New Niche Perfume Review DSH Perfumes Cordial + The Smells of the Holiday Draw

Holiday Aura by Leonid Aframov

We all have those things which signal the Holiday season is upon us. Lights hanging from lampposts, pine wreaths hanging on the front door, and mistletoe hanging in wait for a couple of seasonal revelers. For the last few years there has been another bellwether of the season, for me, as Dawn Spencer Hurwitz releases her new Holiday fragrance. Ms. Hurwitz has been doing this since 2000 and with the release of Cordial for 2012 she has now composed a dozen seasonal scent variations.

Christmas Candle by John K Harrell

I spent a lot of Christmas Eves at midnight buffets to get us ready for the arrival of Santa Claus. In hindsight the wisdom of putting the kids in a food coma showed more foresight than I probably gave my parents credit for. The final touch to make sure we would go to bed and stay in bed so we wouldn’t wake up while the bicycle was being assembled was to offer us a forbidden sip of alcohol. It was always a liqueur of some kind; Crème de Menthe, Amaretto and my favorite Briottet Caramel. Full of belly and with a shot of sweet caramel alcohol I slept well past dawn. My parents were very smart. Cordial reminds me of a perfume version of the Briottet Caramel as it feels like a rich caramel liqueur on my skin.

Cordial opens on a floral flash of hyacinth which is then followed with the caramel accord Ms. Hurwitz developed especially for Cordial. She sent me a bit of that accord on its own and by itself it is rich and creamy. As the core of Cordial it provides a sticky place to add in some other notes. First a boozy accord adds the liqueur aspect. Then the base takes a decided chypre turn with brown oakmoss, sandalwood, and benzoin. This chypre finish really plays into my scent memory of Christmas Eve as my mother wore Mitsouko and that chypre accord is as a much a memory of childhood as the smell of the Christmas tree.

Cordial has above average longevity and below average sillage; Cordial is very much a skin scent.

I have enjoyed all of Ms. Hurwitz’s Holiday fragrances but Cordial is the one which speaks most directly to my holiday memories. It is simultaneously both warm and rich. I am looking forward to wearing Cordial as I create my next set of Holiday memories.

Disclosure: This review was based on samples I purchased from DSH Perfumes.

Thanks to DSH Perfumes we have a 1 dram rollerball of Cordial to giveaway. To be eligible leave a comment on your favorite scent association of the Holiday season. The draw will close on December 17, 2012.

We announce the winners only onsite and on our Facebook page so "Like" CaFleureBon and use our RSS option…….or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

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45 comments

  • Lean S says:

    Maybe a little unusual but I would say oranges. I constantly eat them during the winter holiday and associate them with coziness.

  • Claudia says:

    Spiced Gingerbread Cookies and the smell of a freshly cut Christmas Tree. Love it. Thank you for the draw.

  • Laura says:

    The combination of the Christmas tree and sugar cookies, with apple cider on the stove. My childhood Christmas scents!

  • Francesca says:

    Yum Yum cordial!! I know exactly who would love this! I associate the smell od Christmas pudding with the holidays. My mother makes it every year, rich and fruity and full to bursting with Brandy! Very boozey.

  • Irina says:

    Pine needles on just fallen snow at -10 degrees ( centigrade) is the perfect Christmas smell for me
    I experienced it once-when I was eleven- a great childhood and winter memory

  • Kathryn says:

    Brandy and fruit pudding with vanilla custard. The scent gets me every time.

    Happy Holidays everyone!

  • Cynthia says:

    Ahh, this sounds like another winner from Dawn. I’m wearing Lumiere today. My Mom used to make a spice tea mix to gift people with at Christmas. It had a strong orange and clove smell which the Nest holiday candle captures perfectly.

  • Borko Boris says:

    Home-made cookies and a cup of hot cocoa. That is the smell I associate with Christmas.

    Thanks!

  • mridula says:

    The scent of rum soaked fruitcake comes to mind, the really dark and moist ones found elsewhere in the world, not the dryer style cakes found in America. I find these cakes in Fijian and Jamaican stors in America. The fruit is minced, there is an almost fudgy quality to the cake. The whole thing is almost bitter in scent and boozy of course and a little smoky and ultimately sweet.

  • Isa says:

    It’s turkey lurkey time!

    My favorite scent is the one of the turkey my grandma makes for Christmas meal. It smells to cinnamon, dried pruenes and apricots.

  • Lisa R says:

    Apple cider mixed with pine.

    My mother always bribed us to decorate the tree with this wonderful apple cider she’d make for us!

  • harper says:

    oh, it’s the pine sap from the christmas tree, without a doubt.
    also: candle-smoke (yes, we did have real candles on a real tree.!)
    and (just like the scene in harold-and-maud): snow.

  • Barbara says:

    A compote of stewed fruits my mother would make smells like Christmas to me, Prunes, apricots, pears, and I don’t remember what else!

  • Maureen says:

    Christmas tress and pizzelles cooking. I would love to win this fragrance….fingers crossed…thanks.

  • Joaquim says:

    Leonid Aframov! Amazing artist, I love the work of this man.
    My favorite scent association with this holidays is the smell of waffles with hot chocolate, there’s a little place in Barcelona (my city) where is tipical buy excelents waffles.
    Thank you for the draw!

  • Elisa says:

    I really want to try this one! Love Dawn’s recent work. My favorite holiday scent is pine needles, good thing I have a fresh wreath hanging a couple of feet from my head!

  • SujaanNY says:

    Easy…redwood and pine trees from my childhood in northern California.
    I love DSH perfumes, especially Lumiere, another great one for the holidays.

  • qui says:

    I think of cloves and oranges when I think of the holidays
    I would love to try cordial
    I think DSH perfumes mahjoun is a great holiday scent

  • sherapop says:

    I absolutely adore caramel. When I buy ice cream with caramel swirls, I literally excavate the ribbons!

    I think that I associate caramel more with fall than winter (Halloween?), but it’s still a wonderful scent.

  • HeatherP says:

    Like many, I think of pomander and pine scents. The smells of snow, dogs, and wool-warmed skin also leap to the mind. Thanks for the draw.

  • Musette says:

    Whew! I thought I was going to be the Lone Pine here! Obviously it’s a classic holiday scent for so many of us.

    That’s the Power of Pine, baby! (but not Pine-Sol, which smells like a chemical spill)

    xoA

  • amy m. says:

    The smell of pine from the tree, anise from my mothers home made pizzelles, plastic from new toys and gifts, and my favorite of all – the Frangelica that spiced the egg nog. Thank you so much for the draw!

  • DSH says:

    Thank you so much Mark and all at CaFeureBon for the wonderful review of Cordial! And Mark especially for sharing his lovely childhood memories. I have to share that I truly loved creating the caramel accord for this scent and am really pleased to see here how many readers love caramel as much as I do. I wish the Happiest Holiday Season to everyone! oxox

  • Nicolai-R says:

    I love the smell of hot wine with some spices in it. Hot wine and a good book. That is what I call having a great time! Thanks!

  • Holly F. says:

    My favorite is the scent of pine and incense. I love all the spices associated with yummy holiday baking, too! Thanks for the draw.

  • Amer says:

    Melomakarona. Traditional pastry sweets that smell of orange, honey, clove, cinamon and nuts! 2,000,000 calories per piece but I can eat a bucketful in one sit. Reaching for them now… 😛

  • Devon H says:

    I think my favorite holiday scent associations would be a tie for fir, and gingerbread spice blend. They both make me immediately think of and visualize Christmas in all of it’s homespun comfort and sumptuous glory.