Commodity Gold Fragrance Review (Donna Ramanauskas) + Gilded Minimalism Draw

November 22, 2020November 22, 2020

Today, late in 2020, as gold prices hover around $1,800, I can’t help but recall the not so distant past, 2001, when the glittering metal (a commodity to some, a currency to others) was selling for $271 an ounce. Even as I find myself bemoaning poor choices and regretting missed investment opportunities, scenes from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, memorized as a tween, surface unbidden in my mind, reminding me that money isn’t everything, that gold is inherently neither good nor evil and that “golden” is not necessarily metallic.

Details from a scene in the Merchant of Venice. Engraving by F. Barth, 19th century.

“There is a written scroll. I’ll read the writing.

‘All that glisters is not gold—

Often have you heard that told…’” – the Prince of Morocco upon making the wrong (or perhaps the right) choice in William Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice 1598.

This November, among the turning leaves, I have once again discovered the radiance of John Keats’ fabled 19th century “realms of gold”. The spectacular colors and scents of an exceptionally brilliant autumn have instilled in me a craving for seasonal vistas, tastes and, of course, for golden perfumes. Commodity Gold, created by master perfumer Donna Ramanauskas and brought to life by Commodity Fragrances brand “re-founder”, Vicken Arslanian (founder and President of Europerfumes) offers the essential aureate experience in a lustrous eau de parfum. Commodity Gold, one of six in the Commodity White Collection, unfolds as a fresh, light amber, gilded with bergamot and the essence of dry juniper berries. The cool comfort of camphor adds a slight chill to the initial warmth of resins, woods and rooty vetiver. Despite common associations with the listed notes, there is nothing weighty, baroque or ornate about Commodity Gold. Instead, the sensation of a flaxen aura or veneer develops in the heart and is maintained throughout the life of the fragrance. The amber remains trim and modern, the vanilla blossoms into a svelte, velvety texture and the benzoin, always under control, is never overdone.

Commodity Gold is as near the perfect expression of the company’s minimalist mission as a gilt perfume could possibly be. As the base notes of musk, sandalwood and oakmoss take center stage in the dry down, the image of olfactory Gold continues to glimmer with a translucent, almost transparent golden light.

From start to finish, for ten hours and more, Gold remains close to the skin, creating an intimate glowing atmosphere suffused with fine vanilla, a perfume that is easy to wear both day and night, and a pleasure to wake up to in the morning.

“Golden slumbers kiss your eyes,

Smiles awake you when you rise.

Sleep, pretty wantons, do not cry,

And I will sing a lullaby…” – from a 1603 poem by the Renaissance playwright Thomas Dekker, the words used much later by Paul McCartney in the lyrics of The Beatles “Golden Slumbers”.

Perfume Notes: Bergamot, juniper berries, camphor, molten amber, vetiver, benzoin, oakmoss, sandalwood, vanilla and creamy musk.

Disclaimer: I would like to thank Europerfumes and Commodity “re-founder” Vicken Arslanian for the beautiful and cherished Commodity Gold. My opinions are my own.

Gail Gross – Senior Editor

Thanks to Europerfumes, the new owner of Commodity Fragrances, we have a 100 ml tester bottle of Gold EDP for one registered ÇafleureBon reader in the USA ONLY (if you are not sure if you are registered click here (you must register on our site or your entry will be invalid) To be eligible please leave a comment regarding what you enjoyed about Gail’s review of Commodity Fragrances Gold. Do you have a Commodity Fragrances favorite? Draw closes 11/25/2020

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