Papillon Artisan Perfumes Epona photo courtesy of Indigo Perfumery©

I have waited a long time to review Papillon Artisan Perfumes Epona. As soon as I caught wind of this new perfume, I contacted Liz Moores, the brand’s selfsame creative director and perfumer – and requested a sample, which she kindly sent me. Epona was many weeks away from release and production, so there was nothing to do but wait – which I did. Somewhat impatiently, I might add. This, in itself – is not unusual: it happens, quite often – that one hears about/smells perfumes which are not ready to be released for some time – and it is either the perfumer’s decision, or others’ decision – to refrain from reviewing the fragrance until it is ready to be enjoyed by the public at large. In the case of Epona, waiting was particularly frustrating because it is one of the year’s loveliest releases to date – a ne plus ultra equine goddess perfume: deliciously wearable and chockablock with exquisite olfactory materials. I literally sat on my hands for weeks.

 

Luxembourg Epona Dalheim Ricciacum via wiki

As is often the case with godly figureheads, conflicting information abounds, and it is all too easy to be caught up in the spiderweb of available data. Epona is, by very definition – a Celtic fertility figurehead, the Great Mare, goddess of horses, ponies, donkeys and mules. There’s a spicy little backstory that serves to sweeten the pot and further whet the appetite: it is said, via myth – that Epona was the beautiful result of the union between the Roman Fulvius Stellus and a mare, who mated with her due to his pronounced hatred of women. From there on in, we may easily lose ourselves in the mire of Latin literary reference, including Satyrs by Juvenal; The Golden Ass by Apuleius; The Octavius, by Minucius Felix, amongst others. You can see where this is heading. The goddess is cited throughout Europe in texts, sculpture, and Indo-European horse sacrifice.

Liz’s horse in the New Forest, Hampshire via Instagram

Most of us, by now – are fully aware of Liz Moores’ deep connection with myth and legend, and her lifelong love of horses – most recently, her beloved Perry. Epona sings praise of the equine utilizing precious and familiar olfactive materials in the perfumer’s uncompromising unique manner. It has taken me awhile to cull these components, because no one reference includes them all: you have to search through several sites, posts, etc. – before they appear before you. If you enjoy forensics, this means trusting your own nose, which in this case endorsed my own perceptions.

These materials have been employed before in leather fragrances (in various combinations, dilutions, and ratios), but there is no denying that Papillon Artisan Perfumes Epona has very successfully combined them to form its own unique legendary creature. For me, this is a particular delight, as leather fragrances figure among my most favorite genres and frequently worn perfumes. The tonic fraîcheur of petitgrain paves the path to sweet myrrh, aka opoponax (think vintage Shalimar), dusky labdanum, and an abundance of orris butter sweetened by honey’s animalic underbelly, the glorious smokiness of vetiver, coumarinic hay absolute, and a measure of sweetly dank oakmoss. I would not be surprised if ambrette or ambrettolide is part of Liz’ horse skin accord, as it feels intuitive and a natural choice. While I don’t specifically detect narcissus absolute, it has also been called into play when evoking an equine theme – as its beautiful barnyard countenance attests.

Liz Moores with her horse via Instagram

Papillon Artisan Perfumes Epona is remarkable in its ability to render the animalic tender, haunting, and lyrical – all the while evolving so beautifully that it becomes a treasured second skin. Every step in its development is a pleasure, straight through to the drydown. It has just become available in the U.S., and as I write, I’ve sprung for a flacon. I know that I will wear it with sweet abandon – and it’s going on my best of 2024 list.

Notes: petitgrain, leather, opoponax, labdanum, violet, orris butter, saddle soap accord, horse skin accord, hay absolute, honey, vetiver, oakmoss

Sample of Papillon Artisan Perfumes Epona kindly provided by the perfumer – many thanks! My nose is my own…

~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor

photo courtesy of the Indigo Perfumery website

Thanks to the generosity of Indigo Perfumery we have a 50 ml bottle of Papillon Artisan Perfumes Epona for one registered reader in the U.S.

or

a carded sample for a registered reader in the UK reader courtesy of Liz Moores of Papillon Artisan Perfumes.

To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what strikes you most about Ida’s review of Epona and where you live. There is only one winner. Draw closes 8/10/24

Please read The Silver Fox’s 3 reviews of Anubis, Tobacco Rose, and Angelique here

Ida Meister’s 3 reviews of Spell 125 here, Dryad here, and Bengal Rouge here.

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