Collect your pollen. Fly away inspired.
Posted in Anya's Garden on Mar 30th, 2009
It’s such a pleasure to experience a perfume without having seen any advertising, marketing, or even peeked at the perfumer’s website. To be able to wear a fragrance relatively free of those associations and without expectations is a rarity these days of media overload. My only prelude to Rivercali was knowing that its creator, Anya McCoy, [...]
Posted in In Fiore Body on Mar 26th, 2009
I am recently back from my trip to San Francisco, and unfortunately did not get a chance to visit the In Fiore retail shop. They aren’t open on the weekends anymore, and don’t hold many retail hours in general. So I don’t have anything to report in terms of smelling their perfume solids like I [...]
Posted in Body Care on Mar 23rd, 2009
Winners of the Chergui decants are SUZY and ALYSSA! Send me your addresses at scenthive@gmail.com and I’ll send them off ASAP. Congrats!
I have several criteria that need to be met before I fall in love with a body wash. Easy to use packaging. Recyclable packaging. Reasonably priced. Rich and foamy, luxuriously cleansing lather. Wonderful smell. And [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Mar 17th, 2009
I know it may seem unlikely that my first giveaway would be for a traditional, non-organic perfume, but there is a story here. This past holiday season, Victoria over at Bois de Jasmin held a charity raffle. Low and behold I won, and chose Chergui. Bois de Jasmin has been a wonderful source of information [...]
Posted in Strange Invisible Perfumes on Mar 15th, 2009
Testament
Oh, let it be a night of lyric rain
And singing breezes, when my bell is tolled.
I have so loved the rain that I would hold
Last in my ears its friendly, dim refraln.
I shall lie cool and quiet, who have lain
Fevered, and watched the book of day unfold.
Death will not see me flinch; the [...]
Posted in Pacifica on Mar 13th, 2009
After I posted my review of Pacifica’s Spanish Amber perfume, there was some concern in the comments about the use of synthetic ingredients in their formulations. I corresponded directly with owner Brook Harvey-Taylor and she clarified this issue. Pacifica’s products contain 85-95% naturally derived ingredients, with most products falling on the high end of this scale. [...]
Posted in Guerlain on Mar 10th, 2009
I’m not going to write many reviews for “traditional” perfumes on Scent Hive unless it is really, really special. And well, Apres L’Ondee is really, really special. It’s difficult to know where to begin discussing this fabled perfume, as so much has already been poetically written in its regard. It’s been said to makes one’s heart [...]
Posted in Red Flower on Mar 7th, 2009
A few days ago I reviewed Red Flower’s organic perfume Champa and gave a brief overview of the company’s founder Yael Alkalay. Today, I will continue with reviews of Ambrette and Guaiac. Like Champa, Ambrette and Guaiac are USDA certified organic and have no petro-chemicals, phthalates, or synthetics.
Ambrette begins quite citrusy. A well blended, bitter [...]
Posted in Red Flower on Mar 4th, 2009
Red Flower was founded by Yael Alkalay in 1999 with a set of six candles, two organic teas, and a vision for people to create ritual and beauty in their everyday lives. Ms. Alkalay’s heritage is Russian, Bulgarian and Argentinean and she acknowledges her lineage within her products. For example, the mint and lavender used in [...]
Posted in Pacifica on Mar 1st, 2009
Pacifica makes a bold claim on its website. “This is the best Amber in the world.” I am not an amber lover, so I can neither confirm nor deny that statement, but I certainly love their confidence. And I do love their business model. Take a look at the founders’ Standards and Ethics and you’ll [...]
