Anjali Perfume Iconic Island courtesy of the brand

This is your clarion call to get your nose on Anjali Perfumes, if you have not already had the pleasure. A dear friend is obsessed with the milky tuberose masterpiece Monsoon Madness, and I’m partial to both the smooth leather of Tiger Bright and the tart green beauty of Under the Mango Tree (I have yet to meet a mango perfume I dislike and this one is really fresh and unusual in the best way). The entire Anjali Perfumes line is full of beautiful creations but today I will be focusing on Iconic Island, so named for Bainbridge Island, the stunning city and island perfumer Anjali Vandemark now calls home.

 Iconic Bainbridge Autumn Drone (Brand Photo)

I don’t know about you, but I really don’t like to smell like a fir tree unless it’s the holiday season. Most of the time, forestal scents lean heavy on the pine. I’m also not a huge fan of lavender in perfumes–blasphemy, I know! Somehow Vandemark has brilliantly put all of these notes into a perfume that I completely adore. It really does feel like I’m walking through a beautiful forest, like the fresh greenery and the cool tree shade is surrounding me. It’s a perfume that can make me feel ten degrees cooler just by wearing it. It’s perfect for warm weather, but also shines in the slightly cooler fall.

Anjali Perfumes Iconic Island opens with a bright spark of what smells like fir mixed with fresh cut grass to my nose, expertly blended with lavender and grapefruit to provide a refreshing experience immediately. Later on, floral mid-notes of violet and rose combine with the cooler, herbal notes of juniper berry and fir balsam. The drydown is a woody musk, as if you’ve come through the forest, smelled the greenery, and have now gotten to the tree itself. The beautiful cedar note seemed to spin me right back around to the fir–a clever callback that extends the entire experience.

Bainbridge Island, WA via Wikimedia Commons

 

Vandemark was born and raised in India and her childhood there was full of fragrance, from jasmine flowers to Mysore sandalwood and tree resins. This scented background has informed her current passion for creating unique perfumes that combine her cultural heritage with what she has learned of the olfactive arts as a self-taught perfumer. In fact, Iconic Island came into existence when she created it as part of an art exhibit on the island hosted by JG Art Gallery where local artists provided their interpretations of “Iconic Bainbridge.”

 Anjali Vandemark of Anjali Perfumes

 As Vandemark described it in her own words: “Majestic forests, streams, ravines, meadows, wetlands, and shoreline—the island’s varied landscape is a treasure. This composition takes you on a scented journey to the Pacific Northwest; to the cool, fresh, and green elements of the Evergreen State.” She writes about how awed she was when the ferry first took her to the island, and how “even today, every season on the island fills me with wonder—the open fields, the ravines, the grand forest, and the wildlife…”.

Vandemark never thought she’d live in the Pacific Northwest, like the heroine of her favorite TV show Grey’s Anatomy, and yet now she calls it home. As her perfumes reflect, life has taken her on quite the journey. (For the record, I think Iconic Island is a perfume that both Meredith Grey and Christina Yang would wear; a cool twist on a forest scent for our favorite dark and twisty protagonists.)

 Bloedel Reserve, Bainbridge Island via Wikimedia Commons

It is truly so special when a perfumer through their craft can transport you someplace you would never know otherwise. I’ve never been to Bainbridge Island, but this perfume makes me want to book a plane ticket and take the ferry there immediately!

Main Notes: Lavender, Fresh Cut Grass, Fir Balsam, Atlas Cedarwood

Disclaimer: Anjali Perfumes generously provided samples of the line for me, but my opinions are my own.

–Mimian Morales, Contributor

Thanks to the generosity of Anjali Perfumes, we have a giveaway for one 30 ml  bottle of Iconic Island for a registered ÇaFleureBon reader for a USA Draw (if you are not sure if you are registered, click here – you must register on our site or your entry will be invalid). To be eligible, please leave a comment with what you thought of Mimian’s review of Anjali Perfumes Iconic Island and that you live in the USA. Draw Closes 9/27/2025

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