Fragrance Reviews: DSH Perfumes White Lilac, Peony, Metropolis and Fire Opal 2014 + Spring Rebirth Draw

DSH spring 2014 Dawn Spencer Hurwitz cafleurebon

Perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Petfumes has released four fragrances for Spring 2014. Two are new – Metropolis and Peony (from the DAWN line), Fire Opal, a reinterpretation of the scent by the same name from a few years back and White Lilac which has happily been rescued from the archives.

DSH Spring 2014 Peony Cafleurebon

"Spring Peony" by Mindy Newman

For something warming and airy that is also floral and vernal, there is Peony which is composed around thick full blossoms accompanied by a remarkable chorus of floral notes singing peony’s praises and celebrating her. A violet leaf accord and petit grain punctuate the bright opening of bergamot and neroli, recalling the dark bitter leaves and budding stems of the bush. A sensual weaving of rose oil and absolute trimmed in Egyptian geranium accents her creaminess, warming to a piquant precociousness. When all is sniffed and done, oak moss, tamed gently by iris root, creeps over sandalwood and Indian patchouli while its strange sharpness becomes tinged with balmy tolu and animalic ambergris. This perfume has shown me what a complex beauty this short-lived flower can truly be. Sillage: above average. Longevity: above average.

DSH spring 2014 White lIlac cafleurebon

Dawn has restored the scent White Lilac is an uncommon perfume. Lilac is a flower that does not give up its aroma through distillation, so this fragrance is composed around a stunning accord that smells photo realistic. Adding drops of honey to crisp apple and sweet clover recreates that fruity fresh initial whiff we catch on warm winds. Lighter and more ethereal than purple lilacs, the white lilac is rarely represented in perfume. Subtle neroli lends powdery aspects to the composition as beeswax increases texture, rounding out the more indolic notes. This stunning floral rendering is anchored firmly with ambrette and musk. White Lilac is an excellent example of a blended soliflore, because it smells very genuine to its namesake. I have many scents in my collection that celebrate my all-time favorite flower; this outshines them all. Sillage: good. Longevity: very good.

DSH spring 2014 metropolis cafleurebon

"Metropolis" by Angelo Cerantola

Metropolis is targeted to lovers of smoky and woody perfumes. Dawn meshes modern accents like glass, metal and concrete with the primordial wonder of the natural world. Her layering of bergamot, aldehydes and petit grain over sandalwoods, rich patchouli and a double-dose of musk had me enraptured. A blending of geranium and blood-red roses add class and a hint of passion as animalic notes smolder and writhe. Thick yet supple leather, and the aroma of motor oil unite sexy and dirty, in the finish, with an underpinning of mossy elegance. Landing squarely between modern sophistication and intense primal ferocity, Metropolis is magnificent. Sillage: above average. Longevity: excellent.

DSH Spring 2014 Fire Opal 2014 cafleurebon

"Fire Opal 1" by Marta Zamarska

The warm iridescent glow of the flame-colored gem sparkles in Fire Opal 2014.This scent was originally released as “Fire Opal, orange no.2” from the Chroma collection was one of my first DSH samples and an instant love for me. This reformulation, was inspired in part by a conversation with Editor-In-Chief Michelyn Camen about the need for more happy and uplifting fragrances after a long and trying winter. In this version, the focus is on brilliant stone itself more so than the fire within. The original was a spicier citrus and finished on a woody incense base. The newer version amplifies the citrus with a burst of green at the top. sweet orange (what Michelyn calls “nature’s Prozac”) and Israeli blood oranges. The addition of black tea to the fuller floral body of this adds grace to a chypre finish complete with moss and patchouli. Sillage: above average. Longevity: good.

These perfumes sang to me of spring and rebirth, and as always, I anxiously await anything new from Dawn's talented imagination.

John Reasinger, Senior Editor and Natural Perfume Editor

All four scents are available for sale on the company’s website in various sizes and concentrations. Those interested in the original Fire Opal (Orange no.2, natural) can email Dsh@indra.com or call the shop in Boulder, CO. There are bottles left for sale, though it’s not listed online. The two versions are different and I highly recommend the first.Each perfume’s extensive list of notes and ingredients are listed on the DSH Perfumes site and are directly linked above.

Through the generosity of Dawn Spencer Hurwitz and DSH Perfumes we have a sample set that includes 3 ml of all four fragrances in EDP concentration to give to one US reader. To be eligible, please leave a comment stating which of these perfumes you might like best and that you live in the US. Draw will end on April 23, 2014.  

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

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33 comments

  • julesinrose says:

    Peony. I SO love the scent of fresh peonies, but have yet to find a peony perfume I like. Peony on a background of sandalwood alone sounds marvelous; all the notes together sound like heaven on earth!

    The DSH that I’d most like to try is Euphorisme d’Opium.

    My birth sign is Sagittarius.

    Thanks for the drawing!

  • Monoatomic says:

    White Lilac for sure – I love the smell of lilacs more than any other flower I think. I have not tries any DSH perfumes yet since the selection seems just so overwhelming! Fortunately a lilac perfume makes it easier….

  • Love Dawns creation….have an order coming from her, but will envy the winner of these……so excited to try the White Lilac 🙂

  • All of these sound excellent; I’m especially drawn to Fire Opal 2014 (love orange blossom being nature’s Prozac) and Metropolis. I’m in the US.

  • I probably have samples of most of DSH inventory, but not these new ones, so I would love to try! White Lilac sounds the most intriguing to me. I’m in the US.

  • These sound absolutely amazing 🙂 If I had to choose one, it would be Fire Opal 2014, and I would also love to try Cimabue. I am in the US and I am a Pisces, thanks!

  • I can’t decide between the White Lilac and Fire Opal but am in the US and would love to try them. Thanks.

  • I am dying to try Fire Opal 2014. It sounds like the perfect accessory for the warmer season ahead. I am in the U.S. Thanks for the draw!

  • I live in the US and I think that I might like White Lilac the best- the smell of lilac takes my breath away. But of course they all sound really appealing.

  • Both Fire Opal and Metropolis sound like my kinda fragrances. If I have to choose, I’ll say Fire Opal, because it sounds great for the warmer weather, with its citrus and green opening. I’m in the US.

  • I’m still trying to recover from the “long and trying winter” so Fire Opal 2014 sounds really appealing to me. I’m in the US; thanks for the draw.

  • I love DSH perfumes – I just recently purchased a sample of Peony and it is amazing! I’m going to run out of it very quickly. 🙂 I live in the US. Thank you!

  • I think Metropolis because I love smoky and woody anything really.
    I am in the US
    Thanks for the draw 🙂

  • I live in the US. It’s hard to choose one from the 4, because I want them all, but I am lost intrigued by the White Lilac. I am a huge purple lilac scent fan, so I would love to compare and contrast the two. Thanks so much for the giveaway!

  • wefadetogray says:

    I am going to have to go for White Lilac since Dawn made a photorealistic impression of it. I love the smell of lilacs and the white ones in particular!
    I am in the Us and thanks for this draw.

  • Holy moly, I don’t think I can choose! I love Peony and it’s so hard to capture, and I love beeswax in anything, so the Lilac sounds amazing. Metropolis has so many notes I love–I’m a sucker for rose and patch and the supporting notes are just making it sound out of this world. I also love tea and orange… crap!! I think I’ll have to go with Peony… Anyway, thanks for the draw, I”m in the US.

  • Kim Morgan says:

    White Lilac — I cannot grow them in my neck of the woods, and I remember them from my grandmother’s garden. Gorgeous. I remember the butterflies just blanketing them.

    US resident. Thank you.

  • White Lilac would be my favorite of the four , but would like to try them all. I am inthe US.

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    i may find Metropolis the best due to patchouli and sandalwood and the fact it is woody. i am in the US

  • Cynthia Richardson says:

    I would like a happy and uplifting fragrance for summer and Fire Opal 2014 appeals to me. I live in the US

  • I live in the U.S. and I would love to experience Fire Opal 2014. It sounds amazing.
    Thanks for the wonderful drawing.

  • Thank you so much, John and Michelyn for your wonderful reviews and inspiration! Spring reminds us of the miracle of rebirth and your reviews of our Spring line up feels exactly that way.
    With gratitude and love for CFB,
    Dawn

  • Sheila Cody says:

    As a native of “Flower City” Rochester, NY USA – known for its annual Lilac Festival, I grew up with the lovely fragrance of lilacs in Spring. Highland Park has over 200 varieties! I miss the smell of those lovely little flowers so my 1st choice with be the White Lilac perfume though I’d love to sample all the new ones as they each have a scent I am wild about. Dawn is amazingly talented and generous. Thanks!

  • USA
    Love reading all of these reviews–thanks for them and the draw!
    Metropolis sounds most like ‘me’ though the others sound most springlike and also appealing now that the weather’s changing, especially White Lilac.

  • White Lilac in the springtime is the one for me! I’d love the chance to try them all. I’m in the U.S.