Possets Perfumes has launched a quartet of fragrances honoring the candidates for the US Presidential election:
In case you missed the news, the United States of America is having an election. Yes, that most American of American activities is upon us again: politicing. Speeches, hoorahs, balloon drops, buttons, bumperstickers, hoopla, free meals, hanging chads, campaign puffery, no more bad taxes, better roads, no more corruption, and in some cases the dead will actually come back to vote! Wow, that makes it like Halloween!
The four fragrances, some of which were previously released as part of Possets' United States of America series, are:
Delaware - Corporations, Sex & Money (Joe Biden) ~ "There is no aphrodisiac like power, and Delaware has that in surplus. Where the corporations incorporate and talk and golf and yacht and do business. By the sea. Possets' Delaware smells ultra expensive. It's the aquatic haters' aquatic. Very good for summer with a bamboo-like part and a light refreshing spice playing in the background."
Alaska - Shimmering Crystals and Midnight Rainbows (Sarah Palin) ~ "Cold, cold, very cold Alaska is the coldest of the US states. But, there is such beauty there: the aurora borealis, the mountains, the wildflowers, the sky, glaciers and a short but breathtakingly beautiful summer. I have tried to recreate Alaska in scent, at least one portrait of it. I managed to get the chill in the air, but the perfume of the riot of summer blossoms as they race the sun every year."
Arizona - Sage and Honeycomb (John McCain) ~ "I have had a lot of requests for a desert scent. Many people love the sagey smell and thin clean atmosphere that comes with some very heat. Arizona seeks to capture the spirit of the state. A drop of honey mingles in the astringent fuzziness of sage, a good shot of evening musk lets you know that people really are here. A very beautiful blend, clean but appealing and bright."
Hawai'i - Serious Flowers (Barack Obama) ~ "Hawai'i is all about the glory of that island community, it's floral treasures. Rich frangiapani, white ginger, and pikaki are some of the grand mixture in this perfume. I have thrown in just a lick of incense, to remind me of the Chinese population of the Islands, and the entire thing is some true magic. I worried how Hawai'i would play in the fall, I shouldn't have. It's stunning."
$10 each, size and concentration unknown, or available in sets for The Republicans, The Democrats or The Bipartisan Approach. (via possets, with many thanks to Jessica for the link!)
Note: feel free to comment so long as you can do so without sharing your political views! As I said in the comments yesterday, this blog is now my one happy place where I don't have to know who anybody is voting for.
Oh well, these fragrances don't either make me feel warm or cold.
There is just too much at stake for America right now and for some reason these frags seem kind of inappropriate to me.
Maybe I just lack sense of humor.
What comes next… perfumes with the names of Banks?
Sage and honey! Are they making a joke about McCain's continence?
I do see your point, but sometimes when the stakes are so high is just when I need humor the most!
Yes I understand and often I feel the same way as you do.. .;)
I've tried, but cannot come up with a non-partisan reply to your comment, LOL…
OK, I am wildly biased, but I'll try to report something I read in a nonpartisan way:
A few weeks ago I was reading my favorite snide blog (yes, I'm a Gawker addict!), and the discussion turned to what the candidates smelled like. One commenter claimed to base her voting decisions on how the candidates smell; she said she'd met both this year's presidential candidates, and she described Obama as smelling fabulous, like ink (CdeG 2?!) and limes, while McCain smelled like Hall's Mentholyptus cough drops and, um, pee.
How weird! Will have to go find that on Gawker.
It is sad but perhaps true that any candidate that publicly confessed a love for CdG 2 would go a very long way towards capturing my vote.
Weelll, I think it's going to be tough to be nonpartisan for this one. (Insert the phantom of zealous ranting) And I was worried there for a minute since I am Alaskan and have been sitting on a perfume idea. Whew! I am glad to see that that one doesn't capture any of the particular notes I have in mind for a perfume that most certainly won't be associated with that … candidate. Yeah. Non-partisan.
It's true, it's nearly impossible unless you just don't comment at all. You tried, sort of 😉
Now I'd love to know what notes you'd use for Alaska? Or is it top secret?
It is sort of top secret. I wrote about it on my blog at times, though, so I guess it hasn't always been. I talked to a few perfumers about the possibility of working on it but nothing came to fruition. If the project begins, I would be happy to talk about it all the time. And of course I would foist it on everyone if it becomes available.
Well, not being American, I can only watch from a distance and marvel at the sheer stamina of these people, especially the two presidential candidates who've been on the trail for what seems like centuries. I'm guessing that they all smell like hotel rooms by now – free mini-soap, much-used carpets and that strange but distinctive smell of hotel bedding.
I just stayed at a Hyatt that had White Ginger bath products as the freebies. Perfect for Obama's Hawaiian heritage. Perfect for me, too and I of course snatched every item to bring home.
I do kind of wonder why they didn't pick Illinois – too hard to get the smell of the lake? and whatever else Chicago smells like?
The Possets are 6ml oil-based perfume. Fun website – I hope to try some of her scents soon.
Actually, Possets creator Fabienne Christenson is producing a whole series of limited edition fragrances for the 50 states. I think she has about 15 or so right now. She had released Delaware a while ago. This was simply a timely moment to release those other three.
I've bought a few of her perfumes now. They're fun little pick-me-ups that won't break your budget.
All I will say is that I have been tired of this election cycle for at least six months. I'm emotionally past worn out. I do not want any kind of perfume or other “memorabilia” to remind me of it.
On a semi-related note: if any readers in Spain would like to sponsor my immigrant status, I would not mind. HA!
Yes, I mentioned above that some were re-released for this series.
I wish you the best of luck — hope you'll get the chance to foist it on everyone!
VanillaGirl, it's astonishing the hours these people have logged in the air flying all over the place. Presidents always seem to age 20 years in the 4 years they're in office; these guys have jump-started the process and already look 10 years older than they did 2 years ago when all this started.
Guessing Hawaii was already finished & Illinois wasn't? But didn't check that…
Thanks so much, I couldn't find that!
I'm sure you're not the only one who's sick of the whole thing.
If the election does not go the right way — in other words, MY way — I'll be joining you in Spain!
Hey, Spain is my husband's proposed destination if things don't go our way, too! Nice to know we will have friends 😉
I also avoided commenting earlier- afraid I could not keep things non-partisan…But, I did vote yesterday- and stuck a bottle of bubbly in the fridge to chill for a few weeks (hopefully to celebrate the new administration and not my move to Espagne)
Must go and smell CdG 2 😉
Let's hope it doesn't come to this: an entire community of perfumistas in Spain!
Count me in with anyone who says this process goes on FAR too long.
Back on topic, Hawaii doesn't sound too bad.
So jealous of everyone who gets to vote early! Must be nice to have it over with.
It really does. Sort of like Christmas shopping starting earlier & earlier every year…
Aww, this Illinois native was kind of hoping that Obama would have been given a scent based on his adopted state!
I will say it's easier to smell like Hawaii. 🙂
It did feel great at the time, but I am back to feeling asthmatic about it- I will probably need a sedative come Super Tuesday…
If the candidates stayed at the Ritz Carlton, they'd smell great. The room toiletries are Bulgari's Eau Blanc White Tea.
Aparatchik: actually, a community of perfumistas in exile in Spain sounds pretty splendid, come to think of it.
Robin: Can you just vote absentee to get it over with? I haven't mailed mine yet, but my ballot arrived two weeks ago.
It would be fun to assign fragrances to the candiates, if it were possible to follow the rules and be . . . non-partisan about it. I'm probably giving away if I admit that I think Obama smells like In the Library. But CdG2 is a great idea too.
Oops . . . “giving away the game.”
Same here! I think I'd give serious consideration to voting for Mussolini or Attila the Hun if they admitted to wearing CdeG 2…
In keeping with the “non-partisan” atmosphere, I'd like to see this company come out with a fragrance called “None of the Above.” I think it has the potential to outsell the other four.
LOL — aren't we pathetic?
I could use a sedative right about now. I think I'm reloading some of the political blogs about 10 times a day.
Yeah, had to be easier to do Hawaii.
Haha — excellent!
I found out from a friend in Colorado today that there is a third party on their ballot called the Boston Tea Party. They would probably smell pretty good. 🙂
Joe, the perfume, the food, the climate, the company 😉 – Spain's sounding pretty good!
No, you gave away absolutely nothing — that characterization could go either way!
LOL — quite possibly! But not in my house 😉
Seriously??? That's so funny!
I haven't lived in Chicago in a number of years, but I do recall the Fox River smelling quite “stunning” in its own way… 😉 Maybe not the same “stunning” as this Hawaii perfume, but definitely memorable!
Yeah, someone should create a “Boston Tea Party” fragrance! It actually sounds like something Demeter might do. (Also, I had heard that a political party by that name existed, but I didn't know they were actually on the ballot anywhere. Good for them.)
I would totally buy a bottle of “Boston Tea Party” from Demeter, if they made it! Totally.
There is a Modern Alchemy candle with the name Boston Tea Party
english black tea, cedar, seaweed absolute
Thank you! That sounds right up my alley! I'm definitely looking into it. Thanks again for the info!
Joe, I suppose I could have, if I had thought of it. On the other hand, I really like taking my son with me to vote — think it's important. So I'll have to wait until after school on the 4th.
LOL — yeah, maybe Possets is waiting for some better inspiration 🙂
I can definitely confirm that, being a Denverite who has just participated in early voting (no worries, I'm not saying for whom 🙂 ) We have a peculiarity in our state constitution that allows any 'party' with a petition signed by 9 registered voters who agree to pledge their votes to the applicant party and a fee of $500 can get their candidates on the ballot. We had a half dozen different presidential candidates to choose from!
Haha, bank fragrances could be funny.
You and me both, girl. I am on message boards that are completely on fire, and I check the poll results constantly. My market had a 2-for1 on Celestial Seasonings so I stocked up on Tension Tamer.
I think our most soothing perfumes are definitely in order.
Wow, only 9 voters? That's amazing.
Message boards! Not there yet; the blogs are enough. I guess if I got on message boards I'd have to give NST up altogether — there'd be no time left 🙂
Yeah, but you couldn't carry them in your purse. They'd steal your cash.
I can hardly stand waiting for the results of the election, but I'll skip sampling these Possets. The ones I've tried have been too sweet for my taste, though Hyde Park, a green tea scent, is nice.
Thanks — had never tried any of the line.