January Scent Project Treebuoy (John Biebel) 2018 + Avé Parfum Draw

John Biebel of January Scent Project (photo John)

Perfumer and fine artist John Biebel of January Scent Project is perpetually curious. What a fine thing an inquiring mind is – and what a joy. John was recently approached by Avé Parfum, a web-based boutique specializing in niche and artisan fragrances who wished to carry his fragrance line.

January Scent Project Treebuoy 

John had been working on a scented oil for a few close friends and he thought  it might be a nice introduction to his commencement with Avé Parfum to offer it as an exclusive for the month of February. January Scent Project Treebuoy is an uplifting, contemplative oil perfume swirling around the magnificent fir balsam, that jammy coniferous lusciousness which makes one swoon.

Stock Photo of Fir Trees

It isn’t nice to play favorites, and choosing only one conifer is excruciating, even picking just one woody element alone.The fir balsam coeur which hails from Canada is among Nature’s bounty; it inspires one to work it into a perfume because it is so complex and satisfying: sylvan, resinous, balsamic, fruity, terpenic, warming, and always jammy like forest confiture. It was love at first sniff for me, as it was for him.

Gouache and collage painting detail 2018 John Biebel

How to best showcase January Scent Project Treebuoy without overwhelming the wearer? To offset its roundness and generosity? Its inherent succulence? Enter green mandarin, a beautiful heart note which enhances fir’s balsamic verdancy – granting a juicily floral kiss, for a start. The spicy greenness of cardamom, that blue-green-violet hued anise which whets the appetite, the vanillic/leathery/almond of benzoin to soften, sooth. Geranium’s rosy herbal profile as olfactory complement; a duvet of amber and musk bedecked with Himalayan cedar to envelop oneself against the wintry wind. That cedar is truly something else, a treasured component of sacred perfumery, incense – as deep as the forest primaeval and lingering after all has died down like a sanctified wraith.

Gouache Painting Detail 3 2018 (John)

The very nature of oil perfumes is intimacy: they cling longingly to your skin, your scarves and sweaters, virtually sillage-free. That is one of their unique charms (along with portability) which makes them a pleasure for those times when a perfumed trail is undesirable; when something meditatively comforting is the perfect thing. January Scent Project Treebuoy is such a scent: it elevates the spirits and brings the forest to you, wherever you may find yourself. Respite in winter, and celebration of these days of reflection.

Snow covered Trees  Stock Photo

“One must have a mind of winter,to regard the frost and the boughs

Of the pine-trees crusted with snow; and have been cold a long time

To behold the junipers shagged with ice, the spruces rough in the distant glitter

Of the January sun; and not to think, of any misery in the sound of the wind,

In the sound of a few leaves,which is the sound of the land

Full of the same wind,that is blowing in the same bare place

For the listener, who listens in the snow, and, nothing himself, beholds

Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.” ~ Wallace Stevens, the Snow Man

January Scent Project Treebuoy notes: fir balsam coeur, green mandarin, benzoin, cardamom, anise, geranium, musk, amber, Himalayan cedar.

Sample kindly provided by John Biebel. My nose is my own…

~ Ida Meister, Senior Editor

~ Art Direction: Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief

Note: John Biebel  received CaFleureBon Best of Scent  2017 –Rising Star

Elizabeth Rose of Avé Parfum

Thanks to the generosity of Avé Parfum  who will have the exclusive of (January Scent Project Treebuoy until March 1, 2018) and John Biebel, we are offering a 10 ml bottle of January Scent Project Treebuoy to one registered reader in the USA (be sure to register or your comment will not be counted). 

January Scent Project Treebuoy Parfum Oil

If you are a reader worldwide you can wait until March 1 and enter. To be eligible, tell us what appeals to you about January Scent Project Treebuoy based on Ida’s review,  your favorite January Scent Project fragrance, where you live and what you love about the woods in winter. Draw closes

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like ÇaFleureBon and use our RSS blog feed…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

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23 comments

  • BostonScentGuy says:

    A jammy, conifer “confiture” sounds great! I do love how pine, like many rounded intriguing aromas, has so many facets…fresh, woody, fruity. This sounds like a dream, as a walk through the boreal forest always gets me excited! The description of how the basenotes weave together sounds wonderfully mystical! I don’t live near the woods anymore, but when I did, I loved snowy walks at night. The crunch of fresh snow, the metallic and watery smell of precipitation mixed with woods and pine…I miss it! I’m not familiar with this line, though I have passively followed the reviews of them and would love to try all that I’ve read about! Thanks for the draw. I’m in the US.

  • Tom Schroeder says:

    To be eligible, tell us what appeals to you about January Scent Project Treebuoy based on Ida’s review, your favorite January Scent Project fragrance, where you live and what you love about the woods in winter.

    I searched this winter to find a conifer fragrance for the holidays, finally settling on Serge Lutens Une Fille en Aiguilles. But I wanted something even more coniferous and comforting, and it sounds like Treebuoy would have fit the bill perfectly, being with Balsam Fir and an lovely sounding mix of complementary notes. Last month I discovered Imaginary Authors Cape Heartache, which has Fir as its main scent, but the strawberry takes it in a different direction than what I really hoped for. I have a bottle of January Scent Project Smoulderose, and it is absolutely unique. My sample of Eiderantler takes me on a fougere experience that is wonderful. So I look forward to trying Treebuoy out when I’m in the mood for a cozy conifer-based fragrance oil.

    Growing up in Michigan, I was surrounded by pines and maple trees. One of my favorite memories as a child was being in a wintery stand of maple trees on my grandfather’s farm when the spring thaw had just started. The adults lugged heavy buckets of maple sap and poured them into a giant two by four foot square pan set over a brick fire pit to boil the sap down 40 to 1 to make homemade maple syrup. We all had our own large hand carved wooden spoons to stir the sap and keep it from burning, and once it was reduced to syrup and the session was over, we could keep our maple encrusted spoons and nibble at the carmelized syrup. The experience of being in the woods in late winter/early spring with melting snow, the smell of the fire, sweetness of the boiling sap, and being part of a family endeavor all made for a beautiful memory to last a lifetime. — San Jose, California, USA

  • Caronista says:

    Fir balsam and benzoin in a perfume oil could be my personal heroin, and Wallace Stevens is one of my favorite poets. Lovely review, Ida!

  • QuietlyWaiting says:

    I really enjoy forest scents. I love being able to wear a dab, close my eyes, and feel like I’m trekking through the woods, or lying under the stars, surrounded by trees and crisp moonlight. I’d love to give this one a try – not just for the fir, but the mandarin, anise, and benzoin sound like a really, really nice combination.

    Incidentally, I just got a sample pack from January Scent Project (it didn’t include Treebuoy) – I’m getting over the flu, so haven’t had a chance to test anything yet, but… the package itself smelled insanely good! All of the postcards and test strips had absorbed the smells of the perfumes, and the whole thing was a delight to open 🙂 I’m looking forward to diving in, when my nose is back to normal.

    I’m in the US. Thanks!

  • heartandsoul says:

    I am blessed to live near a very large, wooded park in Ohio. I often take my dog there and the only sounds are our foot(paw)steps. To just be still and breathe in the forest provides a spiritual restoration that works magic. The smell of coniferous trees and fallen needles on the worn paths is truly meditative…just like Ida notes in the article.
    I like that Mr. Biebel created this in oil form. I want to wear it for myself alone, close my eyes and let it take me to the woods.
    I have been fortunate to sample JSP’s entire line (except Treebuoy) and received Selperniku for Christmas. It is the most unique perfume I own. This man knows what he is doing.

  • Gabriel Garcia says:

    My favorite scene in the world is the forest in utah near where I live.
    And my favorite scent is of pinewood,I would love to try the new scent.!
    Thanks

  • doveskylark says:

    I loved reading Ida’s description of the fir balsam. I didn’t know the word “terpenic;” researching that word took me down a bit of a rabbit hole. I love the woods in the winter. I feel like the trees are surviving, so certainly I can survive, too. I have always wanted to try Eiderantler from this line. I love wearing perfume oil in my hair.

  • Vahagn says:

    I loved reading Ida’s description- so reach, beatiful!!!
    I liked how she characterizes the main notes, for example about green, manadine start-“granting a juicily floral kiss”. Very nice!
    from Armenia

  • john lowery says:

    I've read about January Scent Project fragrances. I love walking through the forest in winter. I find the primordial stillness spiritual and comforting. I feel Ida's description of Mr. Biebel perfume encapsulates all that I love about the forest. And that Mr. Biebel has created this in the intimacy of an oil is a blessing. I live in the US.

  • Zibbyz says:

    Oooh, woody, cedar-y, wintery, cardamom, leathery, all wrapped up into one juicy scent, it all sounds lovely, offset by carnation and…what you describe as forest confiture – would love to have a sniff of this! in the US. woods in winter – the solitude, the mineral smell of damp leaves and earth when it’s cold without snow and then the quiet and freezing quality of snowy woods, with the fluffy snow swallowing the noises that you usually make when in the woods….haven’t heard of January Scent project, but I will now take a look – thank you for the lovely review and the draw,

  • Malka Gittel bas Reuven says:

    Fir balsam? Yes! But Wallace Stevens too? Oh, how I love to read Ida’s multifararious connections drawn to scents. I’m sitting in Pennsylvsnia listening to the crunch of movement on ice and reading Wallace Stevens, imagining the scent Ida describes, and the fire, the hot cider, and a pile of cozy blankets are suddenly with me and the cat.

    Winter wood. And green mandarin. Hello, bright side of winter.

  • NiceVULady says:

    This sounds amazing, but then John Biebel’s fragrances are amazing. I spent many weeks in the north woods of Wisconsin and the smell of those trees are incredible. Ooh I want to try this. Thanks so much for the draw. I’m in the USA

  • Galen says:

    I am most intrigued to experience how John presents the woods—especially the cedar. That’s something I have not yet experienced with his other creations, but I know it will be totally unique.

    My favorite JSP fragrance is Smolderose, with Vaporocindro coming in a close second. Both are masterpieces!

    I love the sound of the forest covered in a blanket of snow. It is so eerily calm and silent.

    I live in the US.

  • Cynthia says:

    I love conifer scents. I dind them very soothing and relaxing. The addition of green mandarin and cardomom sound delicious. I would like to try some of the scents from this line. They all sound super interesting. Thanks for the review and the draw. USA

  • NathalieMireille says:

    what appeals to you about January Scent Project Treebuoy – the simple fact that it’s JSP and John is recommendation enough!

    your favorite January Scent Project fragrance – Selperniku. it is a luscious and comforting chameleon that wears a different face for everyone who notices it when i wear it, but they all give me compliments on it.

    where you live – southwest Ohio, but i’m a native of Buffalo, where they have real winters.

    what you love about the woods in winter – YES.

    thank you for the giveaway opportunity!

  • Diana D says:

    This sounds like a really beautiful and comforting scent. I just moved to northern Pennsylvania and absolutely love that I am surrounding by woods. The air is so crisp and smells so clean. The area is so quiet and peaceful. I’d love to get this new scent.
    I live in the US (Pennsylvania)

  • roxhas1cat says:

    I like to go into the woods in the winter when it is snowing with my Dad in Bend, Oregon. Other than that, I don’t venture out in the winter. I am not a fan of winter. So this would be perfect for me, to “bring to forest to me”. I love the spices cardamom and anise! Don’t know if I have smelled them together before. Thanks for the chance! US.

  • Grandiflora says:

    What appeals to me most about January Scent Project Treebuoy based on Ida’s review, is that it’s an oil perfume. The intimacy she described in the way they cling longingly to your skin, your scarves and sweaters, virtually sillage-free sounds appealing. I’d love to have a fragrance that is just for me. I haven’t tried any January Scent Project fragrances, so I’m not sure what my favorite is. I’m from Louisiana, USA. Currently, in Melbourne Australia with work. I love the sights and smells of the woods in winter. The crisp air is amazing! xx

  • harper says:

    oh, i love fir balsam, (in fact, i have a little sachet with balsam fir needles next to my bed that i sniff when the fancy strikes me.) jammy conifer confiture sounds utterly delightful, although i have a hard time imagining it can beat john’s own smolderose edp in my affections — which latter is not only my favorite january scent project perfume, but one of my favorite perfumes, period (actually, i am wearing it today.) also: great sweater, john 🙂 !

  • INYA says:

    I love the duvet reference. Any “greenery” during the cold winter months is welcome. I do love the woods after a big snowfall. The trees seem taller and their silhouettes appear to be much more stately. In the USA. Luck to all.

  • Annatar says:

    Ida’s review reads like a poem, there’s one thing that got to me: the mention of the fir balsam coeur. That sounds exactly like something I could fall in love with! The woods in winter remind me of European fairytales, “Three nuts for Cinderella”, for instance.

    I haven’t tried any January Scent Project fragrances but I’d love to.
    I live in Russia. Not sure if this draw is still open but thank you anyway, guys!