This Valentine’s Day, Roxana Villa of Roxana Illuminated Perfumes has created the perfect gift, a beautiful set of solid fragrances. Chocolate is the unifying note of this solid perfume series and is presented in adorable truffle boxes as a duo or quartet, as well as a complete sample set of all six. Roxana works only with pure botanical essences including the chocolate aroma for her new series. The solid perfumes are made with Scharffen Berger 99% cacao, cocoa butter, organic cocoa powder and theobroma cacao extract from South America. Beeswax, and jojoba seed oil comprise the base of the solids, making them creamy and luxurious to apply.
Noir is dark and bitter with a richness only high quality chocolate can impart. But as the darkness of the chocolate opening faded, the darkness of moist earth began. Patchouli became the prominent note in Noir’s heart, and remained so until the drydown. This patchouli doesn’t have the fecund mintiness that I have grown to prefer, but it nevertheless is a superb patchouli that gets your hands dirty in rich, warm soil.
Cerise is a cherry truffle scent. I am not a cherry/chocolate person when it comes to my preferred candy choices and I probably would have passed it by if it weren’t for this review. Turns out, Cerise is one of my favorites of the six. Its cherry was like a sweet port rather than a cloying syrup and was very well-balanced against the intensity of Scharffen Berger’s 99% cacao. The cherries morphed into blackberries on my skin, recalling the dog days of summer. Yet, as those last summer days are a reminder that time is fleeting, Cerise was fleeting too. It didn’t last nearly as long as Noir, but because I adore Cerise I would not hesitate to buy the compact and I do hope that Roxana makes this into a body butter.
La Forêt is probably the least chocolatey of the six, but nevertheless, my favorite of the bunch. It’s a “dense conifer forest” as Roxana describes, and indeed the aroma of pine, spruce, and fir welled up when applied. La Forêt is reminiscent of Mandy Aftel’s Fig which has an equally sophisticated and dense piney scent. But whereas Fig is jammy and teeming with jasmine’s floral intensity, La Forêt’s greenness is augmented by unsweetened chocolate. Winter holidays come to mind whenever I smell such a lovely pine scent, but keep in mind, this scent is used in aromatherapy to refresh and revitalize any time of year.
L’Orangerie took me by surprise. I thought it would smell just like those chocolate covered orange sticks that are scrumptuous, but I wasn’t sure I would want to wear that scent on my skin. Well, I was right and wrong. They do smell like those candies, and I love smelling like a box of them! The orange is radiant, and more like a ripe juicy tangerine with its sweetness. The chocolate in L’Orangerie seems sweeter because of this, never overwhelming the bright citrus.
Bois de Chocolat is the solid I have worn the most, and after wearing it again last night, I might have to rethink claiming La Forêt as my favorite. “Smokey woods and chocolate” is the scent description from Roxana, and it is indeed smoky. My impression of the woods in Bois de Chocolat is that of Agarwood (oud). It’s got the tangy, freshly chopped wood quality that I associate with Agarwood. Bois de Chocolat is a gentler version of Oudh Lacquer, another smoky/chocolate/agarwood scent that Liz Zorn created last year. Oudh Lacquer is a gorgeous perfume, but might be too intense for some tastes. Bois de Chocolat is the Yin to Oudh Lacquer’s Yang. So give Bois de Chocolate a go if you’re looking for a more subdued yet equally enticing experience.
L‘epice is a spicy mix of cloves, cinnamon and bitter orange rind. Are you familiar with Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice tea? I drink that brew frequently, and L’epice is reminiscent of its spicy goodness. Roxana doesn’t list the specific notes for her chocolate fragrances, but states that L’epice is: “Spice, hint of vanilla and chocolate”. The vanilla and chocolate escaped me, and I would love to smell more of those notes in L’epice. Regardless, it’s a lovely mulled spice perfume that hastens comfort and a touch of sensuality.
Now for the giveaway info! Go to Roxana’s Etsy site to check out the 5gm jar and pick the one from the Chocolate Series you would like to win. Leave a comment telling me which one you want and you will be entered. You are eligible for extra entries, one each, by following Roxana on Twitter and/or her Blog. You can get can also get extra entries if you follow Scent Hive on Bloglovin, Twitter, Google Friend Connect, Facebook’s Networked Blogs, or subscribe to Scent Hive. (Check the right sidebar for the Scent Hive links). Please let me know in your comments what you did so you can get the entries you deserve!
Update: Because of the amazing response I need to pick the winner sooner than I thought! You can enter until Friday January 29th at 9pm PST. Comments closed, I’ll announce the winner soon!
And just for fun, two extra entries if you Tweet about this giveaway. Use this short link (http://bit.ly/5SIuAx) within your tweet. You can let me know by posting the Twitter link in your comment.
Posted by ~Trish
Disclosure: Samples from Roxana Illuminated Perfume were provided for this review. The opinons in this review are my own. I was not financially compensated for this review or any other.
Illustration by Greg Spalenka at Spalenka.com
I would want to try Épices.
Love your name Cabootique! You are entered
~T
I would love the Noir – who can resist patchouli?
I follow Roxana’s blog and on Twitter.
I follow Scenthive on Twitter and with Google Friend Connect
I tweeted http://twitter.com/EVA_n_essence/status/8293678709
Hi Eva,
Thanks for all the follows and for tweeting
That gets you 7 entries.
Good luck,
Trish
I’d love to try Bois de Chocolat or L’epice- I can’t decide which!
Mujercita,
That’s OK, if you win you can decide then
Good luck!
Trish
I would love to win Épices. It looks great!
Thanks for the chance.
I follow – Facebook’s Networked Blogs (Lilly Papers)
Eliane T.,
Thanks for the FB blog follow, that’s 2 entries for you! Good luck, you made a lovely choice with Epices!
~T
I would love to try Cerise. They all look so good, but this one is my favorite. Thank you for this nice giveaway and please count me in.
chinook92 at gmail dot com
I follow Roxana on Twitter as chinook92
chinook92 at gmail dot com
I follow Scent Hive on Twitter as chinook92
chinook92 at gmail dot com
I follow Scent Hive via Google Friends.
chinook92 at gmail dot com
I follow Scent Hive thru FB Networked Blogs as Lee Pearson
chinook92 at gmail dot com
I subscribe to Scent Hive by email.
chinook92 at gmail dot com
I tweeted:
http://twitter.com/chinook92/status/8302178472
chinook92 at gmail dot com
Lee,
Thanks for all the follows and the Tweet!
That’s 8 entries for you.
Best of luck,
Trish
I would absolutely love the Épices Chocolate Natural Perfume
bluebelle0367(at)hotmail(dot)com
I follow RoxanaVilla on twitter as Prairiebelle
bluebelle0367(at)hotmail(dot)com
I follow ScentHive on twitter as Prairiebelle
bluebelle0367(at)hotmail(dot)com
I follow on google friend connect
bluebelle0367(at)hotmail(dot)com
I follow on networked blogs – belinda m
bluebelle0367(at)hotmail(dot)com
tweeted
http://twitter.com/Prairiebelle/status/8302788137
bluebelle0367(at)hotmail(dot)com
1
tweeted
http://twitter.com/Prairiebelle/status/8302788137
bluebelle0367(at)hotmail(dot)com
2
Belinda,
Thank you for Tweeting and for the many follows!
That’s 7 entries for you!
Best,
T
I want to try the Epices ( :
AJ,
Great pick!
Best of luck,
~T
Oh my, I would love to try Cerise!
cassandrawebb82 at yahoo dot com
I am following RoxanaVilla on Twitter as cassandrawebb.
cassandrawebb82 at yahoo dot com
I am following Roxana’s blog as Cass Webb.
cassandrawebb82 at yahoo dot com
Cassandra,
Will put you down for three entries, thanks for stopping by!
~T
Epices would be my choice
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
Linda,
I love Epices! Great choice.
Good luck,
~T
I had a really hard time trying to choose just one. I love perfumes! So I think I will choose the Solid Natural Perfume Trio. then I will have more time to figure out which ones that I want. ambrerose(at)aol.com
Hi Rose,
It is a tough choice! But if you win, you’ll have to make one b/c the giveaway is for one 5gm pot of your choosing. The trio isn’t one of the choices.
Best of luck!
~T
Oh, man- how many times have I wished I could wear Bengal Spice as a perfume? L’epice for me, aboslutely!
Seriously, Bengal Spice is the best!
Glad you agree!
Good luck,
Trish
once again, a beautifully written article with an amazing picture. thank you…
Thanks for commenting J! The illustration is by the perfumer’s husband Greg Spalenka.
Best of luck to you in the drawing!
~T
Hey, Not sure if I qualify as I live in Canada, but I would definitely pick the Épices. How could you go wrong with Vanilla and Chocolate?
ayoung3360@hotmail.com
Hi Amber,
Canada works
Thanks for entering!
~T