State of Mind Voluptous Seduction, AI-generated painting and collage by Nicoleta
The first time I have came across State of Mind perfumes, I felt I was standing on a bridge to a world where sensory delights overlap and intertwine in a fusion of color, sounds, tastes, and scents. A playground for synesthetes, the brand merges the exquisite rituals of tea and fragrance into a unique experience with an Art Nouveau twist. Every sip of tea is a key, and every perfume is a new door opened to a realm of perception where taste evokes a scent, scent stirs colors, and the colors hum songs, awakening the fleeting whisper of a forgotten memory, painted back into reality on your skin, with a scent.
State of Mind Tea collection, official brand photo
Exquisite in its inception and profound in its delivery, State of Mind provides a unique and playful perspective into the art of perfumery, as it extends the invitation beyond the confines of traditional perfumery, proposing a journey where scents, tastes, and emotions converge to create a unique experience. With silk scarves, teas, perfumes, candles, and home diffusers for each scent, all of the senses are triggered, tickled, and pampered. And what door you chose to open and what mirror you will find inside will be the reflection of your State of Mind. Or better yet, the state of your soul.
Catherine Laskine-Balandina, founder and Creative Director via the brand
“My beloved grandmother often told me about China — the Wall of Nine Dragons, the Great Wall, gardens, calligraphy, acupuncture, the lotus flower opening in a cup of tea, the scents and colors of tea shops… Through her wonderful stories, I traveled to the magical world filled with tastes of teas and fragrant gardens.” Fondatrice Catherine Laskine-Balandina has two favorite proverbs, one from China, that states ‘tea is a scent to drink, life is contained in a bowl of tea’ and one from Japan, ‘tea symbolizes Chi, the flow of all living things’. Her fierce confidence and unfettered belief in her vision served as the pillars that grounded her in the pursuit of this synesthetic project. Catherine enlisted the support of experts in their respective fields: experienced Tea Master, Olivier Scala, renowned perfumer, Karine Dubreuil, and accomplished illustrator, Elena Minenko – and so, through passion and their combined talents, the unique concept was brought to life.
State of Mind Voluptuous Seduction official brand photo
Holding the beautiful red bottle, I take off the cap and I let the game begin. I smell the fresh bud of a rose, pink and sweet, I taste the sparkling juice of a red, ripe apple and almost hear the crunch of the first bite. The warmth of a red storm, inside a porcelain tea cup, with flowers opening their petals one by one: sweet, slightly nutty, smooth, full-bodied, comforting yet deep. I inhale the rooibos aroma, infusing subtly on my skin, and before my mind could de-chypre it, there’s a high pitch accord that gives me goosebumps. Is there a cold undercurrent, the thorn of the red rose, or is there a sound of a violin hidden beneath this not-accessed yet memory?
“Por una cabeza,
todas las locuras.
Su boca que besa,
borra la tristeza,
calma la amargura.”
“Por una Cabeza”, a tango classic composed by Carlos Gardel and Alfredo Le Pera in 1935, captures the allure and power of the dance as showcased in the famed scene from the 1992 movie “Scent of a Woman” starring Al Pacino, with the violin virtuoso, Itzhak Perlman, giving the music life.
Fabian Perez Study For Tango painting, fair use
As my mind keeps playing the track, in a loop, I taste red and my mind takes me from movie frames to memories, and back in time, in my hometown, in the bar where I used to gloriously waste my teenage evenings drinking fancy teas with complicated names and pretended to be aristocratically ennui-ed by my life, lamenting the fact that I was, for sure, born in the wrong era of minimalism, when my Victorian soul craved excess, decadence, and all forms of exquisite luxurious clutter. The spiral staircase, raising the hem of my long dress in the deliciously dizzying climb leading to the flickering yellow light of the entrance, the taste of my red fiery lipstick, carefully reapplied on my sharp cupid’s bow. I hear the click of my YSL Opium Red lipstick, and I sense the ghost of its smell, the waxy yet luxurious floral aroma. Was it a lily smell? Or just the sweet aroma of young vanity, everyone’s favorite sin?
Kirsten Dunst as Marie Antoinette (2006 movie still IMDb)
Voluptuous Seduction feels intricate and complicated yet its soul is delightfully light-hearted. It is voluptuous, in the most aristocratic way, but don’t let your mind wander to lascivious cruel smiles, powdered wigs, and drawn-on beauty marks. Think more of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette than Glen Close smiling as Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil. A scent that feels just like the flicker of an embroidered fan, moved quickly to hide the sudden rush of blood to one’s cheeks.
State of Mind Voluptuous Seduction, mood photo by Nicoleta
I have declared my love of roses in many ways and in various reviews on CaFleureBon, and yet the insatiable craving never fades. Voluptuous Seduction is a game we are invited to play. And it starts with a perfect, crisp, red apple. You bite in, and just when you think there’s just a pink rosebud, fruity, bubbly, and innocent, the depth of the tea swirls up and opens in sweet, delightful, and mysterious ways. Then, the waxiness of a nostalgic floral whisper would make you believe you are going to veer on the lipstick rose path, but you would be wrong again, as the construction feels light, airy, fresh, and modern. The maze of the sensory labyrinth is now made out of walls of Eglantines, and the prickly pink path keeps going further, from bright light infused with apple aromas into the shady realm, with earthy nuances, and deep woody aromas of cedarwood and the creaminess of santal.
State of Mind Voluptuous Seduction is an invitation to an enthralling olfactive dance that will keep you guessing, dancing, and swooning. The opulence of a floral bouquet mixed in with the freshness of fruits and the decadent darkness of truffles and woods will cater to the hedonistic cravings of any rose lover in the eternal search for their scented holy grail.
Notes: Top: Lys Blanc de la Madone, Rooibos, Apple; Heart: Truffles, Rose Velour, Eglantine, Base: Sandalwood, CedarWood
Disclosure: Bottle gifted by the brand, opinions are my own
Nicoleta Tomsa, Senior Editor
State of Mind Voluptuous Seduction packaging, photo by Nicoleta
Thanks to the generosity of State of Mind we have a 100 ml bottle for one registered reader in the EU and USA. You must register or your entry will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what sparks your interest based on Nicoleta’s review and where you live. Draw closes 7/14/2023
Parfums Raffy carries the brand in the USA, so be sure to sample or buy, or order directly from the State of Mind Website
Also read: Secret of Success; Fanfarone Italiano and watch Steven’s video State of Mind Open Mind
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