Charna Ethier is a gift, all by herself.
Warm, genuine, wildflower winsome- Charna is possessed of an inquisitive intelligence and a lively imagination.
If her perfumes reflect her inner life, what richness must lie within!
[I feel strongly that her compositions merit attention individually; that’s why I prefer to explore them one at a time.]
The name alone conjures images of conjugal relations between the dark and the divine, no?
Carnal.
Earthy, heady, dangerous.
Charna’s intention was to emphasize “the buttery nature of tuberose”, wedded to a dark African cocoa absolute.
What she achieved was exquisite balance.
Head: wormwood, pink grapefruit, black pepper.
Heart: white tuberose, African cocoa absolute, butter CO2 absolute, champaca.
Bed: Vanille Bourbon, patchouli, tonka, vetiver.
Cocoa Tuberose is intuitively composed; it makes all my instincts tingle.
Utilizing wormwood’s earthy, slightly bitter dry greenness to both offset the sweetly unctuous champaca and tuberose was a real coup.
Pink grapefruit lilts briefly and brightly, partnered by very spicy, dry black pepper.
[I LOVE black pepper, because it can temper some of the sweetness in a scent]
Butter cajoles the tuberose to fan herself out in a more creamy and slightly less indolic manner; she’s plump and generous and lovely.
Champaca is such a honeyed, fortified wine-like creature; she doesn’t hold anything back.
Dark, dry, dusty cocoa is a perfect foil for them both.
These essences bed down with pillowy Vanille Bourbon, dulcet hay-like tonka [with tobacco nuances], grassy rhizomal vetiver, and camphorous, loamy patchouli.
The end result is a delightful drydown which has universal appeal-
A tender, tobacco-like comforting kiss.
All the elements succumb to a multi-faceted softness where the interplay is marvelous.
I am grateful to Charna for allowing me to experience her scented children.
Please, experience them for yourselves….
–Ida Meister, Natural Perfume and Senior Editor
Photo Credits:
Charna at work- providenceperfume.blogspot.com
Thomas and Dovanna [ Robert Mapplethorpe] – snapdragon.wordpress.com
Balance- michellefischer.wordpress.com
Mapplethorpe's Lisa Lyon and snake – hitomematarase.com
Magnificent Mapplethorpe -oseculoprodigioso.blogspot.com
Vintage swan's down puff- musclecars.net
Di Caprio / Danes ' Romeo and Juliet- dailymail.co.uk
Cocoa Tuberose image- providenceperfume.com
Experience Charna's carnal creation and delight in CARNAL KNOWLEDGE. Our draw is a 5mL bottle of Cocoa Tuberose to one commenter. Please leave a comment on why you would like to try cocoa tuberose, E-I-C Michelyn Camen's review of Charna's The Mystery of Musk: Musk Nouveau and Ida Meister's review of Charna 's Outlaw Fragance: Gypsy… both created for the Natural Perfumer's Guild Internet Projects. The draw closes February 25th.