BUD Parfums-Natural Fragrances from Down Under + Reader’s Choice Sample Draw

When one hears the word “Australia”, one thinks of Aborigines, kangaroos, beautiful beaches, the Outback…anything but perfume! Despite coming from the distant island continent of Australia, Howard Jarvis has taken his passion for perfume and created a company that is responsible, natural and made very fine fragrances. Howard (Bud to his mates) remembers when perfume “meant something”. It was special, and he has created scents that remember when fragrances were made from natural sources (whenever possible), a time when a precious signature scent spoke volumes more than all the cheap and commercial scents available today.

 

According to Mr. Jarvis: “Everything old is new again.”, and he has tried to create perfumes that harken back to an older age…an era where beautiful perfumes are “conjured” by Master Perfumers (by hand) with love, and not some Industry dictated “by the numbers” formula. Tired of scents by starlets, sports stars and models just making money off their uber-famous names, and not the quality of their products, Howard has gone back to the proverbial drawing board, donned his lab coat and “alchemist” cap and created some truly beautiful original perfumes. Many have intriguing names like: Ugly Bastard, Jezebel, Naiad and IF. 

All of BUD’s scents are available in many sizes (from 2 ml samples to 150 ml) with prices ranging from $2 to $1 per milliliter (depending on size ordered). One of the most unique features of this company is their packaging.  All scents come in nondescript refill bottles; however, they also have available beautifully crafted artisan bottles (some metal and many hand blown works of glass art) for holding your desired scent. Each glass bottle is a one of a kind creation that makes it special and just for you. Your own personal unique bespoke scent can also be created and more about this can be found on their website.


Whoa de Cologne was the first name that caught my eye. Conditioned by the Industry to expect citrus, greens and woods by anything with “Cologne” in its name, I was pleasantly surprised to find a heady blend of tobacco and leather. Described as a scent for your hidden “cowboy within” and meant to remind you of your dad’s old shirts, this blend of musky spice with the added warmth of a well-used saddle and wisps of pipe smoke is a beautiful blend of herbaceous clarity, a deep tobacco note and soft supple leather. It begins rather fresh and sharp and settles to a sexy skinscent that gives an air of sensual yet rugged masculinity. Wear it with jeans and a flannel on a cooler summer night or a mild autumn day. Sillage: good. Longevity: average

 

The Gamekeeper intrigued me as it is not too often one finds, nowadays, a purely masculine chypre. This divine perfume is a blend of petit grain, palmarosa oil, orange blossoms, patchouli, oak moss, labdanum and musk. It is inspired by the game keeper in D.H. Lawrence’s “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”. If you can imagine the scent of a gorgeous vintage perfume inverted and meant for a man, you have an idea of what this smells like. Citric leaves and blossoms, along with a very dry oak moss, keep it green and lively. Palmarosa (a species of grass from the lemongrass genus), which is naturally high in gerianol, adds a stunning clarity to this and keeps the labdanum, musks and patchouli all in balance. This is truly amazing modern scent, not only in its development but relative complexity.  A true “must sniff” for all vintage perfume and chypre lovers. Aspects of fresh softness and oriental earthiness all come together creating something from another time, something soul stirring and eternal. Sillage: very good. Longevity: exceptional.


Assassin is a woody spicy perfume, by definition, yet is so much more. “Not Lawrence of Arabia or a ninja, but something in between” is the perfect description of this perfume. More than a trip to the spice market, Assassin has the sharp focus of its namesake. Restrained in its projection, it lingers close to the skin not unlike a silent killer in the shadows. Once it is detected, you can never forget it. A lively tonic-like opening of green effervescence leads you to a heart of sweet and savory spiciness. Warm, like a soft desert wind, this scent wraps around you softly (almost without you noticing it) and creates a feeling of adventure and exotic locales. I detect lovely subtle resins sprinkled over balmy woods and even after it fades, I can still catch teasing whiffs of anise, cinnamon/nutmeg and saffron. Truly, this is a perfect scent for cooler times and when you want something delicious, subtle and mysterious. Sillage: close but gorgeous. Longevity: Above average.


Fleur de Lilac is more than a “soliflore” perfume and it pays tribute to my personal favorite flower: the lilac. Syringa vulgaris (the scientific name for common lilac) is known for its spring like aroma, containing hints of green, slightly powdery and almond-like nuances. On the website, lilac is NOT listed in the ingredients, (but IS in the description) yet here my nose is pressed to my wrist as the combined notes of ylang, gardenia, jasmine, sweet violet flowers, hyacinth and heliotrope result in a simply gorgeous composition. Like a Monet watercolor of purple flowers, this takes strong and heady floral essences and brushes them softly together to create a gentle scentscape. After a while, the lilacs fade somewhat and the fuller, more creamy, flowers appear, Lilac still dances barefoot, here and there, around them. She leads the dance and they honor her; though as it dries more heliotrope and ylang become more prominent. Not as powdery as you might expect (given violet and heliotrope) Fleur de Lilac is a warm spring day, full of promise and beauty. Projection: good. Longevity: above average.


Naiad drew my attention because of its obvious mythological reference. Naiads (from naien, meaning “to flow”) were semi-divine spirits that personified springs, fountains and brooks in ancient Greece. Just like its mythological predecessors, this scent grabbed me (on first sniff) and pulled me into its watery embrace. Not your typical “watery” floral with an overdose of lotus or water lilies, Naiad is a green fernlike scent with an aqueous musk and hints of moss swaying in a cool forest breeze. There are flowers here, but they are more like ones resting on the surface of the water that float softly and release a cool, slightly damp sweetness I find unique and wonderful. Naiads typical wore flowers in their hair, braiding them in, and this perfume reminds one of such a creature. Perfect for warmer Spring days and summer nights, this blends “green” and floral in a whole new way. Sillage: very good. Longevity: good.


These were my first picks for samples. I also have a sample of Pomegranate Rouge which is (to my nose) the most realistic pomegranate scent I have ever smelled. These reviews are based on 2 ml sample bottles from BUD Parfums.

Any five of their scents can be ordered in this size for $20 US dollars via their website http://www.budparfums.com.au and they ship worldwide.

Also thanks to BUD Parfums we have a giveaway of a set of five 2mL samples of the reader’s choice. To be entered in the draw go visit the website and name which five perfumes you would choose. We will draw one winner on March 18, 2012 via random.org.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilt perfume.

John Reasinger, Weekly Contributor

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37 comments

  • I would choose “Fleur De Lilac”, “NAIAD”, “Sweetheart”, “Elysium”, and “Whoa De Cologne”. Enjoyed looking at the perfume bottles. I have a few that were my mother’s and find them interesting. Great read. thanks for the draw.

  • I loved reading your reviews John! Oh my gosh, so many of them sound so intriguing! I am absolutely interested in Assassin, your review of that one makes me really want to try it. If I were so lucky to win the draw, the other 4 I would pick (this is hard) are Jessica, Gnosis, Elysium and Naiad. Thanks for the great read!

  • Tami Holubar says:

    Thanks for the draw! I would choose. Sweetheart, Goddess, Rouge Pomegranate, Ooh La La and Naiad.

  • I would choose Ugly Bastard, Whoa de Cologne, The Gamekeeper, If and Assassin.
    Thanks for the draw

  • Lovely reading! I would choose Nurture, Naiad, Fleur de Lilac, Scarlet, and Jezebel. Thanks for the draw!

  • Oh how fun to find a new brand. Australia is moving up in the perfume world!
    I would pick Ooh La La, Sophia, Jezebel, Whoa de Cologne and Ugly Bastard.

  • These sound really interesting, i would like to sample: elysium, ooh la la, scarlet, assassin, and fleur de lilac. Assassin sounds the most interesting. Could it be the name?!

  • Strangeways says:

    I would choose The Gamekeeper, Whoa de Cologne, Assassin, Ugly bastard and If. Thanks for the draw!

  • Wonderful draw. I’m really excited about this one.

    I would choose: Pur Blond, Rouge Pomegranate, Sweetheart, Fleur de Lilac and Autumn.

  • marcopietro says:

    Thanks for the draw! Presentation very interesting and beautiful new discovery to me. My choices: The Gamekeeper, Ugly Bastard, Whoa de Cologne, Ripsilver and Kalgoorlie.

  • DeGeGermany says:

    Knowing the Bud creations I can assure you all, whatever your pick might be in the draw (good luck to all) you can’t go wrong. All the scents are just wonderful!!!
    My favourites at the moment are Sophia, Scarlett and Autumn (which I have at home!) for ladies and El Diablo, Ugly Bastard and If for the gents.
    I’m the biggest FAN!! but I’m NOT entering the draw, thank you.

  • Great reviews and I love the scent descriptions on the website. I would choose If, Ugly Bastard, Jezebel, Goddess and Elysium. Thanks for the opportunity!

  • I’ve tried a few of these (so no need to enter me in the draw!) and I just wanted to chime in and say ‘If’ was a very beautiful scent. Cool name too!

  • noetic owl says:

    Goodness they all sound so fantastic it was hard to choose just five but here it goes: Gnosis, OOH La La, Pur Blond, Pomegranate rouge and Nurture. Thanks for the draw!

  • So many choices. Such an interesting story.
    Sweetheart, Scarlet, Elysium, Fleur de lilac, Naiad. :))

    Thank you.

  • My choices are: Whoa de Cologne, Fleur de Lilac, Autumn, Kalgoorlie and Naiad.
    Interesting brand, I need to smell all!
    Thanks for the draw

  • these sound lovely.
    i’d choose:

    gamekeeper
    assassin
    IF
    whoa de cologne
    ugly bastard.

    🙂

  • All of them are delicious, the five I would like to try the most are Rouge pomegranate, Gnosis, Elysium,Jezebel &Pur Blond. Tough choice!!

  • Thanks for the draw and great review!

    I would choose: Assassin, Jezebel, Scarlet, Sweetheart, and If.

  • Great article! I’d pick: Jezebel, Naiad, Nurture, Ooh La La & Scarlet. These sound gorgeous!

  • Anna in Edinburgh says:

    More difficult choices – so many tempting scents from this striking Australian company!

    Narrowed it down to five:

    Elysium;
    Fleur de Lilac;
    Nurture;
    Ooh La La;
    Sweetheart.

    And that was so tricky to do, honestly.

    Submitting before I revise again!

  • Tourbillion says:

    Really enjoyed this review! For me, I’d chose:
    Nurture
    Sweetheart
    NAIAD
    Godess
    Fleur de Lilac

    But the boys’ scents sound interesting too!

  • As tempting as Ugly Bastard sounds, I’m gonna have to skip it and go with Sweetheart, Scarlet, Elysium, Fleur de lilac, and Naiad.

  • Very exciting.. I’d love to try: The Gamekeeper, Assasin, Fleur de Lilac, IF, Elysium =) and many more actually….

  • TimeaZsofia says:

    I would choos “Autumn”, “Jessica”, “Nursure”, “Ooh La La” and “Sweetheart”.
    Thank you for this fantastic draw!

  • These sound delicious! From your reviews, Assassin jumped out at me–it sounds divine! Then I went to the site, and there are so many of these wonderful scents which sound very ‘me’ and which I would love to try! SO hard to narrow it down…

    I would choose:
    Scarlet
    Pur Blond
    Assassin
    El Diablo
    Kalgoorlie

  • My thanks goes to John for such a great article. It’s exciting to hear from so many perfume lovers. Thank you to all of you for sample requests. Please keep an eye on our website for the next unusual project. Cheers, Howard Jarvis, Bud Parfums.

  • I would choose Autumn, Sweetheart, Scarlet, Jezebel, and Pur Blond. Thanks for the fun article & draw!

  • Thank you for the chance. I would choose Sweetheart, Goddess, Pur Blond, Scarlet, and Elysium.

  • I would love to try Scarlet, Sophia, Autumn, Nuture and Jezebel. I could keep going as they all sound wonderful :)Thank you for the drawing!