DSH Perfumes des Beaux Arts - Historical Fragrance Part 1

One of my favorite times of day is in the hot shower every morning. The luxury of abundant pure hot water is something we take for granted but the experience is one that is relatively new and rare in the context of history and the economy of nations, and all that jazz. I know that people in many countries, from northern Russia and Finland to Turkey and Persia and most of the Middle East, ancient Rome and also Japan developed a big bathhouse culture over time, and everyone would go regularly as a communal ritual, to enjoy the steaming hot water, and so were therefore quite clean even by modern standards. Many parts of England and Germany had ancient spas where the privileged would go to drink and take mineral baths from springs were were specially kept pure for health and beauty. But certain parts of the world, such as France, had to make do with other means, sometimes succeeding and sometimes not so much. Water was very impure, and drinking it or bathing in it was actually dangerous, and greatly feared. Alcohol was the purifier, and therefore was used commonly as the drink of choice in preference to water, and as a rubdown to cleanse the skin, in the form of cologne. Those who could afford it used it in huge quantities this way, while the peasants also used fragrant natural materials to drive away insects and for cleaning, and as antibacterial cleansers (though they didn't understand germ theory, people noticed that certain substances such as lavender assisted cleansing and healing and therefore were reliable beautifiers also, since health and cleanliness do so often equal beauty in many respects).

All this leads me to believe that French culture became perfume conscious and highly creative in the sense-genre of smell because of these very particular historical conditions. The culture has always encouraged the creative transformation of humble beginnings, such as fermentation into refined products like wine and cheese of great quality, and the people in France grew to respect the appreciation of sensual nuance, thereby turning necessities into pleasures.

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, aka DSH, aka Parfum des Beaux Arts, shares my avid interest in fragrance history, particularly that of France in the 18th and early 19th century. I often wonder if people were really so different then. Probably they were, there are theories that even our emotions are often culturally influenced, but I believe that if a historically accurate formula for perfume is followed, that we will experience a close sensation to what people in the past experienced. A similar experience is listening to music played on historically accurate instruments. Dawn has studied the period, and created some interpretations, based on the materials, preferences and trends that are known to have been important in that time. As they are based on pre-industrial revolution formulas and ideas, they are of the natural, botanical type. They hold close to the body, and are subtle and ephemeral in duration, as all natural perfumes are.

I know that Napoleon used enormous amounts of eau de cologne as a substitute for water to bathe with while out on the military field, and Dawn has sent me her interpretation of this tangy clean stimulating scent, simply called L'eau. This must of been expressive of his Corsican Island past since this scent contained the classic Mediterranean aromatics of bergamot, lemon, lavander, neroli and rosemary.

His great love Josephine balanced and contrasted Napoleon's high energy with the sensuality of roses, which became a theme of her personal taste at her home, Malmaison. Her tropical island upbringing was known to have a great influence on her attachment for lushness in floral fragrance. She was one of the world's greatest patrons of roses, using much of her wealth from association with Napoleon in part to plant a specimen rose garden and commissioning portraits of her roses from Redoute. While Napoleon once famously requested she not bathe before meeting with him I am sure that did not preclude application of the transparent scents of the past which allow the individual scent of the body to come through. DSH Rose Imperiale comes on initially as a strong true botanical rose with a piquant carnation accent. It is a smooth clove-y scent that is allied to a clean skin musk, and quickly dries down to a soft tone that holds very close to the body, with an almost secretive quality to it. It would be sure to scent clothing worn on it, and objects of personal use. I imagine Josephine had diaphanous Empire shawls and neck ribbons and fans and writing paper that held her perfume.

I have received a set of DSH "Versailles" samples, which will be Part 2 next time. These scents are based on the preferences of the court of Louis XV and his favorites, M. de Pompadour and M. du Barry. There is also one called Cyprian, a wig powder scent, which I have been wanting to try ever since Dawn spoke of it. I wonder how it would be to spend the day with towering powdered hair....

The above portrait of Napoleon is a mutual favorite of DSH and mine, done when he was still a young uncorrupted-by-power genius, during the height of his romance with Josephine.
Painted by Gros in 1796, on display at the Louvre. He was probably emanating aromatic l'eau de cologne...

Roxana Illuminated Perfume: Rosa, Sierra

Roxana's Illuminated Perfumes are the creation of a romantic soul, whose perfumes personify a philosophy of life rather than act simply as a fashion accessory. Seductive because the materials are so precious and connected to an ecstatic experience of nature, she also illustrates a sense of place with a California series of perfumes. These honor the particular local countryside beauty of California, where the dry heat of the Mediterranean climate puts forth extremely aromatic materials in abundance throughout the year. It may be just me but I get a sense of smoke and thick honey in the background, in the two from this series, Rosa and Sierra, that I have tried. There is a soft smoothness overall and the result is a very feminine interpretation of California. Rosa is inspired by the wild chaparral rose, and Sierra is about redwood conifers rising from their forest floor bed.

There is a strong sense of the very personal, in that all the perfumes are handmade in small batches in her studio, where she also practices illustration, in what I call a fairytale manner. By which I mean visual representations of a heightened sense of natural reality, using classical symbolism, as you find in the old illustrations of fairy tales. (If you enjoy this kind of thing as much as I do, see Sur La Lune which has a beautiful illustration gallery.) I know Roxana walks the trails and studies the plants and spends a lot of time conferring with others who are devoted to the landscape and ecology. There is a purity and exalted sense of purpose, mixed in with nature poetry and and an intimate sense of invitation to participate with her in appreciation of the great natural beauties she lives with. This strikes me as a very American, Thoreau-like love of simplicity and wanting to thoroughly delve into what the landscape has to offer.

Her site has transported me on occasion. I especially enjoyed her post about her visit to the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens, and her research into the wildflowers there. There is a sense of childlike joyousness about these endeavors which comes through in the perfume compositions.

There is a certain deep quietness inherent to natural perfume. You must keep in mind what was well said by Mandy Aftel, at an event recently in NYC honoring her accomplishments in this area. Which is that natural perfumes are very ephemeral, much more so than other modern perfumes, and hold very close to the body, and are are also necessarily far more expensive, because of the materials and labor involved. They are not a mass market item. They are very personal, because of the handmade aspect of one person often making the whole perfume start to finish, from gathering and making the actual ingredients, to making the actual packaging. There is a dimensional, complex, spacious and lively quality to natural perfumes that are only present in other types of perfume to the extent that they incorporate real and natural materials also. It has been said that no one will ever be able to create a chemical which rivals the hundreds of different components that comprise a natural rose, or jasmine, or sandalwood, or any other plant material. From all the writing about perfumes recently, we have become sophisticated enough to know that man-made molecules have become the largest component of modern perfumes. They offer a definitely enhanced, bigger experience of the archetype of each material or thing they represent and then often combine these with other abstract indefinable aromas, expanding the repertoire exponentially. Perfumes composed strictly from natural materials seem to require much artfulness to keep the elements distinct and to create a composition that unfolds over time in a way that works aesthetically. I am not one who sees myself exclusively in one camp or the other, while keenly aware of a certain rivalry between natural perfume vs. those who use chemical components. I began my interest in perfume from the natural perspective but gradually became aware of the often amazing beauty of perfumes composed with man-made elements. At the same time I am so glad of the work Roxana and others are doing, making beautiful natural perfumes. They are essential in that they keep us connected to the real world through our sense of smell in a primal way, to the wild world.
Above illustrations from Roxana's site.
See Rosa Perfume on Etsy

Your Blog is F@*%^&# Fabulous! Award

Ms. Trish of Scent Hive has been so kind as to include me in her Your Blog is F@*%^&# Fabulous! Award list -- so now it is my turn to pick five excessively diverting sites for awards, likewise:
I Smell Therefore I Am -
Brian and Abigail display a highly detailed sensuality as they depict their constant search for the next perfume kick;
Bittergrace - Graceful indeed, and piquant nature and art and olfactory lore;
Legerdenez - The yin and yang of sophisticated/down to earth perfumania/crossed with art smarts;
Asking Leah - A perfumista who makes connections and meaning and goes about her world cross referencing all that she surveys, especially anything to do with Manhattan;
Jade Dressler - Art and fashion with a sense of humor and connection to the modern and the past.

My Five Addictions (other than perfume):

1. Makeup -- I haunt the store aisles of both the high and low ends, because I love the colors and textures.
2. The New York Times online and Salon every morning -- I can't go out the door without visiting them both while having breakfast.

3. Story-telling podcasts such as The Moth, This American Life, WNYC Radio Lab (yes, you can tell I'm a media addict in general).

4. Quality dog time -- my own Dante is a highlight for me but also all the other wonderful dogs I get to see everyday living so close to a big city park.

5. Grapes -- I eat them almost every day and have for at least the past three years, that I recall, and enjoy them immensely every single time...

Here are the rules for those of you who just got this Your Blog is F@*%^&# Fabulous! Award:

1. You pass it (the award) on to 5 other fabulous blogs in a post.

2. You list 5 of your fabulous addictions in the post.

3. You copy and paste the rules and the instructions below in the post. (Below)

Instructions: On your post of receiving this award, make sure you include the person that gave you the award and link it back to them. When you post your five winners, make sure you link them as well. Also, don’t forget to let your winners know they won an award from you by emailing them or leaving a comment on their blog.

Above photos: Shu Uemura false eyelashes from his fantasy collection; and Dante, photo by me, Fabulous button from Flickr.

Magnolia Heaven

Luckily I had a chance to bask, during that brief burst of true Spring-like weather about two weeks ago, in the blooming magnolias, which were in full force, and great effect. Looking up through magnolia flowers to a blue and white sky on a warm breezy day is the most enchanting and uplifting experience. This variable quality is what I like in a Springtime perfume, too. Freshness, airy spaciousness, crossed with moisture evaporated by warm sunlight through thick petals, supported by the structure of strong dark woods and earth. So Un Matin d'Orage by Annick Goutal is perfect for me this time of year. It appears to be one of those fragrances people either love or hate, and has produced strong reactions at both ends of the spectrum. I am firmly in the camp of love. The opening is fresh, green and bright with magnolia and jasmine notes mixed into a gardenia cloud, high pitched enough to revive a faint. Upheld by top notes of Sicilian lemon, minty shiso and ginger, which burn off and melt, after a few minutes, to slide down rapidly into a pool of softness much lower down the scale, into a smooth blend of champaca and sandalwood. This softens out into a mist that retains a tiny floral tang. The scent's changeable nature from high energy to thoughtful restfulness in a relatively short amount of time is reflective of springtime weather,
the coolness of a breeze passing over the warmth of the sun on skin. It aims to and succeeds in creating the impression of a scented mist rising up after a rain. The perfumer's aim was to give the effect of a Japanese garden after a storm, and it succeeds.

Photos by me, this past April, in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. There is a courtyard of many varieties of magnolias planted close together that are among the first to burst into bloom in early Spring, that are worth a pilgrimage every year.