DSH Perfumes Warrior Queen X ÇaFleureBon (crown artwork by Alex C. Musgrave)
12 years ago, I pressed publish and the first article was posted, an interview with the great Michel Roudnitksa on Ethical Perfumery. It seems a lifetime ago. Yet with few exceptions we publish an original review or essay each day 365 days a year, a dedicated video each week, thanks to one of the best writing and video team in the fragro-osphere.
It’s as if the world has been frozen underwater not able to break through and allow our true selves to emerge. I felt each of us have the potential to break through the ice and DSH Perfumes Warrior Queen X ÇaFleureBon represents our personal, emotional and political struggles that we combat, with fierce gentleness, to protect ourselves and loved ones.
This is not a “pretty scent” and has both yin and yang elements; neither feminine or masculine. There is a thread of incense that runs through it as in all four bespoke Queens (Red, White, Dark by 4160Tuesdays perfumer Sarah McCartney and Drama Queen by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz). It is most definitely LILY but not what you would expect. and IMHO one of Dawn’s best works as it really is unlike anything this prolific American perfumer has composed.
DSH Perfumes Warrior Queen X CaFleureBon image, with Crown 8: Boudicca Diameter 26cm, Moss. Broom. Willow. Brunis Silver Leavis. Roses. Freesias. Kangaroo Paw. Statice. Astrantia. Cotton thread. Gold powder. Spray paint. Red ink. 12 x bookmaking needles. Florists’ twine. There are 12 silver needles. The gold powder dusted over it is 24 carat – Alex C. Musgave aka The Silver Fox©
In Numerology the number 12 is said to mean that you encircle yourself with people who are vibrant and see the best in you; people who do not use you and drag you down. Amen
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 AND later won) © Jeffrey Paul
Thank you, Dawn, for many years of friendship and support. To all the CaFleureBon editors and contributors present and past (there are about 70) and to the olfactive artists who continue to fuel our passion for perfumery, CaFleureBon wouldn’t be the magazine it is today without your extraordinary journalism and dedication. I am grateful beyond words. To our readers and viewers, thank you for your loyalty. Special shout out to our webmaster Chris!
Happy Birthday Editor Olya Bar
In loving memory of Tama Blough (1/9/2015) and Robert Herrmann (10/1/ 2019) two warriors who we miss dearly and will never forgotten .-Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief
Photo of Our Perfumer as a Warrior Queen: Dawn Spencer Hurwitz by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz
Throughout the past 12 years, it has been a blessing to know many of the CaFleureBon editors and contributors, personally and virtually. I have had a particularly close relationship with Editor-in-Chief Michelyn Camen that dates back to 2008. It seems surreal that another year has passed, still under the uncertainty of the pandemic. I’m honored that Michelyn had invited me to create my fourth perfume to celebrate CaFleureBon’s anniversary (I created Lautrec for the first, Become the Shaman for the 7th) and my first “Queen”- Drama Queen).
The inspiration for DSH Perfumes Warrior Queen X CaFleureBon was born out of the shadows to bring light and strength. This year’s Queen has a completely different feeling and personality than the 2019’s Drama Queen, a which was meant to bring a sense of glamor to what had been a very glum and isolated year.
Collage created for DSH Perfumes X CaFleureBon Warrior Queen by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz
Michelyn let me know that she wanted something powerful (but wearable), and abstract to speak to the sense of intensity that this year has brought. She sent me a quote that hit very deeply for both of us and informed this perfume at each stage of its composition the design: “The strongest people are not those who show strength in front of us but those who win battles we know nothing about”. Jonathan Harnisch, The Brutal Truth
We all have battles that we wage in our lives; many of us are living with pain, trauma, and hardships that we don’t make public. And now, as I write this, there is a war raging in Ukraine, brutalizing the people with unbelievable loss and suffering. We all have to be strong to fight the good fight in big and small / public and private ways. This year we bring you Warrior Queen; an inclusive, fierce, perfume that I hope will help us all find within ourselves.
DSH Perfumes Warrior Queen x CaFleureBon Label uses both logos and Alex’s crown
Warrior Queen waers an ice coated suit of silver armor and is the first impression of the scent. The metallic accord in the opening tells you just how strong you are and, I feel, a sense of protection comes along with it. No one wants to mess around with this Queen! Inside we find a metallic rose surrounded by hawthorn branches, and a cool lily in the heart. The base is grounding and made of abstracted earth notes: moss, stones, and wood.
Notes: Aldehydes, Ambergris, Casablanca, Cassie Flower, Frankincense, (Olibanum), Frozen Earth (Accord), Frozen Lily (Accord),Green Oakmoss, Hawthorn Blossom, Lemon, Metal Rose (Accord), Musk, Orris, Plum, Ruh Khus, Silver Armor (Accord), Snowflake (Accord), Sweet Basil, Violet Leaf Absolute, and Wintery Air (Accord)
–Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, of DSH Perfumes
Warrior Queen is available currently on the DSH Perfume website and will be sold in the US at Indigo Perfumery and Fragrance Vault in the near future
Direct Link https://www.dshperfumes.com/shop/warrior-queen-dsh-perfumes-x-cafleurebon/
Thanks to the generosity of perfumer Dawn Spencer-Hurwitz, we are celebrating our 12th anniversary with a draw for 10 ml EDP/VDP of DSH Perfumes Warrior Queen for ÇaFleureBon to one registered reader reader, (you must register here) 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 Warrior Queen for ÇaFleureBon and where you live. Draw closes 3/26/2022. If you guess the name of our 2023/ 13th Queen your comment counts five times.
Disclaimer: MIchelyn receives no remuneration for the sales
Please be sure to read our review of Dannielle Sergent of Cognoscenti ‘s Warrior Queen
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