Tag Archives: Flowers

8th Esxence – The Scent of Excellence 2016

Posted on by

26

Almond and Peach Blossoms | Photo by The Perfume Magpie

Almond and Peach Blossoms | Photo by The Perfume Magpie

Spring is here. The countryside around the village is pink, pink, and pink – an infinite sea of pink. Pale pink blossoms of almond are more or less gone but peach blossoms with deeper shades of pink, whiter shades of apricot and plum blossoms, apple blossoms with dusty pink colour, they are all in full bloom. Anemones and narcissuses are adorning my little garden, and some tulips I planted last autumn are poking through the ground. When I was gardening this morning, I heard the first call of hoopoes. Everything feels full of life and positive in spring. An exciting time of the year.

Esxence 2016

Esxence 2016

There is another reason I feel excited about this spring. At the end of this month, I’ll be in Milan attending Esxence! You perfumistas would already know that the 8th Esxence – The Scent of Excellence 2016 will be held from 31st March till 3rd April in Milan. Unfortunately I’ll miss the first day because of the rescheduling of my flight, but I’m planning to be there for the next 3 full days. I’ll be meeting Val the Cookie Queen from Australian Perfume Junkies, who will be my guide and mentor, Lucas from Chemist in the Bottle, and other bloggers and perfume people. Being a first timer and a newbie, I have no clue what to expect. Sensory overload in various aspects will be a certain thing.

The Esxence website says;

Esxence 2016 is… INFINITY
An abstract, far, impalpable and sublime concept. Artistic Perfumery has the capability to make it real, closer and to enclose it in bottles, as real masterpieces perfumes that don’t follow the rules of time and space. They stop within the senses, in the heart, and there they stay, they resist trends and fashion, going along in our lives. We can pass them down, communicate, represent, endorse them, by wearing and remembering them. They give us the chance to access memories we thought that were lost or places we’ll never see.

During four days, the protagonists of this perfumed infinity meet in Milan within Esxence – The Scent of Excellence, for the eighth edition of the Artistic Perfumery’s Event, from March 31st to Aprile 3rd, 2016, at the The Mall spaces, the futuristic location in the heart of the new skyline of Milano. The expo area of excellences, perfumes but also cosmetics thanks to Esxkin – The Excellence of Beauty, the space dedicated to skincare, together with a calendar of rich and interesting events, offer the public a unique and unmissable experience. Professionals, exhibitors, retailers, buyers and distributors can find here the ideal place where to enhance their business network while visitors can get in touch with perfumed realities, laboratories and workshops.

Infinity. With the vast numbers of exhibiters and other additional workshops and events, it will feel like infinite for me for sure. Now, is there any perfume house I should head towards or a new release I should give a sniff? If you have some ideas, let me know. The list of exhibitors will be found here.

So wish me luck that I’ll survive through it.

A Stroll Down Memory Lane: Puredistance WHITE

Posted on by

25

Magpie & Puredistance WHITE | Illustration by The Perfume Magpie

Magpie & Puredistance WHITE | Illustration by The Perfume Magpie

White clouds are moving fast across the endless blue sky, the seasons are rapidly changing day by day. The fields are now dotted with crimson poppies, alkanets, and bee orchids surrounded by the abundance of white wildflowers. Now I can see the signs of fast approaching summer everywhere.  As I watched the swallows crisscrossing the sky, I found myself reflecting on the ephemerality of life and everlasting memories we create along the way. Every single moment we lived through has been stored somewhere inside of us, even though we don’t recall them in our busy daily lives.

I got into this somewhat pensive state just after I tried the newly released fragrance WHITE by Puredistance.

Puredistance WHITE

Puredistance WHITE | Photo by The Perfume Magpie

A sample of Puredistance WHITE arrived in a beautiful white presentation box on one beautiful morning. Inside the box, I found a white satin sachet and a little white flower next to it. Enclosed card said “The main idea behind the creation of Puredistance WHITE Perfume has been to create a perfume so beautiful and positive that it gives the wearer an instant flow of happiness.” How beautiful is that? I like the idea of “happy perfume”. I gave a little sniff to the sample vial and sprayed it on my wrist.

The breath of spring. That was my first impression I got. Luminous rose and sparkling bergamot, completely in harmony with each other, rose up and enveloped me. The next were buttery orris and sweet tonka, I could smell them emerging from the background.  It’s so smooth, soft, blight, and luxurious, like a piece of beautiful silk scarf. Then, something told me to stop analysing it and just experience the wholeness of this fragrance. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

The images of the flowering fields, the sunshine through the spring haze, and the dandelion parachutes dancing in the breeze filled my mind. A gentle, happy spring afternoon. Pure joy.

Flowering Field | Photo by The Perfume Magpie

Flowering Field | Photo by The Perfume Magpie

And then, those images changed and shifted.  I saw the flashes of our wedding on the red rock, two of us lazing around on the beach, visiting the ancient temples, hiking up the volcanoes, watching the sunset together… Memories from the past flooded through me, and with the memories came the intense feelings of happiness. I was seeing other places and times, and above all, smiles. I was happy, we were so happy, and my heart ached… I opened my eyes with tears rolling down on my cheeks. WHITE had opened a floodgate of emotions that have been waiting to be released.

I’ve never experienced or expected to have such multitude of emotional reactions from a fragrance. All the memories were joyful, beautiful and full of love; just like this exquisite Puredistance WHITE.

I went out for a walk to mull over what had happened. The sense of happiness and aches in my heart were still there.  The sun was now going behind the blue shadows of the mountains. The breeze rose, the wildflowers swaying in the rosy evening light and I caught a whiff of warm musky scent of WHITE. Everything around me was breathtakingly beautiful. I allowed myself to surrender to the intense beauty of the moment. I wondered if this beautiful moment too would be stored somewhere inside me as a memory, and one day, it would spring up in an unexpected moment in the future.

Life is ephemeral; it literally comes and goes in the blink of an eye. I told myself to remember to live for the day and, most importantly, appreciate its subtle splendour every single day.

* I wrote this blog post several weeks ago but I couldn’t bring myself to publish it for unknown reasons. – Yukiko

Nose: Antoine Lie

Notes: Rose de Mai from France, Tonka bean absolute from Venezuela, Orris absolute from Italy, Sandalwood from Mysore, Bergamot from Italy, Musk, Vetyver from Haiti and Patchouli from Indonesia

It is available in 17.5ml Perfume Extrait, €155.00 from Puredistance.

Read what others are saying about Puredistance WHITE.
Bonkers about Perfume, Kafkaesque, Perfume Posse, Chemist in the Bottle, CaFleureBon, The Scented Hound, Colognoisseur, Eiderdown Press

Disclosure: Review is based on a sample I received from Puredistance.

Ylang Ylang

Posted on by

12

Zanzibar: photo by thinkingmagpie

Zanzibar | My own photo

I was sitting at a beach side café, enjoying the gentle sea breeze and the sight of fishing boats gliding through the calm, turquoise blue water. Not many tourists were around. The local shop owners were all concerned about the backlash of the recent Arab Spring which took place throughout the region. “Not many tourists come here now. They are all afraid.” Drinking coffee in this kind of tranquil setting, you could almost forget the troubles sweeping through this small Indian Ocean Island.

Ylang Ylang

Ylang Ylang

As I stood up to pay, I caught a delicate sweet whiff of something from the garden. Being obsessed with plants and fragrances, I trotted to the source of the smell to find out what it was. There, among the lush green tropical plants, was a small tree with greenish yellow flowers. I immediately recognised it as Ylang Ylang; the Flower of Flowers.

Any of us “perfume nuts” knows Ylang Ylang. It plays an important role in Chanel No. 5, Nina Ricci L’Air du Temps, Estee Lauder Amber Ylang Ylang, Givenchy Ysatis to name a few. Its warm and sensual quality has been admired by many perfumers throughout decades.

Ylang Ylang’s sweet, earthy floral aroma is comforting and calming, yet it has got seductive and alluring sides to it. It’s not surprising that it’s been identified as an embodiment of the Goddess, or the Divine Feminine in some cultures.

“She is love combined with power, creating the potential for a more powerful love and a more loving power. She is also joy and love of life, particularly life as we experience it through the Earth and her cycles. We live in a beautiful physical world, and in order to survive in it and fulfil our birthright of enjoying ourselves here, we must reclaim the Goddesses and myths which celebrate life and its cycles.”

The author Hallie Iglehart Austen says in the Introduction of her book; The Heart of the Goddess. The Goddess is another word for Love; physical, emotional and spiritual.

In some parts of the world, Ylang Ylang oil has been used in love potions to attract the opposite sex. Some believe it to be the best aphrodisiac, as it induces feelings of warmth and sensuality. It also finds its place in tantric ritual and sex magic as a calming agent that helps lower inhibitions and gives an erotic atmosphere to enrich the whole experience. Its properties to alleviate depression and anxiety, while relax the body and induce the feelings of joy are well documented in Aromatherapy as well.

Stone Town, Zanzibar | My own photo

Stone Town, Zanzibar | My own photo

After leaving the café with some Ylang Ylang flowers from the tree, I called in one of the gift shops in Stone Town to buy an Ylang Ylang soliflower solid perfume which I’d been eyeing for some time. It was cheap, contained only locally produced Ylang Ylang oil and coconut oil. It’s been over a year since we left the place but, whenever I smell this, I can still see the bright colours of flowers, ocean and flowing women’s kanga, and brings me back to the 4 months we spent in the island of Zanzibar.

Suggestions?

I’m still looking for a divine Ylang Ylang perfume. I’m currently yearning for Yin & Ylang by Sonoma Scent Studio to try. Do you have any suggestion or recommendation for other Ylang Ylang perfume?