Topless

"Return often and take me at night, when the lips and skin remember."
~ A snippet from a poem by Constantine P. Cavafy

The third jasmine perfume in the Birthday series remained in a dark, cool hideaway completely topless for quite a long time. I rather liked her that way, but she wasn't quite whole and certainly not a proper perfume without a top.

After pondering the formula and looking for interconnections within the chemical structure I settled on Black Pepper, Gingergass, Bergamot and Myrtle for the top. The result is a bright, sparkling opening which slowly spirals into darker rich body notes. In the final dry down the aroma is very warm and balsamic, similar to the ending of Lyra. Be aware that these scent impressions are based on my olive complexion skin, on you it may be very different.

As stated in a prior post this fragrance is based on an old formula created in 1997 with Jasmine, Patchouli, Spikenard, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Nutmeg, Blood Orange, Mandarin and Gingergrass. I began by first combining the Jasmine, Patchouli, Spikenard, Vanilla, Sandalwood and Nutmeg. Then I added Wheat and Cocoa absolute along with darker woods and resins. At this point I adored it but was extremely disappointed when Maestro Gregorio commented that it reminded him of a medicine from when he was young. I thought wtf (?) I'm not getting that at all!

Then a whole dialogue started in my brain about following my nose and heart or paying some attention to the tastes and smell associations of others. As the solo flying, uber niche perfume artist I pretty much follow my own taste and whims of fancy. However, I am an odd bird and do not perceive fragrance as others.

Thus, I continued adding essences with a bit of attention to balancing the medicinal note that may have been from the Spikenard. I also added Galbanum to pair with the green of the Jasmine sambac as well as a tad of Basil, Tarragon and Mate. In total there are 24 completely botanical essences composited together in a base of organic grape alcohol and a tincture of Ambrette seeds from India.

This is a bit of a Noir Jasmine on a bed of velvet and hay. Rather purposely I avoided adding elements that would make the fragrance similar to Page 47 or Cimbalom. I'm not sure what her color harmony is of yet, or the name which she will be known by. For now she will go by the alias Jasmine Noir. Once you have draped her on your skin I would love a few suggestions for what to call her, if you sense a particular hue for her and imagery for the illumination which Greg will create. Leave your ideas here at this post or e-mail me privately. If I choose the name you have donated then I will send you a special gift of the honey pot or 1 gram vial of the re-vamped edition will be yours.

Please note this is the first edition of the trail version and I only have a limited amount available as a liquid. Find them here, once my camera arrives I'll take some photos.

Image: Psyche Opening the Golden Box by John William Waterhouse