New Perfume Review:  Thorn & Bloom Savage Garden + A Storm-Swept Draw


 

JudyGarfin-Icon

Icon Judy Garfin

Every gardener knows the joy of seeing a seed lovingly placed into the soil and gently cared for until it finally sprouts and pokes forth its curious green tendril to be followed by seed leaves and then watching the true form of the plant come through.  They also know tentative and nervous moments after transplanting outdoors, hoping the little green friends will be strong enough to survive the shock of the big outdoor world.  And every gardener knows the heartbreak and sorrow of walking out into the garden after a storm, and crying at the torn off flowers, broken stems, ripped apart leaves, and the sap, precious lifeblood of the plants, dripping forth from its wounds.

JenniferBottobyLizMcBridePhotography

Jennifer Botto of Thorn & Bloom

Artisan Fragrance Salon winning natural perfumer Jennifer Botto of Thorn & Bloom Perfume takes us to the heart of just such a garden, reaching its summer fullness, and guides us through the emotional rollercoaster of a well-tended garden beaten down by nature’s power, beautiful but cruel, with her captivating scent Savage Garden

JudyGarfin-TambourineSummer

JudyGarfin TambourineSummer

The perfume opens with happy and refreshing notes of fresh herbs with wafts if creamy florals.  They combine to build an almost greenhouse effect, providing the sense of humidity and soil to mingle with herb and flower.  The combination is enveloping, bringing you right into the heart of this moment, surrounded by vegetative beauty.  Each aspect of the scent stands out distinctly, yet readily shares olfactory space with its counterparts. 

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 Judith Garfin Fragments of Desire

Then comes a warning, a chill and forceful gusts of stormy winds begin rolling in from the distance.   And before there is time to shut the windows and close the doors, the ferocious air rips through the greenhouse, ripping, snapping, and tearing, the scents rapidly swirling around you with bits of herb and flower and dirt.  Gratefully the voracious storm passes as quickly as is arrived, but the garden is wounded, and will need much love to recover. 

JudyGarfin-BandsofBlue

Judith Garfin  Bands of Blue

The cold green smell of leaves shredded, flowers bruised, dewy balsamic sap oozing from stems split in half.  A moment of shock and sadness overcomes you.  It is a moment of heartbreat, followed by one of hope.  Nature can be fearsome, but it can also be awe-inspiring.  Though battered and bruised, there is also a scent of hope in the air, plants already beginning to mend themselves, waiting for their gardener’s gentle hands to give love and care, returning each of them to their former glory.

Notes: Bluegrass, Mint, Tarragon, Ylang Ylang, Tuberose, Violet Leaf, Vetiver, Orris Root, Sandalwood

As winter comes to replace the summer garden months here in the northern part of the hemisphere, Savage Garden provides us a brief reprieve and an olfactory memory of the spring and summer to come. 

Michael Singels, Sr. Contributor and Natural Perfumery Editor

Disclosure:  Samples sent to me by perfumer for review consideration.  Opinions are my own.

Writer’s Note:  Be sure to take advantage of the holiday season discount codes available on the Thorn & Bloom Perfume site good through December 11th.

7.5mlminiofSagaveGarden

Thanks to Jennifer Botto of Thorn & Bloom Perfume, we have a draw for a sample collection of Thorn & Bloom’s collection or a 7.5ml mini of Savage Garden. Draw is open to CON USA and Canada only for a registered CaFleureBon  reader. To be eligible please leave a comment with what appeals to you about Savage Garden, or what other scent you would enjoy smelling from Thorn & Bloom’s collection, and where you live.  Draw closes December 13, 2015

We announce the winner’s only onsite 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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16 comments

  • Beautiful illustrations to this evocative review, I’m not familiar with Judy Garfin, will have to change that. I’m also not familiar with Thorn and Bloom Perfume and that needs to change, the website is lovely. Orange Blossom sounds like something I would love and maybe Savage Garden could be a tuberose that doesn’t beat me up on the playground – tuberose is a Mean Girl for me but the herbs offsetting the white florals sound very nice. Would like the sample set. Thanks for the chance, everyone!

  • First of all, the name “Savage Garden’ makes me think of the band… 😛 but I’m also intrigued by the use of tarragon in this scent (unfamiliar with the smell of it except in the context of cooking). I’d also love to smell “Stranger in the Cherry Grove”. I live in Canada – Thanks!

  • Great review! I felt like I was right in the middle of a garden storm. I think I’d want to try either Wild Rose or Orange Blossom most, though. I would love to win the sample set. So many tempting fragrances! I find it interesting that the names are so straightforward, but the perfumes have such inspiring blends of notes. I live in Canada. Thank you!

  • Lovely review – very poetic! The Wild Rose sounds great since I am a fan of rose scents, but I also want to try Savage Garden and get a sense of poetry, and I am not always sure I like min in fragrance but would like to try a niche/natural. I would be happy with either the set or the larger Savage Garden. I live in the US, thanks for the draw.

  • I’m curious about Stranger In The Cherry Grove- I can’t quite imagine how that composition would smell. I would love to win a sample set. I’m in the US.

  • I understand the pleasure of sowing a seed and then watching it turning into a plant while also resisting the dangers of the world. Savage Garden also strikes a chord with me because its name is so similar to one of my favorite perfumes ever which is original eau sauvage..thanks so much for the draw. I am in the US

  • “Shock, heartbreak, sadness, hope,” all in one perfume? I am definitely curious to try this! And Thorn and Bloom is a line that keeps popping up in my reading and I want to try. I think I would like Savage Garden from this description. Thank you for the draw. USA

  • Savage Garden firstly reminds me of one of my favorite bands ever haha. But I like this fragrance because it sounds really light and airy and just easy to wear. I haven’t heard of Thorn & Bloom until now, but by checking out their site, I like the sound of Bird of Paradise. That’s something I definitely wanna check out in the future. Thank you for the draw and I’m in Canada!

  • I would love to win a sample set as they all sound quite good, though I think Stranger in the Cherry Orchard might be the one I’d like best.
    I’m in the U.S.

  • It is great to hear that Savage Garden has an herbal aspect along with the flowers. I love mint and terragon, I love ylang and tuberose, so this fragrance sounds lovely. I think all of the Thorn & Bloom scents sound beautiful. Thank you for the review and the draw. I am in the US.

    Just peeked at the Thorn & Bloom site. The perfume bottles with their wood caps are gorgeous.

  • No- No- NO! Save the garden!!!! Save the blooms!!!! But if you can’t make a lovely perfume. And write a lovely review.

    I would love to try any of the Thorn and Bloom. I am n the US.

  • The notes sounds amazing, a real garden! Savage Garden seems to be a great scent to wear daily, in the summer and spring. I’d like to try Savage Garden soon.

  • I like the note breakdown of this fragrance especially the use of green herbal notes. It also has earthy/root notes and florals. Very much like you’d find in a garden, I also like fragrances that change throughout their life and this one sounds like it has major changes. I would also love to try Stranger in the Cherry Grove. I live in the US. Thank you so much for the giveaway.

  • This sounds like a great warm weather fragrance. Definitely a winner in the spring and summer. I like the floral aspects of it. Florals are my favorite notes and this one surely doesn’t disappoint. Wild Rose also sounds very good! Thanks for the draw.

    Canada

  • I would love to try Savage Garden. I really enjoyed the review of a garden in a storm. It’s raining and blowing outside my house and I love the fury of the storm.
    I live in the U.S.
    Thank you for the draw.

  • I love how you described the fragrance. Starting off peacefully, then a storm entering. I think this would make for a great scent in the spring.

    I would love to smell Stranger in the Cherry Orchard someday. I think that one has the chance to be a favorite of mine.

    I’m in Canada and thank you all for the draw.