New Natural Perfume Review: Roxana Illuminated Perfume Figure 1: Noir + Darkness Descends Draw

noir1

 Illumination by Greg Spalenka -Model Jessica Lough

The word “noir”, attached to a perfume’s name, infers something dark or black and conjures images of the night and mystery. Unlike most perfumes that bear that epithet, Roxana Villa has called out to the night and the Earth and merged them into Roxana Illuminated Perfume Figure 1: Noir.  Roxana uses only natural essence oils, extracts and absolutes in a base of grape and grain organic alcohol and it is abundantly clear from the first application everything about this perfume is “authentic”.  All  her perfumes are created with  the finest ingredients and are synthetic and cruelty free. Made and bottled in her Woodland Studio in California’s Santa Monica mountains, this is perfume  that is both natural and artistic.

cafleurebon RIP Fig1Noir 2
Photo: Lucy Snowe

One of my earliest scent memories is the rich fertile smell of black forest ground where a tree had fallen and returned to the Earth. That “loamy” scent is the first thing to capture my nose, seconds after dabbing it on; only here it is almost dripping with patchouli. No bright citric burst, no pretty flowers…Figure 1: Noir gets down and dirty immediately. Darkly and softly this rises in a sheer shadowy mist from the skin, hinting at things naughty and nocturnal. Without any warm sunset or evening, you are plunged into a warm deep forest at midnight.

cafleurebon RIP Fig1Noir 3 
Photo: Lucy Snowe

Patchouli rich scents, for me anyway, are usually a dime a dozen. Most bowl you over with the sheer brute force of the plant’s intensity, yet few perfumers have used other notes quite as gracefully as this to bring out and heighten all its aspects. While Mysore sandalwood magnifies its woodiness, vetiver and valerian accent its greener leafier qualities. Its own slightly dank properties are balanced by smooth “rooty” orris, but not lost, thanks to sheer botanical ambrette musk. This scent is not shy, by any means, and is also not obnoxious, overbearing or too “dirty”.

Figure 1: Noir captures the feeling of olfactory black and darkest night, for me anyway, by adding such things as boozy green cognac, incense-like buchu leaves, spicy pepper and rich plummy davana to this already potent perfume. Much like opening your eyes in complete darkness and seeing nothing BUT darkness, donning this one cannot smell anything BUT patchouli. As your eyes grow accustomed to the shadows of your surroundings you can perceive shape and form; likewise, as the patchouli calms and mellows the richer more satisfying smoky warm sweetness appears. In the darkness are many things, moving about mysteriously, but just because they are shadowy or unfamiliar does not mean they are not beautiful.

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Photo: Roxana Villa

This perfume makes me think of long forest walks during a summer night, hand-in-hand with someone I loved. It is the smell of trees, the earth, leaves and magic. It is the primordial scent on the wind that calls to the deepest most ancient memories of gatherings in the dark to honor a hunter god and a fertile mother. It is the smell of bonfires, ecstatic dancing and fertility rites. It is the scent of the newly plowed field-growth and life springing from decay. This scent definitely lives up to its name, and then some. Sillage: average to slightly above. Longevity: good.

cafleurebon RIP Fig1Noir 6 
Photo: Roxana Villa

Roxana Illuminated has released this fragrance in two forms: perfume liquid (reviewed above) and a solid perfume hand poured by Roxana into ornate cases made from vintage 1940’s molds in a base of jojoba oil, local beeswax and plant extracts. The perfume solid is essentially the same scent but it has a “creamier” floral quality to it and has a bit more spiciness. The solid form does not project as much, making it a more intimate choice when you want to be close to someone special and project am earthy, feral. vibe. It does last quite well for a cream perfume.

Disclosure: Review based on liquid perfume and perfume solid samples sent to me by Roxana Illuminated Perfume.

Thanks to Roxana Illuminated Perfume we have a sample of both liquid perfume and solid perfume to giveaway to one US winner. To be eligible leave comment on what you find beautiful about the dark  or your favorite  Illuminated Perfume by Natural Perfumer Roxana Villa . The draw will end on May 11, 2013.

–John Reasinger, Senior Editor      

 

  Roxana Villa's Illustration above was  featured in the LA Times, Women’s Health Section, May 8, 2006.

Editor's Note: Roxana Villa of Roxana Illuminated Perfume is one of the Artisan Indie perfumers participating at FRAGments at the MorYork Gallery June 22, 2012. Want to learn more about Roxana and her path to perfumery? Read her CaFleureBon Profiles in Perfumery here  -MC –   

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 spilled perfume.

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41 comments

  • Nikki Sherritt says:

    Living up in the Pacific Northwest, this kind of rich darkness is everyone. I have taken many walks by the moonlight through preserves and hillsides smelling only the wet earth and green ferns. There is something very special about those late night walks in the dark with only the smell of the plants to keep you company. I have smelled Roxana’s Noir and it is very dark. Love it.

  • Liz K says:

    Oh, how I love to lurk in the dark. The scents and sounds of nighttime darkness are a secret pleasure to me. As a kid, I would sneak out and walk the 2 miles into town just to experience the countryside darkness (I did always have to sprint when passing the old cemetery) and I still enjoy a good midnight stroll in my city garden. I am always secretly glad when I have a cat who won’t come inside to bed. This perfume sounds gorgeous and I have still not found the perfect patchouli fragrance so would love to try it. Thank you for the opportunity (I live in the US).

  • Delaney says:

    Such beautiful photography with this! I love the mystery of the night, like anything is possible. There are fears that excite and possibilities that intrigue. The subtle scents of the earth are enhanced. <3

  • Lisa says:

    I love that what we call ‘the dark’ actually contains all shades of day AND night. I was given Roxana’s lovely Chiaroscuro and since the first wearing, it’s become my favorite of her compositions.

  • Charles Briggs says:

    Even though the dark tells me “time for bed” for some reason it sends me into a second wind. The city lights, energy flow of the nightlife and excitement of a new morning.

    The dark out in the country can take my imagination to a whole new realm. I can be at such peace looking at the heavens, smells in the wind or I can freak myself out with unfamiliar sounds, shadows playing tricks and the occasional bugs zipping by my head.

    The pure dark is a great way of reflecting on the past and what may become in the future.

    Thanks for the opportunity your fragrance does sound amazing.

  • omega says:

    I like the moon and the stars, reflecting on an ocean or a lake. Where I live, there are beautiful white owls that come out during the winter and only at night of course. Magnificent to see a white owl perched on a tree covered with snow.

    And yes, night photography can be just awesome!

  • Francesca says:

    Where does Omega live wihere the white Owls come out? I can testify that at night where I live there is a Morepork in our Valley and I love to lie in bed in the dark and listen. I sometimes want to creep out into the bush and find it, by the light of a bright full moon of course (Moreporks in my valley are tiny) I’d wear Roxanna’s perfume if I did! I love the dark and the blanket it gives to nocturnal creatures in general.

  • Pati Ray says:

    The darkness is sweet, mysterious and thick with promise. Something vague and nameless brushes lightly past your bare arms and the embrace is at once warm and shivery. This scent sounds like a match for such a night.

  • Stacey says:

    I find the dark to be both unsettling and full of possibility. Anything can happen, and it’s particularly a perfect time to open your nose. Smelling perfume in darkness, even just by having your eyes closed) is such a pure way of experiencing it.

  • Laura says:

    It’s during conversations in the dark, outside festively lit gatherings where conventional beauties inspire playwrights to lines like “she doth teach the torches to burn bright” that I have had soul baring conversations with the normally quiet, leading to my most enduring friendships. I can’t wait to experience this one firsthand.

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    what i like about dark is that it gives birth to mysteries and forces us to think..when we have answers, we dont think..

  • brie says:

    the pitch black dark night sky…illuminated by a multitude of stars….standing outside with this in sight…my favorite place to be.

    thank you for this generous draw!

  • Darilyn says:

    The darkness provides the sanctuary to relish
    secrets from the past and ponder the mysteries
    of the future.
    Thanks for the draw!

  • Martha says:

    I like the feeling of relaxation, the release from the tension of the sun, and to see the phases of the moon. At night, away from artificial urban lighting, the myriad stars are far more visible. I’d like to win the solid perfume. I’m in the U.S.. Thanks for the draw.

  • mridula says:

    I’m generally apprehensive of the dark. But what I like is feelingsafe in it because of someone else’s presence.

  • Barbara says:

    One of my husband’s hobbies is astromony, so I like to look at the stars and planets with him . He also loves patchouli and this sounds wonderful so thank you for the draw!

  • Sarah says:

    What an amazing review… dripping with sensual words + imagery! I’d wanted to try Figure 1: Noir, but now I *must*! Roxana’s perfumes are amazing; the one I wear daily is Aumbre.

  • wefadetogray says:

    I spent my early youth in the 80’s, dressed in black and listening to dark wave and new wave. Many things came along with this love of the dark, some where sad and destructible and some had a bright light that can only be found in the deepest darkness of all. After I grew up a little bit, I abandoned the sadness and enter into the radiant mysteries of the night. I still read Mallarme, Lautreamont, Rimbaud, Baudelaire, Huidobro. I still love Murnau and Lynch. But all of them are to me a paradigmatic example of the illuminating beauty you can find in total darkness.
    Thanks for the draw; I am in the US

  • Maureen says:

    I love to walk on a beach at night and gaze at the stars…seemingly so close, and yet so far away. I would love the solid of this fragrance. I live in the US.

  • Hemla says:

    I live on the edge of a forest, and I love forest nights. with the wind in the trees wispering something special that you almost understand, and know it is speaking to you.
    I love the dark sillouhette of clouds over a darker sky, barely percievable on moonless nights.

    Hemla

  • Sujaan says:

    I, like so many others who have commented, love to walk in the dark. At home in NYC I love to stroll the streets at night. But I also love to see the night sky at my parents house in the mountains, because I can see the stars that are invisible in the city. Unfortunately, it is so pitch black there that I don’t get to walk at night.
    I am really looking forward to trying Roxanna’s perfumes. Chiaroscuro has been on my list.

  • just breathe says:

    The dark sky in the Poconos mountains at my grandparents small summer cottage.
    thanks for the draw!

  • Meg O. says:

    I lived near the forest growing up in the midwestern US, and my favorite scents are all tied to that: mosses, rotting oak logs, and creeping charlie in the yard. One of the things I loved about the night there was how the evening summer humidity could open up the smell of soil and grass…and how it could bring out the fireflies. I love walking through fields of fireflies.

    I’m still in the US, but sadly far from home.

  • Meg T. says:

    The thing I love about the dark is how it sharpens your imagination. In daylight, we see things that are there; but at night, we see things that aren’t there. Thanks for the giveaway!

  • Maggie Mahboubian says:

    Over the years I’ve witnessed how Roxana has worked with light to create her perfumes. From the golden tones of Vespertina to the green hues of Chaparral, Q and Greenwich. Last year she debuted Chiaroscuro where she played with light and dark, almost a precursor to the direction of Noir. Now with these images I see how she is plucking the deepest, darkest chords possible and strumming a penetrating infusion of patchouli. A dark vibration, really. The images are so stunning and really capture the tone of this fragrance. Oh, that I too could be luminous in such darkness!

  • JK DeLapp says:

    I grew up in a dense forest of mixed hardwoods and pines in Georgia. The scent of decaying earth, forest, tree’s breath, and floral cries was always most intoxicating after a rain.

    Your description of the fragrance reminded me of some of my cherished scent memories of nighttime rains…
    JK

  • harper says:

    my favorite roxana perfume has got to be rosa.
    it’s this rose liqueure over woods and dark musk —
    ravishing, truly.

    and a dark forest in roxana’s hands — be still my heart.

  • Sue says:

    During the great northeast blackout we had real darkness for the first time in many years. A hot night and no reason at all to stay in, all the neighbors cheerfully came out on their porches and enjoyed the softness and obscurity and one another. seeing all the stars usually hidden.

  • angiefunk says:

    I love the night. I am a runner and enjoy running when it is dark out. It is so invigorating. I also stargaze in the spring and summer, very romantic. I am a huge fan of many of Roxana’s perfumes. I would have to narrow to Cimbalom or Page 47 for my favorites.

  • mim says:

    Darkness: everything. I’ve been a night person forever and I love it, the way lights look in the dark, fire and candles and stars and moonlight, the way smells change at night and the air cools and feels calm. I even love dark and stormy nights–they still feel peaceful to me.

    Under the stars or wrapped in darkness there’s a feeling of, not exactly transcendence, but a loosening of boundaries between self and surroundings.

    I like the look of all the scents and am quite curious to try To Bee as well as Figure 1: Noir. Thanks for the review and the draw!

  • breathesgelatin says:

    ooh. I’ve only tried one of her perfumes, Aurora I believe, so I’ll say that’s my favorite… for the moment! I am in the US. Thank you for the draw. 🙂

  • helical gnome says:

    I have only tried one of Roxana’s perfumes, Lyra, and it was quite an illumination. I bought it for my mother who loves jasmine.
    Thanks! I m in the USA

  • Rose says:

    I was introduced to Roxana’s fragrances at the recent Seattle Artisan Fragrance and Chocolate Salon and found them so beautiful…my favorite was “Q”, but I also loved GreenWitch…
    I would love to win a sample of Figure 1: Noir!

  • Holly F. says:

    I’ve always felt solace when darkness fell, as though I could finally breathe a sigh of relief in its cool embrace. It is my respite in the summer from the bright, sometimes unforgiving heat of the sunshine, and in the winter I am one who looks forward to welcoming it early. It is like a cloak I comfortably wear. Thanks for the draw.

  • Cynthia says:

    I was recently in Australia, and one night in the countryside I took a walk on a moonless night. The stars were amazing; I haven’t seen anything like that for years.
    I love Illuminated Perfumes. My favorite would be either Vera or Greenwitch. I find all Roxana’s perfumes very soulful.