Floral Street Arizona Bloom perfume bottle, photo by Cynthia

I have always had wanderlust, ever since I can remember. The western part of the United States particularly appealed to me, with its vast, majestic landscapes, tumultuous crashing ocean, and expanses of wild space. I was also attracted to the West because it felt like opportunity: to be anything or anyone I wanted to be; to determine my own destiny. The West was the concept of freedom…even the dry desert air, being unencumbered by humidity, seemed more optimistic and freer.

Arizona Desert with Saguaro cactus, image via Unsplash

So, in May 1989, I signed up to join the United States Air Force. I remember the moment I read my orders for my posting after basic training: Monterey, California. My heart jumped into my throat; I lost my breath for a second…my dream is realized…I was going to CALIFORNIA!!! Once I lived in California, I fell deeply in love with it, but especially with the desert. Living in California gave me the opportunity to explore more of the West – and Arizona was the manifestation of what I had seen in my dreams. I traveled every chance I got to as many spots as I could – every place I went, I felt awash with the same rush of adventure, freedom and awe. I remember once just stopping my car on the side of the road and watching in wonder the sky change colors for an hour, a dazzling lightshow of every color in the entire spectrum, spread across the entire crystal-clear, cloudless, wide desert sky.

Cynthia at the Grand Canyon, Arizona, photo by Cynthia

Floral Street Arizona Bloom captures this feeling EXACTLY for me. When I first inhaled that initial spray, all the intense emotions of standing under that vast, open sky with the dry air around me came rushing back. Arizona Bloom is a complete ATMOSPHERE. Floral Street is a multi-award-winning, independent, British brand, founded by Michelle Feeney. They are a collection of clean, ethical, sustainable, fragrances with 100% reusable, compostable, and recyclable packaging which is an industry-first. But you will want to probably keep the packaging – it’s so incredibly beautiful – some of the prettiest packaging I have received in YEARS! They are also vegan, cruelty-free and accredited by PETA.

Floral Street Founder Michelle Feeney, courtesy of the brand

“As the founder of an independent, British brand I am thrilled our Floral Street Arizona Bloom won Best Independent Fragrance at the prestigious UK Fragrance Foundation Awards – the Oscars of the industry! It is amazing recognition for our creative innovation in sustainable scent.” Michelle Feeney, Floral Street Founder

image via Unsplash

In Floral Street Arizona Bloom, the combination of salted musks, oak moss, cashmere woods and black pepper create what I would call a ‘Sand accord’ – both the pre-sunrise kind of sand, cool from the moon, stars and night and the hot, sparkling, crusty, sunbaked kind of sand. There is also the mineralic scent of heated rocks, shining with a beautiful black patina. You get a sense of the vast expanse of time – the eons, the epochs, the ages – this rock has taken to achieve this shiny black tattoo patina from the sun, so gloriously shiny in that sun. There is also a delicious, ethereal coconut note– This coconut note is not a heavy, sweet, vanillic suntan lotion or coconut cream pie coconut note. This coconut note is more akin to the wooden husky outer shell, that is cracked to reveal the watery fleshy interior of a fresh coconut. That fleshy, watery coconut note is only the slightest bit sweet and made airier by the oak moss.

Desert blooms, image via Unsplash

The dry yet lush, vegetal coconut note also works together with the fig leaves and jasmine to honor the delicate scent of desert flora – the same delicate sweetness and lightness of fragile desert blooms.  This combination replicates for me the full desert air in spring and summer, when everything is blooming, ardent and energized from rain, so happy to be alive.  These plants are all around you in the desert, even if you don’t notice them at first glance.  They might have a repellant, intimidating look, but that doesn’t coincide with the alluring beauty of their scent.

Countless species blooming, sending into the warm air their intoxicating scents, together with the sandy, salty, airy notes in Arizona Bloom smell like ADVENTURE to me. Master Perfumer Jerome Epinette has created a transportive, all-encompassing atmosphere of infinite possibilities with Arizona Bloom, that I can’t wait to wear on my next adventure.  Like these bursting plants, I also feel an optimistic happiness while wearing Arizona Bloom:  happiness for the day, tomorrow, life…And thankful optimism – that life is a true gift to be relished, and good things are to come.

Notes:  Balinese Coconut, Madagascan Black Pepper, Oak Moss, Salted Musks, Jasmine Petals, Fig leaves, Cashmere Woods.

Disclosure: I’d like to thank Floral Street for the beautiful bottle of Arizona Bloom; The opinions are my own.

Cynthia Hunter, Contributor

Floral Street Arizona Bloom was a Finalist in the 2021 Fragrance Foundation Awards USA for Indie Fragrance of the year and won UK Fragrance Foundation Awards 2021 – Best Independent Fragrance.

Floral Street packaging and Arizona Bloom bottle box, photo by Cynthia

Thanks to the generosity of Floral Street we have a 50ml spray of Floral Street Arizona Bloom for a registered CaFleureBon readers in the USA (if you are not sure if you are registered click here.).  You must register here or your comment will not count. To be eligible please leave a comment ON THIS SITE with what you enjoyed about Cynthia’s review and if you have a favorite Floral Street perfume.  Draw closes 11/5/2021

Follow us on Instagram: @cafleurebon @coffee.in.dc @jeromenyc1 @floralstreet_

This is our Privacy and Draw Rules Policy

We announce the winners only on our site and on our Facebook page, so like ÇaFleureBon and use our blog feed… or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.