Moments were painted on tobacco leaves. Sun shone over sepia fields, sky shimmered sharp silver like cool camphor over the images of bitter cumin and dried stalks, of flying hay over clayey soils, still soft from the past summer rain, still moist were the roots lying within, and somewhere in the distance, animals were in the shade of a barn. Warm seemed the light in the tobacco leaves, myrrh pulsed through their veins, like nectar in wild summer flowers that hummed with the spices above the earth.
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Abby Hinsman handcrafts her botanical fragrances. Most of the materials she either grows herself or harvests in her two-and-a-half-acre forest in Vermont. Accordingly, both her fragrances and delivery times vary, as she only produces very small batches.
"Mars in Venus" begins with a spicy-cool accord of camphor-like bitter cardamom, bitter-fennel cumin, a bit of civet, and orange blossom, before soon bright tobacco leaf, hay (immortelle), and earthy-rooty aromas (oud, vetiver) become more dominant. Alongside the sweet myrrh resin, which adds more volume to the fragrance, light animalistic undertones of oud create the impression of a bucolic summer landscape. The image remains close to the skin for a good eight hours.
wonderful scent profile - moments painted on tobacco leaves - so beautiful! I'm not sure if it would be my fragrance, but I agree with FrauKirsche: always a pleasure to visit Floyd's exhibition!
Do you use a quill and inkpot for such pictures? Sitting in a cushioned armchair at a wide, dark desk with brass fittings on the drawers, where handmade paper awaits you in a leather folder?
Or is it more like between Playmobil and piles of work, pushing the chaos aside to make room for the keyboard, quickly typing out what’s already been brewing in your head?
No matter! It's fascinating - as always!!!
Aside from your beautiful description, I find it highly remarkable that the perfumer grows and processes her own raw materials. Just think about how much work that involves and how much know-how it requires. Now that's what I call the art of perfumery!
Walking through such summer fields again is already something to look forward to.
Until then, I’ll just enjoy your beautiful review of the lovely Mars in Venus ;)
That all sounds amazing, beautifully described. Exactly my thing. If it were available as a perfume, it would definitely go on my wishlist, but I really don’t get along with solids at all.
... for me, the animalistic notes would only be a pleasure in the context of your nature painting... a lovely idyll - and it seems like it’s good for the nose too :)) ... (I’m assuming that the civet was hopefully added synthetically) :)
Well, if you can filter out the oud and immortelle, then it's okay for me. But as it is, it's not a treasure scent. However, you did a great job with the description again.
I find your picture of the summer fields soothing and inviting .. warm, bright, shimmering, pulsating .. I really like the moments on the tobacco leaves.
Sounds like a fragrance that really appeals to me. It seems to be a composition that reflects the mood of a landscape rather than aiming for a specific occasion. And solid perfumes have their charm.
The mention of tobacco definitely catches my attention! However, from your description, I suspect it gets overshadowed by the many other notes. But animalic undertones do make me more curious!
Dreamy, these painted moments on the tobacco leaves, the vibrancy of your images is always so beautiful :)..
The pulsating myrrh in the veins and the sepia fields, that just sounds delightful..
Or is it more like between Playmobil and piles of work, pushing the chaos aside to make room for the keyboard, quickly typing out what’s already been brewing in your head?
No matter! It's fascinating - as always!!!
Until then, I’ll just enjoy your beautiful review of the lovely Mars in Venus ;)
(is the name meant to be astrological or animalistic??).
The pulsating myrrh in the veins and the sepia fields, that just sounds delightful..