Summer of Patchouli Love 2011: Peace, Love and Patchouli. Pick #2

The summer of 2011 has been a distinctly different event. Weather has been crazy across the country. The stars have realigned in wicked configurations and Perfume Pharmer Monica Miller came up with this amazing idea to have select fragrance afficionados AKA “Patch Test Bunnies” test drive a group of 13 scents all created around the singular note of patchouli. These scents are all extremely unique– but the only thing that ties them together (though it would be very hard to tell that they are related) is the ingredient patchouli.

The Summer of Patchouli Love: Peace, Love and Patchouli was a smorgasboard of patchouli scents created by 13 natural perfumers who blended natural, 25% (min) patchouli perfumes that would turn even the most ardent patchouli-haters heads. The result is the Summer of Patchouli Love 2011 and the Patch Test Bunnies (I was lucky enough to be selected to be amongst this august group) chose their top 3 favorites.

The perfume “Patch Test Bunnies” are bloggers and fragrance junkies like me– and many of them are more well known in the fragrance world than I am. (The list of the Patch Test Bunnies is at the end of this post- and will be featured on the 2 subsequent posts) Not to say I don’t know my fragrances or understand the process of creating something that is visual, tactile and olfactory as well as emotional.

I am one of the last to post about my favorites and this was really hard to do because all these little bottles were numbered from 1-14.. (we skipped the number 9 because it’s just like the number 6) so there were 13 scents to test. I am one of those people whose nose and body chemistry changes daily– and maybe even during the day. Emotionally, physically, mentally– each scent can affect me or smell differently on me — particularly as it evolves. I am more eclectic in style in beauty, fashion, music and food– though I always have my favorites– there are times when girl has to change up her style and this was one really hard test to get throug because each was so unique.

At one point I was numbering them on my arm to figure out which was which — 4 at a time. We had to pick out our three favoritee and after I finally picked out one (that was hard enough), I had to go through it again for scent #2 and #3– each of which will have their own post.

PLAP fragrance #11 was the second choice for me was created by noted perfumer and friend Dawn Spencer Hurwitz whom I have known for many years.

Here’s a blip from her blog post about her journey in creating the scent:

On my path to creating my entry to the project I, of course, created a few designs to make my final judement. Here you will find my patchouli project designs no.1, no.2 and no.3. Check out the Collaborations and other Muses page or my blog, DSHnotebookBodhi Sativa (no.1), Aquarius (no.2) and Bodhisattva (no.3). Which are your favorites

Patch Test Fragrances:
1) Indienne– Perfumer Alfredo Dupetit, Bio-Scent by Dupetit

2) River Walk– Perfumer Liz Zorn, Liz Zorn Perfumes

3) Go Ask Alice– Perfumer Shelley Waddington, EnVoyage Perfumes

4) Haight and Ashbury– Perfumer Jane Cate- A Wing and A Prayer Perfumes

5) Bohemian Spice– Perfumer Tanja Bochnig, April Aromatics

6) Happiness– Perfumer Ambrosia Jones, Perfume by Nature

7) Rose Boheme, Perfumer Charna Ethier, Providence Perfume Company

8 ) Patchouli Paisley– Perfumer Lyn Ayre, Coeur d’Esprit Natural Perfumes

9) (we omitted to use number nine to avoid confusion among samples of 6 and 9)

10) Tetu– Perfumer JoAnne Bassett, JoAnne Bassett Perfumes
11) BodhiSativa – Perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, DSH Perfumes

12) Queen of Punk – Perfumer Amanda Feeley, Esscentual Alchemy

13) Wild Child– Perfumer Kedra Hart, Opus Oils

14) Royal Water– Perfumer Rodney Hughes, Therapeutate

Here are the notes for #11 BodhiSativa

Comments from Dawn Spencer Hurwitz!!

BodhiSativa is what I feel is the best of balancing acts: the rich aged patchouli, the fruity-floralcy of the cannabis accord and an exotic wood / incense drydown.

Top notes: Bergamot, Cassis Bud, Galbanum

Middle notes: Cannabis Accord (Botanical), Centifolia Rose Absolute, Champaca Absolute

Base notes: Australian Sandalwood, Benzoin, Buddahwood, East Indian Patchouli, Frankincense co2 absolute, Texas Cedarwood, Tolu Balsam, Vanilla Absolute

I kept coming back to this scent. I liked it well enough to feel comfortable during the day wearing it because it was lighter and not so heavy as many –and yet it morphed on me to be something I could wear in the evening when I wanted to be out and not have a scent that was so common. The opening green and fresher notes were great and the cannabis accord was what got my attention. It was pretty clear. I loved the dry down though and that’s where most fragrances fail on me. This one came up with that chocolate (not cocoa or chocolate candy) sort of scent. yet it was the cedarwood that came out and the patchouli that made it so exotic for me to wear. I still am doling out this sample because it lasts a long time.

I was VERY surprised it was Dawn’s fragrance. It was a very pleasant thing that I could pick out something from someone I had worked with for many years– but had no clue it was her creation.

Thank you to Monica Miller, Perfume Pharmer and to all the other Patch Test Bunnies and Patch Test Creators for their patience. I was checking my favorites again– the box is open in front of me as I type right this second. (I so need to start using that dictation programn DRAGON.. I talk way too much)

Posts on the third –and last–choice scent will be coming soon .

Stevie Wilson,
LA-Story.com

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