Photo of Cherry Blossoms in The Snow York New York Times©
“Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide…
And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.” The Loveliest of Trees – A. E. Housman
Blooming Sakura Reinaldo Irizarry ©
I am writing this review on the first day of spring, March 20, 2017. This year, in the Pacific Northwest, we have already had more than our share of precipitation – at least forty days and forty nights of drenching rain. But somehow I feel better about all the dampness just knowing that springtime will have officially arrived and very soon the plum and the cherry trees will be in bloom. In warmer climates, the almond trees, close relatives of cherries are just now losing their blossoms. This year, In Washington DC, the cherry blossoms should have been at their best between March 19th and March 22nd, except for the snow storm Stella, that froze the tender petals.
In 1912 Japan gave the first of these famous Capital cherry trees to the United State. More than three thousand trees were presented as gifts to honor diplomatic relations between the two countries. According to the U.S. National Park Service the cherry trees blooming in our nation’s capital “symbolize friendship between nations, the renewal of spring and the ephemeral nature of life.” Interestingly, the Samurai have historically used the cherry blossom as an emblem, the fallen flower symbolizing the fallen hero who sacrificed his life for the emperor. Even today, the iron fittings of Japanese swords are often decorated with cherries in bloom. My take on cherry blossoms is much more peaceful and romantic, devoid of nationalism and the militarization of aesthetics.
BLOSSOM LOVE Amouage ©
I simply adore the fleeting and faint fragrances of the blossoms of almond trees, cherries, plum trees and their kin, and yes roses too, also relatives of these fruiting trees. I am at once soothed and stunned by the beauty of their flowers in fluffy shades of white, pink, mauve and even deep purple. Blossom Love, the latest fragrance in the Amouage Secret Garden Series, features scents derived from cherry blossoms, cherries and almonds. The perfume resides in delicate, ultra feminine opaque pink curved bottles packaged in boxes replete with images of boughs of blooming cherries. If it is true that “Pink Is Love” then the new Amouage Blossom Love is love at first sight – and sniff – for me!
Photo Laura Kicey©
Blossom Love opens with a hint of powdery heliotrope, a bit of citrus and tangy cherry/almond. This first impression instantly blooms into intoxicating amaretto colored with rose. The effect is vibrant, mouth watering and ultra feminine. The perfume is much more focused and fragrant than even the freshest of cherry blossoms. Christopher Chong, creative director of Amouage, worked with two women perfumers Nathalie Lorson and Elise Benat to create Blossom Love. The perfumers under the direction of Christopher, brought an unabashed femininity to the fragrance that is both comforting and seductive, more complex then I had imagined, unfolding like origami, layer by layer.
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Corrie Bond ©
The rosy amaretto effect wears long and well. After about three hours on my skin, vanilla adds a new dimension to the cherries, amaretto and rose. Once again this phase is quite long lived, eventually drying into sandalwood, cashmeran and tonka bean. Blossom Love is not a shy wallflower and certainly no shrinking violet. The sillage is effusive and the longevity is overnight; it blooms on the skin and continues to from dusk to dawn. Blossom Love is a heady breath of spring and one I will turn to again and again all year long.
Notes: Cherry Blossom Nectar, Rose Liquor, Ylang Ylang, Amaretto Accord, Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Sandalwood and Cashmeran.
Disclosure: Many thanks to Christopher Chong amd Amouage for the 30 ml sample of beautiful Blossom Love. My opinions are my own.
Gail Gross- Editor
Art Director: Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief
Thanks to the generosity of Christopher Chong and Amouage we have one 30ml special bottle of Blossom Love for one registered reader in the US, Canada or the EU (be sure to register or your comment will not count). To be eligible, tell us where you live, what appeals to you about the new Amouage Blossom Love from Gail’s review, if spring has sprung where you live and your favorite fragrance by Amouage. Draw closes 3/25/2017
We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS feed…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.