Nikki Sherrit Lewis of Rebel & Mercury
Nikki Sherritt-Lewis of Rebel & Mercury sits down with ÇaFleureBon in another installment of Behind The Bottle, focusing on her latest release, Ampersand, and it's relation between… well, everything! Rebel & Mercury started out as a candle company called Gabriel's Aunt and now produces candles, botanical perfumes, and body oils.
Einsof: Will you fill us in on your background? When did the perfuming bug strike?
Nikki Sheritt –Lewis: I grew up working in the Film/TV Business in Dallas, TX and continue to work as a Freelance Film/Video Producer here in my new home of Seattle. I have been splitting myself in 2 running both businesses for about 13 years. I fell in love with the art of alchemy after taking a cooking class in Venasque, Provence. I came back from that experience wanting to blend everything and read everything about blending. I used the art of candle making to teach myself perfumery so I am self-taught. I do have to give special props to Ayala Sender of Ayala Moriel for spending time with me and helping me learn to refine my perfumes. That day with her was critical in my education.
Sally Taylor Consenses Exhibit is so impressive… this multi-disciplinary "Festival of The Senses" encompasses 130 artists from around the world, including Carly Simon, Film Director Wes Craven, master perfumers Ralf Schwieger of Mane, Laurent Le Guernac and Felix Buccelalto of IFF, and many of our favorite indie perfumers (Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, Perfumer and CaFleureBon Contributor David Falsberg, Yosh Han, Christi Meshell). How is Ampersand connected?
Allen Whiting. Squibnocket, oil on canvas, 26 x 36
NSL: I was given a painting created by Alan Whiting, a Massachusetts artist and asked to create a perfume based on my perception of that painting. The painting was of a sun dried grassy cliff next to the ocean. I created a perfume that I felt that painting smelled like. What is now Ampersand started as that perfume and morphed into something much more intricate, but that was the muse.
And…. why “and”? Why Ampersand for a name?
“Ampersand” represents a joining of things. The notes of this perfume are a marriage of Flora & Fauna & Wind & Sea. I love that is doesn’t have a lot meaning, yet means everything.
There is a lovely oceanic/ozonic quality to the opening. Can you tell us more about how you linked air, sea, flora and fauna?
NSL: Air: Ruh Kewda is so multi-faceted. I think it when combined with Lotus is has an airy ethereal quality to it. It also has a beautiful floral watery aspect so it ties in well with the Mimosa, Seaweed and Ambergris.
Sea: Again, the Ruh Kewda was a nice tie in, but the combination of the salty Ambergris and Seaweed were the main notes I relied upon to create that accord.
Flora: I think that the White Lotus and Mimosa along with some more heady florals really added a sweetness and nectar element to the perfume. Not too heady, but more reminiscent of wildflowers on a cliffside.
Fauna: The animalic dry down to me was important because the perfume is so watery. I wanted it to end with a dry, salty earthiness so I added a gorgeous Oud to bring it back down to earth.
Notes: caraway, lemon, galbanum, ruh kewda, mimosa, lotus, oud, seaweed, vetiver, and beach found ambergris.
–Einsof, Nautral Perfume Editor and West Coast contributor
To learn more about the Consenses project click here. To donate click here
Disclosure: my sample of Ampersand was provided by Rebel & Mercury for review
Thanks to Nikki Sherritt-Lewis of Rebel & Mercury we have a draw for a US reader for 5ml bottle of Ampersand, a natural perfume created with real beach found ambergris. To be eligible please leave a comment with what you found fascinating about Nikki's interpretation of The Sally Taylor Concenses Project and why you would hope to win Ampersand perfume. If you would like your comment to count twice please be sure to LIKE ÇaFleureBon Behind the Bottle on Facebook. Draw ends 1/23/2014.
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