As 'Major Musk Mania’ approaches, via the Natural Perfumer’s Guild ‘Mystery of Musk’ Project, I ponder my obsession with stinky and sublime substances, and my fond and inveterate anointment with them….
Animalic notes comfort me and move me deeply; they connect me to ‘my better self’.
I find that they return the favor by purring on my skin.
In these times of depletion of natural resources, it isn’t prudent / compassionate to utilize sources from the beasties themselves. What bliss to discover scents that regale you with the depth, nuance and subtext, minus cruelty!
Serena is an artist, in every sense. Her woody and ambery bases are among the finest I have ever smelled, and her usage of various musks, ambergris, and civet add exquisite roundness and coloration to her compositions. The materials she uses are of very high quality, blended harmoniously and expertly.
It’s no secret that I admire her fragrances; my first review was on Perfume Shrine, in October 2007- of her quixotic, fascinating Midnight Violet. Since then, I think I’ve collected the lion’s share of her work.
And I’ve not regretted it one iota.
Kama is one of those “unsung scents”- the sort that once you wear them, you go through several bottles, before you realize how gratifying they are. And how hooked you are.
Kamadeva, the Hindu god of Love [and the Hindu Cupid], provided Serena inspiration.
Kama [in Sanskrit] refers to ‘longing, wish, desire’; Kamadeva = divine love.
The famed Kama Sutra is named for him.
He is often depicted as a glorious young man with wings, who brandishes a sugarcane bow strung with honeybees ; his aromatic arrows are tipped with the fragrant blooms of the Ashoka tree, the blue and white lotus, the Mallika tree [jasmine], and mango blossoms .
Sometimes, the parrot he is astride resembles / represents his consort, Rati; sometimes, a parrot is just a parrot;-)
[In Hindu symbolism, parrots represent fertility; Rati represents Lust !]
Notes: Exotic musks, Ambergris, Civet, Black Amber, Labdanum ,Bulgarian Rose absolute
[per Serena]
Kama is carnal, fleshly, both of the earth and the primordial ooze from whence we ostensibly arose.
The seamless harmonization of a variety of synthetic musks, ambergris, and civet are tempered with the resinous beauty of dark amber; labdanum adds its singularly beautiful voice without drowning out the rest of the ensemble.
The deft stroke of rose creates a curvaceous creature, an elegant turn of phrase, that is simply gorgeous as a solo, but plays well with others.
Serena suggests that Kama may be layered with other scents for a “deep animalic musky base”.
One of my go-to comfort scents is a combination I send out to friends: 3:2:1 part concentration of Kama, Ambra Tibet [ a tale for another telling !], and Roses.
I can attest to the fact that the only response I’ve had to this mélange is sheer delight. Even from the fastidiously fussy and scrupulously scent-adverse. Folks lean in to inhale more deeply- men and women alike.
I’m reminded of the witty verses of “I’m a Stranger Here
Myself “- from the Kurt Weill / Ogden Nash ditty from One Touch of Venus :
“Please tell me, tell a stranger by curiosity goaded
Is there really any danger that love is now outmoded?
I'm interested especially in knowing why you waste it
True romance is so fleshly with what have you replaced it?”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vZIE7FmN3k&feature=related
[The ravishing Anne Sofie von Otter in concert]
Whether one views this fragrance as a scent that is “Deco” or decadent [why not both?] AvaLuxe Kama is most certainly worth a sniff.
– Ida Meister, Senior Editor