Brent and Max Leonesio have a thing for dreidels
Every year ÇaFleureBon dedicates at least one post to Hanukkah, which begins at sundown December 16th and ends December 24th this year. For the last five years, Brent Leonesio and brother Max of Smell Bent have dedicated a yearly perfume to the Festival of Lights: beginning in 2009 with Gelty Pleasures, Dr. Dreidel, Hansel & Dreidel, Lady Dreidel, Gimel a Break ( 2013) and this year's (The Hebrew year is actually 5775) , Dr. Dreidel 3000.
Gimel a Break!!!
Soon there will be a Smell Bent creation for each of the eight nights of Hanukkah- something noticeably missing from the usual fragrance collections offered during the holidays.
The Hanukkah Dreidel Song From the Chabad.org Itche Kadoozy Show
Brent has a thing for dreidels. “Dreidels are a nod to growing up in a Jewish household,” explains Brent Leonesio the creative force behind smell bent “[they] represent the playful part of Hanukkah and take me back to being a kid anxious for sundown.”
Dr. Dreidel 3000
Dr. Dreidel 3000 is a complex and intricately woven collection of woods: Hiba (Thujopsis dolabrata) is a conifer in the cypress family indigenous to Japan; it is often planted around temples and the rebuilding of the HolyTemple is one central to the story of Hanukkah. Add Malaysian sandalwood (Aquilaria malaccensis) and guaiac wood and you have the structure for something quite sacred. Opening with a fresh and familiar cedar like wood notes and bright hiba- into the woods we go, getting lost in darker, thicker guaiac with a smooth crush of vetiver grass completing the forest imagery. Oud and amber base notes are melted into the needled green woods as trunk on a tree and ground the fragrance in sweet incense. A musk note is recognizably Smell Bent- a sheer, unisex, non-skanky aura, connecting and shining through evergreen tree accords and benefiting the more smokey tones. Dr. Dreidel 3000 is an oriental wood powerhouse- an olfactory building of a temple, with the rich scent of it's restored beams owing much to a heavy dosing of botanical materials. “It’s about 60% natural. I have a real aversion to most synthetic woods, so most of the wood notes I use are natural.” states Brent. The use of high quality naturals makes this a mixed media perfume so well crafted, that a serious botanical perfume devotee like me is impressed. It is easily my favorite Smell Bent perfume so far, and one I plan on wearing throughout the holiday season. The grounding nature of the wood oils will certainly help keep one's head in the holiday madness.
Smell Bent Characters (is the Joker Brent???)
The smell bent brand's quirky hand drawn labels are fun and approachable, drawing in serious perfume people who might normally be attracted to fancy French filigree. Much like the tribal/graffiti imagery of Keith Haring- there is great artistry behind the colorful and fun images. Dr. Dreidel 3000 is a serious perfume and Brent is quickly becoming the pop artist of the perfume world.; Brent has shown both a childlike glee and thoughtful crafting in his creations- much as Haring used simple imagery to convey serious messages.
Notes: oud, Malaysian sandalwood, guaiac wood, and hiba spun with designer musk, vetiver and amber incense.
–Einsof, West Coast Contributor
disclosure: my sample was provided by Smell Bent for review
The Winterrific! Collection, which includes Werewolf Reclining on a Bearskin Rug by an Open Fire, Siberian She Wolf, Ice Station Pineapple and Dr. Dreidel 3000 are all limited editions and only available until January 31st 2015 (in a gift set, sampler set and Smell Bent even offers a customized gift package, allowing you to choose a selection from their extensive catalog of aromas They are offering free shipping with any order over $30 GivenGet.)
Thanks to Brent Leonsesio of smell bent we have a sampler set of the Winterrific collection or a 50 ml bottle of Dr. Dreidel for a USA reader. To be eligible, let us know if you have a favorite smell bent fragrance and what you like about Hannukah. Draw ends December 17, 2014.
We announce the winners on our site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize wil be just spilled perfume