The past year has been twelve months of transition for me; as I have spent more time away from home and in hotel rooms I have learned the value of being able to scent my personal space with a room fragrance. When you feel like you have no place of your own, fragrance is a small way to make it feel like yours. So over the past year I’ve been slowly exploring room fragrances as a way to make my temporary quarters feel a smidge more like home to me.
When I was at the Elements Showcase in August I met Tony Perez and he introduced me to his line of room fragrances and candles. After talking with him I was very interested in experiencing the five fragrances which make up the Belle Fleur Home Classic Floral Collection. Mr. Perez’s partner and wife, Meredith Waga is the nose behind these fragrances. Ms. Waga comes to home fragrance from a successful career as a florist. That experience allows for her to truly know what a room of flowers should smell like. I think it is that sense of realism in these room fragrances that makes them so interesting to me. Everytime I sprayed one in my environment it felt as if a fresh bouquet of flowers had been placed in my room. The smell of fresh growing things really did do wonders for me as I was far from home.
Mayan Tuberose added a bit of opulent exoticism to my environment. This is a huge wave of tuberose which envelops you like a floral comforter. Vanilla and sandalwood add a needed counterpoint so that you don’t just get lost in the garden. If you love the smell of tuberose and just can’t get enough, Mayan Tuberose might be for you. I know that EIC Michelyn Camen loves this one so much she has been known to dab a bit on so she can take it with her.
Jasmine Verbena really strikes an exquisite balance between green and floral. The verbena adds the green and the jasmine takes care of the floral. They mix together and create that smell of fresh cut flowers. The green is intensified with the presence of vetiver and it adds depth to the overall effect.
Orange Blossom Pomegranate was the one I thought I was going to have the most trouble coming to terms with. It isn’t the orange blossom that I expected to have an issue with as that is one of my favorite smells; but pomegranate is not one of my favorite fruity smells. Which is why Ms. Waga’s choice to surround it with full-fledged orange, currant, and cassis helps the pomegranate from dominating. Then like a fragrant Benjamin Button the orange ages in reverse back to the blossom. Along for the ride are jasmine and geranium and they make the floral component in Orange Blossom Pomegranate very lively.
Grapefruit Muguet marries the two titular notes into a complimentary duet. The tartness of grapefruit and the shiny metallic nature of muguet make for good bedfellows or more correctly make for nice smelling bed linens. The citrus floral dichotomy is also carried through as petitgrain and jasmine are also present and create a similar bit of synergy.
My favorite of these five fragrances is White Orchid Tea. This had the ability to turn my lonely hotel room into a calming meditative place where I could let the fragrance center me and ground my emotions. From the early tea-inspired accord which then falls into a fully floral core allows me to feel as if I am looking over a cup of tea next to a bowl of fresh flowers floating in a bowl of water.
If I was going to emulate EIC Michelyn (whose new favorite is Mayan Tuberouse) and dab a bit of one of these on this would be my choice as there were times during my work day I could use a bit of fragrant peace.
I found all of the room fragrances in the Belle Fleur Home Classic Floral Collection allowed me to change my personal space for the better and can you ask for more from a room fragrance?
Disclosure: This review was based on samples provided by Belle Fleur.
Photo: NY Magazine
Editor's Note: More than just a line of candles and room sprays , if you visit New York, stop by Belle Fleur in the Flatiron district for the most beautiful flower arrangements in the City . Just mention CaFleurebon and Meredith, who turns a single bloom into a piece of art, will give you the red carpet of roses treatment.Senior Editor Ida Meister flipped for Belle Fleur Imperial Oud Rose Candle
134 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10011
–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor
Thanks to Belle Fleur we have a bottle of my favorite White Orchid Tea to give away or (Michelyn's favorite and Tony's) Mayan Tuberouse. To be eligible leave a comment on which one of the Belle Fleur Room Fragrances you would like to create your own Room With a Scent. Draw ends September 27, 2011. We announce the winners on our site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.