While inhaling juniper essential oil at a sweat lodge I was transported out of my current surroundings and dropped into a very fragrant forest of conifers. Among the tall evergreens I felt grounded, renewed and deeply connected with the earth.
When I went to the San Francisco Artisan Fragrance Salon, one of the vendors that interested me was a brand new line launching that very day called Cognoscenti. The Scent Artist, as her business card title proclaims, is painter, architect, and designer Dannielle Sergent, who was encouraged to explore her unique, intuitive take on perfume creation.
I’ve witnessed many emerging indie niche American brands. Natural botanical perfumery continues to grow. Customers are better educated. There is an openness to explore different approaches to perfumery -Persephenie Lea
I am coming to appreciate how much harder it is for a perfumer to have depth and contour when only using a very few notes, The Exclusive Collection is an example of what the skill of a Maitre Parfumeur, like Maria candida Gentile, can do with just a few notes.
House of Matriarch was launched on Christi’s 36th birthday (November 28, 2009). All of her perfumes are in custom painted bottles. Each bottle is lacquered with a hue or tint that harmonizes with the energy of the scent
Perfume appreciation however, requires more than just the casual spritz. Selecting a fragrance can be as sophisticated as evaluating a wine, if approached in a knowledgeable manner. Contrary to the concept of the “signature scent”, our noses prefer variety.
