I have been asked to review scents and participate in the Primordial Scents Perfume Project hosted by Perfume Pharmer.
I feel that each of these perfumes deserve their own independent perfume reviews; they are all wonderful. However, with my lack of time and “real estate” on my blog, I’ve decided to group the reviews by their element, starting with Water.
Ane Walsh Essaouira EDP Natural Perfume
Notes listed include sweet orange, grapefruit, lemon, lavender, blue chamomile, saffron, coconut, Khao Yai oud, and Atlas cedar. PERFUMER – Ane Walsh
This perfume is inspired by Ane’s trip to Morocco. It’s a mix of sea breeze and earth. This perfume is a stunner and like the other perfumes that I’ve tried from Ane Walsh, it’s distinctively Brazilian. Essaouira opens as a fruity aromatic fragrance. Essaouira starts to smell like warm skin with a salty coconut. It’s very warm at the heart, reminding me of hot beaches, not the coastal rocky beaches that I’m used to. The base is a slightly sweaty, woodsy, and dirty in a wonderful way – oud and cedar. This scent is unisex. I like to think of it as a “tropical oud”. Here is the link to the Ane Walsh site.
Aftelier Rain Natural Bath Oil
Notes listed include apple, chamomile, and ravensara. PERFUMER – Mandy Aftel
I’m delighted to see that Mandy Aftel participated in the Primordial Scents project. Mandy offered her Rain Bath Oil, an old favorite of mine. You can find my review here. This bath oil can be purchased for $45 at Aftelier.
Envoyage Perfumes A Study in Water EDP – Mixed Media
Notes listed include mugeut, lime, green apple, bergamot, dew accord, rose ater, jasmine, green leaves, neroli, sandalwood, guiaic wood, cabreuva (a Brazilian balsam), watery notes and musk. PERFUMER – Shelley Waddington
A Study of Water opens as a humid dewy floral with a hint of crisp, “just sliced” Granny Smith apple. A Study in Water is a perfume that doesn’t remind me of the sea. It reminds me of rainfall. A Study in Water is an impulsive and happy fragrance. Imagine having a picnic with your lover, a few glasses of champagne, fresh fruit and kisses. A summer shower happens and you go with it. Usually rain would bring a feeling of panic, but this time it’s right. It works with the moment. It starts as giddy and ends up as something sensual. The summer rain quickly subsides but the shower of kisses does not. The heart of this fragrance is a romantic green rose and jasmine. The base is dewy florals, driftwood and white musk.
I recommend this fragrance for any bride looking for a romantic floral to wear on her wedding day and all of the anniversaries following. It is an absolutely gorgeous fragrance. It retails for $55-$80 at Envoyage Perfumes. FYI – I highly recommend this perfume to anyone that likes the florals in the Ormonde Jayne line.
Anu Essentials Sea Scape EDP Natural Perfume
Notes listed include seaweed, violet leaf, Bulgarian rose, Tunisian neroli, ambergris and two kinds of jasmine. PERFUMER- Anu Prestonia
When I first tried Sea Scape, I had this difficult to explain memory. It wasn’t my memory; it almost felt like some sort of genetic memory. I’ve always been drawn to the ocean. I felt miserable in Tennessee and felt myself driving across the country only to stop at the smell of salt water. This is in part how I ended up in Washington. I finally felt comfortable. When I first sniffed Sea Scape, I had that feeling – that feeling of finally finding what I was searching for. It opens as a heady, green neroli and jasmine with plenty of oceanic saltiness. Smelling it has the feel of breathing in sea mist. With time the fragrance warms on the skin and becomes a salty ambergris. This perfume reminds me of how I want to remember the sea. Sea Scape is unisex when I’m away from it. My husband enjoyed wearing this one the most out of this set saying that it is the best aquatic that he’s ever worn. Sea Scape retails for $85 at Anu Essentials.
The Scented Djinn Lylli Bleu EDP Natural Perfume
Notes listed include blue lotus, mitti, sandalwood and neroli. PERFUMER – Justine Crane
Lylli Bleu opens as a deep earthy scent with spice. Many of the scents in this collection remind me of the water. Lylli Bleu reminds me of when forest meets the shore. Lylli Bleu is dark and mossy… the calm before a storm. Lylli Bleu is unisex but it would make a nice masculine because of the woods. Here is a link to the online boutique.
Water signs are said to be emotional, deep and nurturing while being moody and overly sentimental. I would describe all of the Water perfumes that I tested were this way. Each provoked emotion. Each had me thinking about my past while leaving me thinking about where I’m going.
If you would also like to sample the Water perfumes in this project, a sample set can be purchased for $25 at Skye Botanicals.
These sound wonderful. I haven’t tried any of them, and always find myself drawn to water scents as a theme–even if I usually end up wearing woody/spicy scents on a more everyday basis. Thanks–must add them to my wish list to try!
I’m like you. I am attracted to water scents as a theme but tend to wear more woodsy or gourmand stuff. I’ve always been drawn to water, especially the sea. I was very happy with these. I feel they all worked with theme “water” and told their story in unique ways.
It’s nice to read your savvy take on so many terrific fragrances Victoria! I appreciate you sharing your enjoyment of them, and for your wonderful review of Rain!
Mandy
You’re welcome! Thank you for participating in this perfume event!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Victoria.
I love the way you described the skin tone as sweaty woodsy and dirty, because this is the way Khao Yai smells to me. Like a human presence at the side.
Thank you for your review.
It’s a gorgeous fragrance and very well done. I’m so happy that I got to try it!
Thank you so much Victoria for such a lovely journey to Sea Scape. I am so happy to know that this perfume appeals to men as well.
Anu Prestonia recently posted..Natural Perfumes by Anu Essentials
Hubs loves it. It’s interesting because it wears more neroli/jasmine on me and more animalic ambergris on him. I think that’s awesome.
Also, I love the setting in which you presented all the fragrances. Made me long to be a the sea again. Thank you for your lovingly care of our creations!
Anu Prestonia recently posted..Natural Perfumes by Anu Essentials
very interesting read victoria! I am so impressed by your gorgeous pictures and sentimental (that’s a GOOD word), descriptions of the Primordial WATER scents. Thank you thank you!!!
Thank you so much for putting this together and making it happen. It’s an awesome project that has exposed me to so many talented perfumers with original ideas.
Thank you for your kind words on Lylli Bleu, and the wonderful reviews of all the Water Elementals.
Thank you so much for sharing it!
Reading your beautiful words, interpretations, and experiences of the water perfumes was a joy.
I was very honored by your review of my “A Study in Water”. Deeply appreciated!
Thank you so much for sharing your work for this event. A Study in Water is a gorgeous perfume.
Thank you so much Victoria. I was glad to see that A Study in Water didn’t remind you of the sea, but more of rainfall. The concept was to make something that guided the mind to experience the concept of “wet”. That you were taken to that place absolutely made my day!
It’s a gorgeous perfume
Very nice roundup of the Water perfume impressions – obviously these are not the usual dreadful “Aquatic” scents that mainstream fragrance companies want us to think smell like the ocean. They all sound delightful! That Sea Scape must be fantastic.
Oh, how mainstream has ruined the concept of an aquatic! The ocean shouldn’t smell like melons and cucumbers 😉
I really think that each of the perfumers here did an awesome job interpreting “water”. Some of the perfumes are humid and “clean” without smelling like dish soap! Others are moody and dark and deep like the ocean.
It’s really made me feel optimistic about the genre of “aquatics”.
Very interesting! I am a water sign and the description at the end is exactly me. The scents sound lovely, but I’m not sure I need to spending any more time dwelling on the past or pondering the future! 🙂
I’m an Earth sign, and boy am I an Earth sign! And most of my friends are Water signs 😉 I love moody, overly sentimental people that think about the past and worry about the future 🙂
It really is a cool project. These “aquatics” are unlike any perfumes sold mainstream.
I love perfumes that were inspired by a trip. Great post, love to try it.
[…] Set presented by Perfume Pharmer – You can read all about my experience with this sample set here. This set contains 5 indie, artisanal perfumes inspired by water. Four are all-natural and 1 is […]
[…] Here is a post containing more info about the project and blog posts pertaining to this perfume event on Perfume Pharmer. You can sample these perfumes for $24 here. This is an awesome perfume project that has exposed me to some wonderful perfumes and perfumers. You can read my WATER post here. […]
[…] WATER Scents on EAU MG […]
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[…] check out a Brazilian indie perfumer, let me suggest Ane Walsh Perfumes. I’ve reviewed her Essaouira and Robin. I love how she incorporates natural regional essences into her products. I want to see […]
[…] Sea Scape is a sharp, cool scent that really does reminds me of cool seas with rocky beaches. Full review. Retails for $55 at Anu […]