Back when I was just coming into my own nose, a few years before CaFleureBon, my perfume passions led me to many online forums. Reading scores of well written member reviews, as well as wonderful interviews by my now Editor-in-Chief Michelyn Camen, I felt I was among my people. One name kept coming up again and again: Mario T Gomez. His insightful, honest, and candidly humorous reviews made me feel like I had found a friend, who had no other agenda than to spread the love and understanding of fragrance. Readers may recognize his name as a ÇaFleureBon contributor. San Franciscans know him as The Olfactory Ambassador, thanks to his work at Barneys NY and with perfumer Yosh Han who along with Shelley Waddington and Mik Moi have been mentors. Mario has touched many lives and with his knowledge of fragrance, has lived the dream many of us share… to create our own perfume line. now it’s been distilled into actual perfume, allowing him to share more of himself, openly and intimately. Launched last month at the Taste TV Artisan Perfume Salon in San Francisco, Mario unveiled his brand new line, Mario Tomas Perfumes. The three fragrances, El Poeta, Corazon Blanco and Lo Mejor de Mi #1, received numerous accolades. We know Mario can talk the talk…this inaugural line of perfumes shows the world he can walk the walk.
The Absinthe Drinker by Viktor Oliva
El Poeta harkens back to a time of salons where poets and artists gathered while sipping absinthe. This liqueur has inspired many a poet and quite a few perfumes. This is not just an absinthe perfume, it is a bit of bohemia bottled. Centering on sharp juniper and aromatic bay rum for its green boozy aura, it has the verdant spiciness of the narcotic nepenthe without being medicinal or too bitter, thanks to the pulpy fig and earthy golden-brown tobacco melting together in the heart. The simple merging of sandalwood and vanilla waxes oriental, lending a comfortable glow to the entire composition, and captures the ephemeral green fairy feeling of inspiration and slight intoxication in a juice that alternates between woody sweet and herbal spiced throughout its development. Intense at first, softening as the liqueur’s thick haze burns off, this scent delightfully disappears and reappears in its projection, before eventually settling on skin like a magical dream half-remembered, still lingering at the edge of your consciousness. Sillage: magical. Longevity: good.
Notes: Juniper, tobacco, Bay rum, fig, anise, coriander, sandalwood & vanilla.
Citrus Fruits by Shomomomomo
Citrus aromatic scents happen to be Mario’s personal favorite genre and his Lo Mejor de Mi #1 (The Best of Me #1) pays it ample homage. A beautifully constructed citrus accord blasts from the sprayer and you are surrounded by flesh, juice, pith and peel. Invigorating blood orange swirls into bitter orange (bigarade) and both pink and white grapefruit add sparkle to the delicious juiciness accented by an uplifting zest. More than your typical citrus cologne, this gets more interesting as darker notes of fig and Colombian coffee join the party. The brilliance of the sheer yet tenacious citrus accord alone would have me purchasing this; yet it’s the ancillary notes that make this a unique and stand out scent. The addition of cucumber adds crispness, as the faintest whiffs of violet and iris add floral delicacy while tugging it gently towards the balanced lightly musky base of creamy sandalwood and dark teak. Despite the more shadowy aspects lurking beneath, this continues its optimistic reverie and is a serious citrus perfume that really lasts, with a light and loving heart. Sillage: good. Longevity: above average.
Notes: bergamot, blood orange, bitter orange, grapefruit accord, cucumber, fig, iris, violet, Colombian coffee, musk, teak & sandalwood.
Baile en Tehauntepec by Diego Rivera
Mexico is the land from which the perfumer’s family hails, and Corazon Blanco (White Heart) is Mario’s perfumed tribute to family, friends and heritage. This is definitely the most unique and unusual of the trio. Blending such notes as tequila from his cousin’s distillery and lime with caramel, hazelnut and cinnamon tea from his grandmother’s recipe, alongside floral divas, like gardenia and ylang ylang, creates an interesting olfactory journey. Blended with a skilled hand and caring heart, this perfume is his personal love note to his family’s culture and ancestral homeland. Maintaining a boozy, semi-sheer citric top before segueing into a dulcet accord that accents the creamy flowers with enough sweetness to celebrate their headiness, the fragrance is punctuated with just enough spice to entice. The sandalwood is sublime with the toasted accent of hazelnuts meeting whiffs of cinnamon and lingering caramel. Delicious and decadent without being heavy or cloying, Corazon Blanco is definitely something not to be missed. Sillage: average, Longevity: very good.
Notes: Lime, tequila, cucumber, white & pink grapefruits, gardenia, ylang-ylang, hazelnut, caramel, cinnamon & sandalwood
Mario T. Gomez at his launch at the SF Artisan Fragrance Salon
Any architect or engineer will tell you that the wider the base of your design or structure, the stronger and taller it can rise. The foundation Mario has unveiled, showing depth, stability and versatility, is framed and expanded with elegant personal touches resulting in a truly memorable launch, and I look forward to seeing and sniffing what our Olfactory Ambassador will share with us next and how he will expand on this impressive trio. Mario told us: "For over 3-4 yrs ago when I took Yosh's workshops my exploration into creating scents began. Over the years I first became her assistant. At some point she became my mentor. I also received mentoring from Shelley Waddington. It was Michael C. (Mik Moi) who gave me [a] push into bringing out my line, instead of just sharing with friends and family. I have no idea where this journey will take me, but I'm accepting with open arms."
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I received my samples from Mario Tomas Perfumes. All three of these perfumes are EDP concentration of 20 percent and available in 30 ml bottles for $66.00 US. The Mario Tomas company website is currently being designed and will be up and running soon. Mario explains, “This has been a labor of love. I hope that people are drawn inward and my fragrances are an experience. It will be a slow beginning (as far as distribution) but worth the wait.”
~John S. Reasinger, Senior Editor and Natural Perfumes Editor
Thanks to the kindness of Mario Tomas we have a sample set of all three perfumes to give away to one US reader. To be eligible leave a comment stating which of these three perfumes speaks to you most and why, and that you reside in the US. Remember to like the Mario Tomas Facebook page so you can follow the company until the website is up and your entry counts twice. Draw will end on April 20th, 2014.
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.