Group: perfumeoflife.org
Member: caribou55313
From: Minneapolis
Member No.: 57

Dorothy (kingsburypa here on POL) very kindly sent me a sample of her gorgeous scent, Très Bon, when we did a little swap a while back. This was love at first sniff for me, as I think it would be for many on this board, particularly those who love woods, greens and floral chypres. While it doesn't fit the strict bergamot/oakmoss criteria of the chypre family, it has all the fresh/earthy qualities and sophisticated complexity of the genre. Very wearable by both sexes, and very potent.

Dorothy's description of this beauty: “Fresh green ivy notes are blended with rose petals, green woods and mountain lavender. The ending is a soft amber drydown.”

The word Lush comes immediately to mind—it's unusual to find so green a fragrance giving such a dense and velvety impression. The top has very appealing rainforest greenness, similar to the ivy notes in the top of AG Eau de Camille but fuller, backed up by a powerful accord of emerald greens and woods in the base. A massive sandalwood hum fills my ears in the first minutes. With time, a warmer sensation builds as amber/labdanum notes fill out the base even further. This is a great big fragrance but incredibly graceful and smooth. Her notes don't mention orris, but there's an effect here similar to orris - its sweet earthiness softens and enhances the floral heart dominated by dewy rose. Orris notes often feel cool yet plush and velvety to me all by themselves, and here they create a resounding accord with the woods and amber. If I were to compare it to perfumes you might know, its relatives would include Scherrer and Heure Exquise (these 2 especially), Alexandra by Alexandra de Markoff, and Seve Exquise.

I don't know if Dorothy currently has a sample program, but I wish all of you could try this! Here is her link. On the first page, click on Visit My Boutique, then click on Products at the bottom of the boutique page.