2020 has brought a lot of stress and misery to us all. Months of being confined in your own home space and not being able to interact with others in person surely wasn’t good for our mental health. Later in the year we could see the reports & surveys that proved that people started feeling more lonely or close to depression in more extreme cases. In perfumery, especially among smaller, independent brands you can see how this reflects in the style of fragrances that are being created. These new compositions are calming, comforting, healing for the soul. For April Aromatics and Tanja Bochnig it was only natural to use her holistic approach while composing in 2020.
First thing that comes to my mind upon smelling Lotus Rising is comfort. First whiff brings something earthy to my nostrills but in a matter of seconds the perfume transforms completely. After that brief moment it turns into cocooning goodness that to my nose smells spicy in a sweet way, like a warm scent of sweet cloves or cinnamon bark dipped in confectioners sugar. It’s a very comforting smell that puts you in a dreamy state within seconds. This fuzzy, plush warmth becomes gradually richer as it evolves into more floral tones. Lotus Rising reveals a creamy, lactonic frapgipani and champaca flower that harmoniously sing their flowery song, soothing the senses as they do so. Peace and calmness are two great virtues of this April Aromatics fragrance. Heart of the composition feautures some watery-floral tones. Still surface of the water lets the lotus flower emerge. A bloom that looks like a new year’s eve firework bursting, the harmony of pink and blue kisses the skin with an extraordinary scent. Tanja used some very special lotus absolutes and thanks to her understanding of natural materials, these flowers can bloom on skin so beautifully. A little sweetness of rose, rich character of jasmine in the background and iris dust on top of the silky lotus petals add extra charm to Lotus Rising. Some perfume bring light & hope to sad, gloomy days. This is exactly what this fragrance does. Only 30 pieces of this limited edition fragrance were made, so if it sounds like something you might like, you’d better act fast or you won’t be able to try it…
When it comes to sweet, gourmand fragrances I am not the biggest connoisseur of those. Obviously I prefer to satisfy my sweet tooth by eating something delicious rather than smelling it only (although I try to be good and not eat too much since my goal is to keep the new weight) but there’s one thing that really bothers me… I find it quite pretentious how French brands (mostly) put an equal sign between vanilla and oriental family. “It’s an oriental, you know, it’s got vanilla inside” – this makes me giggle. Jokes aside now. If you desire a divine, superb vanilla that sends shivers down your spine, you must try Vanilicious. It’s a beautiful mixture that uses a bunch of vanilla varietes among which Bourbon vanilla is the most pronounced. There’s no excess sweetness here. The fragrance opens with a rich, dark brown scent of real vanilla beans. It’s quite resinous, gooey and delightfully boozy. Tonka gives it a charming smoothness while Peru balsam provides more dimension and depth. More grounded & earthy tones come up later in the fragrance development. They also unveil a golden tobacco note that has a chewy, aromatic feel to it. Precious woods with sandalwood at the fore give Vanilicious a substantive base so that it lasts for a surprisingly long time. It’s a beautiful perfume, very enveloping and comforting. The best thing about this vanilla concoction is that it’s totally drool-worthy and that it’s not sweet at all. It’s an adult vanilla if you want to call it like that. This one is not limited edition so I hope you can try it at some point.
We already bid farewell to 2020. We expressed our grudge towards that year and all the bad things it brought. We also expressed our hopes and dreams for a new year when the clock struck midnight on the last night of December. 2021 should be a better year but there’s not knowing what the future holds. That’s why I’m grateful for amazing fragrances and for talented & intelligent perfumers. They all took off some weight from the last year experiences. Thanks to Tanja of April Aromatics and her Lotus Rising & Vanilicious, these dark and cold winter days will feel much brighter.
Chemist in the Bottle 