I spritzed Artemisia Natural Perfume’s Rayon Vert, having no idea what to expect. I figured it’d be green of course, maybe a radiant crisp green, but other than that, I had no idea what I was in for. The sun is shining brightly as I write (that’s a rarity in the Pacific Northwest this time of year) which always aids in seizing the day, but Rayon Vert made me straighten my posture a little more when I drew in its fragrance this morning.

Rayon Vert’s opening is peppery, herbal, and leathery. So much for my preconceived notion of green crispness! Vetiver seemed to lend its complexity as I smelled smoky-rootiness throughout the Rayon Vert experience. Vetiver, pink pepper (guessing here), and a full-bodied anise rounded out its opening. An indolic impression was cast in its topnotes, so a tropical floral component, namely tuberose, was sketched in my mind. But just a light, pencil sketch of tuberose as Rayon Vert is not a floral perfume, it’s an earthy and vegetal scent with a moody aura.

After the indolic intensity dissipated, a powderiness surfaced. I have experienced a powdery quality in many perfumes that include vetiver, and I wonder if it’s the vetiver itself that lends this sweet gauzy redolence or possibly a combination of notes, or an accord. Ayala Sender has a very thorough discussion of vetiver on SmellyBlog and it is well worth reading if you have an interest in this versatile and fascinating root.

On the newly revamped Artemisia website, you won’t find a list of Rayon Vert’s notes, but you will discover this description of Rayon Vert: “Intricate mosaic of scents, evoking dark licorice and roots, moss and herbs, wet forest and rain-soaked meadows. Lush pink frangipani (not the tuberose I had imagined) and a special blend of anise-hyssop, all in a swirl of emerald green”.

I love that description as it stands on its own, and agree with most of it. Rayon Vert is most certainly a “mosaic of scents.” It is complex and slightly enigmatic, as the varying components integrate to form one cohesive scent, but also manage to stand alone at times, like a piece of glass in a mosaic that catches the light for just a moment. Anise and roots (am I right on the vetiver?) definitely captivated me, but as I mentioned, Rayon Vert evoked a powdered dryness, and less so a “wet forest and rain-soaked meadows.”

As I complete this review, and enjoy the Rayon Vert lingering on my skin, I ponder the possibility of benzoin in the mix. Might it be benzoin’s warm vanillic aspect that allows vetiver to become soft and gauze-like? I don’t know, but I appreciate that Rayon Vert has kept me guessing. It’s compelling and interesting and well worth experiencing.

Artemisia Natural Perfumes are 100% natural, true to its name. Rayon Vert is available in a 7mg solid which is on sale for $20, 17ml EdP for $64, and 35 ml which is on sale for $96. Sale prices are good until 2/28/2010

Posted by ~Trish

Juliette by John White Alexander (1856-1915) at museumsyndicate.com

Disclosure: A sample of Rayon Vert was provided for this review by Artemisia Natural Perfume. The opinons in this review are my own. I was not financially compensated for this review or any other.

Artemesia Natural Perfume is having their annual sale. Everything in the store is 20% from now until February 14, 2010, including samples. You have to check out the updated website, it is gorgeous! And you can read my reviews of Yuzu Citrus here and Ondine here. Enjoy!

Posted by ~Trish

Ondine. An ondine is a water nymph, beautiful and immortal according to German folklore. Ondine is also the namesake of a natural fragrance worthy of adorning that nymph. That is if the water girl likes to be anointed with milky blossoms washed over transparent woods.

Lisa Fong, creator of Ondine and her line Artemisia Natural Perfume, has made this water lovin’ gal particularly happy as I am partial to woody florals for autumn. Although, it’s not so much woody, but more suggestive of woods. Kewda attar is in the Ondine blend, which is made from the essential oil of kewda flowers and sandalwood oil. I have not smelled kewda flowers on their own, but the attar has a spring bouquet intensity, not unlike hyacinth, which is undeniably flowery. Narcissus is immersed in Ondine’s floral brew as well, making for heady bulb bliss.

I know some of you turned the other way after I mentioned hyacinth. That note seems to be a game changer for many. But read on. It’s not a literal hyacinth that I’m speaking of, the kewda attar simply reminds me of hyacinth upon its opening. The narcissus actually plays a more pivotal role in the topnotes, and the heart gets more earthy-floral as orris and violet leaf wrap themselves around the creamy, gentle sandalwood. Myrrh also gets into Ondine’s business, tiptoeing on the skin so its resinousness is soft and warm, rather than sharp or bitter.

And that’s how Ondine continues…shifting more into the earth, but never completely away from the flowers that blossom out of the earth. Seaweed is also mentioned in the notes on the Artemisia website. (This is a perfume dedicated to a water nymph afterall). However, I never sensed the seaweed, nor a watery or aquatic nature to Ondine. Nevertheless, gorgeous creatures deserve to have a lovely fragrance bestowed upon them, why not a springtime woody floral to keep those darker days at bay just a bit longer?

Ondine is available at Artemisia Natural Perfume. $78 for 17ml.

Posted by ~Trish

Ondine photograph at Ballet.co Galleries

The name for my blog, Scent Hive, is clearly inspired by bees. I’m no expert on these insects, but am fascinated by their amazing ability to communicate with each other and of course their attraction to (and need of) scent and flowers. Communicating about natural scents and beauty products, and a maybe a little sharing of information, is why I started Scent Hive, hence the tagline, “Collect your pollen. Fly away inspired.” I’ve collected a little pollen from the New York Times on colony collapse disorder, or in other words, the disappearance of honeybees. Most of the nitty-gritty behind the vanishing of bee colonies is way over my head, so I appreciate the common sense advice given by Marla Spivak, a professor of entomology at the University of Minnesota:

What can we do to help bees? Plant lots of flowers that provide nectar and pollen for bees, and reduce pesticide use. These two tangible and relatively easy actions, when implemented by many people, can save our bees and restore health and diversity to our agricultural and urban landscapes.

So let’s heed Dr. Spivak’s call to plant more flowers and support perfumers who use real flower essences in their perfumes to get more bees buzzing shall we?

Ayala Moriel Parfums’ The Purple Dress

For this bee focused post, I’ll be reviewing perfumes that have honey notes in them, and Ayala Sender, the creator of Ayala Moriel Parfums will release honey tinged, The Purple Dress, in December 2009. For those of you who love champaca, oud, anise and honey, you might want to go ahead and purchase a sample as they are available now.

The Purple Dress is an elegant tannic brew steeped in anise that is unique in its own right, but is of the same ilk as Aftelier’s Tango, another honeyed perfume. Both are dark and smoky, moody and sexy, and have gorgeous powdery woodsy drydowns. But Tango’s opening exploits champaca’s headiness to its fullest whereas The Purple Dress is probably more versatile in its smoothness. Its champaca is tempered by the lightheartedness of magnolia and an easy touch of honey but also grounded by black tea’s continual presence. According to Ayala’s website, this fragrance is a salute to Alexander Argov, who composed the famous Israeli song, The Purple Dress. You can hear an excerpt of it here and enjoy its evocative melancholic beauty, similar to its namesake perfume.

Artemisia Natural Perfume’s Yuzu Citrus

Yuzu Citrus is the creation of Lisa Fong, founder of Artemisia Natural Perfume. With a description like “honey, lemon verbena, in a subtle grassy base,” you’d think Yuzu Citrus would be all citrusy and green, which it no doubt is. It’s sparkling and uplifting. I feel like a young girl with flaxen hair (I’m a brunette by the way), running amuck in a late summer’s wildflower meadow with grass so dry you can smell the need of rain in the air. But it’s more complex than that thanks to galbanum and frankincense. In the opening and in the heart, there’s an expansion of the grassy/honey pairing that’s warm and haylike and reminiscent of beeswax. Ahhh beeswax! Such a sweet resinous scent that embodies heat and depth. After several hours of skintime, Yuzu Citrus morphs into a delectable liquid honey skinscent. I love it, and it’s most definitely full-bottle-worthy.

I’ll declare Artemisia’s Yuzu Citrus seasonless. A perfect warm weather citrus perfume that’s not too sweet and most certainly not ordinary. And beautifully comforting for those colder days to remind you of the sun’s toasty glow, but grounded enough to not be a tease.

Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Honey

How could I write about bees and honey and not include Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Honey perfume? Honey is a rich, glistening, golden honey perfume. Laurie Stern, the creator of V&SP, uses the word opulent to describe Honey on her website, and I am in full agreement. It strikes me as a wearable vintage perfume. It speaks with a regal tone, but it’s not going to put anyone off. Quite the contrary. Honey will entice with its luxurious notes of French orange blossom, Moroccan and Bulgarian rose, vetiver, and Madagascar vanilla. Bees are offered the chance to use their charms in three different ways in this fragrance, via honey, beeswax and Laurie’s “bee guru’s” propolis. Not one note in particular stands out on its own in Honey, but rather all are joined together harmoniously and expertly in a floral gourmand with a vintage edge.

And the best bit? Laurie is a bee keeper, enabling her to use the honey and beeswax from her hive for use in her Honey perfume and other products. Additionally, as with all of the aforementioned perfumers (Ayala Moriel Parfums, Aftelier and Artemisia Natural Perfumes) V&SP perfumes are 100% all natural. That means nothing synthetic, no petroleum products and no phthalates. So enjoy your honey!

Many thanks to Roxana of Roxana Illuminated Perfume for organizing this Bee Celebration. I am honored to be included in such illustrious company. Please check out the following list of bloggers for their posts inspired by bees and their honey:

Roxana’s Blog

Perfume Shrine

The Non Blonde

Beth Gehring

Donna Hathaway

Posted by ~Trish

Bee Illustration ©Roxana Villa