CLEOPATRA'S BOUDOIR

Today I received a wonderful little gift in the mail, a package containing several samples of natural perfume from niche house Anya's Garden. Wonderful little bottles in a green satin pouch, all smelling great!

Anya's Garden is an actual place, an artisan perfumery located in Miami Florida, where the garden boasts lush jasmines, champakas, chinese perfume trees and many, many more fragrant plants. Anya is able to capture many of these rare essences for use in her exquisite perfumes.

The perfumery also sources the most rare and exquisite aromatics from all over the Earth. the great thing about this perfumery is that, whenever possible organic, wildcrafted and sustainable essences are used because that makes for a better, greener product.

The perfumery also only uses pure and natural aromatics from the land and sea and soil in the creation of the natural perfumes of Anya's Garden. Carriers such as organic grape or grain alcohol are used for the perfumes.

A unique characteristic of Anya's Garden is the usage of boxes made from the sustainable Daphne plant and recycled paper - and that's just the beginning of the beautiful story of the boxes. Each box is imbedded with wildflower seeds, so you can plant the box and grow your own garden in a pot or in the ground.

These are the Anya's Garden's current offerings that I have reviewed (my notes are after the description):

Amberess-(Rare musk rose from Africa opens this soft, lush amber perfume. Ten carefully-blended base notes provide a gorgeous amber base that melts into your skin.)

Fairchild-(Narcotic, hypnotic, changeable tropical passion, sparkling with flowers and salty from sea spray. Pandanus, champakas, jasmines, citrus, choya nakh, oakmoss, seaweed.)

Kaffir-(Lemon lime with a Thai twist, floral and leather and warm wood. Thai lime leaf, jasmines, yellow aloeswood.)

Kewdra-(Kewda flower melds with the iconic heroine Kudra of Jitterbug Perfume into a floral heart of Chinese Gardenia and Golden Boronia. Then the musk hits. Oh, the musk, sweet, sultry and like a second, sensual skin.)

Light-(A truly modern take on a classic cologne-style, blended as a pure perfume. Israeli yellow grapefruit, cedrat (citron) from Sicily, aglaia flower, genet, frankincense.)

Moondance-(Tuberose seduces you under the full moon, and you are lost in the stars. Water mint, violet flower, jasmine sambac, opoponax and other stellar aromatics.)

Pan-(A romp in the fields of Gods, magnetic and soft, seductive and a day in the sun that goes on forever)

RiverCali-(Pink pepper and roses float over citrus and musky vanilla that takes you to a lush desert oasis) This is definitely one of my favorites. It has the freshness of a vintage eau de cologne, full of oranges and mandarin, which brought me out of the doldrums today.

Royal Lotus-(Fit for a king or queen. Royal Lotus has a sparkling citrus top, a heart of the rarest, most costly aromatics such as blue and pink lotus, night blooming jasmine, and a soft, velvety base of sandalwood, ambergris and tonka bean.)

Starflower-(Candy flower, dreamy and steamy, almond cherry and lemon and foodie seeds and chocolate make tuberose the star of Mexico, an edible, sexy delight)

Temple-(Orange juice surprises you, spices warm you and exotic Oud soothes you.)

White Smoke- 

Unbound by Halston is a Floral Fruity fragrance for women. Unbound was launched in 2001. The nose behind this fragrance is Patricia Bilodeau.

So what does it smell like? The perfume  features carnation, tuberose, amber, lily-of-the-valley, cedar and bergamot. Thanks to Bab, I am able to review this perfume sample. What do I detect most?  Lily of the valley and tuberose. Lots of Tuberose. This is a great smelling floral fragrance that would be great for a wedding or sweet 16 party. A very feminine scent that would make any gal feel pretty. It has an aquatic accord that makes this refreshing to spring or summer wear. Perfect for the office too.

Here is a review I have done for a perfume that has been out only for a few years (2008 ), I found it of great significance and perfect to feature on Cleopatra's Boudoir.

Love, The Key to Life.

I cannot describe all of the emotions I am feeling while wearing your perfume. This is the most exquisite perfume I have ever owned and am very proud to have had the chance, with generous thanks to you. Words cannot explain, I feel divine, Like a female Pharaoh, Hatshepsut or Cleopatra would have approved of this woody, sensuous, honeyed, ambery perfume. I imagine priests anointing their golden gods with this perfume which would waft into the temple every morning and last all day. The inspiration, the ankh, the key to eternal life is very fitting as this can be a signature fragrance for any woman or a daring man in any stage of life.

Inhaling this fine fragrance I can conjure up images of the sun god Aten, praised by Pharaoh Akhenaten and his beloved wife Nefertiti, their arms raised up offering bouquets of roses and jasmines and holding censers of burning incense of exotic woods; patchouli, cedar, sandalwood , honey and sensual amber.

Another anointing oil made up of sheer and sultry musks, delicate orange flowers and ylang ylang combined with violet leaves and bergamot, make up the Queen's perfume which due to the sun god's gleaming rays, make the perfume exude from her skin.

International trading has made the ancient Egyptians and our modern Perfumer Linda Gerlach masters of perfume.

Love, The Key to Life, is composed of:

Egyptian violet leaves that give the fragrance a very intense, green, leafy herbaceous, peppery odor which displays iris and violet notes. The Italian bergamot has a clear, fresh, lively odor, somewhat fruity and sweet which displays great originality. The black currant buds and pink peppercorns from France both give a sharp, spicy note which awakens your senses.

Also from France, in the area of Grasse, is the Rosa centafolia, the Queen of all roses, that gives this perfume its oomph. Combined with the honey, fruity herbaceous notes of jasmine sambac from India, the narcotic ylang ylang from Madagascar and citrusy sweet Tunisian orange blossoms embrace a touch of femininity that can never be equaled.

A bright, harmonious soft, notes of Virginian cedar and powdery, sweet Indian sandalwood, and the earthy, intense scent of Indonesian patchouli, bring a gorgeous blend of woods and balsamic odor to the dry down.

Following the woody and earthy notes, we are treated to an erogenous accord of sheer and sultry musks and the ancient white amber which rounds out the perfume and brings it all together into a sweeping masterpiece.

A huge thank you goes out to Linda Gerlach for sending me the perfume so tat I might savor it's intensity. The fragrance is housed inside of a demilune crystal bottle which is rayed like the sun, when the lucite loop stopper is in place, you can make out the beautiful Ankh of the ancient Egyptians. The bottle is presented in a black lacquered box with gilded serigraphy.

On a more personal note, I have worn an ankh necklace for almost 20 years and find the symbol to be powerful and the key to longevity.