Amy Winehouse, photo by Jeff Kravitz, Film Magic

 

Amy Winehouse had the kind voice that gets into the dark corners of your soul – soulful, acerbic, plaintive, smooth as cream and jagged as a broken heart. A kid playing dress-up with a broomstick mic one moment, full-on, passed-over, adult hurt seconds later. Her musical style, a cocktail of boppy, girl-group pop, forlorn soul, can’t-sit-still R&B, and aching jazz was all its own. She was breathtaking.

Amy Winehouse by Pegasus, London

Jusbox Siren and Sailors celebrates the Camden Town songstress with a fragrance from IFF perfumer Julien Rasquinet that bubbles with bouncy florals and booze before revealing a rosy heart and soft, earthy notes. Siren and Sailors taps into the contradictions of Winehouse’s vulnerable-insubordinate persona and bronze sound.  First spray and the world goes pink. Spinning like a 78 off the top are candied apple, champagne cocktail and silky, lipstick rose. It’s buoyant, ingenue fun, an olfactory version of a Shirelles single. But the rum is right behind it and packs a well-placed punch, turning Siren and Sailors’ opening into a night at Camden Palace: spilled drinks, smudged lippie and snogging with the wrong boys.

Simmons Bar, Camden Town, London via Tripadvisor

The more adult middle is all jazz: osmanthus and booze. Rasquinet coaxes out the leathery aspects of this chameleon flower to lend Siren and Sailors a sleek suede veneer that quiets down the rum punch top notes. Coupled with that lovely, fluffy rose, the effect is both girlish and grown-up, like an expensive jacket worn over a red satin babydoll dress. An oaky tang of whiskey warms up the composition. Mixing with some chewy vanilla and patchouli, it adds another layer of sweet-sophisticated contrast.

 Amy Winehouse mural, Camden Town

Rose unfolds as the heart of the fragrance, less Revlon as time goes on; gentler and plusher, slightly drunk, as if some vintage Rochas la Rose was dabbed over Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose in a cocktail lounge. It’s both upscale banquettes and torn fishnets. Sirens and Sailor could have been a bit of a mash-up, but Rasquinet keeps the notes delineated and neat. All at once, I can smell vanilla, whiskey, rose, suede, and touches of boiled sweets and musk. It’s lovely.

Amy Winehouse statue in Camden Stables market

Haunting Camden Town like a defiant ghost, Amy is everywhere. Murals, statues, shop window mannequins across her former neighbourhood all bear her likeness. In Camden Stables market she stands with her trademark beehive and turned in heels, gazing uncertainly, small and a little lost. As strangers lay flowers and leave notes, they might catch a small drift of lipstick and rum. And who’s to say it’s from the bar across the way?

Notes: Osmanthus, rose essential LMR, rum absolute, whisky accord, patchouli oil (molecular distilled) LMR, vanilla, musk.

Disclaimer: Bottle of Jusbox Perfumes Siren and Sailors generously provided by Europerfumes, the U.S. distributor for Jusbox Perfumes. My opinions are my own.

–  Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor

Jusbox  Siren and Sailors

Thanks to the generosity of Europerfumes, we have a tester bottle of Jusbox Perfumes Siren and Sailors for one registered reader in the U.S. to be eligible, please leave a comment saying what appeals to you about  Jusbox Siren and Sailors based on Lauryn’s review, if you have tried any Jusbox perfumes, and what your favourite Amy Winehouse song is. Draw closes 8.20.2019.

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