Hay
Grass
Wildflower honey
Poppy
Sweet vernal grass
Vanilla leaf06/21/2025
Mairuwa
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Mairuwa
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7
Shepherding in the countryside
Names raise expectations; big names raise correspondingly high expectations. You have to, and should, live up to them. Is "A Roll In The Hay" a big name? First of all, it sounds more down-to-earth than pompous. But if you consider the connotations associated with it, you can't help but think that it raises expectations. "A Role in the Hay" - on the one hand, this may conjure up nostalgic childhood memories, which generally leave no one indifferent, but are, on the contrary, highly emotional. On the other hand, the term is a somewhat old-fashioned term in English for, well, what would be the correspondingly old-fashioned term in German? Techtelmechtel? Shepherd's hour? Probably the most literal translation - Mit-jememand-ins-Heu-gehen - is also the most appropriate. It's a great name that evokes both nostalgic and erotic associations. Does the fragrance of the House of Alkemia live up to this?
So much for now: I really like the fragrance. A summer fragrance, slightly spicy, fresh. A light honey note, which is not sweet, rather waxy, resonates. Later, there is a hint of vanilla underneath. The hay is also there, unmistakably. But it is June, the meadows are freshly mown and I can allow myself the meticulousness to empirically test the authenticity of the hay note. And that's when the scent, with all that it sets out to conjure up, collapses like a house of cards. Walking through the meadows immediately conjures up images. Nostalgic dreams. Scraps of memories. Even erotic ones. On the wrist, on the other hand, the nose feels nagged. Above all, the actually beautiful honey almost becomes a disturbing note here. The only thing that comes to mind are the straw flowers of a wreath weaving workshop, but not a freshly mown meadow or a barn.
Maybe that's unfair. Am I being too harsh? I want to like the scent. If I give it a second chance, if I return home, I forget the name and everything it seems to promise and then can't deliver!
Based in Amherst, Massachusetts, Sharra Lamoureaux's Alkemia label has an almost unbelievable repertoire of natural fragrances. When I last reviewed it a quarter of a year ago, there were 586, but the Parfumo database now lists 613! I like quite a few of them very much. And yet it cannot be denied that a similar basic note resonates in many of them. Certainly every perfumer, every house has a "signature" and this certain recognition value is appreciated and justified. And yet, based on the enormous output alone, one can only assume that certain building blocks are used and varied again and again. That's fine in itself, of course. It creates a large palette from which everyone can choose their favorite variation of certain themes according to their individual needs - and presumably everyone who is just generally open to natural fragrances will find what they are looking for. However, perhaps this approach is somewhat at odds with the aim of creating thematic concept fragrances, which should not be modular fragrances but approach each theme individually. I don't want to be too critical here either. Many themes are surprisingly well realized and it is only when comparing a larger series of fragrances from the house that the similarity of the structure really becomes apparent. And perhaps in this particular case it is simply my problem of personal expectations in view of the (for me!) big name. Perhaps Sharra Lamoureaux did not intend to evoke the associations I am looking for here. On Alkemia's website, the page of "A Roll in the Hay" is decorated with a detail of Auguste Leveque's painting "The Lovers", which presumably actually served as inspiration. The poppies, which are also indicated as a note, are also clearly recognizable here, and the lovely, slightly waxy honey note and the hint of vanilla in the base are probably simply emanating from the body of the lady stretched out in the hay with her lover. As an image, it all makes sense. But not missing the point. Only for me, the hoped-for magic doesn't work. Still, it's a lovely fragrance. And if I ever feel like going into the hay, luckily there are still plenty of meadows in the area.
Thanks again to BeJot for the sample!
So much for now: I really like the fragrance. A summer fragrance, slightly spicy, fresh. A light honey note, which is not sweet, rather waxy, resonates. Later, there is a hint of vanilla underneath. The hay is also there, unmistakably. But it is June, the meadows are freshly mown and I can allow myself the meticulousness to empirically test the authenticity of the hay note. And that's when the scent, with all that it sets out to conjure up, collapses like a house of cards. Walking through the meadows immediately conjures up images. Nostalgic dreams. Scraps of memories. Even erotic ones. On the wrist, on the other hand, the nose feels nagged. Above all, the actually beautiful honey almost becomes a disturbing note here. The only thing that comes to mind are the straw flowers of a wreath weaving workshop, but not a freshly mown meadow or a barn.
Maybe that's unfair. Am I being too harsh? I want to like the scent. If I give it a second chance, if I return home, I forget the name and everything it seems to promise and then can't deliver!
Based in Amherst, Massachusetts, Sharra Lamoureaux's Alkemia label has an almost unbelievable repertoire of natural fragrances. When I last reviewed it a quarter of a year ago, there were 586, but the Parfumo database now lists 613! I like quite a few of them very much. And yet it cannot be denied that a similar basic note resonates in many of them. Certainly every perfumer, every house has a "signature" and this certain recognition value is appreciated and justified. And yet, based on the enormous output alone, one can only assume that certain building blocks are used and varied again and again. That's fine in itself, of course. It creates a large palette from which everyone can choose their favorite variation of certain themes according to their individual needs - and presumably everyone who is just generally open to natural fragrances will find what they are looking for. However, perhaps this approach is somewhat at odds with the aim of creating thematic concept fragrances, which should not be modular fragrances but approach each theme individually. I don't want to be too critical here either. Many themes are surprisingly well realized and it is only when comparing a larger series of fragrances from the house that the similarity of the structure really becomes apparent. And perhaps in this particular case it is simply my problem of personal expectations in view of the (for me!) big name. Perhaps Sharra Lamoureaux did not intend to evoke the associations I am looking for here. On Alkemia's website, the page of "A Roll in the Hay" is decorated with a detail of Auguste Leveque's painting "The Lovers", which presumably actually served as inspiration. The poppies, which are also indicated as a note, are also clearly recognizable here, and the lovely, slightly waxy honey note and the hint of vanilla in the base are probably simply emanating from the body of the lady stretched out in the hay with her lover. As an image, it all makes sense. But not missing the point. Only for me, the hoped-for magic doesn't work. Still, it's a lovely fragrance. And if I ever feel like going into the hay, luckily there are still plenty of meadows in the area.
Thanks again to BeJot for the sample!
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