LUSH Father and Son perfume team Mark and Simon Constantine photo collage apped by MC

LUSH father-and-son perfume team Mark and Simon Constantine have been providing ongoing olfactory food for thought since 1994, truth be told. I have found many of their fragrances intriguing and several of them to be outstanding: the latter is the case with their latest release Goddess, which also happens to be botanical. LUSH Gorilla Perfume Goddess is a prime example of Less Being More – choose exquisite materials, permit them to play amongst themselves – and watch what happens.

William Blake©

To summon a goddess one must be crafty. The Ancients are particular in their predilections and proper homage must be paid; woe betide the arrogant mortal who seeks to eclipse their radiant sovereignty. Softly softly now, on bended knee in all due supplication. Approach them with trepidation, for they are awesome in their wrath as in their glory… Go Goddess-y, go BIG. Limp florals won’t suffice – the Divine Ones crave luscious over-the-top absolutes and oils which trail natural complexity in their wake. Why settle for other jasmines when grandiflorum is available? I confess my fandom: so intensely floral, tenacious, musky with indole! Talk about sex appeal. Goddesses only oblige as the spirit moves them; a sweet playmate such as sambac (who pleases everyone) is patently subtracted from the equation. Vavavoom or nowt. Naturally it follows that where there’s Jasmine, Rose might not be far behind – and here she is: Damascena of the deep, mellow honeyed spice sprinkled with green and a trace of indole. Those voluptuaries need to get a room – it’s almost indecent.

William Blake©

And Queenly: an irrefutable nobility in their consorting. From China hails the gift of Osmanthus; it lives up to its name (‘osma’ in Greek translates as fragrant and ‘anthos’ is flower). Osmanthus is a fitting choice of blossom, especially when you consider its longstanding association in lunar legend and poetry: Song Zhi Wen, Tang Dynasty ~ “ Sweet-scented osmanthus seeds fell on the Moon as its fragrance in the sky wafted through the clouds.” Osmanthus is a complicated lady with various faces which she displays at will, making her an ideal candidate for capricious goddesshood. Her visage is initially sunlit, honeyed fleshy apricot pulp, but not for long. Soon her spicy, leathery/animalic facet chimes in and becomes part of the base note bridge between our noble heartwood oils Sandalwood and Oud. What is more majestic, more worthy of the Ancients than this duo? Why would goddesses value anything obtained with ease? Sandalwood and oud take many years to grow, perfect, decay: this is part of their eternal allure – besides the depth of nuance, coloration and aroma which has carved out their place in history over the centuries as a medium facilitating meditation and devotion.

William Blake  the Tales of Brighid the Goddess©

LUSH Gorilla Perfume Goddess is a real botanical pleasure. I applaud LUSH’s minimalist approach because it’s very easy to tart up a perfume and add a great many elements until you end up with The Kitchen Sink Syndrome: a muddled well-intentioned mess which doesn’t work. Goddess is satisfying, grand and dries down to a sophisticated leathery floral with that deft satiny sheen which a fine sandalwood imparts. They’ve created it affordably ($69.95/1 oz. perfume, $35.95/0.5 oz.perfume oil); under other circumstances one might expect to be charged more. Each element is sustainable and transparent – the packaging, the bottle (glass), the listing of components. You can see and smell what you’re really purchasing. Excepting the modest pricing (of course), The Ancients would approve. 

Notes: jasmine grandiflorum absolute, osmanthusabsolute, rosa damascena oil, Australian sandalwood oil, oudh oil

Many thanks to Sue Busto of LUSH for my unexpected bottle of Goddess! It’s a joy. My nose is my own…

~ Ida Meister, Senior Editor and Natural Perfumery Editor

~ Art Direction: Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief

Photo by Michelyn Camen

ÇaFleureBon will be offering a 30 ml LUSH Gorilla Perfume Goddess for one lucky reader in the USA, EU and Canada only. The draw is for registered readers only, so be sure to register if you have not done so. To be eligible please let us know what you thought of Ida’s review, where you live, and tell us about your favorite goddess… and Lush Perfume. Draw closes 4/18/2019

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