Independent perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz recently announced the launch of Fleuriste,* a carnation-centered "modern floral with just a few nods to the classical style." Regular readers at Now Smell This very likely know that I have a special fondness for rose fragrances, but I love other florals, too — violet, iris, and yes, carnation. Therefore I was naturally interested in Fleuriste, which includes notes of rose leaves, carnation, neroli, jasmine, rose and ambergris.
Fleuriste begins with a breath of chilled air and crisp greenery, as though you had just opened the door of the refrigerated display case in a florist's shop. There's a hint of moisture that lasts for a while, as though the flowers were misted with cool water — and the flowers in question are an abundance of carnations, with the rose and jasmine staying strictly in the background and lending a touch of creaminess. The carnation heart is fresh and "alive." There's a peppery undercurrent that segues into a very subtle woodsy musk in the base, but this is really a floral fragrance above all else.
Fleuriste stays semi-sheer throughout its development, which makes it a perfect carnation perfume for summer; I've worn it on a few very warm days without feeling overwhelmed by it. It has above-average sillage, particularly during its first hour, and average lasting power. I wish it lasted longer on me, because I like it so much, but I'm happy to reapply at mid-day.
So, where does Fleuriste fall on the carnation spectrum? It's not a cinnamon-tinged carnation scent like Dawn Spencer Hurwitz's Oeillets Rouges ("red carnations"), nor a spicy-clovey carnation like the dearly departed Floris Malmaison. On the other hand, it's not a nostalgic, powdery carnation fragrance like Caron Bellodgia (oh, how I miss you, Bellodgia!) or L'Artisan Parfumeur Oeillet Sauvage. It's true enough to the classical idea of a carnation perfume to appeal to vintage-lovers, but bright and sheer enough to please those with more contemporary tastes. Personally, I'm putting a small bottle on my wishlist.
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Fleuriste is available as 10 ml Perfume Extract in a Presentation Flacon ($185), 60 ml Voile de Parfum spray ($225), 1 dram Eau de Parfum($27), 30 ml Eau de Parfum ($125), 10 ml Eau de Parfum ($63) and a matching Organic Shea Butter Body Creme (4.5 oz., $45). Samples are also available. For purchasing information, see the listing for Dawn Spencer Hurwitz under Perfume Houses.
*Hurwitz did offer a carnation fragrance named Fleuriste about a decade ago, but I never had the chance to try it, so I can't confirm or deny any similarity; the press release for the current Fleuriste does not mention an older version.
Note: top image is Carnation 0308 4888 [cropped and colorized] by Ross Elliot at flickr; some rights reserved.
Spectacular review, Jessica! Fleuriste sounds absolutely lovely and I definitely want to try it. A green carnation scent sounds absolutely perfect, especially with the heat and humidity here in DC.
Was it the Eau de Parfum concentration that you tried?
Yes, the Eau de Parfum. I wonder how the extrait is…!
I am not a big carnation fan, but I wanted to ask you (and everybody else) about your other DSH favourites. I’ve wanted to explore the brand for years now, but the choice is overwhelming.
The DSH line does seem like too much muchness, sometimes.. For what it’s worth, I have mostly tried the all-natural scents from the collection, and they were all great, but my favourites are Padme Lotus, a very unique floral, and Bancha. That last one is a true classic – it does not smell like twig tea, but it FEELS like it.. Also, DSH does stellar orientals and chypres like Mata Hari. And, then there is Scent of Hope, the modern recreation of Iris Gris. Maybe just randomly pick a few things; they are bound to be, at the very least, interesting. Good luck!
Thank you! This is very helpful and everything sounds tempting – if nothing else, I have to try Scent of Hope.
I know you like iris, and Scent of Hope is in the violet and iris sample pack if you would like to explore a few things.
Cimabue is a good one
..and Mahjoun, if it’s still around!
…and, for some roses, American Beauty and Beach Roses are both lovely. The Cartier-themed set is also worth trying!
Rose Vert is a favorite of mine. And La Fete Nouvelle, which smells of hay drying in the field to me.
Oh yes, and White Lilac.
There are so many to choose from!
I’ve tried and enjoyed Poivre (what it sounds like, beautifully done), Bermude Lyme (ditto), Pompeii (water-based spray from the fridge, so so so good in summer, and great for summer travel in its sturdy metal bottle full of non-flammable liquid), Bodhi Sativa (yes it smells like marijuana, and it also smells great), Sud de France (subtle oil, smells just like lovage and so good at that), and Lavande (well-named subtle oil, more lasting than I’d have thought). BTW ‘subtle oil’ is one of her product categories. I’m not sure what the subtle part means, but they are clearly oil-based.
I’m not such a fan of Eau de Vie (lemon drop powder stage wasn’t my thing), Saint Valentine (but if you can do chocolate scents, it’s a beautiful rose chocolate scent), Parfum de Luxe or maybe it was Grasse (confusing profusion of names, one of them had an animalic note that didn’t play well with the others but I might try it again), or Vers La Violette (I like my violet leaves less metallic but also might try it again.
I’m on the fence about Pomander (well-named and good-smelling, but do I want to be one?), Prince (it was horribly bitter when I first tried it, but I’m thinking now I have a better nose for lavender and masculines in general), and Saving Grace (well worth a try if you love rosy rosy roses; I just tried it on the wrong occasion and haven’t gotten back to it yet),
I’ve got a friend who smells gorgeous in L’Eau d’Iris, although I do not.
I especially want to try Cuir et Champignon, White Lilac and really all the dozens of vintage-inspired ones but especially Scent of Hope, the one that’s supposed to recreate Iris Gris. One person at least says she thinks it does a good job of that.
I don’t know if all that is any help to you, though. Nothing beats coming over for a smell, right?
I’ve been wearing her limited edition Love perfume and cuir et champignon and both are beautiful in 95 degree temps. I love layering these with florals too. I’m so tempted to buy Peace. Do try the brilliant collection. It’s gorgeous.
I’m so glad you’ve introduced this topic. I find the DSH line to be so voluminous that I feel overwhelmed. I have the uncomfortable sense that I’m an outsider who hasn’t kept up and now it’s too late. I also have difficulty understanding the categories on the site.
That being said, she does offer sample sets under specific headings that I find comprehensible, and what I’ve tried from her line thus far is really lovely.
She is great about offering samples and smaller sizes!
She really is, plus free samples even with sample-only purchases.
While I haven’t tried any DSH perfumes, I still feel compelled to comment! White Lilac, Pandora, Rose Vert, and Peony are some that I have seen mentioned often and mals has reviewed many on her blog – here’s some mini-reviews – http://themuseinwoodenshoes.com/dsh-perfumes-tribute-week-mini-reviews/
Oh, thank you for that link odonata 9, and mals, what a beautiful post!
I woke up this morning to find all those wonderful recommendations – thank you! It’s truly appreciated, I’m putting together a list.
I’ve tested several of her fragrances. If you like a little sweetness, her Vanilla Bourbon is very good basic vanilla, it’s not a cupcake but more of the pod. I really like Gingembre in the fall. I like her French Lime Blossom, which is nice for summer. I also tested. Mirabella which is chypre scent reminiscent of Rochas Femme, but a little easier to wear IMO. I’ve also smelled Lili and 1000 Lilies which both reminded me of cologne scents. They were okay. I also sampled Amuse Bouche (sp?), which I didn’t like at all…syrupy strawberry. I also smelled D’anjou which I didn’t like either, (pear and caramel). I may have tried others. I sampled them quite a while ago, so I may not have remembered all of them. Like you, I would also like to sample scent of hope. I read a review recently…don’t remember where now. The reviewer has the original Iris Gris and DSH Scent Of Hope. In a side by side test, she said that the opening notes were a great match but after that, the scents differed. She said that IG was a jammy Iris and SOH didn’t quite capture that. I hope this helps you. I find it easiest to look at DSH offerings by category.
I was curious about Amuse Bouche — good to know that it’s definitely a sweet one!
This sounds really pretty! I am lacking a good carnation in my collection. The closest best carnation I have is the old discontinued Fendi Asja. That being said, I have a few DSH that I like a lot (Giardini Segreti is a very soft and beautiful tuberose floral. And the discontinued? Coeur de Vanille is an awesome vanilla gourmand that’s not too sweet.) I wish very much that someday I can take a trip to Boulder to visit her shop in person and get some clarity. As is noted from time to time, the DSH website is a bit difficult. I have Cardamom and Khyphi on my wish list, so I’ll have to get a sample of this too!
Hi Anne, I want Cardamom and Khyphi too. I hope you like it.
Sorry! AnnS …. Ugh, I can’t type for beans on a tablet.
Thank you, Ann!
Wow! This sounds really good! I feel large “sample” coming.
I think you’d enjoy trying it, P!
The only DSH fragrance that I have ever actually tried is “Vanille”. It was one of the fragrances I received in my Olfactiv collection. It is an outstanding vanilla scent that lasts for hours. Fleuriste sounds a lot like Jo Loves’ “No. 42 The Flower Shop”. It has Crushed Green Leaves, Peonies, Freesia, and Moss. The name lets you know exactly how it smells. I love that smell. It would be great if these two fragrances are similar because it is almost impossible to get a Jo Loves product in the U.S. I did go on line to see if I could acquire a few of the samples, but they only take Paypal accounts! Curses! But, this is definitely a line that I would love to explore more. I always hear great things about this line.
Hi scentfromabove-
Thank you for commenting and your interest I need to change the alert on my site as the credit card gateway has been fixed (our security updates are complete as well) so it’s not just PayPal anymore. I hope that if you do try some samples that you’ll love them.
D’oh, I still need to get my hands on some Jo Loves samples….!
I tried the earlier scent in about 2009 and don’t remember it being quite so fresh-cut-flowery. But I had an oil format sample, and sometimes the carrier oil can be heavy enough to keep the lighter molecules from lifting properly, so I don’t know if this version has been tweaked or not.
I LOVE a florist-case fragrance, though. (Smell Bent Florist’s Fridge was wonderful, but needed a bit more rose IMO.) I didn’t love the early version, but something tells me I need to retry.
Hi mals86-
Thank you very much for your comments and recs! This version of Fleuriste is different than the oil essence that we had back in 2009 with the same name. I hope that you’ll try it and see what you think of the update
Dawn, thank you for that information! I was wondering. 🙂
Thanks for the review, Jessica. Carnation might be my favorite floral note in perfume — the hotter and spicier the better (Yeah, I know that making a new perfume with the really hot stuff is no longer possible because of IFRA). Oeillets Rouges by DSH and Bellodgia contain the fire I desire, but, I strongly dislike their long-lasting dank and musty notes. Terracotta Voile d’Ete’s ylang ylang dry-down bugs me sometimes, as well.
Anyway, I’ll keep working on the other carnation frags that kind NSTers have recommended and I will put this one on my “to-sample” list.
Oh, I loved that ylang ylang in Voile d’Ete! I guess we do have different carnation tastes. Have you tried Aedes de Venustas’ Oeillet Bengale yet?
Thank you so much, Jessica, for the lovely review of Fleuriste! I especially loved that you felt the sense of referencing the classic carnations but that Fleuriste is intended to be a modern Carnation Soliflore overall. I’m also thrilled to know that you loved it enough to find it FBW ox
I’m such a fan of classic carnation soliflores — but I also love the way this fragrance feels airy and wearable. Thanks for stopping by, Dawn!