Using flowers distilled from around the world through the seldom used enfleurage method, (read David Falsberg’s Perfumers Workshop on Enfleurage here).  Mr. Brosius works like a gardener, gathering these flowers and using inspired touches of ancillary notes to add to the intrinsic beauty of his subject. Here each and every one of these perfumes opens and develops on skin, like their namesakes, and gives us a glimpse behind the stems, leaves and petals at the spirit energy that animates the plants. It’s not too difficult either to see why the ancients personified most flowers with a ruling feminine spirit or “nymph”.

Magnolia Champaca

As a fan of incense and floriental perfumes , I first dabbed on some Champaca #604. Crafted from the waxy yellow or white blossoms of magnolia champaca from India, this opens with a dense solar floral aroma underscored with shadowy greens. This nymph’s mysterious dance begins slowly and innocently, as her movements grow more complex and graceful. She evokes the subtropical warmth of India and humid verdant feeling of a rain forest, yet shows more of her tender inner self as her veils fall away. Without smelling of thick cloying amber or smoking incense, this flower exudes a complex creamy oriental aroma augmented with a gentle dry fruitiness, Dusted with golden pollen, this moves on soft feet among ancient sandalwood trunks. Sillage: slightly above average. Longevity: very good.

Neroli (citrus aurantium)

 I next tried Neroli #538. I have many neroli perfumes, both vintage and modern, yet was utterly unprepared for what bloomed right under my nose. A truly invigorating blast of bitter orange blossom from Morocco is at once uplifting and soft, yet thick and heady. In motions that captures whimsical springtime frivolity perfectly, this nymph cavorts about the grove playfully hiding behind trunks of sun-warmed wood and peeking out from behind their leaves. Sunlight bathes everything with its idyllic aura, complete with hints of the juicy fruit that will issue from these luscious petals. Her animated prancing evokes a warm Mediterranean wind, while maintaining a subtle powdery charm, and when she is gone her faint musk lingers on, like a dream. Sillage: good. Longevity: slightly below average.

 Jonquil Ikebana by otomodachi; Narcissus by Mirek pl

Jonquil #499 is composed of French narcissus jonquilla or daffodil. This chartreuse blossom radiates a freshness that is crisp and sharp, yet airy. Its ballet is simple yet profound; as it awakens warmed by an aromatic green akin to basil. As it rises upwards, shaking off snow and melting the frost of winter, its indolic nature comes forth in its teasingly sensual movements and aroma. Seemingly innocent, this reveals a naughtiness that is as precocious as it is delightful. Eventually winding down to an almost hay-like aroma that smells fertile and rich, but nothing like barnyard or compost; I am speechless at the intricate progression I have experienced from what I had assumed, until now, was a silly girl of a flower. Sillage: slightly below average. Longevity: good.

Narcissus poeticus (poet’s daffodil) is highlighted in Narcissus #500. Smelling nothing like paperwhites, this scent captures a deep earthiness, somewhat like a bulb sprouting and reaching through soil for life-giving sunlight. This erupts from its slumber, pushing aside sod, bracken and grass to burst forth with new life tinged with a velvety spiciness. It does grow demure and more fluid in its steps, as its movements slow. A detached nonchalance prevails as a fleeting mint-tinged aura arises, and it's obvious this nymphet prances for the sheer joy of it and not anyone's entertainment. A seemingly clumsy beginning evolves into a graceful swan of a fragrance, with no trace of “ugly duckling” left behind. Spring flowers fade quickly, yet this reminds us the plant lives on and is still beautiful, after its blossoms fade. Sillage: close. Longevity: slightly below average.

jasminium sambac from The Enduring Gardener (Michael Walmsley); Polianthes tuberosa from buzzle.com

Jasmine Sambac #498 centers on petals from India. When dabbed on my skin, this gave me the olfactory impression of fresh green tendrils vining around my arm and bursting forth in milky petals. Where the other nymphs’ revels concentrated on their movements and rhythms, this romp is all about the sheer material she wears as she whirls passionately. Billowing out softly, an indolic aura of creamy floral sweetness engulfs you. This demigoddess sheds her shift, halfway through the night, to undulate almost carnally, naked and unashamed. Her voluptuousness is washed in silvery moonbeams, as her sensual motions bring a warm flush to her skin. As she saunters away, a heavenly almost animalic musk remains in her wake; haunting you. Sillage: very good. Longevity: good.

I thought I knew what tuberose blooms smelled like. Tuberose #501 made me think (and sniff) twice. Before her dusty columns of blossoms erupt, while the world sleeps, it is all verdant stems and rather woody. Resembling a dryad (tree spirit) more than a flower nymph, this bawdy vixen does not dance-she moves purposefully with otherworldly grace and beauty at all times. As the moths appear, grow intoxicated by the powdery smoke-kissed pollen now drifting throughout the meadow, she sways from side-to-side in a hypnotic “come hither” motion. More truculent than svelte and petite, this is the classy Madame of the meadow, incorporating maturity and sensibility with provocative sexual nuances and thinly veiled flirtation. The petals scattered about a dark forbidden part of the forest blend with the aromas of earth and broken branch, resulting in the olfactory equivalent of a wild and feral midnight woodland tryst. Sillage: very good. Longevity: above average.