DSH Perfumes DRAMA QUEEN for ÇaFleureBon (Dawn Spencer-Hurwitz) 2021 + 11th Anniversary Draw

March 21, 2021March 22, 2021

DSH Perfumes DRAMA QUEEN for ÇaFleureBon’s 11th Anniversary photo by DSHPerfumes©

Every year since our inception on March 22nd of 2010 (our very first article for ÇaFleureBon was written by Michel Roudnitska on Ethical Perfumery) bespoke perfumes have been composed under my creative direction by independent perfumers to celebrate our anniversaries. On the first anniversary of ÇaFleureBon in 2011, Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes created Lautrec.

Photo at Esxence 2019 of Michelyn (holding DSH Perfumes Colorado for American Perfume which at the time was a finalist for the Art and Olfaction Awards) © Jeffrey Paul

This year DSH Perfumes Drama Queen for ÇaFleureBon is the fourth “Queen” in our series and we come full circle. My briefs always begin with “Make me a fragrance… (in this case a vintage style floral) I can wear.” DSH Perfumes DRAMA QUEEN for ÇaFleureBon does just that. I have often wondered if I was living in the wrong era, so DSH Perfumes DRAMA QUEEN for ÇaFleureBon is homage to the larger than life iconic women of stage and screen I have always revered- Ava Gardner, Elizabeth Taylor, Dorothy Dandridge, Maria Callas and Rita Haworth; all shone in the bright lights, surrounded by adoring fans and the press, putting on a perfect face for the public, as their personal lives fell apart. To quote Elizabeth Taylor, “You find out who your real friends are when you’re involved in a scandal.”

DSH Perfumes DRAMA QUEEN by Crisitan Marianciuc

We are honored that artist Cristian Marianciuc aka Icarus mid Air, created a complex, original origami, an Olfactory Peregrination designed to accompany Drama Queen. Cristian celebrated his 1st anniversary March 21, 2021 @icarus.mid.air

In Numerology, the number “11”, has very special meanings: intuition, teaching, charisma, and teamwork. We dedicate Drama Queen to all our readers, Editors and Contributors present and past and to the olfactive artists who continue to fuel our passion for perfumery- Michelyn Camen, Editor-In-Chief

Dawn Spencer-Hurwitz with the Art and Olfaction Award for Colorado for American Perfumer

“When I was invited to create the next “Queen” in the series I was utterly delighted and inspired by the concept of Drama Queen. While some might think of Drama Queen and immediately get a vision of hyperbolic eye rolling and fainting, the image that came for both Michelyn and myself was that of Old Hollywood stars and operatic divas, who experienced extreme heights and valleys in their careers and personal lives When translating the concept of DSH Perfumes Drama Queen for ÇaFleureBon into scent, I had two big ideas whirring through my mind: I wanted the perfume to be a vintage-style, aldehydic, white floral-chypre that even Michelyn could (and would!) wear. Because while Michelyn LOVES Old Hollywood, vintage perfumes just don’t really excite her. Above all, Drama Queen needed to be a perfume everyone could wear.

Rita Hayworth in The Lady of Shanghai, 1947

Michelyn chose a number of images as inspiration. For Rita Hayworth she chose a dramatic still from “The Lady from Shanghai”, one of her last films and co-starring with her ex-husband, Orson Welles. Her glamorous beauty feels merely surface when you juxtapose the tension and heartbreak there for all to see in the scenes with Mr. Welles. Rita Hayworth was radiant on screen, but in much of her real early life, there was devastation.

Dorothy Dandridge/Life Magazine by Steven Clarke, 1951

For Dorothy Dandridge, the first African-American sex symbol, and one of the most talented and glamorous beauties, her light shone bright for just a short time. After destructive love affairs, a disastrous marriage, and a forced abortion had taken their toll, she died penniless and homeless.

Photo of Ava Gardner from the 1946 movie The Killers image Universal/The Kobal Collection

Ava Gardner, the stunning dark-haired beauty lived a tumultuous life that included three marriages to Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and deep love affair then marriage to Frank Sinatra. She left Frank Sinatra to run away with a bull-fighter! In her later years, ravaged by poor health, booze and cigarettes she shocked the world with her death bed confessions. This powerful image from the movie The Killers speaks volumes of a life in chiaroscuro.

Maria Callas as Medea, 1954 Teatro la Fenice photo unsigned

The epitome of drama queens with the corresponding darkness lurking just below the surface, are Maria Callas and Elizabeth Taylor.

Elizabeth Taylor Promoting Cleopatra1962 Photo Bert Stern (her tracheotomy scar clearly visible)

Both were strikingly strong and beautiful, praised for their glamorous personae. But they struggled with personal demons. The dramas acted out on stage and screen were dwarfed by the drama in their own lives. Depression, addiction (in the case of Ms. Taylor), extravagance, and suicide attempts (in the case of Ms. Callas) haunted their tumultuous lives.

As befitting our Drama Queens and the era in which they reigned, the top note of the perfume shines with aldehydes like the bright, flashing bulbs of the press. Voluptuous ribbons of ripe fruit, neroli, and sambac jasmine dazzle as the heart note develops waiting in the wings are grandiflorum jasmine, orange blossom absolute, and the ‘great floral diva’ tuberose who steal the show. But in the dry down, the ever-present darkness and melancholy of oakmoss lurks behind the sensuality of tolu balsam, ambergris, musk, and civet.

With one spritz of Drama Queen we can be transformed, because there is a bit of a Drama Queen in all of us.“ –Dawn Spencer-Hurwitz on DSH Perfumes Drama Queen for ÇaFleureBon

Notes: Aldehydes, red mandarin, bergamot, pear, cassis, neroli, jasmine sambac, jasmine grandiflorum, orange blossom, tuberose, Egyptian rose, Lily of the valley, ylang ylang, sandalwood, cedar wood, vanilla, benzoin, tolu balsam , oakmoss, civet, ambergris, and musk.

(note from Michelyn and Dawn: thank you Deputy Editor Ida Meister for your keen nose in evaluating base notes of the final mod).

“My ‘Drama Queen’ tribute is an ode to light and darkness. For putting on a brave face when the spotlight hits you while keeping the shadows within at bay. I wanted this piece to exude an innate regality, a dignified yet imposing presence! It has 11 wings, ten of which are visible and one that is hidden – a nod to the 11th anniversary of ÇaFleureBon! And since steel is the customary gift on such a momentous occasion, I made sure to include some metallic-looking feathers in the plumage of this bird. Happy anniversary to ÇaFleureBon and to the people behind the stories! Here is to many more to come!”-Crisitan Maianciuc

Drama Queen will be sold online at Dshperfumes.com and at Indigo Perfumery and Perfumology. A numbered limited edition of fifty 30 ml housed in a commemorative flacon, as well as seven other options and is available for sale here

Thanks to the generosity of perfumer Dawn Spencer-Hurwitz, we are celebrating our 11th anniversary with a draw for 10 ml EDP/VDP of Drama Queen to one registered reader reader anywhere in the world. To be eligible, please leave a comment explaining what ÇaFleureBon means (has meant to you), what appeals to you about DSH Perfumes Drama Queen for ÇaFleureBon and where you live. Draw closes 3/25/2021. If you guess the name of our 2022 Queen your comment counts five times. Happy International Fragrance Day!!

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