A selection of recent(ish) fragrances from indie perfume house Dawn Spencer Hurwitz: Sweet Pine Tar, Tea and Charcoal, Gum Tree Cabin, Ritual, L’Or{ris} and Balls…Said the Queen.
Sweet Pine Tar {an isolation meditation experience; natural perfume; a tree-hugger scent} ~ "Living in Colorado affords many experiences with conifers, even in one’s own yard. For me there’s Blue Spruce, White Pine, and Ponderosa. These trees afford many comforts, but none more than the gorgeous sappy resin they produce and the lovely scent of their bark and wood. Thus, the inspiration for Sweet Pine Tar; the beauty of which any ‘tree hugger’ can attest. At a time when I “don’t get out much”, each inhalation of Sweet Pine Tar instantly transports me to the middle of the cool and comforting forests of my childhood, where conifers and deciduous trees grow side by side and waft their magic together with the scent of dirt, decaying leaves, and hints of smoke from the campfires of many summers."
Tea and Charcoal {an isolation meditation experience; natural perfume} ~ "Tea and Charcoal are some of the most ancient items used in ceremony, meditation, and good health. As soon as I began this meditation, it felt immediately right. I could feel myself diving deeper and deeper into the spirit of the materials and feeling their essence. This fragrance is the first in a series of aromas that correspond to the series of drawings and their subject matter. I feel that “Tea and Charcoal”, the fragrance, encompasses the essential feeling of this “Isolation Meditation”. It is a fragrance that is somewhat avant-garde, but strangely deep and intimate. It’s soothing, grounding, and mindful; simple and complex."
Gum Tree Cabin ~ " I love this evocative new all botanical design… I have nothing else like it. It’s a surprisingly contemporary unisex fragrance designed around eucalyptus leaves (an unusual note for fine fragrance). It’s eclectic, rustic, and deeply relaxing. And now: it will help bring more funds to the disaster in Australia. I started working on this design more than a year ago but didn’t feel like the time was right for it, somehow. Now, there’s no time to waste. 30% of the proceeds will be donated to the Fire Relief Fund for First Nation Communities."
Ritual ~ "A new, all botanical / aromatherapy essence originally developed for our BE WELL + LIVE WELL series of foaming soap and sanitizers, which has taken on a life of its own. RITUAL was created to give focus, openness, and life to the new rituals in our lives brought to us by the COVID 19 pandemic. This design gives support to lungs, meditative breathing, an (emotionally) “open heart”, and grounding."
L’Or{ris} {A Golden Orris perfume; The Iris Trilogy no.2} ~ "A beautiful iris, like an apparition, appears… its velvet petals unfurl to reveal its gilded edges. The sparkling, golden iris floats, fluttering both silk and velvet, emitting its beautifully creamy, powdery, floral and yes, enigmatic, perfume. This was my dream. I awoke with this lovely fragrance still in my nose and in my consciousness. The next day I began painting the golden iris and sketching the fragrance. L’Or(ris) is the dreamy, golden orris perfume."
Balls…Said the Queen ~ "A tongue in cheek, yet unapologetic fragrance that playfully pokes at gender roles. A stone fig leaf accord, like from a Greek or Roman statue, opens the design which gives way to a more warmed and fleshy fig fruit center paired with a salted rose accord. As the fragrance transitions into the drydown, a rich, fruity, and slightly animalic Oud note emerges along with fascinating facets of olive fruit – olive wood, warm skin musk, and ambergris."
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Sweet Pine Tar, Tea and Charcoal, Gum Tree Cabin, Ritual, L’Or{ris} and Balls…Said the Queen are available in a variety of concentrations, sizes and formats, for more information see the website.
(via dshperfumes)
I ordered a sample of Sweet Pine Tar after you mentioned it, Robin. I love it. And the name is fitting. Right off the bat I get pine resin and fresh cut wood (pine sap and my Dad’s workshop). It smooths out and becomes softly sweet woods and incense in the drydown. I wish it lasted a bit longer, but otherwise, it’s pretty perfect.
OH good!! I agree it is not the longest lived, but it’s so lovely.
I love natural perfumes, and DSH does so many fascinating scents. I want to sample all of them!
However, her website instantly paralyzes me with too many sizes and confusingly named concentration options — there are 13 choices for the fragrance I’m looking at right now! Also, you can’t immediately see the prices of each option in the pull-down menu. There are 294 fragrance products (mostly different perfumes, but some are other products like hand soaps). There must be more than 3,000 possibilities. I almost always give up before placing an order.
These sound so interesting though.
Maybe today I’ll take a deep breath, leave the tab open, and try again later to come to grips with the differences between voile de parfum and eau de parfum. Wish me luck!
Update: I took a Pilates class online, went back to the website, and ordered some EdP samples plus an EdP spray of the Eau de Cerise that I think was the one I liked best of the Fruits Defendu series. It might have been the Medjool date one, though. This line causes me tremendous FOMO. ?
Agree, it is too much choice.