One of the best things about my position as Managing Editor of CaFleureBon is the opportunity for me to meet the artists behind the fragrance and listen to what inspires them to make their fragrances. Dawn Spencer Hurwitz is one of those perfumers who always have something interesting to tell me when I get a new set of fragrances to try. Her latest set of releases due to be released in the next couple of months have her returning to a botanical framework and with two of the three looking eastward for inspiration. All three will be excellent fragrances for the fall and even though I’ve been testing them in the summer heat they still manage to show off their quality.
Vanille Botanique
As soon as many see vanilla in a fragrance title they think overly sweet. In recent years that has become less of a problem as perfumers have been unafraid to explore finding other facets of vanilla to accentuate. That has meant vanilla now holds potential for me when I see it in the name and when it is Ms. Hurwitz using it that doubles my anticipation.
In an e-mail Ms. Hurwitz says about Vanille Botanique:
“I just love a good balsamic vanilla that is not really sweet but very, very rich and smooth.”
I agree with that sentiment and in Vanille Botanique Ms. Hurwitz has delivered on the promise above.
Before we encounter the vanilla, citrus opens up things and rose and jasmine carry the fragrance through the heart into the base which is where the vanilla resides surrounded by resins. Benzoin, labdanum, and balsams are what transform and elevate the vanilla. The vanilla never has the opportunity to get out of control and instead is turned into something, as promised, “rich and smooth”
The Hand of Buddah
When I saw the name of this I was expecting some lotus centered meditative fragrance. Then Ms. Hurwitz set me straight by letting me know where the name came from:
“This is based on the 'hand of buddah' citron – a fruity floral citron used for flavorings and looks like it has fingers – or graceful buddah hands.
There you go, forget lotus and welcome in the citrus. Grapefruit, citron, and yuzu open things on a slightly unusual but familiar accord. There is a nice osmanthus and jasmine heart which makes a transition to the woody base of sandalwood, buddahwood, and cedar. This makes The Hand of Buddah a refreshing woody citrus and while it doesn’t necessarily make me want to meditate it does make me smile, a lot.
Ruba’iyat
This was one where I was familiar with the name from the Ruba’iyat of Omar Khayam. Turns out Ruba’iyat is a more general term as Ms. Hurwitz explains:
“Named for the Persian poetry form… This is a more traditional Middle Eastern oude style than my soft and woody 'Oude Arabique'; it's richer, more spicy and has a greater intensity… focusing on the rose notes as the spiritual center as the sufis do.”
It is that rose Ms. Hurwitz mentions that transforms Ruba’iyat but it is also everything else around it that contains that rose like an exotic jewelbox. The opening stanza is an intense spice and wood around pink pepper and davana wood. Out of this the sufi rose becomes ascendant and it dominates the heart. Saffron adds an exoticism to the rose and this is a perfect complement to the rose to create the eastern vibe. The oudh and a full set of frankincense, myrrh, and labdanum join in. As you can imagine this ends Ruba’iyat in a very concentrated place. It is what makes Ruba’iyat resemble that traditional Middle Eastern oudh that Ms. Hurwitz promised. Ruba’iyat is my favorite of the three but I am really looking forward to wearing this once the weather turns cooler as I think it will be particularly good when I have to wear a sweater.
All three fragrances have average longevity and slightly above sillage.
These three fragrances show a lot of Ms. Hurwitz’s ability to take something simple and make it something memorable. Ruba’iyat, Vanille Botanique, and The Hand of Buddah are examples of that ability.
Thanks to Dawn and DSH Perfume we have a reader’s choice draw for a 10mL sample of one of these fragrances. To be eligible leave a comment naming which one of these sound like the one you would most like to own. Draw closes on July 26, 2011.
–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor
Ruba’iyat is surely my first choice out of these three. I would love to try it!
These sound beautiful Dawn! I’d love to try the Vanille Botanique… I’m a huge vanilla fan, and with labdanum also… sounds absolutely delicious. Congratulations on these launches! xo
Ruba’iyat reminds me the collections of ghazals I had based on Umer Khayyam’s rubaiyat many moons ago. My choice would be Vanille Botanique as this sounds lovely and not overly sweet from the description.
Oh, this is a bit of a problem now. 🙂 They all sound great.
But I think I would go with Ruba’iyat, it sounds mysterious and enchanting at the same time.
All of these sound so lovely, I’d love to try them all but will pick the Ruba’iyat since it really calls out to me. Thanks for the chance to try this brand.
Thank you for the draw! I’d like to try Vanille botanique. Seems like it’s a chance to love vanilla at last))
Very hard to choose! I too love a good resinous not-too-sweet vanilla. However, if I must choose between them it would have to be the Ruba’iyat. I love the name, and with that list of notes and from my experience of Dawn’s fragrances I’m sure this would be lovely.
These all sound like ‘must-try’ scents to me, but Ruba’iyat would be my first choice… I ♥ Dawn’s creations.
I’d pick Vanille Botanique out of these three, it sounds like just the sort of vanilla I like. Thank you for the draw!
I’m starting to try out Vanilla scents. Too many are so sweet or smell like suntan lotion, but when you hit a good one it’s delicious. This sounds fabulous – I love the addition of Buddha’s hand. It sounds like a great summer vanilla – fresh but sensual. Dawn does amazing things with ingredients so I’m sure this is a winner.
Mark, I love how precise and perceptive your reviews are. These all sound wonderful, but Vanille Botanique especially so. It sounds like the vanilla of my dreams. I would love to be entered in the draw for that.
hmmm….tough decision , but I realize I don’t have a vanilla in my collection – they just never work . But I think Dawn’s Vanilla botanique sounds like perfection !
Thanks for the lovely draw .
I just reviewed Lautrec- what a delicious scent she created for CaFleureBon !!
I’ve been playing around a lot with natural vanilla lately, and would love to try DSH’s take on it! I like her color series (paint pigment inspired) quite a bit.
Given this crazy heatwave, I think I’d most like to give The Hand of Buddah a try. It’s too easy to overlook the fact that a good original citrus is so difficult it is to come by these days..
Picking one is hard, but I would love to try a non-sweet vanilla. Vanilla Botanique is my pick.
I’m on a quest for the perfect, not to sweet, vanilla and I’d love to try Vanille Botanique. Thanks for a great draw!
Definitly Ruba’iyat ,I realy love Oud Rose combo.This one sound like the for me.Thanks for this chance!
Vanille Botanique is the one for me! A good balsamic vanilla? Love! Thanks so much for the draw.
The Hand of Buddah sounds amazing to me. Please put me in for the draw. Wonderful, Dawn.
Love Lyn
Ruba’iyat sounds especially lovely, thanks for the draw!
Wow what a difficult choice to make 🙁 Is it selfish to say I would love to try all three for different reasons? I love the Eastern smells just seems to comfort my soul.
No doubt that Rubaiyat is the one for me! They all sound fantastic, but I can’t resist oud, saffron, incense, labdanum, and rose….gorgeous!
Though I’ve finally found some vanillas to rewrite unfortunate associations from childhood, I’ll opt for safer choice The Hand of Buddha. Thanks for the choice.
Waft by Carol
I left a comment on site
Ps the vanille botanique was my favorite of the 3 with Hand of buddah second
Please enter me into the drawing. I would really like to try DSH Ruba’iyat. Thank you.
I must choose one 🙁 The hand of Buddha! Great article by the way Mark as usual. Art as always is eye candy!
These all sound lovely, but I would choose Vanille Botanique–I am picky about vanilla, but when I love a vanillic composition I can’t get enough of it. The labdanum makes it sound perfect! The Hand of Buddah also sounds lovely, but I don’t know if the citrus brightness would feel feminine enough for me, will have to try it sometime!
I’m still on the hunt for a perfect vanilla scent, so I’d love the opportunity to try the Vanille Botanique. You make it sound lovely.
All three sound interesting, and I love the names. If I had to pick one to try first, it would be Vanille Botanique. A rich, un-sweet vanilla is hard to find!
I agree with all in that the names are exquisite and so different they really stand out and make quite a statement. The one that most interests me , is Vanille Botanique. I have not yet had the experience of balsamic vanilla nor have I smelled it. But they all sound enticing and find a lovely home on my skin:) Thanks for the draw.
Ruba’iyat sounds lovely to me, I’d like to try it.
Ruba’iyat. The spices in the oudh jewelbox. Yes.
I’m a big fan of Dawn’s work! I would love to try Ruba’iyat.
Both the vanilla and the rose sound terrific, but I think I’d have to go for the spicy incense rose!
Vanilla Botanique would be my choice,,,but would be happy with any! Love Dawn’s Tuberose.
Vanille Botanique sounds great.
I had the privelege of testing all. Iwas so surprised that vanille botanique was a natural perfume. But Hand of Buddah was a fascinating fragrance citrus and osmanthus with jasmine, a very deft hand!
Ooo, Vanille Botanique sounds wonderful! And I do agree with the fact that DSH has the ability to take something simple and make it memorable!
Each of these sounds so worth exploring, but my current mood is calling for the citrus, jasmine and woods of The Hand of Buddah.
Thanks to Dawn and CaFleureBon for this draw opportunity.
The Hand of Buddha sounds like something i would love to try, then again most of Dawns fragrances will please one nose or another as they are all beautifully done.
How unfair, to make them all sound so wonderful then have us pick a favorite! 🙂
I would have to pick The Hand of Buddah’s though. The progression top middle to bottom sounds delightful.
Thanks!
Michael
I am such an admirer of Dawn’s creations. These all sound so wonderful and after much consideration and going back & forth, I think I would most like to try the Ruba’iyat. The description – with its mention of Rose, oud, frankincense, myrhh, labdanum – was like a list of my favorite things. I almost broke out in song. Well, not quite, but y’all know what I mean. 😉
Given how hot it’s been, I’d have to go with The Hand of Buddah but they all sound fabulous.
What a great draw! I’ve got to go with The Hand of Buddah as my choice, it sounds wonderful.
I think I most like Ruba’iyat from the descriptions. I love saffron-rose scents.
I would love to own The hand of Buddha. Both the name and the composition are wonderful.
Beautiful pictures, btw 🙂
Thank you very much!
How does one decide? I have been thrilled with the one DSH fragrance I recently purchased, and reading the descriptions above, I am torn between Vanille Botanique and The Hand of the Buddha! I have tried neither of these and both sound absolutely wonderful! If I win the draw, yoiu will have need to surprise me as I’m finding it difficult to choose.
The Hand of Buddha sounds like a fantastically fresh but interesting fragrance that would be a welcome reminder of summer days (it’s bitterly cold here in my corner of the world at the moment). I would love to try this one!
I have been searching for an Eastern Rose scent.
I would pick Ruba’iyat, if given the choice.
Your description makes it sound like a Rumi poem made manifest.
“I am the rose of eternity,
not made of water or fire,
not of the wandering wind
or even earth.” ~Rumi
I am a devotee of vanilla…but having worked my way up[ from simple drugstore vanillas as a teenager, I am at the point where the fragrance has to be complex, preferably with a dark side and a little floral thrown in doesn’t necessarily hurt…and so Vanille Botanique sounds exquisitely perfect for me…
A rich and smooth vanilla fragrance with citrus and jasmine, balsam and labdanum sounds like my dream vanilla composition, even if the other two fragrances sound wonderful too. What a beautiful picture by Kotsareva, it seems to be the visual version Vanilla Botanique.
Thanks for the great draw.
Hand of Buddah, how interesting to learn about that citrus flower. Ruba’iyat sounds the most intruiguing and I would be very happy to try this!
I’d very much like to try The Hand of Buddah – a fascinating-to-look-at fruit, and I’d love to taste one as well!
Oooh, new fragrances from Dawn! How lovely! Vanille Botanique for me if I am a lucky winner. How very perfect for Fall.
These all sound delightful, but since I am disgracefully low on citrus scents, I would love to have some Hand of Buddah.
Thank you so much, Michelyn and Mark for previewing my new work so beautifully! Of course, I am overjoyed that you felt I ‘delivered’ on my promises and said it so eloquently. And the images?? Exquisite! A heartfelt thank you for all that you do to showcase the perfumer artists at Ca Fleure Bon.
I’m probably far too late to be entered in the draw, but that won’t stop me from trying! I’d love to try The Hand of Buddha! Any new perfume from Dawn is a wonder to celebrate – and I can’t wait to try! Thank you!
Oh my, they all sound so good!!! Osmanthus vs. labdanum… I guess I’ll flip a coin and go for Hand of Buddha, too, if it’s not too late.
What day is it in the US? Hope i’ve squeezed in because reading about Rubyiat made me very excited…the woodiness, the Oudh..I’ve just been visiting the desert and now I’m back..
Francesca yes what a beautiful analogy
In the book the English Patient a Bedouin tribe were integral in saving Almasy from death by taking him to the hospital right after WWII
To all Dsh fans we extended the draw just this once
It ends July 26
So pls get your comments by midnight Est
count me as one who would love to be converted into a vanilla lover…dawn’s vanille botanique sounds like its up to the challenge!
Who could resist wanting to smell like something that has a name like “The Hand of Buddah”? 🙂
Hands down it would have to be Rubayiat. I would love to experience DSH’s sufi rose. I’m sure it is sublime.
Hand of Buddha sounds wonderful on a hot summer day or in the winter to brighten my day.