New Fragrance Review:  Olfactive Studio Selfie + The Neverending Story “Do What You Wish” Draw

 

the neverending story illustration  empress, bastian

 The Childlike Empress Falcour, Bastian Illustration by DenisM79 

Surely when it comes to perfume names there will be few more discussed in 2015 than that of Olfactive Studio’s new fragrance, Selfie.

“The childlike Emperess asks: "But where is this book?"

And he wrote the answer: "In the book."

"Then it's all a reflection of a reflection?" she asked.

He wrote, and she heard him say: "What does one see in a mirror reflected in a mirror? Do you know that, Golden-eyed Commander of Wishes?

-The Neverending Story by Michael Ende


 

celine verleure  olfactive studio selfie

Celine Verleure of Olfactive Studio and Selfie

 Creative Director Céline Verleure’s brand Olfactive Studio hallmark is fragrances inspired by art photos. The previous releases had the photo telling us a story as well as a text telling us how to perceive the photo, the story it tells and the perfume itself. This new release however, sees less information more self-exploration, in all senses of the word.  So for me, I welcome Selfie; it’s all up to me, the wearer. It can be what I like it to be.  In fact, for me personally, a non-selfie person, it feels like ‘Selfie’ takes more of a philosophical direction than its predecessors.  Instead of the photo on the boxes, there’s a mirror which can of course show yourself, as in a literal ‘selfie’, but it could also show ‘anything’ you want to be, or want your perfume to be. 

Atreyu at the Mirror Gate, seeing his alternate identity, Bastian the never ending story

Atreyu at the Mirror Gate, seeing his alternate identity, Bastian (The Never Ending Story)

 I’m reminded of the famous contemporary fairy tale book ‘The Neverending Story’ by Michael Ende ). Carrying the magic pendant ‘Auryn’, inscribed ‘Do what you wish”, Bastian the anti-hero of the book, once inside Fantastica, changes his persona, and little by little loses himself. “The point is that this gate seems to be a big mirror or something of the kind, though it's made neither of glass nor of metal. What it is made of, no one has ever been able to tell me. Anyway, when you stand before it, you see yourself. But not as you would in an ordinary mirror. You don't see your outward appearance; what you see is your real innermost nature. If you want to go through, you have to — in a manner of speaking — go into yourself.”

selfie olfactive studio selfie

Jasia as a child, the image she chose for her selfie "selfie"

So, could ‘Selfie’ be a selfie, an image of me by me, or it could be anything I wanted it to be, which in essence is exactly what a selfie is, or not?  Onto the fragrance itself. Its overall feel is sappy as in green leaves and resins running down the bark of a tree. It’s fresh as a walk in an autumn forest and a little sweet from spices and syrup.  First I smell a hint of ginger and star anise quickly followed and overtaken by a dripping elemi resin and the greenly sweet odor of angelica. Seeping through is, at first like smoke signals perceived from far away, then getting ever closer; incense. Not church like, but like campfire in the open. As the sweetness of the angelica fades, its role is taken over by the maple syrup, and the resins subside to make more space for a hardwood feel. To make sure it all stays modern and elegant as well as warm, there’s just the tiniest bit of lily in the heart, and a twist of cinnamon to point to the flowers spiciness rather than its somewhat astringent profile. In the base I mostly smell a well-behaved leather, a non-cloying, smooth sandalwood and still a bit of incense.

The overall feel is elegant and contemporary, absolutely sharable; it fits its name in as much as it can be ‘What you wish’. Cool and contemporary? Warm and nostalgic? Cosy and formal?

In the golden mirror of her eyes, he saw, small at first as though far in the distance, a reflection which little by little grew larger and more distinct. It was a boy of about his own age; but this boy was slender and wonderfully handsome. His bearing was proud and erect, his face was noble, manly – and lean. He looked like a young prince from the Orient… …Bastian gazed at the image with wonder and admiration. He couldn't get enough of it. He was just going to ask who this hand-some young prince might be when it came to him in a flash that this was hisvery own self — his reflection in Moon Child's golden eyes. In that moment he was transported, carried out of himself, and when he returned, he found he had become the handsome boy whose image he had seen".

Selfie is my favourite from Olfactive Studio,  a House which continues to surprise. Thomas Fontaine has made an excellent Self-portrait, and Celine Veleure lets go of someone else’s  photographs, telling us ‘do as you wish’.

Jasia Julia Nielson, Contributor and Author of The Sounds of Scent

iphone selfie

Michelyn's Selfie

Editor’s Note: I am pretty sure I coined the term “smelfie”, i.e. our obsession with showing our fragrance of the day @Facebook, @Twitter, @Instagram, and our fixation with incessant photobombing photos with perfumers  and each other using our smart phones (of which on occasion I am guilty of doing).  Celine’s artistic vision has led to many best of CaFleureBon awards, and yes it will be hard pressed to find a fragrance name with as much buzz at year's end. –Michelyn Camen

selfie olfactive studio

Thanks to the lovely Celine Verleure of Olfactive Studio we have a  100 ml bottle of Selfie for any reader that is registered worldwide (you must do this, please). To be eligible, please leave a comment with what you enjoyed about Jasia’s review, what photo you might use for your “selfie” and your favorite Olfactive Studio Perfume. Draw closes 11/7/2015

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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43 comments

  • BostonScentGuy says:

    I loved how Jasia gave a really distinct and on-point overall impression of the fragrance and then broke it down really well; Selfie is really described as a fragrance that would appeal to me. I like smells from “the earth,” so the idea of sappy, green, woods, and spices (and unisex!) sounds absolutely wonderful. “Fresh as a walk in an autumn forest,” reminds me of the feel of Chene, and if it captures ANY of the sweet/syrupy/woody vibe of that scent I’d be in heaven! My selfie…is actually a self picture that exists! I actually took it with a disposable camera, no less, before selfies were popular–a pic of me on top of a mountain in the Adirondacks–pretty much sums up what I like to do on my spare time and a good picture of me to boot. I’m a big fan of Olfactive Studio overall, but especially Chambre Noire and Lumiere Blanche. I’m in the US.

  • Loved Jasia’s incorporation of “The Neverending Story” into her review. I’ve long been fascinated by the correlation between scent and story!

    For my selfie I’d probably use a picture from childhood days in HK. My favourite Olfactive Studio is Still Life. I’m in Canada.

  • I love how Jasia “dissect” this fragrance and the quote from “The Neverending Story”. Selfie sound like a fragrance appeal to me as I really enjoy the smell of resin and smokey scent.
    As for my selfie I’d use the photo taken from my graduation ceremony weeks ago.
    The Olfactive Studio I love the most is “Still Life”.
    I live in Malaysia. Thank you for the draw and have a nice day folks. 🙂

  • The Never Ending Story is my favourite book. Ginger, Angelica and campfire? Sounds amazing. I don’t do selfies but I do have a favourite Olfactive Studio perfume, which is Autoportrait. I’m a registered reader in the EU, thanks for the draw.

  • fazalcheema says:

    The part that struck with me is that this fragrances has qualities that make it quite sharable..after all the reason we take selfies is also because we want to share with them..I will be honest, I have not personally embraced the selfie revolution and, thus, do not really take selfies but as someone who is always observing things, selfie culture is an interesting trend from intellectual point of view and tells us a lot about an average person.. my favorite creation from the brand is Still Life. I am in the US

  • Smelfie! My current facebook banner is a photo of my smelling myself at the Montreal Guerlain boutique (sadly now closed). Smelfie is a great term and now we have a name for the crazy posts we put on social media and fragrance groups! Doubly sad is that I’ve never smelled anything by Olfactive Studio…Thanks for the draw!

  • What could be better than a walk in the forest with a little spice and syrup in the background. Sounds positively lovely. I have never taken a ‘selfie’, but I might have to if I win this. I have never smelled anything from this house before, but would love to try Selfie. Thanks, I live in the US.

  • I loved the incorporation of The Neverending Story in this perfume review and the description where it mentions that it reminds of a walk in the forest during autumn time filled with smells like resin, smoke, ginger and syrup. I like selfies during vacation trips and I would use a selfie from a trip of mine in Santorini in Oia while facing one of the most fascinating sunsets in the world.
    I have not experienced yet any Olfactive Studio perfume in order to have a favorite one.
    I am a registered reader living in EU and I thank you for the lovely review and draw as well.

  • I have not tried anything from Olfactive Studio before, but I think that Selfie would be a strong starting point. Selfie has a lot of interesting notes for me like incense, cinnamon, vetiver and leather. Sounds really good! Jasia’s opinion about its’ forest freshness in the beginning and its’ warmness in the dry-down is what makes me really want to try this one!

    I live in EU! Thanks for the draw!

  • ‘… a walk in an autumn forest …’ is all I need now 🙂 ! I don’t like to take selfie 😉 ! My favorite from Olfactive Studio is Panorama. I live in Italy, thanks!

  • Amazing description, I’m dying to try Selfie! Love the part from The Neverending Story. For my selfie I’d use the photo with my newborn daughter.
    I’ve never tried any of Olfactive Studio perfumes.

    Thanks! US resident

  • marcopietro says:

    Great rewiew! It offers a perfect portrait of a contemporary perfume, wereable and elegant with a list of notes fascinating. A selfie of a World’ modern inhabitant. My Olfactive Studio perfume is Ombre Indigo.
    A selfie of mine could be a picture of me on the beach, smiling with the sun in front.
    I live in Italy.
    Thanks!

  • I’ve been wearing Olfactive Studio’s Still Life a lot lately, but I have the Olfactive Studio 4ml sample box, and every one of them is a winner. Although I think Autoportrait will be my next purchase from OS, it sounds like Selfie will join the winner’s circle.

    I enjoyed Jasia’s review very much, especially the imagery of an autumn walk in the woods.

    I admit I have never taken an actual selfie, so for my selfie submission I would choose a landscape of a rocky shore in winter, or a frozen waterfall.

    I am in the US.

  • Very nice review. I have never tried any of Olfactive Studio Perfume, but I would very like to try this one. I have made so many selfie. Thank you for the draw. I live in Europe.

  • Iuno Feronia says:

    very nice review with very nice Images. I have not yet tried any of the scents of Olfactive Studio but I would love to. as a selfie I would choose me and my daughter – somehow a mirror as well. I live in Austria, Europe

  • merrysovery says:

    I loved that Jasia referenced The Never-ending Story! My favorite perfume by Olfactive Studio is Chambre Noir, but I’ve enjoyed all of their fragrances so far. For my selfie — I’m not sure, maybe I’d use a photo from when my hair was more curly 🙂 I’m in the US.

  • I loved the Neverending Story! I haven’t smelled many Olfactive Studio scents so I don’t have a favourite. I am in the UK

  • I just realized that although I am a registered reader I never logged myself in before commenting on the articles! I wasn’t aware one is not automatically logged in…

    So here is my comment again:

    The Never Ending Story is my favourite book. Ginger, Angelica and campfire? Sounds amazing. I don’t do selfies but I do have a favourite Olfactive Studio perfume, which is Autoportrait. I’m a registered reader in the EU, thanks for the draw.

  • I enjoyed the description which makes this Selfie out to be a go to cold weather scent. I’ve never taken a selfie, and don’t plan to. But my favorite Olfactive Studio creation is Autoportrait, go figure. USA

  • Mrs. MacDonald says:

    I loved all of this…”You don’t see your outward appearance; what you see is your real innermost nature. If you want to go through, you have to — in a manner of speaking — go into yourself.” This fragrance reads like a magical voyage to the heart. I have a few selfies, all done wth my dawg 🙂 I have never had the privilege of experiencing any of the Olfactive Studio Creations. I live in Canada.

  • Neverending story was my favorite book during childhood and one of my favorites still. Must have read it at least 4 times and I really wished it’d never end. Interesting link you made to the concept of selfie. Wouldn’t have thought of it myself. I think my favorite selfie is me standing IN a jasmine bush where my face is mostly concealed by jasmine blossoms. My favorite Olfactive Studio release is still Chambre Noire. Europe

  • The description and analysis of the packaging was interesting- the idea of a perfume literally reflecting our image has such interesting value for discussion and thought. I’m not sure if I have a favorite selfie- the one I’m currently using as a profile photo on multiple websites, however, is of me, alone, looking off into the distance. I haven’t tried anything from Olfactive yet, but I’ve always been interested in Still Life. USA

  • bunchofpants says:

    As much as she has made me want to try Selfie (“as fresh as a walk in an autumn forest and a little sweet from spices and syrup” sounds like a fantastic scent for an autumn day in North Carolina), Jasia has also made me want to read “The Neverending Story” by Michael Ende! The photo I would use for my selfie is an actual selfie of me lying in my hammock with my little dog snuggled on my chest. That’s exactly how I like to be. I don’t yet know any Olfactive Studio scents, alas. I’m in USA.

  • I like the description of the scent in the review, how it unfolds, what notes Jasia smells at each stage. I don’t know what photo I would use for a selfie since I seldom like how I look in photos – maybe one of my graduation photos since that represents achievement and hard work? My favourite Olfactive Studio is a tie between Chambre Noire and Panorama Green – you couldn’t get more different perfumes and yet I can never get enough of either!

  • The Neverending Story was one of my favorite movies as a child, and I’m always happy to see star anise listed as a note. My selfie photo would probably be one with my young daughter — we both like to make silly faces at the camera. I haven’t tried an Olfactive Studio fragrance yet, but this one sounds lovely. I’m in the US. Thanks!

  • I loved the reference to Neverending Story.

    I’m not quite sure what picture I might use for a “selfie.” I would probably dust off the old myspace account and pull one from there.

    My favorite Olfactive Studio release that I’ve tried is Ombre Indigo.

    I am in the US. Thanks for the draw!

  • I have not read the book and don’t recall seeing the movie, so that part of the review I didn’t get. I do like the walk through description from Jasia of this new offering, Selfie. I have tried all the Olfactive Studio fragrances save for this new one, and like them all. 🙂 US

  • Wow – so well-written, really brought the essence of this fragrance to life for me – and I am DYING to try it now! Love the use of “Neverending Story!” Honestly….I’m just a TAD older than the “selfie” generation….but I have quite a few to choose from and in a pinch would pick one where a trick of the light appears to have givin me heat vision beam from my eyes!! I LOVE what I have sampled from this house and am in fact wearing Lumiere Blanche, which I am completely in love with.

  • I love Jasia’s writing and art. The same is with this review. Jasia has made a valuable comparison with The Neverending Story. My favorite Olfactive Studio’s perfumes are Chambre Noire and Autoportrait. The house has developed a very nice concept. Stories behind fragrances are interesting. Jasia’s review almost enable us to smell the perfume. Notes in Selfie seem lovely. My attention is also on incense “perceived from far away”. I’m interested in Thomas Fontaine’s works, too. Therefore, I like a description of Selfie as “elegant and contemporary”. I have some photos from the past and present that might work as “selfie” although they are not images of me by me. I am in the EU, Croatia. Thank you.

  • It has been a long time since I read The Neverending Story and it was such a treat to read it in context of perfume! I take selifes all the time (I have two kids) so that is what would go on the bottle. Very creative use and commentary. And the Olfactive Studio Selfie sound divine with ginger and resin. I live in the USA and my favorite is Ombre indigo

  • The Neverending Story was one of my favorite childhood book. I read it over and over and over again, I fell in love with the stories and characters.
    Would love to try angelica note in this perfume. For my selfie I would choose photo with my cute French Bulldog puppy.
    My favorite Olfactive Studio creation is Chambre Noire.
    Thank you for the draw! US

  • The Never Ending Story is my favourite book I like the Chambre Noire.

    I’m in Canada, thanks for the chance.

  • You had me at “resins running down the bark of a tree”. I’m in! Jasia, you did a good job of bringing an interesting spin to this review, using The Neverending Story reference, rather than going for the obvious for Selfie. I have to say, I don’t love the name, but that wouldn’t stop me from liking the juice inside. I dislike seeing myself in photos, so I never take selfies! I agree with the poster above … I’d use my adorable English Springer Spaniel. She never takes a bad photo! I have only tried Ombre Indigo from this house, which I liked. USa. Thanks for the draw.

  • girasole638 says:

    Angelica is a note I’ve been trying to explore more in perfume and Jasia makes this scent sound so appealing. I’m already a lover of anise and incense so I can definitely ‘picture’ myself in this. I’m not a huge fan of myself in photos so I don’t take many selfies, but I once spent a month on a solo hiking trip and since I didn’t want there to be absolutely no photos of me, I took some ‘shadow’ selfies. I might use one of those. I haven’t tried any Olfactive Studio scents but Lumiere Blanche and Chambre Noire sound intriguing. I’m in the US.

  • When someone mentions “The Neverending Story”, I am always getting personal and nostalgic. I had a crush on Atreyu when I was a kid, and I had seen the movie a thousand times. Even the song is still popping up in my dreams!!!
    I would probably like “Selfie” though anise and angelica are a bit tricky for my nose. My Olfactive Studio favorite is Still Life.
    I am in Bulgaria (EU). Thank you for the chance!

  • The Neverending Story is an instant classic in my eyes. I loved it so much growing up. I’ve heard of Selfie before, but haven’t smelled it yet. I love the bottle design! Chambre Noire is my favorite from this house and thank you for the draw! I’m in Canada.

  • In a universe where fragrances are inspired by art photos there is nothing more current than Selfie, a perfect name for the world we live today and Jasia’s review corroborates with my vision about this fragrance when she says that the overall feel is elegant and contemporary. The notes pierces something mysterious and inviting. I love all Olfactive Studio fragrances and Still Life is still my favorite, but now I’m anxious for Selfie. Great reference to The NeverEnding Story book , one of my favorites in my childhood when ‘ DO WHAT YOU WISH ‘ made more scence.
    For my selfie I’d choose a pic with the beach and the blue sky behind.

  • In a universe where fragrances are inspired by art photos there is nothing more current than Selfie, a perfect name for the world we live today and Jasia’s review corroborates with my vision about this fragrance when she says that the overall feel is elegant and contemporary. The notes pierces something mysterious and inviting. I love all Olfactive Studio fragrances and Still Life is still my favorite, but now I’m anxious for Selfie. Great reference to The NeverEnding Story book , one of my favorites in my childhood when ‘ DO WHAT YOU WISH ‘ made more scence.
    For my selfie I’d choose a pic with the beach and the blue sky behind.
    I’m in the USA

  • I’ve tried Selfie before and its incredible! It just has this class to it and I highly recommend it. Still Life would be my favorite from the house. I absolutely love it!

    Canada

  • I have no idea what picture I would use as a selfie. Probably from prom because I was looking extra nice that night haha. I haven’t tried anything from this house but they sound really good. I’m a Canadian reader

  • I enjoyed Jasia’s description of the feel of Selfie, and it is very appealing to me. Especially the resins. I would use a pic of myself in the woods, looking up at the trees. I’ve yet to try any by olfactory studio, and I’m in the US.

  • Green leaves, spices and resins. ‘fresh as a walk in an autumn forest’. Kill me now. I can almost smell it. My selfie would include an open book and a steaming mug of coffee in beautiful sunshine. I unexpectedly love Lumière Blanche.