Papillon Artisan Perfumes Hera courtesy of the brand
The Greek goddess Hera, guardian of matrimony (but famously jealous spouse of Zeus) certainly knew how to make an entrance. When blessing unions of mortal and deity alike, she arrived wearing a starry crown atop a flowing veil seated in a golden chariot drawn by peacocks. Liz Moore’s new fragrance, Hera, created originally for the wedding of Moore’s eldest daughter, Jasmine, is as showstopping as its namesake. Created in in Moore’s trademark vintage-modern luxe style, Papillon Artisan Perfumes Hera brings an untraditional approach to white florals that is sensual and achingly lovely.
Liz Moores of Papillon Artisan Perfumes©
As Moore relates, “Hera is the perfume that I created for my eldest daughter to wear on her wedding day … Originally intended to be only for her exclusive use, my daughter Jasmine insisted that she would love to share Hera with the rest of the world … It is a perfume that I am inordinately proud of, especially as I was able to include some of mine and my daughters favourite perfume materials, and because of the sentiment attached to the creation.”
Le Paon se plaignant à Junon by Gustave Moreau, 1881, via Wikimedia Commons
Unlike so many bridal perfumes, Hera is not fresh or virginal. Rather, it is perfectly poised between plushness and airiness, powdery and heady. It brings to mind Lely’s serenely aristocratic ladies, their low-cut silken gowns offering creamy-skinned invitations to naughtiness. Hera initially echoes Guerlain’s floral masterpiece, Chamade. Like Chamade, Papillon Artisan Perfumes Hera enters a room gleaming like satin, trailing puffs of expensive face powder (thank to orris) and crystalline jasmine. But where Chamade stays opaline and patrician with hyacinth and aldehydes, Hera slowly turns topaz and warm, a distant cousin to Delrae’s gorgeous, languid Amoureuse.
Elizabeth Trentham by Sir Peter Lely, c.1662 NT; (c) Kingston Lacy; Supplied by The Public Catalogue
Moore’s daughter Jasmine, for whom the fragrance was made, describes Hera as a ‘gold’ fragrance: “Wearing it is like wearing a halo of warm light. I was married in the Autumn, and I see Hera as a blaze of glowing autumn colours, but with the lingering flush of summer flowers still being lifted on the wind.”
As the opulent roses in the perfume’s heart flesh out and ylang ylang comes forward, Hera becomes a scent parallel to the sensation of biting into a drippy caramel; that momentary tip into hedonism, the velvety feel of the liquid on the skin of the tongue, the rich, warm odor. From here on, the radiant notes in Hera –created principally by orange blossom, ambrette and rose – travel alongside that cool, powdery orris, now augmented by heliotrope and musk, like coextensive currents. But as the jasmine, orange blossom and rose combine in the heart, and ylang and narcissus becomes more prominent, and vanilla adds a creamsicle layer of sweetness, Papillon Artisan Perfumes Hera glows like a bride who’s just been kissed. Smelling this lovely perfume as a whole, it is equal parts opulence and elegance and fit for the celestial wedding planner herself. Just don’t be surprised if Zeus turns up in disguise hoping for a bit of friskiness.
Notes: Jasmine, orange blossom, ambrette, rose de mai, Turkish rose, orris, narcissus, ylang, heliotrope, clary sage, bergamot, vanilla, labdanum, musk.
-Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor
Disclosure: I received a sample from Indigo Perfumery; opinions my own
Bottle of Papillon Artisan Perfumes Hera, image via the brand
Thanks to the generosity of Indigo Perfumery we have a a 2 ml sample Papillon Artisan Perfumes Hera for one registered reader in the U.S. or a sample for a UK reader courtesy of Liz Moores of Papillon Artisan Perfumes. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what strikes you most about Lauryn’s review of Hera and where you live. Draw closes 6/9/2022.
Please read The Silver Fox’s 3 reviews of Anubis, Tobacco Rose and Angelique here
Ida Meister’s 3 reviews of Spell 125 here Dryad here and Bengal Rouge here
Salome here
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