Every so often, we perfumistas come across a House that just floors us and “knocks our socks off”! In the earlier days of my obsession with perfume (after Avon and Yves Rocher) it was Calvin Klein, D&G or even Hugo Boss that impressed me, then more high-end designer scents and niche perfumes. As I grow as a person and a perfume critic, I have recently been drawn to one House in particular: HOUSE OF MATRIARCH. Christi Meshell has managed to create quite a few new and stunning scents in the last six months; showing us she is not just some flash in the pan and that you do not have to limit your options when you go “natural”. If anything, her almost exclusive use of natural and botanical ingredients makes her perfumes that much richer and unique…and worth every penny charges for them!

Woo is an interesting twist on “tropical/beach” scents, as it contains no coconut, pineapple or (the dreaded) “water notes”. This goes on languid and smooth, with extremely subtle hints of green underneath. It projects smoothly and warmly, and is neither hot nor spicy, and makes you feel like stretching intensely and just relaxing. Hints of flowers from the tropics add a summery glow to this (that is anything but girly) while an undertow of dark vanilla and golden tobacco swirls beneath the surface. The “ocean air” note has just a pinch of saltiness and blows softly uniting this, keeping it buoyant and from becoming heavy. Sensual and sophisticated, this is not your typical summer scent; however, it does capture the feeling of a beach with golden sand and a glowing sunset on the horizon. A truly unique fragrance that I would recommend to those who hate the typical fruity-floral/pina colada scents. Soft and supple leather in the dry down is a magnificent addition. THIS is a scent I imagine sporting while lying in a Louis Vuitton leather hammock between two palm trees while lazily watching the sun set with someone I loved, fingers entwined and soft caresses exchanged. Sillage: above average. Longevity: very good.

EnTendre means, spelled like this, “in tenderness” or “with desire” and its name tickled me before I even smelled it; as it was (in fact) an entendre (something that can be taken one of two ways) as the root of that word is from the French word for “to hear”. According to the Matriarch website: this scent is 1/3 rose, by volume, a proportion that would overpower most perfumes; but, with each repeated sniff of my wrist I get only the softest breath of demure roses. One of my most loathed perfumes ever was Avon’s Roses, Roses as it was nothing but a massive explosion of roses and some creamy musk. THIS captures the beauty of the rose as she first cracks her dark green bud and peeks out into the world. Light and ephemeral green notes hover around a sheer and innocent rosebud as dewdrops still cling to her petals. A woody and slightly vegetal dry down captures the aura of a garden at dawn, before the sun burns away the dew. This does not reach out brazenly and grab you so much as it disarms you with its charms, drawing you in of your own free will. Today, I have many rose perfumes (and for the longest time was not a “rose perfume guy”) but I must say this is perhaps the most interesting and olfactory rendering of the Queen of Flowers I have ever sniffed, to date, and definitely one of the classiest! Sillage: close. Longevity: decent.

Lucid means clear and easily understood. Synonyms are: bright, luminous and transparent/translucent. The fact that Christi dubbed this as a white leather oud perfume makes the name seem like an oxymoron, yet it does come across rather clearly and is very interesting. This is one of those perfumes you have to smell to believe!! It feels “white”, yet has none of the usual earmarks of the perfume “color”; such as gardenia or citruses. It opens on a carnation note that has been dusted lightly with spices. As the flowers fade slowly away, the spiciness stays behind adding a savory depth to a sheer green tea note. Now the lucidity is apparent! Just when you think the flowers are long gone, and all you have left is spicy tea, another round of floral notes reappears and augments and rises above the spice. Deer’s tongue (a plant from the Liatris family) adds a greener (almost vanillic) haze to this as (real) musk radiates sensuality. Ambrette attar (or agar musk) has been used in place of the normally medicinal oud wood and the result is exceptional. No smoky or fresh leather birch notes here, only a hint of supple smooth aged leather lingers in the shadows. A distinct woody muskiness surrounded by spice and flowers that just so happens to shine brightly, even though it is composed of so many heavy or oriental ingredients, truly lives up to the name. Sillage: very good. Longevity: good.

 

BLACKBIRD, more than any other of these new scents, made me swoon (literally!). My first instinct was right as I looked at all the samples in front of me from Matriarch and I grabbed this to sniff first. A juice so dark green it is almost black (like my own bespoke fragrance Persephone) is what I noticed first and sets the tone for the absolutely stunning aroma to follow. Anything THAT dark has to smell wonderful, I mused…and I was right on. This perfume is haunting, complex and infinitely intriguing. It was actually made by Christi for the BLACKBIRD Company in Seattle, Washington. They are purveyors of everything from fine clothing, fragrances (including soap and hand-blended perfume oils) and home goods to work aprons and this is indicative of their darker edgier artisan style. Created from hundreds of exotic and rare aromatics (something of a forte with this perfumer) this has everything from woods and needles of conifers, to dark (almost dank) Puget Sound seaweed to oud wood, smoky black leather and even a cannabis accord. The result is something almost impossible to dissect. This is most definitely balsamic, yet has an herbal aroma that twists and writhes throughout it. Unbelievably dark, yet nowhere near frightening, this perfume resonates the epitome of “noir”, with its smokier aspects, but never gets too intense, sweet or dirty as the leather note shines through most of the dry down and the elegance of the woods anchors it firmly. Hedonistic and most definitely not for the timid, this perfume cloaks you in shadow, wraps you in mystery and ultimately, even after it fades, will haunt you! This is one of the few perfumes made by this House that is not ultra (or all) natural. It is 93% natural with 7% aroma chemical fixatives in Oregon Washington grape ethanol and it is extrait strength (33% fragrance). Sillage: great. Longevity: incredible.

Disclosure: Reviews based on samples and 5 ml mini sent to me by House of Matriarch.

–John Reasinger, Editor