Printemps by Ajne

OK, so enough about nail polish! Let’s get back to natural perfumes.

Ahh, Printemps. You’re the lovely hippie chick who I admired from afar in college. Beautiful with your long flaxen hair and low slung jeans before they were today’s standard fare. But you’re all grown up now. Sophisticated. Complex. Yet, still clinging to your bohemian roots.

You are a musky white floral in the same vein as China Rain, but with gardenia at the helm. Lily of the valley is commonly the prominent note in the now ubiquitous healthfood store China Rain-esque blends. (No disrespect to lily of the valley, muguet takes my breath away when done properly). Instead, Printemps possesses gardenia and lime blossoms which bring fullness to this white floral fragrance which is much needed, so that it does not become too familiar. It’s also made by Ajne, a California based perfumery that uses only natural essences of the highest quality.

The opening of Printemps graces us with smoky woods, South Pacific barks, and drift woods per the website. This portion of the Printemps experience is too fleeting in my opinion. I tend to prefer woody florals over musky florals, and luckily have a full bottle of Ajne’s other gardenia based perfume, Fleur Blanche, which is of that ilk. But for those who do love musk, soft florals and a hint of powder, Printemps might be your girl, especially if you like Kai which it closely resembles. I am partial to the all-natural choice of Printemps as the pure botanicals lend a subtle complexity when compared to the sharper “fragrance oil blend” style of Kai.

As for sillage and longevity, Printemps has great throw and lasts for many hours. There are several sizes available that you can check out on Ajne’s website, but to give you an idea of price point, a 1 oz bottle is $140. A bargain when compared to Kai which goes for $45 for a 0.125 oz roll-on.

Posted by ~Trish

image from hiphappy.wordpress.com

Disclosure: The sample of Printemps is from my own collection. The opinons in this review are my own. I was not financially compensated for this review or any other.

White Potion. A Tropical Beauty by Ayala Moriel Parfums

Tropical florals like tuberose, gardenia, and jasmine can easily overwhelm a perfume with their intense headiness. Sometimes the intensity is beautifully crafted, such as in Fracas, but that iconic tuberose perfume is challenging for many people to wear and still feel like they are in their own skin. Ayala Sender, the nose behind Ayala Moriel Parfums offers White Potion as an alternative to ostentatious white floral perfumes.

White Potion is creamy and tender, as if the milky petals of tuberose, jasmine and gardenia are melding with your skin. Tuberose stands out more than the other florals, but not by much. As is typical for Ayala’s fragrances, White Potion is so well blended and balanced that all the notes sing harmoniously with each other. These diva flowers don’t elbow each other off the stage. They perform in concert, and very smoothly.

Coconut, along with tuberose, peers out of the composition just a shade more than the others allowing for the creamy, silky feel of White Potion. My experience of White Potion has been more sensual and soothing than bright and cheery, especially on this rainy day in the Northwest. With its undercurrent of sandalwood and rosewood, this fragrance has woody roots that gently tame the wanton potentness of the white petaled blossoms. In the final moments of White Potion, tonka bean adds a nutty flavor creating a more playful vibe. The ending serves me well as I always like to leave party while I’m still having fun.

White Potion is very wearable, and the perfect perfume for someone who wants to venture into tropical territory for the first time, or for that collector who has yet to come across a gardenia/tuberose/jasmine “skin scent” that does not possess musk. As with all of Ayala’s creations, White Potion is 100% natural and made in small batches to ensure quality and freshness. Ayala also donates proceeds from her perfumes to organizations that support people with Autism, Peace Organizations, and her latest project to help save the Bloedel Floral Conservatory in Vancouver BC. Additionally, Ayala Moriel Parfums does not perform animal testing, or use ingredients that have been tested on animals or that have been involved in animal cruelty such as musk, castoreum, whale-harvested ambergris and civet.

White Potion is available at the Ayala Moriel Parfumes Website.

Posted by ~Trish

Tuberose image from makeupandbeautyblog.com

Disclosure: A sample of White Potion was sent to me by Ayala Moriel Parfums. It was many months ago, so I can’t remember if it was included as a sample from one of my orders or if she sent it to me to review. Regardless, the opinons in this review are my own. I was not financially compensated for this review or any other.

Maoli Perfumes: Colonia Dulce Eau de Cologne

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Colonia Dulce Eau de Cologne by Maoli Perfumes is a sweet perfume (colonia dulce means “sweet cologne” in Spanish) that has a sweet story to go along with it. Two tween-age brothers, Kai and Kalani Hughes, had to leave their beloved Hawaii and move to the rainy Northwest. Homesickness set in, and they asked their mother if they could create a fragrance for themselves that would smell like the Hawaiian sunshine to help appease their moments of tropical solar longing. Mom said “of course, but let’s do it right”.

Kai and Kalani studied natural perfumery with their mother and Colonia Dulce was their final project. According to Kai and Kalani in this interview at Fragrantica, they never intended to create a business. But as it turned out, there were so many interested moms in the boys’ fragrance, that selling it seemed like a savvy idea.

When you read the interview, you get a real sense of the boys’ dedication to botanicals and natural essences. I love that they each have their own favorite scents. Kai’s are ylang ylang and vanilla, but he also loves to combine Turkish rose and lemon. Kalani’s favorites are tangerine and vanilla. All of the ingredients in Colonia Dulce are organic. When I spoke to the boys’ mom, she said that not all of the ingredients have been certified organic, but she assured me that they are all indeed organic and 100% natural.

So let’s get to what the fragrance smells like. The notes are listed on the Maoli website as: Mexican wild lime, pikake and orange blossoms, juicy Ka’u Gold oranges and vanilla. Upon the opening, it’s all about citrus and pikake, which reads as plumeria to my nose. And this is definitely a good thing in my opinion! There are many types of plumeria which have a variety of smells. But the common white ones with the yellow center, the celadine plumeria pictured above, have a decidedly citrusy neroli accord with a slight suggestion of jasmine and gardenia. Snapping a blossom from its branch and inhaling the aroma literally makes me weak in the knees. It’s one of the reasons I crave trips to the Hawaiian Islands and hopefully their Colonia Dulce makes Kai and Kalani feel comforted, not even more homesick!

Regardless, the plumeria-like topnotes and heart definitely have a sweetness to them, undoubtedly due to the vanilla. This is afterall, Colonia Dulce. The drydown then loses the florals all-together and becomes a simple and sweet fragrance. It’s not cloying, or overly foody, because I can assure you it would have been scrubbed off without a second thought had that been the case. Rather, it’s like smelling the hard shell of a Jordan Almond before the first bite; subtly sugared.

There’s another aspect of Colonia Dulce to love aside from the plumeria scent, its being organic, and the fact that it was created by two boys. Its price; only $28 for 30mls. Or you can get a 4ml deluxe sample for $5. So go grab yourself some Aloha spirit.

posted by ~Trish

plumeria photograph by mad plumerian on flickr

Ajne’s Fleur Blanche

Some might consider this hyperbole, but I’m going to say it. Finding a gardenia fragrance to call your own can be a transformative experience. Gardenias can symbolize long stretches of lush beaches, tropical winds, and days of relaxation. A gardenia tucked in your hair, or a dab of this heady scent wafting behind your ear has the ability to elevate you to a tranquil state of mind.

My perfume journey, or more accurately obsession, truly took flight after a trip to Hawaii in the summer of 2003. It was as most vacations to Hawaii are; relaxing, beautiful and filled with the glorious scent of tropical flowers. Plumeria are my absolute favorite, but gardenia and pikake run a close second. The scent of any of them immediately transfix and intoxicate me. Upon my return, I began my quest for a tropical floral perfume to love and cherish. Since then, I have tried a multitude of gardenia fragrances most of which either turn metallic, possess migraine-inducing headiness, or honestly smell nothing like gardenia. Kai has sufficed for a while. Its top note of gardenia is true and clear, but ultimately has too many aspects of China Rain which are difficult to overlook. Don’t get me wrong, many people adore China Rain. But fortunately for me, in floated Ajne’s Fleur Blanche, a gardenia that blooms brighter than the rest.

Ajne is a perfumery in Carmel, Ca. devoted to using organic, plant derived ingredients. What initially set Ajne apart for me was their questionnaire, (Kristi did this very graciously over the phone), to evaluate their customers’ chakras. For example, my crown chakra, or spiritual connection, needs a little work. Apparently gardenia is one of the flowers that will help me achieve my bliss. You might not believe in all this chakra business, but I can tell you, Fleur Blanche is downright blissful. Upon first spritz it’s a glorious gardenia blooming before your eyes with a slightly woody backdrop and just a hint of smoke. The smokiness fades and the woods become a bit more prominent. Fleur Blanche does not evolve greatly, yet this is not a negative when you are dealing with such a gorgeous scent from the outset.

Ajne lists the notes very generally as florals, woods and fruits. But Kristi mentioned ambrette seed in our follow-up conversation, so I wonder if that gives Fleur Blanche a bit of its smokiness. Ambrette seeds are from the hibiscus plant in India, and are a botanical source of musk rather than from an animal source such as deer. This very subtle smoky, musky, woodsy air gives Fleur Blanche a well rounded quality. There is no metallic edge, no plastic residue smell. And I was never wondering….is this really gardenia? (Even though the Ajne website tells us this is a replication of gardenia as the flower cannot be distilled). The buttery petals linger on the skin for the entire day and its sillage, its “trail of scent”, is moderately strong. Quite impressive given this is a natural fragrance. Ajne also transforms this perfume, and all of its perfumes, into a body oil and lotion. I have not tried the body lotion, but the oil is lovely and holds the scent well. A less expensive way to try Fleur Blanche and find your bliss!

Exclusively for Scent Hive readers! Enter SCENTHIVE in the online certificate space at www.ajne.com and receive 25% off your order of $75 or more. Promotion valid until February 23, 2009.

Ajne is synthetic free, paraben free, phthalate free, petro-free, harsh-sulfate free, entirely vegan and never tested on animals.

Ajne is available at www.ajne.com and Bergdorf Goodman (212) 753-7300

Decants of Fleur Blanche are available at The Perfumed Court.

posted by ~Trish