There are many ways to combat a winter grim. Some wear their most comforting vanilla or amber fragrances to keep warm. Others might actually go on holiday at that time, escaping to a warm country where they can laze away for a week or two. There’s also a bunch of winter people like me, who find more positive aspects of the cold season. I always liked winter (maybe because that’s when I was born) but if you hate that time of the year you might be pleased to hear that newest release from Sonoma Scent Studio can take you back to best memories of spring and summer.
Bee’s Bliss is like a magic door, like a portal opening to the bounty of a meadow in full bloom. As soon as you try it you get positively overwhelmed by the amount of colors and sound of the place you get transported to. First accord on my skin is that of mimosa. It’s obviously floral with a yellow tinge & some powdery, pollen-like undertones. It feels very realistic, very natural and optimistic. It’s as if you could grab those fragrant pompons (but in human-suitable size) and cheer up for spring to come faster. Couple of minutes later lilac becomes more pronounced on my skin.
Lilac adds a pop of pastel shades of pink and purple on the yellow background. Its floral tones are stronger than those of mimosa but still equally behaved. I find lilac to be a very feminine note associated with innocency & that’s exactly how I perceive it in Bee’s Bliss. And I like its powderness. Few steps further into this secret garden allow to discover even more flowers. Next I get a bit of jasmine and orange blossom, they play together as if in a love serenade, when two combine into one. The impression is on one hand heady & rich, pure & fresh on the other hand.
It takes a little bit longer for Bee’s Bliss to wrap itself in an almost transparent veil of silk. Iris is a bit more hidden in this fragrance. I wanted to play hide-and-seek with it but I didn’t manage to find more than just a glimpse of it. But at least I could smell some of it so I’m happy. It takes between 1 to 2 hours before the perfume starts to change again on my skin. The powdery effect becomes more intensive but it’s enriched with this specific, almost almondy aroma that also introduces something creamy, similar to tonka. Heliotrope really is a multifaceted accord with nice complexity.
At the later development stage I realize that SSS Bee’s Bliss takes on a fruity theme. However the elements are difficult to distinguish, that’s why I decided to go with the idea of a fruity punch (or fruit salad, as you prefer) in which apricot, peach and some other fruit are mixed together. Everything is drizzled with honey sauce. All this is resting on the warm base made of beeswax and cozy amber. Resinous delicacy of benzoin and a bit of dustiness of oakmoss and patchouli finish this delicious and bright fragrance. It can easily serve as a dose of vitamin D on a gray, gloomy day.
Bee’s Bliss from Sonoma Scent Studio is a funny perfume I would definitely wear it if I needed an injection of positivity. Laurie Erickson created a nice, effervescent fragrance for everyone. Sadly this could also be her last composition as she announced last week that for the sake of own health she decided to hand over the brand into new & caring hands. It makes me a bit sad but I try to understand her motives. It must be hard for anyone to part with something you’ve been taking care for so many years. I wish her good luck & health and hope we’ll be able to keep in touch.
What a beautiful review for, probably, my most favorite perfume in the line. Too bad I’ll have to do with just a travel spray that I recently bought.
To tell you the truth, I can’t imagine doing something like that… At some point I’ll probably stop blogging. But I won’t transfer my blog to someone else… I hope that this is a sound economical decision on Laurie’s part, and that she’ll benefit somehow from this step now – because I’m not sure how much support those “good hands” would get from us going forward.
Thank you sweetie, I’m happy that you like my take on Bee’s Bliss. It’s a shame that you can’t buy a bigger size now.
It must be hard for sure. If Laurie can’t do it anymore and has no assistant, then her brand would simply vanish… I think it will highly depend who will take over SSS and where that person will want to take the brand.
Oh, that’s sad news – I hope all will be well with her and that her legacy is well cared for.
Bee’s Bliss sounds very happy and golden and your description conjures for me a memory of my old garden and the two beautiful lilac trees growing there; I used to bury my nose in the flowers in the spring sunshine.
We can only hope for the best but only time will tell.
I love the sound of your garden and your spring ritual (even if I’m not a lilac fan myself)
I too have a small bottle of Bees Bliss and love it. Will hoard for sure. On the way to me are some decants of Voile de Violette, Forest Walk and Winter woods and a bottle of Equestrian. Laurie’s perfumes work wonderfully on my skin so I am sad to see her go. It’s hard to imagine someone else taking over something so personal so I shall enjoy what I have on hand.
Enjoy your Bee’s bliss and make sure to wear it in Laurie’s honor. A perfume can’t just sit in a bottle.
Anyone who will be the next SSS perfumer will have a different style for sure. I just hope they won’t try to turn it into a super niche brand. It should be kept as is.
I love lilac and mimosa so i will definitely seek this one. Our winters are mild so this one would just be for the love of the flowers.
Make sure to get some quick as it might run out soon
Do you have a connection or suggestion as to how/where? I tried her web page but it is not accepting orders. I LOVE so many of these notes!
Only email orders. Check her blog for details
A lovely review for a lovely perfume. I will miss Laurie and her work, but will always be grateful for what she contributed to the perfumista community. I believe that she will make an intelligent, thoughtful choice when the reins are passed on to the next generation of SSS.
Thanks Holly, I think we’ll all miss Laurie. She did a lot of good for American artisan perfumery
I got the news as well about her studio, and I’m so utterly depressed because I was on the brink of ordering Bee’s Bliss but did not get around to it. I too completely understand why she’s doing it but nonetheless it makes me quite sad
Can’t you try ordering it via email as Laurie suggested? Maybe you can still get some Bee’s Bliss?
I love Bee’s Bliss and I will always have wonderful memories of it as I brought it with me to Barcelona and wore it quite a bit.
I’m sure it will remind you of this trip for many years to come
Oh my goodness, this sounds divine! So sad to hear of Laurie retiring, but I totally understand as I’ll be retiring soon myself. Must buy this one now… Peach, powdery, lilac and mimosa, plus honey- heavenly…..
Not sure if it’s available anymore…
Oh no!!!!
Also Laurie is not accepting orders at the moment
I saw that. Is that permanent, no more sales ever? I hope not.
She can’t cope with the amount of requests and needed a break. I guess she will resume when she can. When everything is sold she won’t make any new batches, so I think SSS will be idle until new ‘heir’ is found.