April Aromatics Jasmina: an Ode to Sol Invictus

jasmine peacock floral sculpture, unknown artist

April Aromatics Jasmina has achieved no mean feat in its life as a perfume, and that is to say, its design is focused solely on what the raw ingredients bring to the table, and how best to make them sing in harmony. I believe that to create a successful natural fragrance means several things: the quality of the raw materials must be the best, the skill of the perfumer is crucial, as is her/his taste level, and there should be humility in approaching the process-- because these gifts from the earth and their power is really bigger than all of us.

I have ticked off every box with Berlin perfumer Tanja Bochnig's fragrance Jasmina. Each time I wear it, I am struck dumb for awhile, unable to do anything except inhale the scent. I can't think coherently or even attempt witticisms. It activates the ancient lizard part of my brain that can only process urges... and then I bliss out for undetermined amounts of time. It makes me truly believe that simplicity is the most beautiful thing, and so far from boring. As I make the leap to another part of my brain to use words to explain what I'm thinking and feeling, I must try to assign importance to written and verbal language once again.

Notes: Jasmine Grandiflorum from India and France, Ylang Ylang from Thailand, Pink Grapefruit from US

I've got other jasmine and citrus-based perfumes in my collection that I love very much-- the combination of these notes is always cheerful and is a bona-fide, never-fail anti-depressant. Jasmina takes what I love about jasmine soliflores and intensifies it all.

It goes further with BIG jasmine, BIG pink grapefruit, and one other vital element that makes the jasmine explode as if being viewed through a kaleidoscope- ylang ylang. The ylang ylang gives it a bright but buttery  yellow sunlight feel. The hint of indole, the faintly animalic, earthy timbre, every facet of natural jasmine is honored here and certain ones magnified with impressive skill, restraint, proportion and positivity. Also, the outrageous quality of the raw materials doesn't hurt, either.

And when Jasmina's sun is setting, other colors and shadows draw close, merge and shift. The vast expanse of the world shrinks around you with the darkening sky, until it's just you and your jasmine flower in sweet solitude. The moonlight heralds the arrival of Jasmina In The Dark: the light touch of indole, the slight incense-effect-- almost like champaca-- and the emergence of ylang ylang is much more prevalent on my skin at night, as if the wind takes away part of the fragrance with it as it passes through, or perhaps it could be adding something, just as easily. Or both.

This perfume is so beautiful that it breaks my heart, much in the same way Guerlain's L'Heure Bleue does for me (though I am not comparing these two perfumes at all- they are not similar- just how they effect me). Perhaps the impermanent nature of perfume is responsible for this bittersweet emotion. When one's human failings render them unable to fully process and hold on to such natural beauty, what can they do? Let it go through tears of joy, until the next time.

Tanja Bochnig [photo credit: Holger Geffken]

I am no perfumer, but I do know that a truly great natural perfume is very difficult to make. What seems like just a few ingredients put together actually takes a lot of work and a lot of trial and error-- the perfumer must be like a jazz musician, following subtle clues and not afraid to enter uncharted territory. Aromachemicals are always exactly the same, but natural materials are rarely so. Due to this fact, many adjustments are constantly being made, especially between batches, to allow for the closest possible consistency for the bottles on the shelf.

To my mind, Jasmina is a love poem. Who has written it and who it's written for is not completely evident. I suppose it depends on what you believe. What I believe is that only Tanja could have written this particular poem with a hand guided by her passion and reverence for the earth and her flawless, modern artisan aesthetic and execution. Now, we are fortunate enough to be a small part of it if we'd like to be. It's an invitation that remains open.

[interesting footnote: Tanja works with special Herkimer diamonds as well as crystals, which she uses to infuse her perfumes with, in order to imbue the liquid essences with the specific energy of the diamonds and/or crystals. I was surprised to find a few crystals tinkling in the bottom of my bottle when it arrived! She also creates products for her AromaYoga line as well as a slew of room sprays that sound amazing]

April Aromatics Perfumes are available in the US via Etsy, and overseas directly from the perfumer's website at AprilAromatics.com as well as other shops across the globe .

Product sample provided by the perfumer for my consideration.

Flower Power: In Fiore Night Queen Parfum Solide Haute Concentre

In Fiore is the brainchild of Julie Elliott, who creates fragrances and skin care products with a deft hand and a host of pure floral ingredients that seems dizzying at first. The In Fiore skin care regimen I've been trying out is not tailored to the average American woman who is short on time and can't even bother to take off her makeup before bed. In Fiore is for someone who values her sanity and takes her time indulging the senses simply because she sees the necessity in that. This appeals to my hedonistic side quite a bit, and I will happily take 15 minutes (or more if I'm applying a masque or two) twice a day to make my skin glow supernaturally. There are many steps, and each product works in synergy with the next. Every skin concern is addressed in several products in the line. For me, it's an intoxicating and entertaining process.

Now that you have a little background on the range of products available, I encourage you to take a look around  In Fiore's website to feast your eyes on the aforementioned  lovely products. For now, I will move on to today's main event: Night Queen solid perfume.

Notes: Jasmine Sambac, Grandiflorum and Auriculatum, Bulgarian and Centifolia rose, Italian bergamot peel, saffron, Dark Indonesian patchouli leaf, Oud of Assam

Night Queen Parfum Solide Haute Concentre, one of ten fragrances available, is quite simply a jasmine lover's dream. And I'll even go one better-- I challenge anyone who historically has not enjoyed jasmine as a fragrance note-- this soliflore will be of interest. As you can see from the notes list above, different types of jasmine essences are utilized for different effects, and I think this is the main reason why I love it so much. There are a few of us out there who love the spicy, slightly jagged edge of jasmine sambac, and it's frequently passed over for its more refined sisters (always the bridesmaid...). The moonlight-stippled aura surrounding Night Queen is one of vintage repose and quiet confidence-- it reminds me of this image that I adore:

Just another Monday Night...

Brass mirrored compact each solid comes in

The patchouli and oud are in perfect proportion and lend the blend rich incense tones. The two types of rose used (centifolia and Bulgarian) act as enhancement for the jasmine and contrast for the base, but it's not intense enough by itself to make its presence known unless you're hunting for it. In other words, it's perfect for me. It's a fairly dry scent, yet surprisingly multi-layered with excellent throw. It feels like everything has its place specifically to allow the jasmine to take the lead, and lead it does. I'd follow this Queen anywhere.

The solid perfume compacts are brass with the In Fiore logo etched on to the top, it is quite generously sized, and there is a fully functional makeup mirror inside. The consistency of the beeswax mixture is soft and it spreads well, probably because of the skin-loving jojoba seed oil it contains.

There are a couple of surprises buried within the pretty brass compact-- the honey-scented wax nudges me toward orange blossom on a warm day. As usual, my skin grabs and amplifies any sweetness available to it, but there's only a little bit. Night Queen is devastatingly lush and has made its mark on me. It is now among my very favorite jasmine perfumes. Ever. If you're looking for a perfume in solid form that, strangely, has about the same scent throw as a liquid perfume and/or  if you're a jasmine nut, you need to check out In Fiore solid perfumes, and start with Night Queen. I've already got my "I'll die if I don't try these" list of other In Fiore fragrances I need to take a spin with next. In the spirit of Night Queen, I will proceed with wild abandon.

In Fiore Parfum Solide Haute Concentre in Night Queen (and nine other scents) is $65 and available through   the In Fiore website directly, or at BeautyHabit.com.

[Product sample sent to me by the creator for my consideration.]