pétales ~ “The classic combination of Chocolate and Roses…”
A Perfume Organic is a new indie line debuting with four natural, certified-organic fragrances:
Green (above center) ~ “Our signature perfume GREEN, is a juicy herbal potion with rose (New York’s state flower), black truffle…”
Ayala Moriel has launched Frangipanni Gloves, a new limited edition fragrance for women. Proceeds will benefit the Bloedel Floral Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver…
It’s an easy trap to fall into – up to 97 per cent of the cost of producing a conventional perfume goes on marketing, packaging and advertising. The liquid in the bottle can represent as little as 3 per cent of the total cost of production.
As ‘professeur de parfum’ and founder of the Haute Parfumerie [...]
Artemisia Natural Perfume has introduced two new fragrances, Ondine and Rayon Vert:
Ondine (shown) ~ “Cool and soothing, the essence of water. Essences of narcissus and myrrh and sweet kewda attar relax the senses and unlock memories of river, lake and pond.”
Rayon Vert ~ “Deep green moss, wet roots, dark licorice. Intricate mosaic of scents…”
Next month, French organic line Acorelle will launch R de Rose, the line’s 8th fragrance:
…R de Rose revives the quintessential elegance of rose…
Italian indie perfume house La Via del Profumo has launched Mecca Balsam / Balsamo della Mecca, a new fragrance inspired by a trip to Mecca:
In Mecca, the scents of Labdanum resin, of Benzoin, frankincense and of the precious Agar wood…
Roxana Illuminated Perfume has launched six new natural chocolate perfumes in solid format, and plans to release more before Valentine’s Day:
A decadent and sensual delight for the senses has been debuted by Roxana Illuminated Perfume…
Tallulah Jane is a new indie perfume house based in New York City, “crafting natural fragrances made from botanical essences and absolutes”. They debut with three fragrances:
Tallulah ~ “The signature fragrance from Tallulah Jane…
Registration has begun for the next session of the Natural Perfumery course offered by Anya McCoy of Anya’s Garden.
Classes begin in February, and there are now three formats: the online interactive course, a self-paced online course, or a non-web distance learning format.
You can read more about the course here.
Lacoste will launch Essential Sport (shown above left), a flanker to 2005’s Essential for men, next March. The new fragrance is fronted by kitesurfer Antoine Auriol.
Essential Sport features notes of pink grapefruit, bergamot…
I tried hard to think of a theme that would tie these together, but there isn’t one — just brief reviews of three perfumes I’ve been meaning to write about: Ormonde Jayne Tiare, Stella McCartney Stella Nude and Strange Invisible Perfumes Fire and Cream.
Tiare is the latest from British niche line Ormonde Jayne. The tiare flower, as many of you know, is the Tahitian gardenia (Gardenia taitensis), and tiare-based perfumes are usually done in a heady, lush tropical manner — Monyette Paris, Montale Intense Tiare, André Gas Ensoleille Moi, et al. — often with coconut lending a beachy, sunscreen sort of feel. Ormonde Jayne takes a different approach: this Tiare is light and airy…
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz has launched Kohl Gris, the latest addition to the Aroma-Color collection:
Inspired by our upcoming promotion with the fabulous 3 Custom Color Specialists and their new Holiday Palette of Red, Silver and Grey, our newest aroma-color is a delicious Charcoal Grey…