Photo by Igor Zaitcev©
Redamance’s credo is “to link women of the past to women today through the transportive art of perfumery.” A former anthropologist turned perfumer, founder and creative director Marissa Zappas worked at Givaudan as a lab apprentice to master perfumer Olivier Gillotin, during which she developed the idea for Redamance.
Marissa Zappas
Her line is intended as “an homage and olfactive portraits of overlooked women from history who truly owned their complexities.” Queen Nzinga, the brand’s first fragrance, is a powdery, warm scent using primary notes of amber, tamarind and geranium. It was Michelyn’s “best fragrance you never heard of from our year end round up of 2019”.
Statue of Queen Nzinga, Angola, stock photo
The inspiration for this fragrance, Queen Nzinga (1583-1663) was ruler of the Ndongo and Matamba Kingdoms in what is now Angola. A military commander and strategist who sent Portuguese slave traders packing no less than three times – often leading the charge herself – she neatly sidestepped the challenges of ruling as queen by naming herself king. Her senior advisers were primarily women, and, allegedly, her harem, allegedly, men. Nzinga flipped gender norms on their head long before it became culturally acceptable. And yet, the history of this brilliant woman is a cipher compared with her European counterpart, Joan of Arc. Zappas’ glowing olfactory tribute might help change that.
The refined, luminous fragrance that emanates from Queen Nzinga may surprise those who expected an in-your-face warrior woman splash. Zappas instead chose to channel the “complexity, regality and warmth” of Nzinga. The composition opens with a shimmery gleam conveyed by bittersweet, citrusy tamarind. The aroma of tamarind – a note unusual in perfumery – is complex: facets of kumquat, bitter orange, sour cherry, dry cocoa and palo santo are all present at different moments, adding impressions of woods, fruit and even a touch of the old Bain de Soleil. Joined by a geranium that smells like vintage velvet, the impression it paints is one of different shades of gold and orange fusing and glimmering on an olfactory canvas, like an impressionist sunrise.
Tamarind, photo via Freepik
Geranium and tamarind are joined in the middle stage by woody notes and a powdery amber accord that gives the perfume a retro tinge. It almost smells like mimosa at this point, except for an absence of the dried milk scent that blossom has. As it wears, the perfume takes on the smell of sun-warmed skin, yet without relying on a musky base. The palo santo and orange-y aromas of the earlier stages becomes more pronounced now, and Queen Nzinga turns quieter, drier.
Rakung by Antonio Ole
The drydown is a glowing sunset: a faint tea-like waft weaves between tamarind and amber as the geranium steps quietly back and the citrus-like smells merge with the chewy sweetness of amber. I imagine the great queen sitting enthroned, her battles done for the moment, as the day wanes. The sun is ebbing beyond the window as male servants massage her feet with oil while she listens to her page relay the day’s news. Tamarind trees sway, and dusk falls away. There is much to be done tomorrow.
Listed notes: Geranium, tamarind, amber.
Disclaimer: samples of Redamance Queen Nzinga kindly supplied by Redamance. My opinions are my own.
— Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor
Redamance Queen Nzinga, bottle by Jonas Bowman
Thanks to the generosity of Redamance, we have a 15 ml bottle (not featured) for one registered reader in the U.S. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what strikes you about Redamance Queen Nzinga based on Lauryn’s review and which “unsung” woman from history you would like to see inspire a perfume. Draw closes 1/20/2020. You can purchase samples or a bottle please click here.
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