Perfumer Shelley Waddington of En Voyage Perfumes previewed the Souvenir de Chocolat Trio In March, at the third annual Taste TV Fragrance Salon in San Francisco, and won the gold medals for Best in Salon, Top Artisan Perfumer and Most Sensual Scent, as well as People’s Choice for Best Aroma. Indigo Vanilla, Captured in Amber and Café Cacao are as decadent and scrumptious as their indulgent inspirations and packaged in vintage inspired flacons.
White Chocolate and Violet Quilt by Lily and Paris Designs
The intriguing combination of violets, amber and musk in Indigo Vanilla is a fragrant homage to the sweetness and subtle melancholy of music from Gershwin, Louis Armstrong and Billie Holliday. The tasteful and tasty way Shelley has combined silky white chocolate and whipped lactic sweetness into the core of this scent has this white chocolate addict sighing. Topped with whipped vanilla cream and large granules of sugar-coated violets, the opening is striking as fresh and sweet clash with creamy and thick, all with an underlying warmth. After the frothed cream and crystallized petals melt into the rich smoothness below, a classic oriental base unfurls slowly coalescing into a buttery bliss that lingers with memories of sinful sweetness. Sillage: close to average. Longevity: good.
Notes: Sugared violets*, blanc chocolat chaud*, Créme Douce*, amber, vanilla, musk and wood notes. (*Accords)
"Warmth" by Angel Sarekha-Saur (painted with coffee and chocolate)
Café Cacao, as its name implies, is a fusion of robust espresso and melted dark chocolate swirled into sweetened steamed milk resulting in the perfume equivalent of a Parisian café mocha. Imbued with flavors both floral and spicy, the opening is an inviting and savory prelude to its deepening delicacy. From the first dab to the last whisper on skin hours later, this is dominated by cacao’s dark bitter sweetness. Even when the earthy slightly floral fragrance of strong coffee appears, it yields but never surrenders. A sprinkle of rose sugar, vanilla and cardamom in the top and the balmy animalic base notes, this is a devilishly delectable scent. It is yummy and mysterious as sugar & spice fade before wafting a hypnotizing ménage à trois of honeyed resin, dark marine amber and heady musk. Sillage: average to good. Longevity: very good.
Notes: Vanilla powder, rose sugar, ground cardamom, bergamot peel, espresso café, steamed milk, salt, dark cacao, whipped crème, soft amber, Himalayan musk and New Zealand beach-combed ambergris.
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In a sultry blend of Arabian and Persian amber accords and inspired by the European fascination with the Orient in the Victorian era, Captured in Amber radiates a heavenly harmony of exotic gums, regal resins and rare balms. Cinnamon overtones, softly melded to golden crumbly sweetness and supported by a spiced flowery opium-like accord, surround a dark cocoa-rich heart infused with vanilla and patchouli. The classic oriental animalic and incense notes settle on the skin luxuriously. Elegantly and seamlessly combining tantalizing gourmand depth to equal parts oriental incense and woody sweetness, Captured in Amber envelops you in a sheer scented cocoon of erotic edibility and sultry hedonism. Sillage: close to fair. Longevity: above average.
Notes: Classic Persian & Arabian amber accords (benzoin, ambergris, myrrh, labdanum, frankincense, Tolu and Peru balsams) vanilla, patchouli & dark South American chocolate.
Shelley Waddington
All three of these perfumes smell delicious, but they are so much more. The cores of various chocolates running through all three parfum extraits makes them gourmand; it’s their compositions that makes them stand out. Shelley tells us “Our mission is to incorporate vintage and modern fragrance materials to make people happy and produce fine fragrances. We virtually traveled the world for vintage cultural hearts of chocolate, vanilla, amber, musk and coffee”. Her efforts were not in vain. Anyone who appreciates an epicurean perfumed delicacy from time to time needs to try these. Bon Apetít!
Disclosure: Reviews based on perfume extrait samples sent to me by En Voyage Perfumes. Souvenir de Chocolat perfumes are available in 4 ml parfum extrait, separately and as a set, and in 15 ml EDP sprays. They will officially be released on the En Voyage website on May 18th, and will also be available at Tigerlily Perfumery in San Franciso.
John Reasinger, Senior Editor & Natural Perfume Editor
Photo by Klara Fowler
Thanks to the kindness of En Voyage Perfumes, we have a tasty trio of Indigo Vanilla, Café Cacao & Captured in Amber to give away to three readers. One US winner will win a tin of all three parfum extraits, signed by Shelley, and two international readers will win sample sets of all three. To be eligible, leave a comment stating the country where you live, and which perfume sounds the yummiest to you and if you have a favorite En Voyage Perfume. Draw will end on May10, 2014.
We announce the winners only on site and our Facebook page, so like CaFleureBon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will just be spilled perfume.
Editor's Note: Each of these new fragrances stands on its own, but are made to be easily combined and layered. Per Shelley, "In this way we’re able to provide a very new and unique experience for fragrance lovers. The wearer can now create multiple rich, vintage experiences of their own. Our clients can now be fragrance creators in their own right. ”Ms. Waddington was chosen as a Rising Star and for Best Collaboration by CaFleureBon staff in 2011 and worked with Editor in Chief Michelyn Camen, who acted as Co Creative Director for her popular Zelda Perfume. – Tama Blough, Managing Editor