DSH Perfumes Mata Hari

The world of natural perfumery has become richer and even more intriguing now that Dawn Spencer Hurwitz’s prolific creativity has expanded to her natural offerings. In fact, she has so much to choose from, that a page on her website has been dedicated to those perfumes that are at least 85% natural, many of which are 100% natural. Mata Hari, one of DSH Perfume’s 100% natural perfumes, was released this past fall for the Outlaw Project, a beautifully productive response to the appropriately maligned IFRA restrictions.

Mata Hari is quite the outlaw as she contains (hold on!) oakmoss and a slew of other natural essences that the IFRA has deemed too big and bad for us consumers. If you frequent the perfume blogs you know the resounding response has been “Bring It On!” And Dawn did just that.

With the flesh and blood inspiration of Mata Hari, Dawn has created a full-bodied and sexy fragrance. Mata Hari was an exotic dancer who allegedly became a spy for Germany in the early 19th century. When Greta Garbo portrayed her in the 1931 film, Mata Hari’s fate as a prototype for the femme fatale was sealed.

Mata Hari, the perfume, explores the fleshy warmth of the seductive dancer more so than the edginess of a femme fatale due to the peach and apricot accord that runs throughout its evolution. Mata Hari does begin with an initial burst of bergamot and lemon, but the soft and sweet peachiness surfaces within seconds alluding to the zaftig sway of female curves.

Other fruity notes like cassis and blood orange augment this sensuality, but on my skin, the apricot, peach and slightly woody aspects of osmanthus absolute predominate. Mata Hari also possesses the spiciness of clove, black pepper and cinnamon which conjure olfactory images of vintage perfumes (no spice racks here). It’s also teeming with florals like mimosa, ylang ylang, champaca, rose, jasmine and tuberose which have such a seamless blend that they move fluidly alongside the spicy notes, amplifying the vintage quality of Mata Hari.

Like many classic perfumes, Mata Hari fully exploits the rich and earthy natures of patchouli, vetiver, and oakmoss as well as the sweetness of vanilla, benzoin and tonka bean. But it’s the woodiness of the drydown that brings all of these aspects; fruity, floral, earthy and sweet into a cohesive whole. Peru balsam, Australian sandalwood and Texas cedarwood help bridge the sensuality of the peach infused osmanthus absolute and the luxurious feel of a well-aged vintage perfume brimming with rich florals and exotic spices. The sandalwood is especially effective as it provides a buttery smooth backdrop that gives all of these essences a medium to settle into and flourish.

Mata Hari is available at DSH Perfumes and is a limited edition. It is $80 for a 5ml flask or $225 for a 0.5 oz vintage bottle.

Posted by ~Trish

Disclosure: A sample was sent to me for consideration by DSH Perfumes. The opinions in this review are my own. I was not financially compensated for this review or any other.