New Perfume Review Bogue Profumo OOOH- Ten Years Later

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One of the greatest things about the vision Michelyn Camen had for CaFleureBon ten years ago was the idea that perfume could also be multimedia. When I worked with her in the early days, she always pushed the boundaries of a what a blog about perfume could be. She believed there was more than just the juice. Her blog was going to cover the people who make and love perfume, shining a spotlight on them. One of the perfumes she creatively directed for the anniversary, Bogue Profumo OOOH, reverses the process with a perfume which represents that credo.

Michelyn Camen

Ms. Camen assembled a team of perfume communicators who use different mediums. She was the writer and the Editor-in-Chief/ Creative Director. She asked photographer Alex C. Musgrave aka The Silver Fox for an inspiration piece. The perfumer to interpret that was Antonio Gardoni of Bogue Profumo. Lastly artist Massimo Alfaioli would create a piece based on the finished perfume. The full story can be found on CaFleureBon at this link.

Photo by Alex C. Musgrave

The photo above, by Mr. Musgrave, is what Sig. Gardoni used as his focal point. The image of blurred roses would lead him into an idea of dust. He wanted to create a fragrance of “multiple layers of dust, levels of powders that hide and shows reflection of smells.” What he would do is take a multitude of materials to create these levels of powders. Throughout there is a sense of memories past.

Antonio Gardoni

It opens with a distinctive rose scented powder. It has that blurry effect of the inspiration piece. There are other florals vying for ascendancy. Yet the rose holds the center for a while. Then it gives way to a subsequent layer of mimosa. This the idea of the floral puffballs caught on a stiff breeze. He forms an opaque honey accord for it to drift through. Now comes the herbal part which is Sig. Gardoni’s trademark. A set of vetivers form the basis for the crushed dry herbal accord to get caught up in. The last layer of dust is that of resins. Incense has always captured a sense of age within perfumery. Sig. Gardoni folds in a set of resins to form the final pinch of magic dust.

OOOH has 14-16 hour longevity and moderate sillage.

OOOH feels like the natural extension of last year’s 0.7738 which was completely improvisational. In that perfume Sig. Gardoni kept adding ingredients until he felt he was finished. It taught him how to wrangle a plethora of ingredients into something compelling. OOOH is that technique given intent. To create the most complex yet transparent perfume I have tried. It is a marvelous coming together of creativity.

This could only have happened through the creative insight of Ms. Camen. She chose to represent all that her blog has offered perfume lovers, for ten years and counting, in a perfume as unique as her “scented salon”.

Disclosure: This review is based on a sample I purchased.

–Mark Behnke

New Perfume Review 4160 Tuesdays Dark Queen- The Snake Inside

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One of the many interests Michelyn Camen and I share is the genre of fiction called urban fantasy. When we needed to take a break from talking about CaFleureBon things we would spend some time sharing our favorites. One series she made me aware of is written by author Faith Hunter featuring Jane Yellowrock. Jane is a Cherokee vampire hunter who hides the secret that she is a skin walker. That is a supernatural who can shift into any creature. What I enjoy about Ms. Hunter’s mythos is for Jane to turn she requires the bones of the creature she will turn into. By aligning her powers with the DNA within, she shifts. Her Cherokee ancestors called finding the DNA “the inner snake”. Throughout the series Jane shifts into many animals all by finding that coiled strand of genetic material.

Michelyn Camen

Ms. Camen commissioned four perfumes to celebrate the 10th anniversary of CaFleureBon. Of all the ones I read about there was one which interested me most, 4160 Tuesdays Dark Queen. Because it was based on Ms. Camen asking perfumer Sarah McCartney to use Jane Yellowrock as the titular dark queen which she becomes later in the series. In the CaFleureBon post announcing the perfume Ms. McCartney writes about how making a perfume focused on animalics was different for her. This is where creative direction for an independent perfumer can be so valuable. Ms. Camen knew what she wanted in a skin walker animalic. By nudging Ms. McCartney into a different style of perfume composition than she is used to, she had to find her own “inner snake”.  Dark Queen allows for her to shift into a different style while staying wholly true to who she has always been as a perfumer.

Sarah McCartney

The setting for most of the novels is New Orleans which meant this was a perfume which had to capture humid bayou nights. That is when the vampires, werewolves, witches, and skin walkers play their games. As you walk the Vieux Carre you sense the creatures around you. Your own change begins as you search for the “inner snake” of the beast within. To wear Dark Queen is to be right there.

Ms. McCartney first sets the New Orleans milieu. If you have ever spent time in the city there is a weight to the air. It amplifies the indigenous scents. Ms. McCartney evokes that as the smell of a fruity cocktail in the hand of a tourist is contrasted by the smell of the old stone of the street. Incense swirls from someplace, or someone, unseen. There is something out there you sense it. Inside you react, the beast within warns of danger. A sense of fur begins to slide through your skin. Ms. McCartney forms a brilliant accord of styrax, leather, a pinch of oud, and musks to signal this. This is where Dark Queen grabs me every time I wear it. Ms. Camen and Ms. McCartney bring the literary source into olfactory life. It’s alive! The sense of transformation into something which growls is complete. The remainder of Dark Queen stalks through an ambery woody resinous base accord. Another predator prowls the bayou.

4160 Tuesdays Dark Queen has 10-12 hour longevity and average sillage.

In the announcement of Dark Queen Ms. McCartney writes, “it’s a fragrance that made me dig down into areas that I didn’t want to explore. I developed it reluctantly, but I’m so glad I did.” This only happens through the creative direction of Ms. Camen. I am hopeful that now that Ms. McCartney has discovered her “inner snake” for animalic styles of perfume she might choose to shift again in the future. Dark Queen is everything I could have desired from a perfume based on one of my favorite urban fantasy heroines.

Disclosure: This review is based on a sample I purchased.

–Mark Behnke

New Perfume Review DSH Perfumes BIWA- A Legacy of Love and Passion for Perfume

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In ten years of CaFleureBon Editor-in-Chief Michelyn Camen has had an uncanny ability to find perfume lovers who want to communicate that via the written word. The colleagues I had for the first four years when I was Managing Editor through to the current roster of singular voices bringing Ms. Camen’s vision of “scented salon” to life. Different voices creating a site which celebrates the diversity of perspective about perfume.

Robert Herrmann

One of those writers she brought into her salon was Robert Herrmann. Mr. Herrmann started writing for the blog in 2016. Every writer expresses themselves differently. One of the things about Mr. Herrmann’s columns was his sense of joy. Some perfumes he wrote about reminded him of places and people from his past. He elegantly wove that into his description. I never met Mr. Herrmann but his was the kind of writing which allowed me to come to know him.

Tragically his voice would be stilled in October of 2019; succumbing to a long-term health battle. His words will live on, but Mr. Herrmann had another idea. He wanted to creatively direct a perfume to live on after him. He called Ms. Camen in the last weeks of his life. In his final days he had a specific formula along with a specified perfumer he wanted to achieve it. He would leave all of it in Ms. Camen’s capable hands.

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

Ms. Camen is a determined artist on any given day. When given a task for a friend like Mr. Herrmann she is exactly the person to see it through. It helped immensely that the perfumer Mr. Herrmann wanted to compose his perfume was Dawn Spencer Hurwitz. Ms. Hurwitz is one of many things I cherish from my days of working at CaFleureBon. She has been a friend to Ms. Camen for years. The same was true for Mr. Herrmann. When she learned of this request, she was honored to take it up. The more complete story can be found in this article at CaFleureBon.

This is the genius of Ms. Camen’s vision. She created a community where this kind of request wasn’t a bridge too far. It was the natural extension of those who share love and passion for perfume. DSH Perfumes BIWA is the result of that.

BIWA refers to a lake in Japan where a variety of freshwater pearls are harvested. Mr. Herrmann wanted to evoke the rarity and pearlescence of these tiny jewels into fragrance. Ms. Hurwitz is one of my favorite perfumers, but it is when she is given an Asian theme, like BIWA, where her work reaches a new level. This continues that. Following the instructions given by Mr. Herrmann under the eye of Ms. Camen, Ms. Hurwitz would deliver.

Mr. Hermann was a lover of aldehydes in perfume. It is no surprise that he wanted those to be where BIWA begins. The shading he had asked for was a bit of mint. This is the herbal version of mint given a more vegetal quality. It makes the mist of aldehydes glow like the reflection of the vegetation off the early morning fog rising off the lake. Ms. Hurwitz is one of the very few perfumers who has perfected a rice accord. It appears here as if it is the breakfast of one of the pearl harvesters as they stand on the shoreline. Jasmine and vanilla scent the steam off the rice with differing vectors of sweetness. Breakfast finished, our harvester looks through the hinoki and evergreens on the shore. The first breeze of the day brings the transparent scent of the woods while removing the mist from off the lake.

BIWA has 10-12 hour longevity and moderate sillage.

The best things in perfume seem to work when all concerned are on the same page. BIWA is a classic extension of the other Asian inspired perfumes by Ms. Hurwitz. There is a serenity to most all of them. It speaks to place in my perfumed center where I am most calm. Mr. Herrmann seemed to know instinctually that BIWA was right in her wheelhouse. This is a gorgeous paean to beauty of purpose filled with heart and soul.

Disclosure: this review is based on a sample provided by DSH Perfumes.

–Mark Behnke

Editor’s Note: All proceeds from BIWA will be donated to Mr. Herrmann’s husband to defray the significant medical costs incurred. It can be found at Indigo Perfumery or DSH Perfumes.

A Tribute to Michelyn Camen of CaFleureBon

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If there is anything current times have taught me is to let those you care about know it. I’ve written too many remembrances in the last few months. This time I want to share how important Michelyn Camen has been to my writing but also to the communication of perfumery on the tenth anniversary (and a month) of her blog CaFleureBon.

I “met” Michelyn over the internet in 2009 when I answered a question on Basenotes about whether guys wore women’s fragrances. She contacted me and asked me if I wanted to do a guest post for her on Fragrantica. I wrote my very first review on Frederic Malle Geranium pour Homme. From there she asked me to become a regular contributor. A year later in March of 2010 she asked me to help her start a new blog. She called it CaFleureBon. She told me she wanted to cover all aspects of niche and independent perfumery. I was so surprised to be asked but I was also fascinated at being there on the ground floor of trying to build her vision of a “scented salon”. I shared the first day’s post with perfumer Michel Roudnitska’s eloquent editorial on ethical perfumery. Beneath that I did a review of the perfume M. Roudnitska did for Frederic Malle, Noir Epices.

Michelyn and I at the Perfumed Plume Awards

For the next four years I would spend a few hours every day listening to the ideas Michelyn had. Helping her refine them by acting as a sounding board. It was never more fun than when a tangent of a conversation would turn into the seed of an idea in Michelyn’s imagination. I learned that if you give anything enough consideration you can usually find something worthwhile. I’ve never met someone so naturally blessed with the ability to seize upon concepts, turning them into reality.

Together with Ida Meister we grew CaFleureBon into Michelyn’s day one vision. She always knew what, and who, should be in her salon. The list of writers has been impressive; many of them award-winners. I look at the current roster with admiration. I still read everything because CaFleureBon remains relevant a decade on. That is testament to the clarity of her vision.

Michelyn and I at my first Sniffapalooza

When you work on something in the early days you also become friends through the effort. Over time I learned of our shared love of Star Trek, fashion, and urban fantasy among many other things. Michelyn took me on some hysterical adventures. I got my eyebrows plucked. She guided me through my first Sniffapalooza. She sent me to Esxence to represent CaFleureBon. She showed faith in an amateur writer to help make me better. She was so good at that I decided I wanted to start my own blog just because I wanted to write more.

Colognoisseur wouldn’t exist if Michelyn hadn’t shown me what it took to execute a daily blog. The amount of personal joy I get from writing about perfume is because Michelyn saw something in me that she could form into a successful communicator. There are times that the words “thank you” seem inadequate. They shouldn’t be. It is my way of telling you what an amazing person you are, Michelyn.

To her credit she was all ready to have a big tenth anniversary blowout, but these are not the times for that. She is correct but I’m going to celebrate her creativity on my own terms over the next three days. Michelyn has the ability as a creative director to get some incredible fragrances from some of her favorite independent perfumers. I am going to honor everything that she does over these next days as I review DSH Perfumes BIWA, 4160 Tuesdays Dark Queen, and Bogue Profumo OOOH!

–Mark Behnke

New Perfume Review DSH Perfumes Lautrec- Memories of Artists

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Just about ten years ago I joined Michelyn Camen as one of the first writers at a blog called CaFleureBon. The four years I would spend there were like blogging graduate school. Ms. Camen is brilliantly inventive about everything that goes into communicating about perfume. Our first year often felt like we were a fledgling bird learning to fly. We were so happy to reach the end of that first year Ms. Camen wanted to celebrate with a perfume made to recognize that. She turned to independent perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz who produced DSH Perfumes Lautrec under Ms. Camen’s creative direction. Lautrec has been re-released as part of the Heirloom Elixir Series.

Michelyn Camen

For those who have read CaFleureBon over the past ten years you will know one of the signatures of it is the art direction of Ms. Camen. Working as creative director with Ms. Hurwitz they chose the painting “Woman with Black Boa” by Toulouse-Lautrec. The perfume was meant to evoke the Bohemian scene in France at the end of the 19th century that Toulouse-Lautrec was so pivotal in exposing to the masses through his art. It means it was meant to have a vintage feel to its construction. Where it gets its contemporary twist is the gourmand base which lifts it all towards the end.

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

Reacquainting myself with this perfume I smile inwardly at the difference nine years of perspective has added. In my original review I only give a passing thought to the floral fruitiness of orange blossom and passionfruit. In 2020 I take more notice of the interplay between the richness of both. The same boozy keynote which held my fascination prior, absinthe, comes forward again. This time I think I detect a finer hand in the tincture of wormwood used for the absinthe. This version of Lautrec has a more brilliant Green Fairy as the keynote. A gorgeous fulsome floral bouquet of rose, jasmine, and ylang-ylang provide a lively gaiety appropriate to the time period. Then we get this magnificent gourmand shift to chocolate and resins meant to capture the Green Fairy in a cage of fondant surrounded by flowers. It completes a night out in the Moulin Rouge, painting the scene with fragrance.

Lautrec has 12-14 hour longevity and average sillage.

Lautrec reminds me of artists then and now. Toulouse-Lautrec’s way of bringing the hidden society out to the rest of the world. Ms. Camen’s creation of a place where the art of perfume is comingled with the visual arts. Ms. Hurwitz’s growth as a perfumer into one of the premier artists in all independent perfumery. Together Lautrec is an homage to the memory of artists.

Disclosure: This review is based on a sample provided by DSH Perfumes.

–Mark Behnke

New Perfume Review DSH Perfumes Become the Shaman- Creating a Protection Spell

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Dawn Spencer Hurwitz is one of my favorite people in all of perfumery. I am not alone in this. The reason I adore her is because her love of perfume is all-encompassing. The first time we met was at a Sniffapalooza. We connected as kindred spirits almost immediately and the largest portion of the weekend was the two of us discussing the perfumes we were finding along our path. Ms. Hurwitz is one of the best independent perfumers in the world. She is also as big a lover of perfume as anyone who reads this blog. There is an adage about other artists that they love their art so much they would do it for nothing. I believe that is true of Ms. Hurwitz. Fortunately, she has made a living from her passion for many years.

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

One of the corollaries of this is Ms. Hurwitz will collaborate on anything she finds interesting. For almost as long as I have been writing about perfume there have been projects of one type or another and Ms. Hurwitz has participated in nearly all of them. It is my belief that she likes the challenge of most of them. Whether ingredient specific or thematic she dives in. When Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief of CaFleureBon, told me of the Project Talisman effort I knew Ms. Hurwitz would participate not only because of Ms. Camen but because it is who, and what, she is.

The concept of Project Talisman was to create “eau de protection” to ward off unwanted influences. Many of the participants focused on objects, literal talismans. M. Hurwitz’s interpretation was to create a perfumed spell in which she concocted a fragrance consisting of different important civilizations in the Americas. If these ancient forces could be combined they could keep anything away. This is what comprises DSH Perfumes Become the Shaman.

The first influence comes from the Incas and their use of palo santo wood as part of a spirit purifying anointment. Ms. Hurwitz accentuates the terpene-rich core of the essential oil which provides a pine-like effect but softer. Next, she uses the Native American custom of smudging with sage and tobacco and does the same to her perfume. These twin notes swirl over the palo santo feeling like the center of the spell is deepening in power. The Aztec ingredient for magic comes from copal resin. This recapitulates some of the terpenes from the palo santo providing a bookend to that with a fresher feeling. It is like the magic spell is now giving off tiny points of light. It comes together with what Ms. Hurwitz describes as a “milkweed accord” which is a creamy vegetal scent to tie the spell together and release the energy into the world.

Become the Shaman has 8-10 hour longevity and moderate sillage.

I will admit while wearing Become the Shaman I had a vision of Ms. Hurwitz in her studio as magical lights swirled around her smoking brazier. The truth is more prosaic if no less powerful. A supernatural independent perfumer has again used her skill to create magic.

To read Lauryn Beer’s review of Become the Shaman on CaFleureBon follow this link.

To read my previous Project Talisman reviews of En Voyage Perfumes Figa and Aether Arts Perfume Touchstone click on the names.

I want to again express my thanks to Michelyn Camen and the perfumers for allowing me to play along on the Project Talisman project. It was a great pleasure.

Disclosure: This review was based on a sample provided by DSH Perfumes.

–Mark Behnke

New Perfume Review Aether Arts Perfume Touchstone- Shields Up!

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I have used public transportation on my commute to work for twenty-five years. From the beginning to avoid contact with those I was traveling with I threw up my metaphorical shields. In the early days that consisted of a book to hold in front of my face and headphones attached to my Walkman. I can’t see you or hear you; I am traveling through space alone. If the train was sufficiently crowded that only part of my protection could be put in place I felt exposed. It still exists in its current evolution as headphones to music on my cellphone and book or game on my iPad. In truth, this is a modern talisman meant to ward off the perceived unwanted influences outside my control. I wouldn’t have thought about that except perfumer Amber Jobin has turned it into perfume; Aether Arts Perfume Touchstone.

Amber Jobin

Ms. Jobin is one of the perfumer participating in the CaFleureBon Project Talisman. (For more on that follow this link). All the other perfumers participating looked to the past for the known items meant to ward off bad spirits. Ms. Jobin looked right in front of her and realized our cellphones are the same thing. In her words, “The cellphone has become the talisman of our age. A kind of metaphorical worry stone or touchstone if you will, we can’t keep our hands off of it.” It is this kind of thinking which makes these projects as enjoyable as they are for me. Michelyn Camen, the Editor-in-Chief at CaFleureBon, asked for “eau de protection” Ms. Jobin translates that into “cellphone perfume”.

Michelyn Camen EIC of CaFleureBon and I at the 2017 Perfumed Plume Awards

Where Ms. Jobin turned for inspiration were the materials, glass and metal; followed by the signal itself sent out over the air. This results in a perfume of dualities as the ethereal and the corporeal form the two sides of Touchstone.

Ms. Jobin employs a set of aldehydes to provide both qualities in the early moments. Aldehydes can have a metallic glint married to an ozonic quality. The use of them in the early moments sets up the signals emanating from the metallic cellphone case. Then a mineralic accord around a geosmin-like note provides a clean stony façade. Each bottle of Touchstone has a small quartz crystal which is mean to be the vibrating heart of our technology. The mineralic aspect of the accord supplies that for this perfume. It would be easy to say this grounds the fragrance but in reality it releases it. It opens up the aldehydes’ expansiveness and provides solidity to the metallic aspects.

Touchstone has 8-10 hour longevity and wears very close to the skin as it is at extrait strength.

While I was wearing Touchstone on my way to work I felt like I had an extra set of shields in place. It really was an “eau de protection”. Touchstone is exactly what something like Project Talisman is meant to do; allow fragrance to open our eyes.

Disclosure: This review was based on a sample provided by Aether Arts Perfume.

To read Robert Herrmann’s review of Touchstone on CaFleureBon follow this link.

To read my review of En Voyage Perfumes Figa the first Project Talisman I reviewed follow this link.

–Mark Behnke  

New Perfume Reviews DSH Perfumes Reveries de Paris and Fou D’Opium- Retro Nouveau Pair

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The final two of the six new releases from independent perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz display her love of the history of perfume. I know from many personal conversations how much she admires all of the great perfumes of the past. I know there are few I have spoken with who exhibit the dedication to study the great masterpieces and be unafraid to compose something like them. DSH Perfumes Reveries de Paris and Fou D’Opium are a pair of Retro Nouveau perfumes which take their cues from that knowledge.

dsh_goldroom

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

There is a wonderful collaborative spirit within Ms. Hurwitz. When she and Michelyn Camen Editor-in-Chief at CaFleureBon began talking about working together on Reveries de Paris they wanted to use some classic fragrances as their starting point. The full story in Ms. Hurwitz’s words is on CaFleureBon. When I asked her about the collaboration and the influences she replied, “Specifically, Femme de Rochas, as that is what MC wore during her time in Paris.  I would also say that in the back of my mind Jolie Madame, although the scent is nothing like it, was there – mostly in the leather nuances at the dry down of Reveries, and in some ways Cabochard, even though that scent is also nothing like Reveries.  And now that I think of it, Caleche is another classic perfume that in my subconscious has an influence; that might be more influencing the "fresh flowers" heart accord that I made, but very indirectly.  The plum note in the top is purely inspired by Femme, though.”

If you need a connection to Rochas Femme, Reveries de Paris provides it in the first few seconds as that plum connects the present to the past. It is matched up with green and spicy facets to give that vintage-like feel. The heart is all about turning things more contemporary. Rose de Mai is the focal point but it is made something less innocent by a healthy dose of Boronia. It reminds me of the decaying nature of reveries that are sweet but fleeting. We get back to creating a chypre accord for the base by using castoreum and hyraceum to do the heavy lifting. Ms. Hurwitz adds in some vanilla and ambergris to give this chypre accord some interesting tweaks. Reveries de Paris is a fantastically realized Retro Nouveau construct. Reveries de Paris has 10-12 hour longevity and average sillage.

dsh_smelling

When Ms. Hurwitz composed Euphorisme D’Opium as part of her collection to accompany the Yves St. Laurent exhibit at the Denver Art Museum she focused on a particular part of the classic Opium. Three years later she has composed Fou D’Opium and I was curious to hear the differences between the two. She replied to that question, “When I created the Euphorisme, I was thinking more about the overt spiciness of the Eau de Toilette formulation which is a bit more piquant than the perfume formulation.  I also wanted to expand the euphoric aspects so I pushed the Ylang Ylang and Jasmine in Euphorisme.  I also added pink pepper to the top note which wasn't in the original formulation at all, as far as I was able to discover.  So the Euphorisme was meant to evoke the original formula but also be a departure.  With Fou, I was working with deciphering the Parfum formulation and wanted to just go deep, deeper, no even deeper(!) into the heart of the concept and formulation to make something as magnetic and sensuous as the original.  I focused on the more resinous richness, and the base note more in Fou. The Tolu balsam, ambers, and the animalics are way up in Fou as well as fruitier nuances with the aldehydes in the top.  This formula is for the die-hard (original) Opium fans and lovers of a strong oriental / spicy/ resinous scent.  It's seriously got EVERYTHING in it; it might be the longest, most complex formulation I've ever created and the balance had to be just right.”

I feel that Fou D’Opium is like part two of her examination of Opium. This time it is a fairly rapid development down to that study of the Orietnal base. A sprinkle of aldehydes, and we get to the floral heart of the matter. There you find Bulgarian rose, jasmine, neroli, muguet, and orris. It is nicely balanced but it might be a touch too frenetic as I had trouble with it settling down on my skin. Instead of gently coalescing around the spices the florals seemed to be much more kinetic. It does finally settle down as the balsamic suite of notes gain some traction. The combination of sandalwood and vetiver really provide the missing balance in the early going of the heart. Fou D’Opium is not as interesting to me as Euphorisme D’Opium was. Even so it is like delving into what it means to be an Oriental perfume in the 1970’s. If you love Opium it is an interesting exercise to participate in. Fou D’Opium has 10-12 hour longevity and above average sillage.

Taken as a whole these six recent perfumes show that Ms. Hurwitz can successfully find her muse no matter where she looks for it.

Disclosure: this review was based on samples provided by DSH Perfumes.

–Mark Behnke

New Perfume Review Sonoma Scent Studio Yin & Ylang- Harmony of Collaboration

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One of the reasons independent perfumers are often independent perfumers is they want to do everything from concept to cologne. It is always interesting when these very singular people collaborate with anyone on a new fragrance. Sometimes it allows everyone involved to gain new insights into the creative process. For the latest release from Sonoma Scent Studio, Yin & Ylang, two of my favorite people in perfumery combined to create something true to both of their aesthetics but the combination is something multiplicative rather than additive.

michelynafter

Michelyn Camen

Michelyn Camen, my editor-in-chief when I worked at CaFleureBon, approached Laurie Erickson the woman behind Sonoma Scent Studio with a concept and a name to go with it. Ms. Camen wanted to see ylang-ylang have a starring role in a fragrance and she wanted to call it Yin & Ylang. The yin she wanted to mirror “soft skin comfort” and the yang to carry “bold sensuality”. Ms. Erickson would take this brief and accept the challenge of working with an ylang-ylang keynote and also capturing the ancient meanings of yin and yang. The result is something I hope both women are very proud of as it really exemplifies the strengths both of them can bring to the creative process. (For more about that creative process here is the link to the article on CaFleureBon where they describe the back and forth which eventually produced the fragrance)

laurie erickson

Laurie Erickson (Photo: Avis Mandel)

Yin & Ylang opens with a bit of misdirection as Ms. Erickson combines blood orange and aldehydes which give a bit of off-kilter luminosity but it feel neither yin nor yang nor ylang. Patience is rewarded as they move into the ylang-ylang heart. An organic ylang-ylang complete oil is the ylang source. By using this as the ylang note Ms. Erickson both added some difficulty but also gave herself more inherent texture to hang other notes off of to create a desired effect. Since this was supposed to reflect yin, and soft, the ylang is swathed in jasmine and tuberose. These notes add support while simultaneously softening some of the earthier aspects. She adds a bit of lactone and beeswax to add another layer of pliancy to the yin. The ylang is also still around to form the yang part of things as we move into the base where we find sandalwood, oakmoss, patchouli, and leather. Those earthy aspects that were subdued in the heart arise in the base to create the bold sensuality asked for in the brief.

Yin & Ylang has 6-8 hours of longevity and modest sillage.

After working with Ms. Camen for five years to say she is always creating new concepts is underselling her ability to cut to the truth of what she wants. I’ve known Ms. Erickson for almost as long and her brand DNA is strong in almost everything she creates. Yin & Ylang is an accurate reflection of both women’s collective inventiveness. I can only hope that they continue to work together from time to time as this certainly seems like the beginning of a beautiful working relationship.

Disclosure: This review was based on a sample provided by Sonoma Scent Studio.

–Mark Behnke