Laubahn Perfumes Naughty Garden (Ralf Schwieger) 2017 + Flowers in A Space Garden Draw

Life on A Star by Sassy Ayr digitalized by R.H.

If you’ve never heard  of  Laubahn Perfumes or their inaugural release Naughty Garden, composed by legendary perfumer and multi–award winning Ralf Schwieger of MANE, fear not. All will be revealed. One of the great joys of the rabid perfumista is the discovery of a heretofore unknown perfume line. Ever since Julius Caesar (in my history re-writing imagination) entered the Roman Senate thousands of years ago, sniffed the air and asked “Et Tu Brute?” perfume lovers have delighted in ferreting out the new, the undiscovered, the never-sniffed. Laubahn Perfumes of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin is the brainchild of  Ms. Sassy Ayr (née Stacey Bresnahan) the author of the book “Life on a Star” from which Naughty Garden takes its inspiration. Engaging Ralf Schwieger of Mane as perfumer is a bold, engaging and ultimately winning move.

Ralf Schweiger at the 2014 Fragrance Foundation Awards with his award for Aedes de Venustas Iris Nazrena (source Mane)

Ralf Schwieger has created many fragrances, too numerous to list and his body of work includes Eau des Merveilles (with Nathalie Feisthauer) for Hermes, Womanity for Mugler, Afternoon Of A Faun and Fiel de Dieu for Etat Libre d’Orange, Orange Sanguine and Vanilla Insensee (and others for Atelier Cologne), Christopher Street for Charenton Macerations, Aedes de Venustas Iris Nazrena and Lipstick Rose for Frederic Malle, the quintessential violet/powder/rose. His compositions were and are ahead of their time, some might have been overlooked upon release, but ultimately they are recognized as extraordinary “reference” perfumes. So it should come as no surprise that Naughty Garden for Laubahn Perfumes is a “noteworthy” creation. Centered around an Elderflower accord, Naughty Garden (albeit not naughty at all) is a classic floral in the vein of Olivia Giacobetti’s En Passant but with an added “something-something” that is unique to Ralf’s signature.

@karopsycho

“Having never been asked to create a fragrance inspired by a story, I was all ears (and nose.) This is about flowers in a space garden, high up in the sky but bound to earth. Notes of elderflowers play with Indian sandalwood in weightless territory. The green aspects enhanced by galbanum round off the natural floralcy and contrast nicely with the woody and slightly mossy background.” –Ralf Schwieger for Laubahn Perfumes

Elderflower digitalized by M.C.

Elderflower in perfume is not widely used; you may be more familiar with elderflower in wine and spirits. I grew up listening to stories about my Ukrainian Grandmother’s famous homemade elderflower liquor, which my mother described as “sparkling floral nectar”. It’s a shame that you don’t find elderflower in perfume more often, as its ethereal herbacious-honeysuckle scent is captivating. In Naughty Garden, elderflower is represented in all its complex beauty.

via tumblr

Opening with a zing of bergamot tempered with a slightly bitter galbanum, Naughty Garden wastes no time in introducing elderflower as the star of the show; a true Diva of florals. When combined with deft lashings of jasmine and ylang, Naughty Garden becomes one of the best white florals I have ever smelled in quite some time. The sea salt note keeps the composition grounded, but the sense of space and airiness of this perfume is what separates it from most white florals.

Salvador Dali “Surreal Flowers’

The individual notes never feel intrusive, rather they are seamlessly blended to create an unforgettable olfactory experience. The musk has that slight laundry detergent vibe, but the smooth sandalwood rounds out any harsh edges and restrains the musk for being overpowering, and that’s a very good thing indeed. Naughty Garden is a perfume that I am thrilled to have in my collection.

Notes: Bergamot, Galbanum and Ylang-Ylang, Elderflower, Sea Salt, Jasmine, Rose, Sandalwood and Musk.

Disclosure: Thank you SO much to Laubahn Perfumes for supplying my sample. The opinions are my own.

 Please Note: Naughty Garden is an Eau de Parfum and is a limited edition of only 1000 pieces, and  available thru the Laubahn Perfumes website: www.lifeonastar.com

-Robert Herrmann, Senior Editor and contributions from Michelyn Camen

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

Ralf Schwieger (photo sent to Michelyn for this review)

Meet Ralf Schweiger

Thursday, December 7th, 2017

5:00pm – 7:30pm 

Perfumarie 155 Lafayette Street

Thanks to Laubahn Perfumes, we have a 100 ml bottle of Naughty Garden for one registered reader In the USA, so be sure to register if you have not done so. To be eligible please let us know what appeals to you about Naughty Garden based on Robert’s review and your favorite Ralf Schwieger fragrance. What book do you love that might be a great inspiration for a fragrance? Draw closes on  December 8, 2017.

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

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18 comments

  • Richard Potter says:

    This sounds exquisite. I adore elderflower. There are very few cocktails that cannot be elevated by a splash of St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur. Naughty Garden sounds like it is right up my allee.

  • Richard Potter says:

    Les Fleurs du Mal, done
    Secret Garden, done
    La Dame Aux Camelias, done
    Perhaps Evelyn Waugh’s The Loved One

  • Elizabeth T. says:

    Elderflower… I’ve had gin with elderflower, and it was delicious, but never have I smelled it in a perfume. I love the herbal aspect of it.

    Thanks for telling us about this line… I live only one state away, unfortunately there is a pesky lake in between! I look forward to hearing more about Laubahn – it sounds like they are off to a stellar start!

    A Beatrix Potter book would make a very interesting inspiration for a perfume…

    I’m in the USA. Thanks!!!

  • MMKinPA says:

    Elderflower!! I adore St. Germain, it must be so beautiful in perfume. I am not familiar with many Schweiger creations, but I love Orange Sanguine. In the US!

  • GrandmaGaga says:

    First of all what I love about this perfume is its name! Tittilating moniker but much better than Tom Ford’s newest ‘FF’. I love so many of
    Rolf Scweiger’s fragrances including Eau des Merveilles, Afternoon of a Faun, Orange Sanguine and especially Lipstick Rose. The book I’d enjoy as an inspiration for a perfume is either Gone With the Wind or A Streetcar Named Desire. I am in the US.

  • NiceVULady says:

    It is so unique to use elderflower as the mainstay of a fragrance. I’m eager to try it. I don’t think I have a favorite fragrance by Rolf Scweiger. Perhaps this will be the one. Thanks for the draw. I’m in the USA

  • tammy says:

    Oh dear God, I discovered Belvoir elderberry presse on my trip to Europe this summer, and was so enchanted, I paid way too much for a case of it from Amazon. I can only imagine how beautiful an elderberry perfume must be!

    I’ve often wondered why no one has ever attempted a Jitterbug Perfume fragrance. Too obvious, perhaps. I’d love to see what someone might do with Dr Zhivago!

  • Chocolate Marzipan says:

    Elderflower…..like many others have said..this is what appeals to me. I have a 200 ml bottle of Orange Sanguine at home so I think it is safe to say that is my favorite of Rolf’s creations. Jitterbug Perfume is in my top ten books of all time (I have read and re-read at least half a dozen times) so there needs to be a beetroot and jasmine perfume made one of these days. I am in the USA

  • Vahagn says:

    So nice desciption! Sounds very beautyful and I hope the male can wear this white floral beauty. So intresting oerfume’s name.
    USA

  • Tami H. says:

    Great review! I love Elderflowers. This was my favorite part.

    Opening with a zing of bergamot tempered with a slightly bitter galbanum, Naughty Garden wastes no time in introducing elderflower as the star of the show; a true Diva of florals. When combined with deft lashings of jasmine and ylang, Naughty Garden becomes one of the best white florals I have ever smelled in quite some time. The sea salt note keeps the composition grounded, but the sense of space and airiness of this perfume is what separates it from most white florals.

    Would love to see a Fragrance based on the book Night Circus. My favorite Ralf perfume is Christopher Street. I live in the U.S. Thanks for the generous giveaway.

  • oldandsmelly says:

    Elderflower is a lovely scent. I make every year a Elderflower cordial, the naturally occurring yeasts on the flowers make a wonderful sparkling beverage. I serve it on Summer Solstice in a proseco elderflower cocktail. Elderflower is want definately appeals to me about this perfume, it is an underused scent in perfumery. Also, I love galbanum. My favorite Ralf Schwieger perfume is Lipstick Rose. A book I love that I think would be a great inspiration for a perfume would be Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff as so much detail is in that book about the overwhelming luxury of Alexandria and Cleopatra’s court where scent utilized as statecraft to seduce and rule rival heads of state.

    I live in the USA, thanks for the draw.

  • roxhas1cat says:

    I love elderflower in a liqueur or mixing the syrup into champagne. I never thought about it in a fragrance. Sounds great. Can’t miss with Ralf creating this. I didn’t realize he did a favorite of mine “Afternoon of a Faun”. The book that would make a great fragrance would be “Chocolat”. I love gourmande fragrances. Thanks for the draw!

  • rustee45 says:

    The fragrance seems not to contain any notes that I would consider “naughty”, so it would be interesting to try. Eau des Merveilles is my favorite scent by Schweiger. How about “The Japanese Lover” for a fragrance inspiration? I live in the US and thanks for the chance.

  • Kate C says:

    I can’t remember the smell of elderflower; it grew at my grandma’s house but it’s been years since I smelled any. So far I’ve not had the chance to try any Schwieger perfumes but this perfume sounds divine and I just love the notes of Bergamot, Ylang-Ylang, Sea Salt, Sandalwood. Currently I’m reading Outlander and it would make a great inspiration for a Highland scent, with heather, wild flower, juniper (maybe elderflower?) US – thanks for the draw!

  • doveskylark says:

    I am very curious to try a fragrance with notes of elderflower and sea salt. I am also curious to read the book “Life on a Star.” I love iris Nazrena by Mr. Schwieger. I think any book written by Jean Rhys would make a great perfume, especially “Good Morning Midnight.”

  • RinB says:

    It’s true, elderflower is so rarely found in fragrance. I love the flavor it imparts to cordials and the smell always reminds me of long rambling walks in the sunshine. I’d love to smell Naughty Garden, not least because it was created by Ralf Schweiger (I love his Lipstick Rose, and Vanille Insensee is a favorite too). I’ve always thought Somerset Maugham’s books would lend themselves to being ‘re-told’ in scent, or maybe something by Henry James?
    I’m in the US – may thanks for the draw!