INeKE Idyllwild (Ineke Rühland) 2017- New Perfume Review + Wild by Name, Wild by Nature Draw

Ineke Rühland photo Ineke

“For the wanderers who follow their own compass” ~ Ineke Rühland, perfumer

Perfumes created by Ineke Rühland are always worth the wait.  You may well recall Ineke from one of ÇaFleureBon's early Profiles in American Perfumery and in the recent ART of Artisan Perfumes -The Pioneers interview, she is a delightful and pensive human being who charmed my husband at the first Elements Showcase in NYC before I could meet her myself. I've purchased many of her perfumes and written about them over the years with nary a shred of buyer’s, or writer's remorse.

Katherine Hepburn in the mountains near Big Sur, California

It's only by chance that I have the opportunity to review Ineke's new and wondrous Idyllwild, which is classified by our perfumer as an Aromatic Fougère. Unlike so many folk, I've never been to California or the Big Sur, and certainly not Idyllwild itself. Nonetheless, I was renamed Nature Girl by my mother ever since I could toddle and am a lifelong hiker and sylvan acolyte. Nolo contendere. I require the forest and conifers the way I need fresh air and triple meter – and have been known to walk 20-30 or so miles barefoot in order to avail myself of them; Idyllwild felt made to order.

Photo: Courtesy of Alice Lane for Vogue.com@

 “A visit to Idyllwild, a small mountain town in California with the prettiest of names, was the starting point in this scent composition. Distillations of Douglas Fir and Ponderosa Pine contribute an aromatic freshness to the fragrance. .A road trip further afield in California brings more elements to the table. Wildcrafted sagebrush from Big Sur and Monterey cypress oil capture the aromas that waft through open windows as you drive along the coast. Rhubarb tea provides an unexpectedly tart freshness. Cypriol and oud contribute a campfire smoke note. A unique combination of musks create a compelling drydown that needs to be experienced.” ~ Ineke, on Idyllwild.

Michael Pudelka for Numero France May 2015©

Idyllwild is (for me) the road familiar but not yet taken – the promise of crushed sagebrush and lavender between my grateful fingertips. It's enlivened by the unforeseen tangy tonicity of grapefruit wed to an astringent, bracingly refreshing rhubarb accord.The heart is literally and figuratively opened with expansivity, courtesy of a fruity/jammy fir and profoundly balsamic resinous cypress, with the latter's delicately smoky aspect swirling like a vision half-glimpsed, wraithlike.

In Belief and Doubt: Marie Piovesan by Boe Marion @ 

The pillar of the pyramid embraces a green facet of cardamom unroasted, radiantly cordial amidst pine and nagarmotha -aka-cypriol: boldly beautiful and deeply satisfying to any forest lover. Ineke exercises such admirable restraint in her employment of both oud and cypriol, as either one may be easily overdosed (as is often the case these days, it seems) and bludgeon the wearer instead of intimating the communion of the campfire, as she so clearly intended. Her treatment of these materials is masterful. As for her particularly carefully chosen cocktail of musks, I can only surmise – whatever exists has me hooked. All basenotes are so expertly interwoven that they keep their sheen and burnish everything else in this composition.

 

Photo: Courtesy of Alice Lane for Vogue.com@

It's no surprise that I'm fond of the fougère in its many incarnations. Idyllwild stands out in its exquisite originality coupled with wearability: its longevity is singular, the drydown every whit as comely as Ineke promises, and haunting. It fits that the iconoclastic, artistic, and mystic (yes, Timothy Leary – you're included!) have found this area inspirational and called it home. Coming from one who has made California her home for many years, there is veracity to Idyllwild which affects me deeply. In case you hadn't noticed, color me smitten.

Idyllwild Notes: Top: rhubarb tea, grapefruit, lavender; Middle: Big Sur sagebrush, cypress, fir needle;Base: cardamom, woods, oud, musk

Many thanks to Ineke for my sample! My nose is my own…

~ Ida Meister, Senior Editor

Art Direction: Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief 

Thanks to the largesse of Ineke Rühland, we have a draw for one registered reader in the U.S.A.  You can register here. To be eligible for the draw, please leave a comment regarding what appeals to you about Ida's review, your favorite INeKE perfume, or your own personal experiences in hiking or in nature. Draw closes September 8, 2017

Available at stores mid-September at Twisted Lily,  and Idyllwild is now available to preorder for $95 www.ineke.com until September 15.  The A-I fragrances will be sold at $110 thereafter.

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

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19 comments

  • fazalcheema says:

    Like Ida, I have never been to California either though hope it changes soon. I am interested in Idyllwild because it seems like a novel interpretation of a fougere perfume. My favorite Ineke creation is Field Notes from Paris. I am in US

  • fqgouvea says:

    My favorite Ineke (so far) is Field Notes from Paris, which is just beautiful. But fougeres always get my attention, so I’m really curious about this one.

  • Jeanette says:

    Rhubarb tea and cypress appeals to me as does the sagebrush. I love evening edged in gold and field notes from Paris. The images chosen are so beautiful especially the Vogue ones and Katherine Hepburn
    I have been to San Francisco, California but not to Idyllwild. I wiSh I had known to go.

  • Susan says:

    I had thefortune of driving along hgwy 1 from San Diego up to San Francisco and was AMAZED with big sur. I think i left my heart there (sorry San Francisco). I can still smell the sweet salty air and the sage and the cedar. If i were to win this draw, i may just bathe myself in this perfume! It sounds exactly like what i look for in scents and what i crave about the outdoors.

  • Amy Leonhardt says:

    This sounds lovely.i went to Idyllwild last month and it was very dry, but the combo of notes sounds like a love letter to CA–from the dryer inland mtns to the foggy coastal resinous cypress down to the sage in the desert. Would love to try this!

  • mrpeeck says:

    Sounds wonderful outdoorsy fragrance. Just LOVE the sweet note of fir and oud. THe woods in this really must be nice. I have not tried anything from this house. I do live in the US… THANK YOU

  • Diana D says:

    Love the fragrance notes. Sounds so clean, fresh and uplifting. I don’t do much hiking. But I love the outdoors. My grandparents live in Upstate New York on 10 acres of land. I just love the smell of the air because they have gardens on their property, tons of flowering bushes and off the road has wildflowers growing. So the combination of all of these natural fragrances is so soul-soothing. I’d love to win this fragrance, as I think it may invoke those scent memories of my grandparent’s place.
    I live in the U.S.

  • Dana U says:

    Love walking in a forest and smelling the pines. I am a big fan of Ineke’s fragrances and own several. Evening Edged in Gold and Poet’s Jasmine are my two favorite. I just ordered her sampler again just so I could smell this new one. Plus, I love her sampler because they are generous sized sprayers and are great for the purse. She also gives you a $15 credit for a full bottle. So, yeah, big fan! In the US

  • Raee says:

    Staying in the PNW, hiking is an important part of my life.
    The walk through the forest, the smell of old growth along with pine/cedar and evergreen trees smell is the most refreshing smell ever.

    I have not tried any from this house but want to try this along with Field Notes from Paris.

    In USA.

  • JozefJak says:

    I’ve never try perfumes from this house, but notes looks amazing, I love rhubarb and woody and smoky scents. I’d love to try. I’m a sailor, so I’m usually hiking the see 😉

  • Kate C says:

    When I lived in CA I loved going on hikes, the smell of the woods combined with a hint of sea air was just intoxicating. Now I’m back in the midwest and run every morning down a country road near the woods, but miss that unique California air. I’d love to try this perfume; I’ve not tried any INeKE perfumes yet but they all sound just lovely.

  • NiceVULady says:

    I love when Ida says, “there is veracity to Idyllwild which affects me deeply.”I spent much time camping when I was much younger. Not so much anymore. I don’t have a favorite Ineke perfume. They sound beautiful. Thanks for the draw. I live in the USA

  • Beth Peart says:

    Such a shame the draw is only for readers in the USA. I’d love to try for a sample but alas, alack! I am in Canada – almost American but not close enough. 🙁

  • Richard Potter says:

    I love Ineke’s work, especially After My Own Heart and Field Notes from Paris. My motto is “give nature enough room and it won’t try to kill you” but I always appreciate when the scents are captured in a bottle.

  • Carol Webb says:

    I enjoyed reading about how the different notes present themselves, likening it to a trip from Idyllwild. The notes though seem so different, but I would imagine that they all work well together. Very interesting and I would love to try this perfume! I hike in nature every day as we live on several acres. I love the freshness of the trees, greenery, even the flowering weeds. I so enjoy walking the acres, knowing it is “mine” and has been in my family for now, close to 6 decades. I’m in the US, thank you for the very generous draw.

  • doveskylark says:

    The sagebrush is what I remember when I recall driving in northern California. The rhubarb and cardamom notes of this fragrance will surely blend with the sagebrush to create something unforgettable. I’ve always wanted to try After My Own Heart from this line.
    i live in the USA.

  • princeypee says:

    Ida perfectly encapsulated what I love about a hike and it seems to have been replicated in a lovely scent. I live in upstate NY and routinely travel along the Catskills. I’ve always yearned to live in the pacific northwest purely for the lush forests and crisp air. Hopefully I can get a taste of that in this new fragrance. I’m in the US

  • tarena says:

    I can definitely relate to what Ida says about needing the forest the way she needs air. There’s a serene feeling about being in the woods that’s so magical. I’m lucky to live in California where we have access to some of the most beautiful national forests like Sequoia and Yosemite. Although I’ve never been to Idyllwild, I can imagine just how nice it must be. I have a soft spot for scents inspired by my state and love that Ineke included both the forest and coast in Idyllwild. The rhubarb tea gives it a unique element too. Would love to try this!! My favorite fragrance from INeKE is After My Own Heart. In the US!