Aroma M Desert Flower Review + American Perfumer Store Draw

via american-perfumer.com

A new perfume extrait by Aroma M’s Maria McElroy as a commission for American Perfumer in Louisville, Kentucky, recently launched December 4th 2018. It’s named  Desert Flower, and wearing it makes my heart and soul blossom with joy.

Maria McElroy of Aroma M via Aroma M

When the sample of Aroma M Desert Flower perfume extrait arrived in my PO Box, I did something I rarely do; sat in the Post Office parking lot, tore open the padded envelope, and applied Desert Flower liberally (read: on pretty much any skin available.) I am a huge fan of perfumer Maria McElroy and her Brooklyn-based atelier Aroma M Perfumes, and I knew I had to get my nose on this creation ASAP. As the drops of precious oil landed on my skin, my car was filled with the most indescribable beautiful scent. I closed my eyes and just took it in, breathing slowly, feeling totally at peace and at ease. That’s most often the effect that Maria’s perfumes have on my psyche, and Aroma M Desert Flower perfume is no exception. Commissioned by David Kern of the American Perfumer retail store in Louisville, Kentucky (read our Cafleurebon article about the store here), Aroma M Desert Flower is a sublime and loving tribute to the arid deserts of both the American Southwest and of Northern Africa, and the beauty that is inherent in that particular landscape.

via Iris Magazine apped by MIchelyn

Maria McElroy is an expert in the “Contemporary/Vintage” genre; creating vintage-inspired perfumes with a decidedly modern spin. She always manages to perfectly capture the American zeitgeist, infusing her scents with au courant American sensibility shot through with both Japanese and Middle-Eastern olfactive threads. Aroma M Desert Flower Extrait shows off Maria McElroy’s talent at its finest.

Desert garden bhg.com

With so many desert-inspired fragrances released in the past two years, Aroma M Desert Flower offers something quite different.This is not your typical “desert” perfume, but rather a quasi-abstract vision of a desert fantasy. On my skin, Aroma M Desert Flower is all about the floralcy; like crossing an airy, spacious expanse and happening upon an oasis of calm and tranquil beauty. An unexpected shaded bower offering respite from the heat and arid endlessness of sand and sky. A fairly linear scent that opens with an almost Stendhal-syndrome wave and rush of beauty, the desert flowers are at the forefront tinged with honey, but allowing the Muguet and Moroccan violet to really shine. An unearthly transcendence of perfection that lasts and lasts. Towards the end of the drydown the subtly blended woods and the chypre-aspect appear and linger to offer support to the tsunami of breathtaking florals. I’ve had the great good luck of discovering perfumes in 2018 that change me somehow, with the realization that for every commercial scent released (2700+ this year alone) there are still intentional perfumers creating work that is both timeless and utterly engaging. Aroma M Desert Flower goes right to the top of that list. Notes: (Desert Flower is composed exclusively of rare, vintage Arabian oils.) Lina (Desert Flower), honey, cedar, muguet, flower of honor (Desert Flower), Moroccan oud, Moroccan vanilla, Moroccan violet, chypre accord, Moroccan amber.

Note: Desert Flower is being produced in a VERY limited run of only 20 bottles, and is available exclusively from American Perfumer.

Disclosure: Thanks so much to Maria McElroy of Aroma M Perfumes for the sample. The opinions are my own.

Robert Herrmann, Senior Editor

-Art Direction: Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief

Thanks to the generosity of American Perfumer we have a 10 ml deluxe sprayer of Desert Flower Extrait for one lucky reader in the USA. The draw is for registered readers only, so be sure to register if you have not done so. To be eligible please let us know what you enjoyed about Aroma M Desert Flower based on Robert’s review  and your favorite Aroma M perfume or if you have been to a desert. Draw closes 12/10/2018

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like ÇaFleureBon and use our Blog feed…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

 

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25 comments

  • I like Aroma M rollerball oils and am sure the spray perfumes are lovely also. Right now my favorite is Botan. Robert H. paints a gorgeous picture of Deset Flower with its “Muguet and Moroccan violet” and “an unearthly transcendence of perfection”. Definitely a want and must try for me. USA.

  • Yummy! I had the privilege of trying Geisha Botan and it definitely made me a fan or Maria’s work. This fragrance with the warm spices sounds so divine. I live in the USA, thanks!

  • Desert Flower sounds delightful. I enjoyed Robert describing this fragrance as calming and beautiful. I’m not familiar with Maria McElroy’s perfumes, but would love to try. USA

  • Reading the notes…this must be a fantastic fragrance: honey, oud, vanilla and amber, a winner for sure. I didn’t had the chance to smell any of the Aroma M house but i would love to try Camellia. Thanks for the chance, Oakland US.

  • I have several of Aroma M fragrances and I couldn’t agree with you more. I have never heard of something called Flower of Honor, but that is incredibly intriguing just by itself. Thanks for a great review and a wonderful draw. I’m in the USA

  • Thanks, Robert, for the review of this entirely new fragrance and house for me. I love this description- ‘Aroma M Desert Flower is all about the floralcy; like crossing an airy, spacious expanse and happening upon an oasis of calm and tranquil beauty.’ Sounds like a very amazing scent! I hope to get my nose on this. Thanks for this opportunity. – California, USA

  • BostonScentGuy says:

    I love the idea of an abstracted sense of the desert, the sound of all those amazing floral notes, and just the “contemporary/vintage” aesthetic. Some of my favorite scents are both completely modern but with vintage sensibilities (Au Dela, the Bogue scents). I haven’t tried any Aroma M scents! Thanks for the draw. I’m in the US.

  • This is one of the most poetic fragrance reviews I’ve read. I’m an immense fan of desert-inspired fragrances, but I feel like many of them overlook the infinite adaptations of life in arid areas by choosing to focus only on a few specific fragrances. This one sounds like it might have captured the life that is frequently overlooked.

  • I liked that Robert noted that this perfumer is able to capture the American spirit in her fragrances, would love to put my nose on this one and besides, I really enjoy floral fragrances. The fact that it’s made with rare Arabian oils makes this a gem I would like to know.

  • Oh wow – only 25 bottles?! This is one of the most exclusive draws I’ve seen to date. Since it’s made with vintage Arabian oils (yes, I am intrigued!) it’s no wonder that the run is limited, but considering that Robert found it to be “an unearthly transcendence of perfection” it makes me a touch melancholy that so few people will ever get to experience this perfume! To know that Robert finds this perfume exceptional among many he’s tried this year makes it all the more exciting.

    I’ve sniffed a number of desert-inspired perfumes and own two that explicitly have the word “desert” in the title, but they happen to be herbal, woodsy, smoky impressions rather than ones that go all in on celebrating the ephemeral, shocking, sudden beauty of desert flowers. On American Perfumer’s shop website I see in Maria’s notes that part of the inspiration was a “velvet evening sky illuminated by stars so bright I swear I could grasp them in my hand.” Yes! The sky, almost as much as the land, is part of the exquisite, serene, austere charm of a desert landscape. My husband I got married and honeymooned in the desert in spring, and were delighted by both blooming cacti and dazzling stars. I do live in the USA, and it goes without saying that I’d be over the moon to win this draw. Thank you for featuring this – haven’t tried Aroma M perfumes before but feel compelled to do so now.

  • Love Geisha Noir, wish I could try one of these! And great article Robert Herrmann. I’ve smelled a cactus flower that was rather fragrant before, perhaps she uses the oil from the same variety. Looking forward!

  • doveskylark says:

    I have recently discovered how lovely muguet can be in perfume (thanks to a vintage find of Caron’s Muguet du Bonheur). I am very curious about this note in a desert setting.
    I love Aroma M camellia beauty oils, especially the ones for the hair. They smell divine!
    I live in the USA.

  • Ivan.napoleon says:

    Great review as usual . I enjoyed Robert describing this fragrance as calming and beautiful. I’m not familiar with Maria McElroy’s perfumes, but would love to try.
    MIAMI Florida Thanks

  • Enjoyed the article. Fragrance sounds good and by the description of a calm Oasis with beauty I’d like to try it even more. Thanks for the giveaway.U.S

  • That it is timeless and utterly engaging appeal to me, and that it goes to the top of the list is a bonus. I love the concept of American Perfumer!! I am not familiar with this line. The desert is my favorite vacation spot. I recently tried a desert inspired fragrance (I shall not name it) and it was not good. I sprayed the sample once and put it in my “donate to other fragrance friends” pile. I would love to try this! I loved the photos on this wet/grey/dreary day. USA.

  • I’ve always been curious about Aroma M Perfumes and Robert’s review was so transporting and evocative that it definitely piqued my interest even more! I would love to try this. Thanks. I’m in the US.

  • I love the desert and am always eager to try a scent that would suggest it or remind me of it. I loved hearing about how the different notes come together in this perfume. I do not have a favorite Aroma M perfumes and would love to try this, thank you for the generous draw – i’m in the US

  • I love this about the perfume… ‘Aroma M Desert Flower is all about the floralcy; like crossing an airy, spacious expanse and happening upon an oasis of calm and tranquil beauty.’
    I love all the notes.
    I don’t have any favorites because this is new to me.

    I live in California.

  • I love to travel, but so far have never had the chance to experience the desert. My image of the desert is as much based on readings as it is on perfumes that claim their inspiration to deserts. I would love to add one more olfactory experience to that image, and hopefully one day compare it with my own experience with the real thing. Thank you for such an exclusive draw. I live in the US.

  • The image of you sitting in your car in the Post Office parking lot just sitting with the fragrance and taking it in says a lot about this perfume. I’ve very intrigued by the florals in a perfume named desert. Also, the rare vintage oils sound so interesting, but I’m sure that why this is such a limited run which is such a bummer. Maria on the American Perfumer website describes it as a road trip through the Mojave Desert, and I think that sounds amazing. US Arizona

  • Sounds so beautiful with the lovely notes of honey, violet, cedar, amber, and the other notes, too. I want to visit the desert someday and experience the beauty of desert blooms, sunrises and sunsets…we know two families that moved to Arizone & love it!

  • Great article! I would live to try this I grew up I the desert so anything that gives you a dessert feel puts me at ease and relaxes me. I love the notes they all sound amazing with the desert flowers and the amber I hope I get a chance to experience this fragrance. Thank you for the lovely article and the generous giveaway. I am in the USA in AZ.

  • What a wonderful read, Robert!
    I’m a little obsessed with North Africa. I’ve been to Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco and still have the most magical scent memories of those trips. I’ve also been to the Syrian/Jordanian desert and dream of experiencing the short period in spring when the dry hills are carpeted with colorful wildflowers.
    I’m intrigued and want to learn more about the notes you mentioned: Lina and Flower of Honor.
    Geisha Noire is my favorite of the Aroma M fragrances I’ve tried. It’s very beautiful. Thank you for the generous draw.

  • Lovely article! The fragrance sounds so pretty. I love that it contains notes of all Moroccan violet, oud and vanilla.

    I live in the USA (PA)

  • Love to try this fragrance. Only 25 bottles. How unique. Love the desert, especially all the interesting flowers. Thank you for the chance to try. I live in California.