BLUEHILL Fragrances Metrogarden Review (Sandy Carr) + Boston Gardens Draw

 

Boston Public Gardens was the inspiration for BLUEHILL FRAGRANCES METROGARDEN

map of Boston Public Garden the inspiration for BLUEHILL Fragrances Metrogarden via collection.leventhalmap.org

 

“Here’s to dear old Boston,

The home of the bean and the cod,

Where Lowells speak only to Cabots,

And Cabots speak only to G-d.” ~ Toast given by John Collins Bossidy in 1910 at Holy Cross College

 

Samuel Adams

John Singleton Copley portrait of Founding Father Samuel Adams wikipedia 

 

This libation doggerel offered at a 1910 gathering of Holy Cross alumni may be long in the tooth, but it remains somewhat accurate. Boston is a Grande Dame if ever there was one – a fact I’m unlikely to forget, since my move here in 1972 to Boston’s Beacon Hill introduced me to a whole new world of proud Daughters of the American Revolution and frumpily elegant women of a certain age who wore stout shoes and pulled out their dusty-milk-bottle diamonds for special occasions only. Pearls were omnipresent, de rigueur. Being New York born, Boston Brahmins both fascinated and repulsed me: I don’t do entitled well, anywhere. In those early bitter New England winters, I found myself hauling stubborn matriarchs down those steep icy streets and sidewalks so infamously ill-maintained; I was afraid that they’d tumble and break their fragile venerable bones (I’d do it again today in a heartbeat). I grew to be wryly fond of Brahmins in spite of myself and came to love our city, wealthy in history and greenery.

BLUEHILL Fragrances metrogarden review

Ida roses in the Public Gardens

Which brings us to gardens? Absolutely –  urban ones secreted behind elaborate wrought-iron fences and gates, brick walls and deceitful shrubbery, away from prying eyes. Or alternatively, the very public Public Gardens with its quaint Swan Boats  – part of Boston’s Emerald Necklace chain of parks and green spaces designed by Frederick Olmsted: both intersect at the foot of Beacon Hill’s Charles Street.

Sandy Carr of BLUEHILL FRAGRANCES

Perfumer Sandy Carr in her kitchen via Dave Habeeb

Perfumer Sandy Carr of BLUEHILLS Fragrances has painted us a loving aquarelle of gardens which may be viewed by invitation only or photographic essay (for the most part), barring the occasional windowbox or door wreath – as well the verdant open space beloved by locals and visitors alike. You spy them on foot when you explore Beacon Hill with its precipitous, poorly marked one-way streets and infinitely stately cul-de-sacs (The Beacon Hill Garden Club offers a one-day Annual Tour of the Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill: this year it’s on Thursday, May 21st from 9-5. That’s so quirky and so Bostonian.). Sandy’s olfactory portrait grants us a peek inside an urban refuge filled with rays of sunlight and blissful shade. The beauty of Metrogarden, quite simply, is this: you don’t have to be moneyed or privileged to avail yourself of horticultural respite. It’s yours for the asking – and it is as lovely as it is original.

BLUEHILL Fragrances Metrogarden by Sandy Carr

Ida’s sons as young boys photo by Ida

What constitutes a Metrogarden? In our former neighborhood one must conjure the leafy, grassy aspect while not neglecting flowers. Europeans visiting our fair city remark upon plentiful parks and trees: lindens, maples, locusts, oaks all line the avenues and side streets; clinging vines, ivies, ferns flourish where sun is scarce. In BLUEHILL Fragrances Metrogarden cheery citruses welcome with their clarion burst of lemon, multi-faceted petitgrain and brisk bergamot touches. I sense the immediate affinity which petitgrain seems to have for narcissus, an intimate dance. Narcissus is particularly complex here because its floralcy exhibits an animalic, horsey facet and also lends a verdant hue.

Boston Public garden

Photo by Ida

That narcissus adores vetiver; together they sing of green. Iris is the sun as violet is the shadow; in concert they impart a charming floral/sylvan coolness which is grateful for buttery sandalwood and the dollop of Peru balsam, the latter’s ambery balsamic tones tinged with wood and cinnamon. Of course there are roses! We are not as temperate as other zones, but roses are abundant in our hidden and public gardens and one can smell them upon the summer breezes (sea breeze or land breeze) without any effort. Obliging rose never disappoints, especially such a gorgeous one as this.

rose gardens in boston

stock photo

You want the first spritz to last forever because it makes you giddy with pleasure – orange, pink, red, blue, green, violet! You smell such colors, each and all, fervidly until they meld seamlessly into a sheen of floral/woody shantung silk. Don’t just read the notes, for goodness’ sake; paper doesn’t work either, only flesh will do. Metrogarden requires skin in order to bloom. I am rarely a ‘two-spritzer’, but in this case I will because my senses crave it and I want to experience that grand first flush, as all greedy noses do.

2020 may be brand new still, but BLUEHILL Fragrances Metrogarden has already distinguished itself as a unique beauty with classical bone structure and a marvelous surprise.

Notes: lemon, petitgrain, bergamot, iris, violet, rose, narcissus, sandalwood, Peru balsam, vetiver, crystalline musk

My bottle was a gift from the perfumer – many thanks, Sandy! I treasure it.  My nose is my own…

 

~ Ida Meister, Senior Editor and Natural Perfumery Editor

Bluehill fragrances Metrogarden

BLUEHILL Fragrances Metrogarden by Ida

 

Thanks to the generosity of Sandy Carr of BLUEHILL Fragrances, we are offering one 50 ml flacon of Metrogarden for one registered reader in the USA ONLY. You can register here. Please leave a comment regarding what appealed to you about Ida’s review  and if there is a public garden near where you live. Draw closes 2/17/2020

Follow us on Instagram @cafleurebon @idameister @bluehillfragrances @sandy_carr

This is our Privacy and Draw Rules Policy

We announce the winners only on our site and on our Facebook page, so like Çafleurebon and use our blog feed…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

64 ÷ 8 =

37 comments

  • True to its name, Metrogarden evokes the feeling of being in a garden with all kind of scents wafting in the air from fruity such as citrus to floral such as rose. USA

  • I really liked how the review talked about experiencing the scent in color kind of. Ans the colors melding together. It sounds different and really nice. I dont know of any public gardens near me. From CT USA. Thanks for the generous draw.

  • Ida’s review is spellbinding. I’ve never tried anything from this house before but the review for it makes me want to. Unfortunately there are no public gardens where I live but it would be nice. Thanks for the great review and the great giveaway. Commenting from Kentucky USA.

  • I’m so glad Metrogarden gives equal billing to the greenery as well as the flowers. I’m also enchanted by Ida’s description of smelling the individual colors eventually melding into shantung silk. It sounds so elegant! I’ve never tried Bluehill fragrances but this sounds divine. Greetings from MD USA

  • The description of the “metrogarden” was really relaxing. The fragrance also sounds like a fresh, relaxing scent. Please enter me! NY, USA

  • Two quotes I loved from this article: “I don’t do entitled well, anywhere.” And, “Paper doesn’t work either, only flesh will do” (my mantra!). I had to laugh about helping the matrirachs down icy streets. Yesterday I was at the Adelaide Central Market, a sprawling warehouse of gorgeous fresh fruits and veggies, wonderous meats, flowers, and even a small used book stall to make it a perfect place. An older lady was on the floor as I approached the meat display counter, and was having trouble getting up. I hauled her up from behind and she was thanking me (I think!) effusively in some Eastern European language. (Hungarian? Polish? Possibly Greek?) She toddled off looking very regal, once righted. Anyway, the perfume sounds lovely, I love gardens and hidden gardens are even more special. This sounds like a very happy fragrance. Besos!

  • MemoryHunter says:

    Seattle WA here! I live on a lush island across from the metro area and there are dozens of parks that get full of every kind of flower, and blackberries too. This perfume paints a picture of an ideal spring in a peaceful haven! The way this is written, I can almost smell it.

  • I used to walk around the Public Gardens quite a bit when I lived in Boston, so I am especially happy to see a fragrance dedicated to it. I like the idea of a bouquet with luminous citrus and a woodier, balsamic base. I live in the Dallas area and we have very nice parks. I am in the USA.

  • Hello from Florida
    Great article senior Editor! Learn a lot about Boston Gardens! I’m sure Perfumer Sandy Carr of BLUEHILL Fragrances created absolutely amazing perfume and like Ida Meister said in her lovely review: “Sandy Carr has painted us a loving AQUARELLE of Garden”, this is my favourite discription of this creation: “Metrogarden”
    Thank you

  • I do believe Ida when she says you can actually smell colors in a fragrance. The olfactory sense is a wonder. No public gardens near me that I know of. VA, USA.

  • The Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill sounds like such a wonderful and beautiful place it’s terrible that it is only open one day a year. If Metrogarden was created to smell like Hidden Gardens I’m sure it is a beautiful perfume. My local garden would be East Texas Botanical Gardens. Texas, USA

  • So well thought after name for this fragrance and the review just painted a very beautiful imagery of the notes. I love vetiver and hoping to sample this beautiful accord of notes. Reader from Los Angeles, ca USA

  • Sounds amazing from the first spray. We have no public garden but have a small shade garden of my own. USA

  • I love how Ida says you can smell the colors in this scent. And I think it’s wonderful that this brand celebrates the “metrogarden” not to mention that I can’t resist any narcissus scent! Love the drawing on the bottle as well. Thank you for the draw. I’m in the US.

  • I had the great pleasure of visiting the Butchart gardens in BC Canada. It was a breathtaking experience. Metrogarden sounds fabulous with notes of narcissus and petitgrain, among others. Thanks for the opportunity to sniff! Mich USA

  • Shamrock1313 says:

    Ida’s review leads one to believe the name Metrogarden is the perfect name for the fragrance.
    Well done as always by Ida
    Pennsylvania USA

  • I always love Ida’s lyricism when she writes. This sounds like such a “wow” fragrance that I really want to try it. We have no public gardens directly where I live, but a short distance away we have beautiful pocket gardens which are hidden behind walls and gates. Thanks for a great review and a most generous draw. I’m in the USA

  • I live in Orlando, Fl. there are several public gardens close by, actually Fl flora and fauna variety is nothing but beautiful. Beautiful garden areas everywhere, specially Harry P. Leu Garden beautiful public garden by downtown Orlando. What I enjoy more about this reviews were the beautiful pictures of flowers and green areas. Thank you

  • What a cheerful image Ida Meister has created in this review of the currently freezing city of Boston – a charming and hopeful sign of things to come in spring and summer, when the air is redolent of grass, trees and flowers. Very uplifting review of an uplifting fragrance, Metrogarden by Bluehill Fragrances. The citrus and rose lift you up as you go for a long walk in summer after which the vetiver and sandalwood hug you in a long embrace – so you can rest on grass under a tree after the walk. Now I wish Sandy Carr would come up with such olfactory images of other cities – I am thinking of cities such as ones with zen gardens (Kyoto and others in Japan, Portland in Oregon, USA); rose, lavender and tulip gardens in Europe; sandalwood forests in Southern India, and on and on – the possibilities are limitless.

    Thank you Ida for a cheerful review of a seemingly cheerful fragrance. Please consider me for the drawing for Metrogarden by Bluehill Fragrances. I am ready for my imaginary walk smelling flowers and woods while I wait for spring. Writing to you from USA.

  • This review is both poignant and hilarious to me. I can relate all too well to Ida’s experiences with the WASP-y old-money “Boston Brahmins”, and I too love the uniquely democratic, accessible nature of the public garden. The perfume sounds lovely, the narcissus note particularly intriguing. Now I also want to visit the Beacon Hill Gardens next time I’m in Boston visiting my sisters! There is indeed a tiny public flower garden near where I live, and though it’s small, it is also lovely. I am in the US 🙂

  • wallygator88 says:

    I really liked how Ida says – ‘ Don’t just read the notes, for goodness’ sake; paper doesn’t work either, only flesh will do. Metrogarden requires skin in order to bloom. I am rarely a ‘two-spritzer’, but in this case I will because my senses crave it and I want to experience that grand first flush, as all greedy noses do.”

    Would love to give this a try.

    I’m a huge fan of the arboretums and botanical garden where I live.

    Love from WI, USA

  • Bryant Worley says:

    What I enjoyed about the review was the Horticulture theme that permeated throughout. I live in Waldorf, MD, USA by way of Brooklyn, NYC and have not come into contact with any public gardens in Maryland, but there were 2 Botanical Gardens in NYC which I enjoyed visiting VERY MUCH once a year (Brooklyn and The Bronx).

  • Ida’s reviews is so beautiful and colorful! I love her descriptions of smelling the colors! The public garden Chicago Botanic is one of the best! USA

  • Thanks for yet another great review, Ida! The way you described the perfume and compared it with the Public Gardens and Bluehill isjust amazing. I can definitely picture and smell it. This part of your description is my favorite – ‘You want the first spritz to last forever because it makes you giddy with pleasure – orange, pink, red, blue, green, violet!’ Thank you for this opportunity. – CA, USA

  • Michael Prince says:

    Ida, great review of Bluehill MetroGarden. This fragrance is inspired from Boston Public Gardens. This fragrance sounds like a garden experience in a bottle with a citrus and pettigrain opening with a prominent floral heart that is reminescent of walking through a garden. There is a public garden near where I live with beautiful sights, sounds, and smells. Somewhere that you can go to unwind, relax, and reflect on life. I am from the USA.

  • how exciting to start w/3! citrus: lemon, petitgrain & bergamot. anyways, yes i’m fortunately surrounded by public gardens, the largest being golden gate park

  • As a person who has never been to Boston, I loved reading about the garens there. The other thing that really appeals to me is that she wanted 2 spritzes of the scent. I want that!
    We have several “botanical gardens” within driving distance and our park in the center of town called South Park has a beautiful flower garden.
    I am in Lawrence KS, USA.

  • Ida, dear Ida! You know I love anything and everything you right, but this really made me smile, and made my day! I’m a Massachusetts native, thought not a proper Bostonian (South Coast, though not really – that’s where they lump us). You so eloquently and politely described the blueblood Boston Brahmin, which still does exist today. The gardens, these urban oases, do exist and how! With our short summers and sometimes non-existent springs, they do provide a refuge in what is otherwise a get-it-done-yesterday city. This perfume is a treasure and absolute bliss.

    Sandy, your perfumery is wonderful and spot-on to our native Massachusetts. Ida did a phenomenal job of describing this. I thank you for gracing us with all your beautiful fragrances and for the generosity of this draw.

    I’m in MA, USA

  • Sounds so beautiful and I just love this quote – “Metrogarden requires skin in order to bloom”. I live up in the mountains so there aren’t any public gardens around here.
    I live in the US.

  • bigscoundrel says:

    These notes blending together into a menagerie that comes to life on skin sounds like a beautiful experience. I like the idea of creating fragrances around horticultural respites. My closest public gardens are in NYC. New Jersey, USA.

  • I love Ida’s description of Narcissus in the review. It’s a note that doesn’t always translate into fragrance well because it’s so nuisanced and beautiful. I live near San Francisco so we have the SF Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park with 9,000 types of plants and the Rose Garden also in Golden Gate Park. They are just gorgeous.

  • Excellent review by Ida! Her description of Metrogarden had me feeling like I was in a garden and actually smelling various flowers in bloom. My favorite line is: “You want the first spritz to last forever because it makes you giddy with pleasure – orange, pink, red, blue, green, violet!” Thanks for the draw and I live in the US!

  • m.r.everything says:

    I felt as if I were just in a garden in Boston! Ida has such a way with her words as to transport you wherever she is speaking of. I felt as if I was right there smelling the roses with her. Boston has been one of those places that I have always wanted to visit just for the history alone. I live on the East Coast but something about New England calls my name. I want, no need, to visit sometime in the future! Since I am anxiously wanting to visit the region, Metrogarden seems like it would suffice until I am able to get there. I love how Ida “two-spritzed’ this one… this one is one we need to test for sure…. and not on paper, only flesh will do! Thank you Ida, as always, for transporting me to another place and taking me their with your beautiful words! Thank you to Sandy for your generosity and for this fantastic opportunity! It is truly appreciated and something I’m sure many would look forward to! Thanks Michelyn, as always, for everything you do! Sending fragrant comments from Delaware, US. Good luck to all!

  • I’m intrigued by the idea that it truly needs skin for this scent to blossom. Only parks near where I live in the US. Not quite the same as what you can find in Boston or NYC.

  • ThatMulattoDude says:

    Interesting note breakdown, def like to try this. Appreciate the description but not so enamored with Boston society as the author is…the beauty of the gardens maybe. Thanks for the opportunity.

  • I live nearby the Boston Public Garden and I agree it is fabulous during the summers. Fantastic idea to capture the garden’s essence in a fragrance and Ida’s review is lovely. Have not tried this brand before but thanks for the introduction. Regards from USA.