I recently ‘threw the dice’ and chose two newish perfumes to review; quelle surprise…I like them both!
Goldfield & Banks Southern Bloom
(listed notes: Tasmanian boronia, cassis, mandarin, ylang ylang, jasmine, iris, vetiver, sandalwood, amber, musk)
Southern Bloom honours the rare and enchanting native scented flower, the Boronia, during its short September ‘spring-bloom’ on Australia’s southernmost island, Bruny off the coast of Tasmania…
I grew up in the South and was often called Honey Child, always by adults my grandmother’s age (mostly by women). I got in the habit of using the term myself, even as a little boy. I still use it when I’m riled up about something and/or intoxicated. Friends use the term around me, in exaggerated fashion, when I’m pontificating or “hogging the stage.”
“Hunny CHIIIIIIIIIIIIIILD!“
I think Hiram Green Slowdive* should have been called Honey Child…
Swiss niche line Vero Profumo is celebrating its 10th anniversary with Naja1 — a limited edition fragrance.
The name Naja has associations with the cobra and its semi-divine representations known as Nāgas. The Nāgas are linked to water; from India to Thailand these mythic creatures live near rivers, ponds, lakes, and often “haunt” wells. Old Hindu tradition said the part-human, part-snake beings would only bite evil people or those who would not live to be old. Art showcasing the Nāgas (and their female counterparts Nāgis or Nāginis) is wonderful…
Inspired by the free-spirited artists of the legendary Bloomsbury group—writers, philosophers and intellectuals, most notable among them Virginia Woolf—this collection of scents captures the intoxicating essence of an unconventional life in their legendary country house in the Bloomsbury area. Each bottle in the collection is hand painted. —Nordstrom
As we perfumistas know, inspirations for scents rarely translate into realistic representations: “This perfume is SO Virginia Woolf!” That’s fine…we can still enjoy the resulting perfume even if it’s not catty, depressed, inhibited, or a genius. But why can’t Nordstrom get the country house right in the PR above? The Bloomsbury area of metro London is NOT the country and the houses there associated with the Bloomsbury group are on Gordon Square. You have to travel 90 minutes outside London to see THE country house of the Bloomsbury set: Charleston farmhouse…
I’m a tobacco fiend; I love growing tobacco plants (including Nicotiana tabacum) and sniffing their aromatic dried leaves. Thankfully, my love of tobacco didn’t lead me to a smoking habit. When I was 18, I’d buy expensive French and English cigarettes just for the packaging. Whenever I tried to smoke them in a nonchalant/worldly manner (in ANY manner, actually), I’d burst into coughing fits (as my companions would burst into laughter). Tobacco plants and perfumes have satisfied by tobacco cravings. My bottle of Serge Lutens Fumerie Turque (my “winter” tobacco) is empty, and come autumn, a bottle of Coolife Le Quatrième Parfum1 may take its place.
Le Quatrième Parfum is the fourth fragrance curated by Coolife partners Pauline Rochas and Carole Beaupré; eventually, there will be seven perfumes, each scent “illustrating” a chakra. Le Quatrième Parfum is a ‘tribute’ to the root chakra (Muladhara in Sanskrit). The root chakra is at the base of the spinal column; it provides a sense of assurance and refuge — physically, mentally and spiritually. Coolife describes the root chakra a bit more dramatically…