I recently stepped into the SpaceNK boutique in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood, just planning on browsing for a few minutes. Approaching the shelves, I spied some unfamiliar bath products; looking more closely, I let out a little shriek of delight. Toiletries named after my favorite novel, Brideshead Revisited? I could not resist. These luxury products come from a brand called Beautannia, which turns out to be one of SpaceNK's house lines. Brideshead is billed as a "quintessential English floral" with notes of "wintersweet, honeysuckle and wild bluebell."
If I had imagined a fragrance for Brideshead, the grand country estate at the heart of Evelyn Waugh's novel, during all my repeated readings (not to mention numerous viewings of the highly faithful television adaptation), what would it be? For the earlier sections of the narrative, I'd scent Charles and Sebastian's friendship with a blend of white wine, strawberries, ivy, and wisps of cigarette smoke. In a late chapter of the novel, Waugh himself evoked the smell of his fictional setting. In one scene, Charles and Julia sit and converse at the Baroque fountain in the formal garden just beyond the house. A summer shower has ended, clearing the sky in the early evening. Waugh offers this description of the moment: "...the sun had emerged; the wind had fallen to a soft breeze which gently stirred the blossom in the limes and carried its fragrance, fresh from the late rains, to merge with the sweet breath of box and the drying stone."
Beautannia's imagining of Brideshead doesn't include lime trees, boxwood, or damp stone; it's a gracious, feminine bouquet that conveys the idea of a flower garden, especially the well-cultivated sort of garden you might find on the grounds of a great English house. The Brideshead soap (above right) is a generously sized bar that produces a fine lather with a "triple-milled" effect. The matching body lotion (above left), which includes sweet almond oil, shea butter, and argan oil as well as a host of other ingredients (but no parabens, mineral oil, phthalates, silicones, etc.!), is a medium-weight formula that absorbs nicely. It's packaged in a plastic bottle with a flip-top cap; a glass bottle would have felt more luxurious, but doubtless would have been costlier and more difficult to ship from England.
In the soap and particularly in the body lotion, the Brideshead fragrance has a noticeable honeysuckle note just upon application. The rest of the scent is a mixed arrangement of spring flowers, including lilac and lily of the valley. It balances creamy and green notes; it's vibrant and lush, but still a traditional floral blend that suits Beautannia's English-heritage theme. In soap form, the Brideshead scent doesn't linger on the skin, but it does smell lovely in the shower or just sitting in a soap dish. In the body lotion, however, it lasts a considerable while. I might wear this lotion under En Passant, Annick Goutal Le Chèvrefeuille or another spring floral. If I were in the mood to wear just a light layer of fragrance, I'd apply this lotion generously and then skip perfume. (Too bad Beautannia doesn't make a matching hand cream, to take on the go!)
Lastly, the packaging for Beautannia's Brideshead line is very nicely done, with a montage of floral illustrations, bits of architectural ornament, an image of classical statuary, and a faded photo of a manor house. (I covet the matching cosmetics bag.) These items would make perfect gifts for literature- and-fragrance-loving friends. We can only imagine what Waugh, a notorious curmudgeon, would have said about this enterprise, but what he doesn't know won't hurt him, I suppose. Rule, Beautannia!
Beautannia Brideshead Soap ($18) and Body Lotion ($48) are available through the SpaceNK website. Also available: matching body oil, bath & shower gel, candle and body cream. (The Beautannia range includes two other fragrances: Bloomsbury, a blend of neroli, oud, geranium and sandalwood, and Balfour, with notes of English fern, oakmoss and vetiver.)
Note: top image is England 1 [Castle Howard, cropped], via Wikimedia Commons.
These sound really nice. I have an odd fondness for all things British though. I really love nice bath and body products too. I wish more fragrances had matching bath and body products like they did back in the day.
Poodle, I agree… there’s something so luxurious and old-fashioned about matching fragrance and body products! Bath oil, dusting powder…
Ouch. Not cheap! I was interested in the bath oil until I saw it costs 42 pounds. Anyway, thanks for the review!
It’s been a while since I read the book. The Italian scenes must be very scent evocative – must re-read them. The passage you quote, with the drying stone, would be beautiful as a perfume.
They are definitely high-end, lol!
I love the Venice chapter so much I can barely stand to read it. So beautiful. I’ll look through it tonight, though, in search of scent mentions!
I went to Castle Howard last year when I was in England. It is truly a fantastic place. The Howard Family still lives in a wing of the Castle, and the public is not allowed into their quarters, but you can tour much of the rest of the Castle. The little Chapel in what I consider the basement is still there…and it’s where the chapel scenes in Brideshead Revisited were filmed. The place is just amazing.
While touring the house I asked a guide, “How long has it been since someone lived in these rooms?” I expected her to say, “100 years” but she said, “Oh a month or two…when the Castle is closed to the public, in the winter, the Howard family invites guests to the Castle and they stay in these rooms.” These rooms had 25-foot ceilings or so and were palatial. Of course, they would be freezing…but still…to sleep in a room like that would be amazing.
The Howard family has HUGE bills to pay in keeping up the home…so these products make sense. Running a home like this is not cheap.
I recommend that people read the book carefully again and note the last paragraph or two…they are sublime and wonderful.
VMF, I am green with envy!! I’ve been to England, but never to Castle Howard. I would love to take that tour someday. Thank you for telling me/us about it! Imagine living in such a place?! (I think the real-life Downton Abbey people, whatever the real house is actually called, still live there most of the time, too.)
Oh, and just to be clear — I don’t know that the Howard family gave any permissions for this line or receives any income from it — I think it’s just a Space NK product line that borrows from famous literary/historical locations.
Thanks for the description. I was wondering about exactly those things while I was reading Jessica’s review.
Oh, I’d choose strawberries, much-loved teddy bear, and B-B-B-Brandy Alexander as the notes for my early-Brideshead scent!
I was about 12 or 13 when the miniseries came out, and I was so enthralled by the glamorous aspects that the pathos of it all went right over my head. I read the book a few years later and “got it,” but I definitely need to see the series again. Thank you so much, Jessica, for reminding me! Will try to seek out this line as well.
Lilydale/Natalie, we are the exact same “vintage”! The first time around, I just watched the earlier episodes and I loved the costumes, the Oxford and Venice settings, Aloysius the teddy bear… but a lot of things went over my head! PBS aired the series again a few years later, when I was 16 or so, and I watched the entire thing and read the book. Again, I still didn’t grasp *everything,* but I was immersed! I’m due to re-watch the series again, too. My husband has never seen it!! Shock. I need to remedy the situation.
p.s. Antony B-b-b-blanche! What an unforgettable character.
Wasn’t he great? And once again, I thought he was hilarious when I was younger, and only later realized that he was actually somewhat sad.
I don’t know why but the book has never been on my radar before. I’ll have to check it out now. Thanks for giving me a new book to look forward to.
Perfumista, it really is a wonderful book… and many of Waugh’s other novels are worth reading, too… A Handful of Dust is a combination of humor and pathos, and The Loved One is just an amazing, hilarious satire!
How funny! The scent sounds too floral for me, but is probably perfect for something Brideshead-y. I like the sound of your suggested scent more–maybe with a touch of wool/teddy bear. I loved Brideshead Revisited, too, but I don’t think I’ve read it since I was 16 or so. I haven’t ready any Waugh in ages…should probably remedy that!
Hello! It would probably be your least favorite of the three, knowing your tastes, but it *is* very English-spring-garden! You’ve read “The Loved One,” right?! I think you have. And you’d really enjoy “Vile Bodies” too!
Anything Brideshead grabs my attention. I have watched the TV-series twice. When it first came out, and when it was re-aired in Holland. I remember at the time, just the sound of the opening theme made my eyes fill with tears.
There is quite a nice documentary on Youtube on the making of Brideshead. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NFmVfmqYv8 ). In my opinion the TV-series is much more of a masterpiece than the novel.
Who could ever forget the brilliant Nickolas Grace as Anthony Blanche? My favourite quote of his: My dear, I may be inverted, but I am not insatiable!
“All b-b-b-boatmen are G-grace D-d-darlings to me!”
Thank you for that documentary link!
I tried Brideshead and Balfour and ended up buying Balfour. It’s amazing! English fern, oakmoss and vetiver. Makes skin soft and smelling delicious.
Sun, I think all three scents are nicely done, and very different from one another! Glad you found a favorite.