New Niche Fragrance Review: Olympic Orchids Sonnet XVII +”Dark Shadowy Woods of Passion” Draw

 

Lorenzo Moya La Mujer de el sofa

Every day at my dressing table I take a little breath and a pause before I put perfume on because I never know what would happen next. Things happen when I smell perfumes – I’ve know to fall in love with a scent I never loved or fall out of love with an old favorite.  Sometimes smelling perfume makes me hear music in my mind, see images, real or imaginary, or recall long forgotten poetry. But I have never thought, not even in a strangest dream, that I would ever smell a perfume which was specifically inspired by a sonnet from Pablo Neruda’s One Hundred Sonnets of Love and will be sniffing the connection between the perfume and a poem that had appeared in several other minds.

Susan Karpov, Puzzle Painting

Sonnet XVII perfume by Olympic Orchids created by Ellen Covey in collaboration with CaFleureBon Editor in Chief, Michelyn Camen  as a special project and is a rare chance for me to participate in a great synchronicity, in which multiple pieces of a puzzle came together. My personal pieces clicking into their places as well. Everything I have learned about this project in making made me marvel at coincidences. As  you know, Michelyn called on the day when Ellen was still shaking off her dream in which she looked for a potion number seventeen (and my personal coincidence is that number seventeen was always my favorite number, as long as I remembered myself, and I felt a connection to it as I was born on the seventeenth of a month). But it paled in front of the connection with the love sonnets of Neruda.  A sonnet from One Hundred Sonnets of love by Neruda was read at my wedding (not the No XVII but a one from the same part of the collection – Mañana, The Morning, the dawn of love).

 

 Matilde Urrutia and Pablo Neruda

 

Neruda’s dedication of One Hundred Sonnets of love to his wife Matilde says that they are “wooden sonnets that rise only because you gave them life.  The poet says,

 “…I made these sonnets out of wood; I gave them the sound of that opaque pure substance, and that is how they should reach your ears. Walking in the forests or on beaches, along hidden lakes, in latitudes sprinkled with ashes, you and I have picked up pieces of pure bark, pieces of wood subject to the comings and goings of water and weather.  Out of such softened relics, then, with hatchet and machete and pocketknife, I built up these limber piles of love, and with fourteen boards I built little houses, so that your eyes, which I adore and sing to, might live in them". October 1959

So I was not surprised that the Olympic Orchids Sonnet XVII is a fragrance that is green and woody, close to nature and redolent of a walk in the forest – a forest that is as dark and moist as is the passion between Pablo Neruda and Matilde.  The top notes of the shadowy forest green include champa flower, citron, mastic, a resin, and cubeb, a spicy scent.  These green top notes are brooding and dark right from the bottle, dangerously teetering on “do not dare to approach me” but never ever getting there. We all know that some perfumes we love require sitting through the top notes and letting anyone smell only the heart notes.  But this is not the case. The Sonnet XVII perfume is wearable from the note one (and it warms significantly toward the base), so you can put it right on and walk out. Or, if you prefer, you can stay and enjoy this dark start and have it all to yourself as a secret between you and your hidden self (we all have one).  The somewhat bracing, definitely not floral top notes capture the way the Neruda’s Sonnet XVII starts:

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

Carlos Catasse*, Bohemia. Gallery Bergelli

The poet is listing here all things that he loves (especially carnations, since they are referred to in nearly half of the sonnets from The Morning) but does not compare to his lover, and this makes me recall William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130 My Mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun in which he also refused to compare his lover with many pleasant floral things. But we will follow the path of Neruda’s Sonnet and the development of the Sonnet XVII perfume.

Lorenzo Moya*, Barbara. Gallery Bergelli

I love you as the plant that never blooms

but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;

thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,

risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

The heart of the fragrance in addition to floral notes of osmanthus and orchid has a Michaelia alba leaf listed, which I see as a continuation of the wood and forests theme – I am impressed that woody and leafy notes are present on every level of this fragrance’s pyramid. It is an incredibly puzzling task to capture a smell of a plant that never blooms (and I had no idea that there is an orchid that It is a very soft abstract green floral heart, soft and leathery. No, when I say leathery I do not mean Tabac Blond, Cuir or Fleur de Peau.  Smelling this heart you will never think of a new leather purse with a perfumed handkerchief, but you might start dreaming of it that as you are still walking in the woods. You never leave those dark shadowy woods of passion, but when you get deeper you have some discoveries on the way.  On warmer days more floral notes can be smelled in the heart, and I’ve been having fun trying to sniff out the light hints of honeyed fruitiness of osmanthus or soft floral spiciness of carnation, but the fragrance never becomes obviously floral. Earthy and leathery notes are always there, a daring attempt to imagine certain solid fragrance, risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body from the poem.

 Carlos Catasse*, Valle Hermoso. Gallery Bergelli

 

But the darkness gives way to the golden afternoon light of love and surety. After a dark stormy morning there will be an afternoon for the Sonnet XVII lovers, and there will be a long day enveloped in a gorgeous woody base for a Sonnet XVII wearer. The base still projects, and it projects strongly, and it never looses its green quality, even though it warms considerably as the more traditional base notes come into play.  If it is still the forest, it is the tree grove at the edge of it, and it is warmed by the sun. If it is the perfume base, it is a lovely blend of what the green and wood can be – smooth, not sweet but touched by sweetness, an opaque pure substance of highest quality indeed. And if it is love, it will live because how can it not live after words like this?

 I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.

I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;

so I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,

so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,

so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

Olga Rowe, Contributor

 

* All starred paintings are by Chilean artists and images are taken from Gallery Bergelli. They encourage visitors to email painting images to friends, but I think it is a good idea to mention the copyright holder.

Acknowledgements: Michelyn Camen and Ellen Covey of Olympic Orchids, I am grateful for an opportunity to have a chance to try Sonnet XVII in all its stages culminating with the finished fragrance. I had a sample sent to me for a review. Sonnet XVII is now available for sale

 If you missed our September 20th post, or if you want another chance to win, Ellen is offering a 5ml sprayer if leaving a comment about your favorite part of this review. Draw ends September 30, 2012

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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42 comments

  • Great review Olga! As Octavian Coifan says “perfume is the 8th art”.You do an incredible job linking the perfume and your olfactory experiences to the other arts in this case Neruda’s poetry.Having a story to provide additional background to the creation or inspiration for a perfume adds a whole new depth to the sensory process.Verbal descriptions of olfactory experiences are such a challenge that it is an art in and of itself just to be able to do it.I will have to go back and read these poems again and I hope to try the perfume with your narrative as a guide.Thanks!

  • What I love about this review of Sonnet XVII is that it highlights the connection between fragrance and the emotions/feelings it conjours up for the wearer. Such a fragrance reconnects the wearer to nature and in doing so reconnects body, mind & soul.

  • Beautifully written review of a wonderful collaboration
    As mentioned Olga does an amazing job of linking the arts
    Poetry painting and perfume
    I am very curious now because your review further illuminates the flower that never blooms and gives me a snapshot of Neruda and his wife’s life

  • What a beautiful review. I felt transported as I read this, and especially enjoyed how Olga wove scent notes throughout this lovely sonnet.

  • Hmm, I’m intrigued by cubeb, which I’ve never heard of. I like spicy, so I was interested to learn about that, thank you. I also feel like going out and buying a book of Neruda’s poems!

  • I love Neruda. That small glimpse of his sonnets takes me back to my studio, working on my series based on his (and Octavio Paz’s) poetry. I need to get back to work. Reading this review was a gentle reminder. Thank you!

    xoA

  • I love how Olga links the scent narrative to the sonnet. And her imagery regarding scent development is truly inspired.

  • Wonderful writing, especially how the sonnets illustrate the notes. I love this sentence: “Every day at my dressing table I take a little breath and a pause before I put perfume on because I never know what would happen next.”

  • My favorite part of the review is that Sonnet XVII is now for sale! It sounds heavenly. I also love your choice of paintings, especially Carlos Catasse’s Valle Hermoso.

  • The darkness of mystery that surrounds the over all feeling of this review, this sonnet, this perfume, is enchanting. The balance of dark eros and tender eyes blinking to sleep leaves me hungry so smell these words.

  • beautiful review, I love the way Olga analyzes the notes in relation to images and the sonnet’s different stages
    this is a feast for senses

  • I love how clearly the review and poetry made me feel as though I was taking a walk through the woods — even though I’m just sitting on a chair in my cluttered living room!

  • My favourite part of the review is the description of the heart of the scent — I can imagine wearing it. And of course, the words of Neruda including his wonderful dedication of the sonnets. Great choice of paintings too.

  • I think it is a bit freakish how the number 17 resurfaces during the narration given that it is a first number and all. Feeling superstitious… I also liked the description of how the notes work with each other. xo

  • amberosmanthus says:

    Ohhh, this could be my new favorite perfume. I need to find some to sniff. I love the brooding, mysterious quality of this entire review and I think it is brilliant that even the tone of the piece reflects the mood of the fragrance being reviewed. Thank you for the opportunity and the lovely reflection.

  • That a literary form of art can insipire an olfactory form of art is amazing- and always brings me back to the question of “Why?”

    Why are human beings so driven to create beauty? From ancient cave paintings on walls to perfume, this need seems to be inherently human- and brings out the finest in all of us! The creation of this perfume is an example of that.

    Thank you for the Draw! =)

  • I admire Olga Rowe’s writing; she brings to mind the most evocative images. I esp. enjoy the description of the leathery orchid, soft and greenly floral in an abstract scent that doesn’t bloom. The description of a leather so soft that it’s not like a new leather bag containing a perfumed handkerchief but like you’re thinking of that while walking through the ever present darkness of the forest – I can just imagine that. Thanks to all, for the writing, artwork, and the draw.

  • I love the description of the base of this wonderful Sonnet! Base notes and drydown notes are very important to me, I just can’t live with a perfume that has uninteresting-blurry-musky-synthetic-vibe drydown. This one sounds gorgeous, and the way you write about it makes me dream!
    Thanks for the draw, i will keep my finger crossed!

  • Olga, your review is one of the most beautiful, most evocative, most nearly perfect perfume reviews I’ve ever read. You captured exactly what I was trying to do in creating Sonnet XVII, and did it in a poetic way that fits seamlessly into the overall picture of history-art-poetry-fragrance-felt emotions. It’s written as literature, but it also accurately describes the fragrance in great detail. Thank you!

    I will be sure to look for more of your reviews!

  • h*ll yes i want another chance to sample this fragrance 🙂

    the review is as lovely as i am sure the perfume is.
    and i LOVE the art chosen — particularly the carlos catasse painting (never heard of this artist before, must now go look him up…)

  • Christine Houde says:

    “Wooden sonnets that rise only because you gave them life…” I would think of these words every time I wear this perfume! I was very touched and deeply moved by this review. After reading this review how could this perfume not evoke feelings/memories of profound love?

  • I just love the whole review. Neruda’s poems are enchanting, and I love the way Olga has weaved the descriptions of the notes around the poet’s words. Thanks for the opportunity of maybe trying this fragance!

  • “And if it is love, it will live…”

    Gorgeous review — undoubtedly a perfect match for the perfume!

  • Beverly Wright says:

    Oh, is perfume not ALL about love? Neruda was a stupendous poet and writer. I have an affair with him every time I read him! Such a man.

  • I too also thought the paintings depicted the poetry and scents described – in a way that allows us on the Internet to gain a greater appreciation of what is being said!

  • My favorite part of this review was the wonderful writing.

    I had never heard of cubeb so I had to Google it and it was very interesting.

  • My favorite was the art; there’s a great deal of Chilean literature I love, but I’m less familiar with their visual artists. Thanks for sharing!

  • Gosh, Olga, it is hard to choose my favorite part of this review, the whole price is so beautifully done. I think Pablo Neruda would be honored to read this. I love your descriptions of the heart and also the tree grove at the edge of the forest. Your imagery is stunning. Thank you!

  • I think the way the review plays with natures and love. Both pure and complimentary aspects of our world. The beauty of both shines through and what better medium to blend them- perfume! An art that in itself reaches into both worlds.

  • I liked the connection drawn to Shakespeare’s sonnet 130
    which is one of my favorites (have it memorized) because the Neruda sonnet resonated with me immediately and deeply as well and yet the comparison did not occur to me. Once pointed out, though, I see it well.

    I like the idea: Refusing to compare the beloved, or the love and devotion and passion one feels for the beloved, because to do so would be to somehow diminish or fail to recognize the incomparable uniqueness of these things, because they need to be described on their own terms while knowing any description necessarily falls short of the thing itself.

    Also really enjoying the art!

  • My favorite part was reading about the connection between two very different arts – poetry and perfume – and seeing how they could connect.