Wardrobe by Vladmir Kush Methaphorical Journey
"You know that place between sleep and awake, that place where you still remember dreaming? That's where I'll always love you" –Peter Pan
Vladmir Kush Surrealist artist
My wife tells me I sometimes talk before sleep, but not to her. Because I’m already dreaming, the conversation usually goes something like this: “Hon – did you remember to take the trash out tonight?” To which I reply, “Yeah, I did. I took it over to the sleeping dinosaur and you need to stand by that tree.” Which makes perfect sense to me, as my body and mind depart for nocturnal lands. And there needs to be a perfume, a scent that is meant for that moment between waking and dreaming, when your existence is suspended between two realms and anything might occur. I think Parfum Divine’s L'Être Aimé Femme is what that moment should smell like – a bright and adventurous moment, as if your body has just gently pushed off from shore on a pole raft into a strong unexpected current.
(L) Yvon Mouchel and Yann Vasnier
DIVINE Parfums is a hidden gem of a House owned by Breton Yvon Mouchel (we have reviewed L’Homme Infini by Yann Vasnier and last year’s sensual rose Spirituelle.) Superstar Perfumer Yann Vasnier of Givaudan created L'Être Aimé Femme in 2008, and M. Vasnier’s work is wonderfully slippery. Every phase of this fragrance is superimposed slightly on the next, like fleeing memories of a dream you’re trying to hold on to, but can’t.
Hotel Neon
L'Être Aimé starts out with a zesty hit of bergamot, nectarine and neroli, with the bergamot and nectarine winning out so the opening notes don’t become neon signs blinking in the windows of your dream hotel. Instead, the nectarine and bergamot blend with a pithy, powdery iris while the rest of the floral heart notes come and warm the sheets with immortelle’s odd spice and a touch of rose petal.
Walnut of Eden Vladmir Kush
The layered blend in this fragrance is the essence of your conscious mind surrendering to the liminal world ahead, as a child’s hand or an old crone’s stick leads the way through the oncoming fog. The last strains of the top notes are like sunlight disappearing further and further into the tops of gnarled trees, with your head growing heavier by the moment as the light fades. By the time the drydown kicks in, no trace of the waking world remains, replaced instead by a muzzy, midnight sky of labdanum, vanilla, amber and sandalwood – with just a hint of mossy, earthy vetiver to remind you that gravity will take hold again and lift your head to face the world you know.
This fragrance should interest anyone involved in lucid dreaming or astral travel – the way the notes ripple into one another pulls the wearer into a softer state where boundaries break down easily. I’m not one who wears perfume to bed as a rule, but I think Divine has created a scent worthy to be shared with a pillow or your pajamas. Maybe it’s the immortelle note – the slightly sweet, slightly Indian take-out curry weirdness of it that echoes the subconscious realm so well. There’s a deliciously exotic, 19th century Alice in Wonderland (or Little Nemo in Slumberland) quality to this perfume that I absolutely love. So wear it at the end of the day, or the start of a new one, as a reminder that there are two worlds available to travel in – one in which you are expected to live, and one in which the unexpected invites you to visit from time to time.
–Steve Johnson, Editor
Disclosure: From my own collection; the perfume is marketed towards women, but it is easily shared.
Photo- Luckyscent
Thanks to Yvon Mouchel of Divine Parfums we have a 50 ml refillable spray EDP for one ÇaFleureBon reader in the EU, USA or Canada. To be eligible, please leave a comment with what appeals to you about L'Être Aimé , where you live and your favorite Divine Parfums. Draw closes 2/21/2015
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