"Dirty Floweres" by [nick] adman – Flickr
A couple of years ago, I started hearing buzz about a new young perfumer and former youtube reviewer in the Midwest, who went simply by the name "Kerosene". I contacted him, received his samples and reviewed his first perfumes, which were really interesting and showed a lot of promise. He also had a wonderful bottle design that was painstakingly handmade and cool. The whole package just seemed like a really fun start to a career. I have paid attention to Kerosene and have followed his career as he became more minimalist and consistent with his presentation and still managed to retain a certain sense of cool. Here at ÇaFleureBon we have routinely reviewed his fragrances, did a "Behind the Bottle" piece, and have recently done a "Profiles in American Perfumery".
I was very happy to receive a sample of his new fragrance Dirty Flower Factory. The perfumer, John Pegg, who is Kerosene, is not shy about his perfumes being very in-your-face at the outset, and I admire that bravado. When I received my package I could smell it before I even opened the padded envelope. The aroma that I perceived was really promising, just laden with an incredible bouquet of flowers. But I could also sense the part that made it dirty, which actually came forward more on skin. Kerosene's concept for this perfume was to have a floral fragrance that men would have no reluctance to wear.
"Dirty Flower" by Lalox (Deviant Art)
Yesterday I applied a very small amount of this fragrance to my wrists. It had a lot of throw for such a small spritz, and the aroma was just fantastic. Today my experiment is a full application, wrists and chest. With the full on application, all the pepper in the perfume comes to the forefront in the top opening blast. I even sneezed just as one would when working with black pepper or chile powder. But it doesn't take long for the aromas to settle. I will be the first to admit that I'm not overly fond of soapiness in perfumes, which can sometimes be brought on by orange blossom. However, there is a really nostalgic soap in this that instantly brought to mind a bar of dime-store cheap, slightly foofy-smelling bar of soap covered in black grease sitting at the edge of a sink in an auto shop bathroom. I like this image, and the smell. As the beautiful jasmine and the other flowers start to really bloom, that soap is replaced by floral scents that are full-bodied and ripe. It takes a long time for this perfume to reach drydown, but it's a fun ride. A bit of salt starts to peek out. The flowers seem to be dancing as they take turns at the forefront. Everything gets a little sexier as musk weaves a spell. Longevity is excellent.
Notes: Jasmine, Rose, Orange Blossom, Peppercorns, Chili Pepper, Sandalwood, Ambergris and Musk.
"Cowboy Boots by Rumpled Bed" by Gregory (Flickr newmexico51)
I love the way John Pegg approaches his work. He will come up with some kind of visualization or theme that seems interesting and just go to work exploring it. His theme, his visualization for dirty flower factory was "Flowers spiked with grit, laying next to a disheveled bed and a pair of black Doc Martens". I can see that well because even though this is an intensely flowery perfume it does have this beautiful muskiy, slightly salty base with a bit of wood that holds it into a different atmosphere. He would like men to believe that they can wear this, and they absolutely can.
I received my sample from Kerosene Perfumes. Dirty Flower Factory is available on the Kerosene website for $140 for 100 ml.
Tama Blough, Managing Editor
John Pegg of House of Kerosene
Thanks to the generosity of Kerosene Perfumes, we have 15ml to give to any US or Canadian reader. Let us know if you have experienced any Kerosene scents and what intrigues you about this one. Draw ends July 24, 2014.
Note: Click for our Kerosene reviews: (R'Oud Elements,Pretty Machine, Sanatalum Slivers,Copper Skies, Unknown Pleasures, Creature, Fields of Rubus, Wood Haven and Black Vines
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