Maneki, who lives in Sweden, wants our help with a very particular scent quest. She's primarily interested in finding the right samples, so price isn't an issue. Do read on and see if you can help:
I'm dreaming of summer evenings, of sitting on a hill watching the sunset while a gentle wind blows in the hair. And there's one scent I imagine being part of this scene: coumarin. Or, rather, the coumarin-laden plants on that very hill: "vanilla grass"/sweet vernal grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum) and sweet grass (Hierochloe odorata). While I can always go sniff the sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) in our garden ...I'd love a scent for those grey and cold days when I long for the beautiful white nights of June. Something preferably light and airy like the fragrances you can sense in those gentle summer winds. A whisper rather than a whirlwind...It's a season not just about flowers, but about grass, trees, juniper shrubs, fern, dead leaves, stones, soil, air...
Here is what we know about Maneki:
She lives near the sea, and loves nature and plants. She grew up with various kinds of roses and that is one of her favorite smells: the scent of a dew-covered pink cabbage rose.
She says she's a down-to-earth kind of gal that enjoys forest walks and creative hobbies like writing, beading, embroidering, etc.
She loves fairy tales and is in many ways a dreamer.
Maneki likes notes of hay, vanilla, apricot, hyacinth, daffodils, jasmine, mock orange, lotus, violets, petrichor, dew, toasted coconut, raspberry, anise/licorice/sweet cicely, burnt wood, old books, cherry blossom, lilac and tonka. She generally gravitates towards two types of fragrances: light, calm scents that remind her of a walk through the garden on an early summer morning (like Les Parfums de Rosine Une Rose au Bord de la Mer, L'Artisan's L'Ete en Douce, CB I Hate Perfume To See a Flower, Jo Malone Rain & Angelica), and warm, comforting vanilla-centric scents (like Annick Goutal Vanille Exquise, Couvent des Minimes Eau des Missions, Maria Candida Gentile Tropical Noir, Le Labo Vanille 44).
Maneki isn't fond of patchouli, leather, or heavy masculine notes, and she hasn't had much luck with honey or blackberry notes.
What say you?
Note: top image is pink post [cropped] by jenny downing at flickr; some rights reserved.
Eau due Polder from Ruth Mastenbroek is what immediately jumped to mind
Thanks for the suggestion! You know, my sis actually got a sample of that, but I haven’t had the opportunity to test it.
When I read this post I immediately thought about Gaultier’s Fleur du Mâle, an orange blossom-centered oriental/fougère type fragrance with a very nice grassy hay note, I assume from the coumarin. Its marketed for men but in my opinion also smells great on a woman. My husband, son and I all wear it occasionally. I also like the hay note in AG’s Grand Amour (I have the EDP) and CK’s Truth.
Thanks for your suggestions! Will be checking them out.
I would suggest SL Cherqui, if she hasn’t tried it yet
It’s a fragrance I keep seeing mentioned, but no it’s not one I’ve tried. Never mentioned it, but I tend to hesitate when something contains a tobacco note. But I’ve learned never to rule something out before trying it so thanks for the suggestion!
Miki’s lovely summer description reminds me of Biehl PC01.
Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll be checking it out.
Hmm… perhaps Afterlier’s Lumiere EDP. It is a white floral with hints of green tea and frankincense. It is both outdoorsy natural, and very elegant.
Thanks for the suggestion! Afterlier was a name I stumbled over some time ago, but haven’t tried any of the fragrances yet. Maybe it’s time to now?
Only tried it once, but this request brings Guerlain Vol de Nuit to mind. And haven’t tried yet, but Santa Maria Novella Fieno for the hay note.
Thanks for the suggestions! Fieno is actually on my wishlist, but I haven’t been able to find a sample yet (and I can’t really afford going to Florence to sniff it in their store). Will be checking out the Vol de Nuit.
For a predominantly sweet grass (Hierochloe odorata) scent, I suggest Invocation Miwah, formulated by Michel Roudnitska for Blue Eagle, a Canadian First Nations healer. I have some and it’s very calming and energizing at the same time.
It is available from the Invocations.ca site online, where the ingredients are listed as “Alcohol, water, bergamot orange, linalool, mandarin, lemon, sweet grass, nerol, Sumatra benzoin tree, lavandin, rosemary, tonka bean, red cedar, neroli, basil, gum rockrose, clove, West Indian vanilla, vetiver, oakmoss, spearmint, anisaldehyde, clary sage.”
Wow! That sounds great. I’m going to give that one a try…
Thanks for the suggestion! After contacting Robin, I read about it on another perfume blog and it does sound like what I’m after, doesn’t it? It will have to be near the top of my (really long) perfume wishlist.
Oddly enough, my SOTD today might work well. Olympic Orchids Osafume. It does wear pretty lightly and dry down to a white musk but I find it to be a musk that doesn’t annoy me too much and the top notes last quite a while.
Thanks for the suggestion! It sounds very interesting.
PG Felanilla is worth a sniff: iris, hay, and vanilla.
Thanks for the suggestion! Another interesting suggestion to add to my list.
I like a lot of perfumes with some of the same notes Maneki mentions. I would definitely second Eau de Polder and Chergui. Other nice ones for her to try might be: Unter den Linden (April Aromatics), Tilleul by Parfums d’Orsay, Onyx by Sage, Luctor et Emergo (People of the Labyrinths), Fior d’Arancio by Laura Tonatto. Many of the Annick Goutals (Eau de Charlotte, Un Matin d’Orage, Le Mimosa and Vent de Folie come to mind) and there are a few other Rosines that could fit the category (Poussiere de Rose and Rose d’Ete). Vanille Abricot by Les Senteurs Gourmands and Lann Ael by Lostmarc’h are two others worth checking out. Happy sniffing!
Thanks for the many suggestions, I’ll be sure to check them all out! A couple of them have caught my eye before and so seeing them suggested here makes me even more tempted to try them.
I can’t say enough good things about D.S. & Durga’s HYLNDS collection. They are very evocative of the natural grasses, wildflowers, and wind-swept, loamy dampness of the British isles. In particular, Isle Ryder might be a great match:
Top Notes: poplar bud, meadowsweet, fir cones
Middle Notes: golden gorse, jasmine, Norway spruce
Base Notes: mead, woodruff, bulrush straw
Another great one is Pale Grey Mountain, Small Black Lake:
Top Notes: fog-on-stone, lichen, water pepper
Middle Notes: heather shrub, beechwood, bramble flower, water violet
Base Notes: purslane, coastal air
I haven’t yet sampled Foxglove, but I have no doubt that it is in a similar vein, and it sounds beautiful:
Top Notes: citron peel, rosewood, Queen Anne’s lace
Middle Notes: iris, neroli, champaca
Base Notes: suede, peach skin, immortelle, ambergris
You know, I’ve had my eye on those (perhaps not surprising reading the description above and considering I’m scandinavian) but haven’t gotten my hands on any samples yet. Now you’re reminding me that I must find some soon because they do sound so interesting. Thank you!
I have not tried it, but you might want to try Princess Cottongrass by Lush. There is a description at https://www.lush.co.uk/products/volume-3/princess-cottongrass.
Thanks for your reply! It does sound like a good fit, doesn’t it? (On a sidenote, he tale of princess Cottongrass — prinsessan Tuvstarr — was illustrated by the most beloved illustrator in Sweden, John Bauer. Like most swedes I grew up with with the artwork, but have never actually read the story.)
How about Bois Blond, by Parfumerie General?
Thanks for the suggestion! Will be adding it to the list!
Parfum de Nicolai – Kiss Me Tender. Almonds, vanilla, hay, It’s pretty great.
Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll be sure to check it out!
For some reason the first fragrance that popped into my head was Dune. It does not really contain the desired notes but the feel of Dune reminds me of Maneki’s descriptions of her life.
Thanks for the suggestion!
try Cote D’Amour by L’Artisan and Mulholland by Keiko Mecheri. I think Cote D’Amour has been discontinued but hopefully samples are still available and you should still be able to order it online.
Thanks for the suggestions! Will be checking them out!
What about Ael-Mat by Lostmarc’h? If you can find it, the Scent of Weather Turning by Lush has a great hay accord, but I think it is discontinued. One of the Union scents–Quince, Mint and Moss or Holy Thistle? Sel de Vetiver for a somewhat different direction?
Thanks for your suggestions! Fragrances including chamomille are especially interesting. It’s a note I never mentioned but which is a bit special as I associate it with working in the fields during summer (harvesting hay as a kid and harvesting potatoes as an adult, crushing chamomille under the tractor tires thus releasing their fragrance in the air).