ÇaFleureBon Celebrates ten years of American Perfumery! DSH Perfumes Parfum de Grasse, Bancha, The Voices of Trees and Dawn Spencer Hurwitz collage by Michelyn

Stating the obvious: award-winning artisan perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz’s prolific creativity is mind-boggling. To even attempt to whittle her burgeoning list of perfume selections is a Sisyphean task all by itself. On the 10^th anniversary of ÇaFleureBon Profiles in American Perfumery (July 11^th, 2011) it feels only fitting to celebrate the very first perfumer Editor-in-Chief Michelyn Camen officially featured– and that was Dawn. In lieu of having a nervous breakdown, I decided to choose three marvelous fragrances which are perfect for sweltering summer days (which was equally challenging). There are so many more; these don’t even begin to constitute the tip of the iceberg. Unintentionally, but instinctively – the fragrances I chose happen to lean heavily on the botanical side. Don’t be fooled: they each possess wonderful longevity, and thanks to their composition they evolve and have wondrous tales to recount.

DSH Perfumes Parfum de Grasse (L), Bancha and The Voices of Trees from Ida’s Collection

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, it has been one of the hottest summers thus far in a very long time (in fact, June in my neck of the woods exceeded the record-breaking heat of 1976!). Tempers tend to flare in the less chill parts of the globe where folk don’t take the time to slow down as the temperatures rise (New York, Massachusetts, etc. – you know who you are). Chances are, if you live in most European nations with more liberal summer vacation allotment, the American South/Southwest or other sensible locations, that you stand a better chance of keeping your cool. Many countries honor adult nap time/siestas in the scorching portion of the day. What can the remainder of us do? One surefire method is to create a more refreshed, leisurely environment for ourselves via perfume. Fragrance serves a double purpose: in addition to reviving flagging spirits and bodies, we can lull ourselves into vivid imaginings which involve a more desirable place – the forest, the beach, a mountaintop, or a villa set in the south of a favorite Mediterranean country, for example. My fantasies took me to the forest (The Voices of Trees), the mountains of the Himalayas (Bancha) and a villa in Grasse (Parfum de Grasse).

Parfum de Grasse was composed in1997!!! Photo from Dawn

DSH Perfumes Parfum de Grasse: Ah, my beauty! I fell in love with it 11 years ago, and recently reordered when I realized that my flacon was getting dangerously low. I’ve decanted a great deal of it over the years for friends and perfumers who swiftly succumb to its charms. My most recent bottle smells a bit more carnation-forward than my last (rather aged) one – which smells a bit rosier, more jasminey and beeswaxier – but either way, Parfum de Grasse is rich, memorable and breathtaking. You are transported to the south of France with one sniff; sunlit fields of impossibly radiant blossoms surround you as you kick back in the lap of luxury. One of a handful of brilliant milliflores, this is a bouquet to end all bouquets: elegant, diffusive and séduisant, it never disappoints. Once bergamot breezes through the château garden, you are enveloped in floral abundance: carnations, centifolia roses, grandiflorum jasmines, mimosa, neroli and iris (orris concrete) engulf you. They are counterpoised by a deft touch of benzoin, a chypre base of vetiver, moss and sandalwood, and a goodly dose of beeswax for that animalic touch which woos the flowers and reminds us of the procreation of all living things. DSH Perfumes Parfum de Grasse is among the fragrances you want to experience before you shuffle off this mortal coil.

Notes: bergamot, neroli, carnation absolute, centifolia rose absolute, grandiflorum jasmine, mimosa absolute, orris concrete, Brazilian vetiver, moss, sandalwood, Siam benzoin, French beeswax

 

 

Bancha image by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

DSH Perfumes Bancha (all botanical) 2010: Otherwise known as ‘how to be a green tea scent without the tea’. Not only was Bancha unique in a year when tea fragrances were all the rage, but it defies characterization; it is truly a spiritual experience which elevates and refreshes you. Bracing notes of yuzu, spearmint and lime zest comprise its tonic introduction, joined by a beautiful green mandarin. The heart of the perfume stuns: grandiflorum jasmine pairs off with tulsi, aka holy basil – on the dance floor, and you can’t take your eyes/nose off this perfect coupling. They mesmerize. These wonderfully quirky tones are then grounded by moss, pine, Australian sandalwood and Himalayan cedar; the entire experience is singularly soothing and feels therapeutic.

Notes: yuzu, spearmint, lime peel, green mandarin, grandiflorum jasmine, holy basil (tulsi), moss, pine needle, Australian sandalwood, Himalayan cedar

 

DSH Perfumes The Voices of Trees inspiration photos by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

The Voices of Trees (98.5% botanical) 2015: My inextinguishable love for The Voices of Trees began with its predecessor Sève de Pin in 2014: Dawn showed me the module she was working on while we were celebrating her wedding anniversary on Cape Cod. I was completely smitten, as it echoed the woods surrounding that little house which smelt strongly of pine sap in the height of summer. The Voices of Trees followed in its footsteps, remaining true to its earlier sylvan homage yet more fully fleshed out – where there was rose, there now was Seville lavender; lemon and bergamot were exchanged for neroli; poplar bud, jammy balsam fir and the richly balsamic woody muhuhu enriched an already gracious forest evocation. It goes without saying that I am never without either fragrance and have repurchased several times. The Voices of Trees feels both palpably warm and cool at once: it transports the wearer to a cathedral canopy of conifers and mixed deciduous trees, a safe and sacred space of healing and respite.

Notes: maple leaves (accord), neroli, Seville lavender, poplar bud absolute, antique pinon (infused oil), pine sap (accord),sycamore (accord), balsam fir, fossilized amber resin, labdanum, muhuhu, opoponax, pine amber (accord), Virginia cedar

Perfumes are those I have purchased, from my personal collection.  My nose is my own…

~Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor

image via tumblr

To celebrate 10 years of ÇaFleureBon Profiles in American Perfumery (which as of today numbers 160 American perfumers), thanks to the generosity of Dawn Spencer-Hurwitz we are offering a reader’s choice 30 ml of DSH Perfumes Parfum de Grasse or Bancha or The Voices of Trees.

And another winner will be eligible to win 3 x5 ml sampler of the above

This draw is for two registered readesr USA only. You must register or your comment will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what you think about CaFleureBon Profiles in American Perfumer series, Ida’s reviews, which you would choose should win (either the 30 ml or the sample set of 5ml each). Do you have a favorite DSH Perfumes Fragrance? Draw closes 7/13/2021

This is the link to the profiles. Please note that the idea for series began on July 4th with Anya McCoy and then Ineke Ruhland on July 7. The Facebook Page was created on July 11, 2011

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