ELLA K Baiser de Florence and Poème de Sagano (Sonia Constant) 2018~Perfume Reviews + Adventurer’s Draw

Sonia Constant of ELLA K

Young, gifted perfumer Sonia Constant of Givaudan (whose recent creations include Mademoiselle Rochas, Eclat d’ Arpege pour Homme, Balmain Extatic, Bleu Noir and Fleur Musc for Narcisco Rodriquez, to name a few) has created her own line of intensely personal fragrances, ELLA K.

ELLA K Parfums collage Melodie de Altai:photo Palani Mohan,Sonia's eyes Olivier Gagliardi from her travels

Each is a perfumed vignette which embodies her adventurous spirit and portrays numerous travels. More than mere aromatic travelogue, these fascinating perfumes encapsulate a world entire within each, a scented microcosm, a breathing biosphere. She was kind enough to send a selection of these, enclosing a remarkable libretto with unforgettable imagery – and it is my pleasure to share two contrasting fragrances: ELLA K Poème de Sagano and ELLA K Baiser de Florence from the seven perfume collection with you. Each possesses its own distinct voice, coloration and narrative.

Kyoto’s Sagano Bamboo Forest via Traveltheworld.org© apped MC

ELLA K Poème de Sagano: As an aficionado of verdant lush bamboo perfumes, I found myself immediately engaged  by ELLA K Poème de Sagano upon first spritz. Unlike Sonia, I’ve never been blessed with the opportunity to frequent western Kyoto’s Sagano Bamboo Forest – that cathedral of venerable arboreal giants awash in mutable hues of green/grey/blue which populate a precious expanse. I now wish fervently to softly tread that soil myself one day.The illumination which pierces the forest canopy is our low molecular-weight tonic citruses, those glorious notes which flee the fastest: bergamot, mordantly juicy grapefruit, mouth-watering yuzu. These are shafts of light which dart like an arrow, piercing the exotic landscape to create a path through the bamboo. Tender young shoots are exquisitely green and faintly fruity; they wed spearmint (Nanah mint) and faintly bitter eucalyptus convivially with ceremonial grade umami-savory Matcha tea as olfactory celebrant. We experience Poème de Sagano’s drydown as breath on the wind, a compassionate verdant murmur in one’s ear, a siren song of sorts. Notes: citrus, bergamot, grapefruit, yuzu, bamboo, Nanah mint, eucalyptus, Matcha tea

Scene of the Il Duomo di Firenze Room with a View  Helena Bonham Carter and Julian Sands 1985

ELLA K Baiser de Florence (Sensuous Powdery Iris) Firenze, 1299 – contemporary historical figure Gianni Schicchi is lambasted in Dante’s Inferno Canto XXX. New York City,1918 – Metropolitan Opera debut of Puccini’s Il Trittico one act opera Gianni Schicchi takes the city by storm. Envision a Room with a View, English novelist E.M.Forster’s tale of romance and a young woman’s defiance of staid Edwardian norms against the magnificent backdrop of 1908 Florence. Fast forward to Merchant Ivory’s plush 1985 film adaptation, glowing with nubile Helena Bonham Carter and elegant Julian Sands passionately entwined the windowsill opening upon Il Duomo di Firenze. SIGH. Need I say more?

 Il Bacio The Kiss Francesco Hayez 1791

Yes. Powdery as descriptor doesn’t begin to express what I feel, smell, see; traditionally, one thinks of powder along the lines of lipstick, greasepaint, babies. This is sanctified powder, the sacred kiss souligné with volupté. ELLA K Baiser de Florence is so beautiful it makes me shiver. There are iris perfumes aplenty; incense perfumes abound. It is profoundly wearying to smell a great many of them as they are frequently handled ponderously, cudgeling the nose like an olfactory icepick. Perfumer Sonia Constant has put a halt to this; she has created such a nuanced perfume, subtle, many-visaged and lovingly embroidered. The Renaissance draws breath – and we follow suit.

 Sonia Constant and her partner in love and ELLA K Parfums Olivier Gagliardi

Jasmine and myrrh are alchemical together. Tendrils of heliotrope are wistful in lieu of bashingbaby powder (it is the U.S. which perceives babies as heliotrope-scented; other countries think in terms of lavender, orange blossom, linden), a lovely tender rendition. The cedar and incense are so artful, intuitively incorporated; the rustling of richly-hued silk velvet is mirrored by Sonia’s sleight-of-hand musk/vanilla employment. ELLA K Baiser de Florence is a painting, a skilled lutenist seated by the corner window, that intimate chamber concert during which the beloved’s breath is upon one ever so stealthily, unnervingly erotic. You are in public view and can only tremble with emotion, the blush rising from your neckline upwards to the cheek upon which it blooms floridly. Pink pink as the glorious jus itself. You are in its thrall. Yes, this is my absolute favorite among these perfumes. I am literally beside myself…

Notes: iris, jasmine, heliotrope, myrrh, incense, cedar, musky vanilla

Samples kindly provided by ELLA K  My nose is my own…

Ida Meister, Senior Editor

~ Art Direction: Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief

Follow us on Instagram @cafleurebon @constant.sonia and @ella_k_parfums_paris

ELLA K Parfums  Baiser de Florence (Photo Maeva Delacroix)

Thanks to the generosity of Sonia Constant and ELLA K Parfums we are offering a reader’s choice of a  70 ml bottle of either ELLA K  Parfums Baiser de Florence (230 €)

or

(Photo Maeva Delacroix)

ELLA K Parfums Poème de Sagano (195 €) for1 registered reader in the USA, EU or Canada. You MUST register or your comment will not qualify. To be eligible which of the ELLA K perfumes calls to you based on Ida's review, and your choice should you win and where you live. Draw closes 2/23/2018

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like ÇaFleureBon and use our RSS blog feed…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

 

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44 comments

  • Both read like perfumes worth experiencing. If the ELLA K makes Ida shiver that’s good enough for me. That’s the one I’d like to win. USA

  • Poems de Sagano sounds like just the thing I’d love—green, citrusy, matcha tea notes, a bit mystical, but the balance of notes in Baiser de Florence is enchanting, and I’d love to be unnerved! USA

  • Ooh – i would indeed love Baiser de Florence to ‘kiss’ me round the neck (and other places too). And that colour would look so gorgeous on my dressing table. Thanks to Ida for the very tempting and provocative review. I am in the UK. thanks.

  • It is always great to know when a perfumer starts his/her own brand and has creative freedom that they may not enjoy working for a third party. I am more intrigued by Poeme de Sagano because it seems more unisex of the two and has citrusy and woody elements that may make it all-weather wear. Thanks so much for the draw. I am in US>

  • I would like to try Baiser de Florence. It might make me shiver, as it did Ida Meister. Iris, myrrh, jasmine–it could happen. That’s the one I would choose if I won. I live in California.

  • I would be thrilled to try Baiser de Florence. I am a huge iris fragrances lover and this sounds soectacular. Thanks for introducing Ella K and the awesome draw!

  • Ida, how could I pick any one but the Baiser de Florence after that description? Jasmine and myrrh together sound wonderful. (I also like that I had to look up the word “lutenist”, which is surprisingly what you might think. Beautiful art, beautiful words. I’m looking up this perfumer’s website as soon as I finish typing. USA

  • THANKS CAFLEUREBON AND ELLA K FOR FABULOUS GIVEAWAY !

    Fantastic review thank you,these both sound really intriguing each have there own draws but out of the two my heart calls out to ELLA K Parfums Baiser de Florence,it has many notes I adore and it just seems like a fragrance that calls to me 🙂

    Im in canada.

    Thanks again for giveaway !

  • Elizabeth T. says:

    What a generous draw! I saw this article and immediately thought, “Ooh, new perfume house!” and clicked over to explore before reading the article (sorry!). I looked through all of the beautiful colored bottles and the one that had me captivated was Baiser de Florence… then I came back to find that it was that one that Ida fell in love with. I also adore iris and incense, so this sounds magnificent. Thank you for the beautifully written article and the wonderful giveaway! I’m in the USA.

  • “Aromatic travelogue” – Love it. Poème de Sagano has an interesting combination of notes that I’d like to try. Thanks for the opportunity, I’m in the USA.

  • Thank you for the draw. Im really excited to try Sonia’s ELLA K Parfums Baiser de Florence ..been following herwork for a while.

  • ELLA K Parfums Baiser de Florence sounds just amazing; iris, incense, myrrh, just gorgeous. I would love to try that. Thanks for this nice draw, i live in the EU.

  • Chocolate Marzipan says:

    Baiser de Florence sings to me because I am on the hunt for a great heliotrope scent. Thank you for this draw. This perfume and this house sound amazing. I reside in the United States.

  • I actually really like the sound of Poeme de Sagano. The combination of bamboo, mint and bergamot. Bergamot being one of my favs enhanced by the others sounds like an excellent blend. I am very interesting in a chance to smell this one. Thank You.

  • The perfume that calls me based on Ida’s review and in particular word is ELLA K Baiser de Florence, because Ida mentions that it is a perfume so beautiful it makes her shiver…..and for this reason I would really love to experience this perfume which must smell divine. I love iris and perfumes with Iris.
    My choice naturally would be ELLA K Baiser de Florence in case it happens to be the very lucky reader/winner. Thank you for this lovely review and draw.
    I live in EU.

  • Your review of ELLA K Baiser de Florence has me swooning! When you said it smelled so beautiful it made you shiver really struck me. A mixture of iris, jasmine and myrrh sound gorgeous. I’d definitely want to choose ELLA K Baiser de Florence if I win.
    I live in the U.S.

  • Poeme de Sagano is the one drawing me towards it. Those lush greens, citruses, and tea sound positively zen-like. So yes, if I win I would most certainly ask for Poeme de Sagano! Any word on where all the Ella K scents will be available in the states? Thank you for the draw.
    I live in the US.

  • Thank you Ida for this beatiful review!! After Ida’s great descriptions it’s very difficult to say which perfumes of Ella K calls to me..and ehich I would want to win.
    Maybe …I will choose ELLA K Baiser de Florence !!!
    US

  • Wonderful review! These perfumes are sounds incredible fabulous from the base of the review. Mostly ELLA K Parfums Baiser de Florence, so If I would be as lucky to win my choice would be ELLA K Parfums Baiser de Florence. I would be very glad If I would win. Thank you for the chance. I live in the EU.

  • It is always a joy to experience Ida’s word word paintings. While both scents sound beyond beautiful, I would choose Poème de Sagano if luck prevails. I’m in the USA, thank you!

  • The rustling of richly hued silk velvet…. Baiser de Florence sounds sublime (well, they both do, but that would be my choice.). I am in the US.

  • QuietlyWaiting says:

    I tried to post a comment last night, and it hasn’t shown up. (On other posts, my comments show up immediately – so I’m not sure if I’m doing something wrong here. If so, apologies.)

    Both perfumes sound incredible, but the description of Poeme de Sagano stopped me in my tracks. I literally stopped eating dinner last night, fork raised in mid-air, and held my breath while reading Ida’s description… it sounds absolutely breathtaking – fresh and peaceful. This one is going on my list to hunt down a sample of, for sure!

    It wasn’t mentioned in the article, but where will they be available to buy? Is there a distributor in the US yet?

    Thanks for sharing these… they really do sound amazing.

    (I’m in the US.)

  • Both perfumes sound sublime. If Ida is so impressed with a perfume then it must be incredible.
    Baiser de Florence resonates with me absolutely. Jasmine, heliotrope, incense and myrr are some of my absolute favorite notes. I enjoy powdery perfumes, but this sounds like powder on a whole different level. I’m in awe.
    Would love to try Ella K Baiser de Florence.

    Thank you for another great review and for the generous draw.
    I live in the EU.

  • What a beautiful review! I love powder and heliotrope, so I would go with Baiser de Florence. I live in Canada.

  • I love matcha green tea and have a daily habit. Green tea and bamboo in fragrances are so cooling, and especially those with citrus top notes, so I would choose Poème de Sagano if I should win. I live in the US and thank you for this chance.

  • Baiser de Florence sounds glorious from the reviews! I’d be super curious to try it. I’m a US based fragrance addict who is now intrigued by Ella K.

  • Malka Gittel bas Reuven says:

    Baiser de Florence. The name is lovely and Ida’s description of what happens with the scent sounds even better. I’m in heaven. Irish with Jasmine, myrrh, and incense? This is happiness in a bottle and I must try it. I live in the US.

  • Whoa these are awesome reviews! Thank you for the draw and for your lovely writing. One part that really resonated with me:
    “ELLA K Baiser de Florence is a painting, a skilled lutenist seated by the corner window, that intimate chamber concert during which the beloved’s breath is upon one ever so stealthily, unnervingly erotic. ”

    So one of my all-time favorite paintings in the Gardner Museum is A Girl With A Lute- Bartolomeo Veneto, 1520. This writing was rich with imagery but this part especially touched me.
    “such a nuanced perfume, subtle, many-visaged and lovingly embroidered. The Renaissance draws breath – and we follow suit.”

    This scent sounds glorious and I would be honored to try it!

    USA

  • Baiser de Florence sounds like it would be a unisex fragrance due to the infusion of myrrh, incense and cedar. therefore making this my pick. just by the color of the juice itself, i can almost smell the richness. hope to introduce this gem to my collection.

  • I would love to try the baiser de Florence so I could shiver. I would be equally happy with Poeme de Sagana. I am a fan of Sonia Costant since I first read about her on Cafleurbon I live in Canada Thank you for such a great article

  • Baiser de Florence sounds glorious. I could almost eat it, hearing the description. Seriously, I would not eat, but wear Baiser de Florence 🙂 I would love to have a shot at this gorgeously colored fragrance. These ingredients make me swoon. Thank you Ella K and Cafleurebon fir this opportunity. Thank you Ida for the colorful review. I’m in EU.

  • They both sound beautiful but I think the Poème de Sagano calls to me the most. I love love love the way light filters through trees. Can’t say I’ve tried a bamboo scent before, but I’m craving contemplative green scents and tea notes lately. Haven’t heard of the perfumer, but she sounds like a rising star. Thank you for the draw, I live in the US.

  • Leah Burgdorf says:

    Thank you for the generous drawing! Long have I loved Merchant Ivory’s Room with a View and Ida’s descriptive and visual use to link to this perfume made me draw my breathe with her! Would LOVE for this treasure to be my selection. Thank you again, I’m in USA

  • Sonia Constant has an impressive resume including Montblanc’s Emblem and Tom Ford’s Noir Extreme which makes use of a Kulfi note that is divine. Ida’s use of the term “Scented Microcosm” is spot on. Lost among designer fragrances, I find that mainly Indie and Niche fragrances can really encapsulate memory and transport us to different places around the world. Although I’ve never been to Kyoto’s Sagano Bamboo Forest, much less Japan, the use of Yuzu, Grapefruit, and Bamboo makes Poeme de Sagano sound magical and is my choice for this giveaway. Thanks again, and cheers from CT.

  • Hard to pick one, as Ida is with words as water is with watercolor… I would love to blush, too, so bring out the myrrh and the iris and the powders, I am all in for Ella K. Cheers from California

  • Promising new brand with great presentation.Baiser de Florence is the one i want more – i so want to try it … Iris + incense+ heliotrope with the hint of vanilla-sounds great.Tnx for the giveaway.Virginia USA

  • Beautiful review, I would love either but this sentence – “ELLA K Baiser de Florence is so beautiful it makes me shiver” – seals it for me, if chosen I would love to try Baiser de Florence.
    I didn’t know that Sonia was behind Fleur Musc – Fleur Musc is one of my new favorites!
    I live in the US< thank you for this very generous draw.

  • Beautiful presentation just like the perfumer.I’d like to own both , but Parfums Baiser de Florence is more intriguing … to me at least. Iris, heliotrope, incense, cedar and musky vanilla combo that brings shivers…say no more-i’m in.Winston VA

  • Poème de Sagano fits me and my husband the best. Our weather is usually on the warmer side and we love unique green scents. Thanks from Hawaii.

  • What a scentuous review.. Ida. Your words always draw me in.. helplessly and excited. That intimate chamber concert during which the beloved’s breath is upon one ever so stealthily, unnervingly erotic.
    Thanks also to Sonia & CaFleureBon for the draw.
    My choice without hesitation is Ella K Baiser de Florence.
    I am in the US

  • I’ve always wondered what a walk through the Sagano Bamboo forest in Kyoto would feel and smell like. Hope to walk that path someday.
    I guess ELLA K Poème de Sagano recreates the sensation very well.

    Once again Ida manages to describe the olfactory journey incredibly well.

    Would love to try Poème de Sagano.
    Thank you for the review and the giveaway.

    I’m from the EU.

  • Baiser de Florence is expressed so beautifully by Ida. I can feel the scent always as though I ad put it on myself. How glorious. I would love to try it. Thanks so much for the draw. I’m in the USA

  • Ida certainly has me excited about a marriage of jasmine and myrrh, two notes I adore on their own. And it’s tough to get more romantic than kissing in Florence. Bamboo sounds nice too, but I’m team Ella K Baiser de Florence all the way. I’m in the US. Thanks for the drawing!