Strange Invisible Perfumes Shadows in the Garden Review (Reserve Series 2020/Alexandra Balahoutis) + In Praise of Courtly Love Draw

March 1, 2020March 1, 2020

love in the garden via gardensbefore1800.blogspot

“Come into the garden, Maud,

For the black bat, night has flown,

Come into the garden, Maud,

I am here at the gate alone;

And the woodbine spices are wafted abroad

And the musk of the rose is blown.” ~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Alexandra Balahoutis courtesy of Strange Invisible Perfumes

Natural perfumer Alexandra Balahoutis’ first 2020 release from her Reserve Series, Shadows in the Garden – draws us into the garden at dusk, a realm inhabited by exotic roots, resin and rare flora: The Secret Life of Plants. Frequenting such a sequestered locale is best done barefoot, tentatively wending your way through the undergrowth so as not to disturb the natural order/disorder. Strange Invisible Perfumes Shadows in the Garden is a satisfying, unconventional perfume and difficult to define – which won’t prevent me from trying as best I can. It seems to defy categorization.

Duke and Ladies in a Garden via Cornell University

In this verdant fantasy of Alexandra’s imagining we find ourselves in both familiar and less charted terrain: green wild basil strikes a chord of comfort as does the floral warmth of Tahitian vanilla – though one might not consider combining them. A silvery elegant coolness looms courtesy of orris, that remarkable dual fixative and floral substance. This is where familiarity halts and we enter into sacred territory. The exquisite presence of rare blue lotus absolute (likely from Sri Lanka) invokes a luscious sweetness accented with spice, a privilege not to be taken for granted. (It’s not often utilized because of its cost, if you wonder why you might not recognize it. Twelve years ago, a perfumer friend sent me a tiny vial of it for my olfactory education – and I was enthralled. And grateful.) The devotional turn is further marked by black copal (from Mayan times, thought to protect one from evil spirits), with its honeyed, pinelike incense tones. A balsamic, lightly smoky vetiver – the oil of tranquility – contributes its welcome sunshine-and-shadow voice, the carpet upon which we tread gingerly as the elements conspire to align us with higher intent. In the shadows of this garden everything feels illuminated.

courtly Love via cola.calpoly.edu

Strange Invisible Perfumes Shadows in the Garden sings to me of courtly love, whose hallmarks are based upon the principles of gallantry and chivalry. Basil, known as the ‘kingly herb’, Florentine orris and precious vanilla illustrate that which is noble and beautiful, while blue lotus and copal signify a more spiritual consciousness which is never to be sullied by the merely corporeal. Somehow vetiver bridges these ideologies with its grounded earthy nature, reminding us that love of the present is attainable whatever form our poetic aspirations may assume. Come, linger in the shadows of the garden: “Gardeners, I think, dream bigger dreams than emperors.” ~ Mary Cantwell, American journalist and novelist.

Notes: Wild basil, blue lotus, Tahitian vanilla, iris root, vetiver, black copal.

Sample provided by the perfumer – many thanks! My nose is my own…

~ Ida Meister, Senior Editor and Natural Perfumery Editor

Thanks to the generosity of Alexandra Balahoutis of Strange Invisible Perfumes, we are thrilled to offer a 50 ml bottle of Strange Invisible Perfumes Shadows in the Garden ($385) which is a limited edition for one registered reader reader living in the USA ONLY. To be eligible, please leave a comment explaining what appeals to you about Ida’s review. Do you have a favorite Strange Invisible Perfume? Draw closes 3/4/2020

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