Carner Barcelona is a line I am just beginning to explore, so I was happy to receive a sample of their latest fragrance, El Born. El Born is a section of the La Ribera district in Barcelona, and is known for its creative culture and color, as well as its links to Medieval times.

"Street Art Barcelona (El Born)" by Leyla Alyamak

Wanting to create an olfactory impression of El Born in  perfume, Creative Director Sara Carner and Perfumer Jaques Huclier made the fragrance a bit boozy and honeyed, lying on a soft bed of wood, vanilla, and resins. Perhaps they were thinking of revelers drinking honeyed mead in Medieval days. The first few minutes after putting the fragrance on skin is wonderfully heady, and my first thought was, “what a pretty perfume!” Soon I have a little visit from earthy fig, and catch a whiff of jasmine. After a little while the base notes, including the brand’s signature of wood in every scent, become more prominent on my skin and I feel a nice calm. I wore it to work today and it was really humid. I kept getting puffs of fragrance long after I thought it was gone. One thing I really like about this fragrance is that although the top opens quite vividly and beautifully, its strength gives way to a softness that is perfect for the long haul. I have a feeling that since I had a dab sample vial, which can be fine for many perfumes, that in this case the fragrance would be much more expansive when sprayed, which would make it all the more complex and lovely. I would like to experience that pleasure.

Notes: Sicilian Lemon, Calabrian Bergamot, Angelica, Honey, Fig, Heliotrope, Benzoin from Laos, Egyptian Jasmine, Madagascan Vanilla Absolute, Peru Balsam, Australian Sandalwood, Musk

Sara Carner, Founder of Carner Barcelona

I really enjoyed this perfume and am looking forward to exploring more from the Carner Barcelona line. The company was founded by Fashion Designer Sara Carner in 2010, who returned to her native Barcelona from New York City to follow her passion for fine fragranceand start her own Perfumery.

I received my sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary. El Born will be available at Twisted Lily soon and is available for preorder info@twistedlily.com.

Tama Blough, Managing Editor

Thanks to the kindness of the folks at Twisted Lily, we have a sample of El Born to give one lucky reader in the US. Let us know what appeals to you about this perfume, if you have a favorite Carner Barcelona  perfume. (You will need to be patient as we had a preview sample. The winner should expect their sample within 2-4 weeks). Draw ends July 19, 2014.

Editor's Note:   El Born is the fifth fragrance in the collection, which we first discovered at Elements Showcase in NYC and includes Tardes, D600, Cuirs (a Fragrance Foundation finalist in the Indie Category, 2012) and Rima XI.

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.