Luminous Floral Beauty To Love In Perfumery
There is something quite romantic and magical about a bunch of flowers, whether gifted or bought for yourself. There are the vibrant colours and the amazing yet subtle array of tones, their shapes, textures and, of course, the scent. Maybe part of their magic is because they are ephemeral, beautiful, but only for a short while. Maybe that’s why we love floral perfumes so much: they keep the magic locked in a bottle, and then we spray them and get to smell them again, with a good scent lasting several hours. Floral scents have been and will always be a perennial favourite in the UK, and fragrance heroes, Floral Street, have gone back in history to go forward with a bright, luminous new scent, a fragrance with history and modernity fused. Love Bridgerton? Then meet Enchanted Masquerade Eau de Parfum for Bridgerton. This could be the perfume is for you, so find out more in Luminous Floral Beauty To Love In Perfumery
The British
The British do rather love a floral scent. Could this be because of a deep-seated cultural, historical, and environmental connection to gardens and flora, that symbolised a romanticised, idealised version of the English countryside?
British Flowers
Of course, anything with a historical base in Great Britain will often have been influenced by the fashions of the royal family. For example, Queen Victoria was fond of the Floriography (language of flowers) and adored orange blossoms, which she wore in her hair and on her dress during her wedding. Flowers are deeply ingrained in British culture, and there is a real passion for gardening, and so floral scents in perfume (such as Rose, Lily of the Valley, and Bluebell) directly evoke the ‘English country garden’ and the arrival of spring.
Natural Dispensary
Flowers, it seems, are very tied into our history, not just for their sweet aroma, but they were also used for medicine and cleanliness. Think Foxglove was used to treat heart conditions and historically ‘falling sickness’ (epilepsy). Or the Poppy that was used as a source of morphine and codeine for pain relief. Lavender was used for skin treatments and headaches.
Cleaning
Yet Flora and Fauna were late additions to the world of cleanliness. In the upper echelons of society, perfuming oneself would take hours, and until the end of the 18th century, the British (and many different Europeans) smelt unpleasantly strongly; washing one’s body was an infrequent pastime. The school of thought of the day was that if you were heavily perfumed, this would ward off illness and cover natural bodily odours. Heavy aromas of Musk and Spices were favoured.
High-change in Bond Street, James GillrayÂ
Trends
The 19th century saw a dramatic evolution in perfume trends, influenced by social, technological, and cultural changes from the Regency to the Victorian era. From the powdering of one’s hair to the servant bringing a perfume burner, the house was also scented extensively. Fumigating rooms and clothes, perfume cakes were set upon hot coals. Floors covered in blossom were thought to disinfect and prevent airborne illness. Pomanders composed of Ambergris and Benzoin were hung from belts, and trinkets of scent were placed upon the neck. Even the family hound was perfumed. It was an era of heavy aromas and covering unpleasant ones, due to the lack of sanitation and washing oneself, which only happened infrequently.
Regency Era
This was all to change at the beginning of the 19th century, as the Regency era was ushered in, when, although baths were not common, daily washing with cloths began to become the norm. It was also the beginning of an urban economy, and a new wave of lighter, delicate and fresher scents came about. Lavender, Rose, Jasmine and Citrus were all to become popular. Influenced by the arrival of florals and exotic ingredients from the expanding British empire, coupled with the technology to extract the oils from these new blooms. This saw the flourishing of British perfume houses such as Floris, Yardley, Creed and Penhaligons, with many traditional British perfume houses holding Royal Warrants, linking their floral compositions to the royal family.
And so Regency-era perfumes in the UK tended towards light, fresh, and floral scents, shifting away from heavy musk toward natural, single-note fragrances. It’s interesting to know that these fragrances were often perceived as romantic, dreamy, and gentle, providing a comforting, personal scent. And maybe it’s these elements and emotions that draw us into the world of TV programmes like Bridgeton after all, romance and dreamy setting aesthetics have always comforted us.
And so British perfume heroes Floral Street have collaborated with the TV show Bridgerton (in partnership with Netflix) on a new limited-edition perfume. The show, set in early 19th-century London during the Regency era, explores the fashions and romantic lives of the aristocracy, featuring the era’s opulence and strict societal etiquette. Meet Enchanted Masquerade Eau de Parfum for Bridgerton, a modern take on an age-old love affair.
As leaders in scents built around blooms, always with a twist of modernity, where did they decide to take this iconic new perfume? Michelle Feeney, founder of Floral Street, has worked with one perfumer and has done so since the house’s inception, master perfumer Jerome Epinette.
Here, find an interesting note that brings a refreshing facet to this juice: Green Hazelnut at the top of the scent. It has been used before in other perfumes from the House, but here it opens with a really significant element, setting the tone for the elixir.
It is a fresh, raw, and slightly bitter nut with woody, herbal, and earthy undertones, so think of it as a green, crisp, opening, alongside the bright, sparkling, and modern spicy note with a distinct rosy, slightly sweet, and woody-citrus scent of Pink Pepper, rich and juicy Pear and the brightness of sparkling, and sunny Mandarin. The opening is a joyous, rich-spirited start, lively, yet at the same time, there is a sense of lightness, airy and softness, bringing an unexpected luminosity too.
Its heart, as expected, is an ode to the joy of flowers, a bouquet if you like, in celebration of a richly sewn garden. Gardenia with creamy, velvety, opulent facets, super-sexy Jasmine with rich, heady, warm, and slightly musky intoxicating undertone and the queen of the floral world, Rose Absolute, the rich, red-orange absolute made from fresh rose petals with smooth, honeyed, deep, intensely floral notes to the centre.
Again, its final flourish surprises with the lightness of Cedarwood with its dry, woody, and slightly balsamic aroma, the depth and holding power of earthy, woody Patchouli with hints of sweet spice, and is melded with the softest Skin Musks.
But it’s more than its notes, a great perfume is always far more than the sum of its parts. Yes its a sensual, fruity, gourmand, warm and addictive style fragrance. The skill of the partnership between brand creator and nose comes to the fore here. It lifts and floats its magic in a sort of mystical way. And surely that is what great entertainment does for us. It lifts us, spirits us away from the everyday, from the norm into the fantastic, fanatical, fabulous that dreams are made of, well, here these emotions are fragranced and bottled.
A meeting of brilliant blending, original ideas and a whiff of trust between house and nose. A brief given, an interpretation of a story, not unlike the telling of a fairytale, a joyous, happy moment caught in fragrance. This magical fairytale has depth; it’s not a one-layer sugar-coated saccharine tale. It has added layers that draw you in, even leaving a little touch of musky-mystery lingering on the skin, as there always should be with any great romance.
An alluring, authentic, contemporary fragrance that celebrates a very British story.
Floral Street’s collaboration with Netflix’s Bridgerton: Enchanted Masquerade EDP. Enchanted Masquerade available now at Floralstreet.com
If you enjoyed reading Luminous Floral Beauty To Love In Perfumery, then why not read
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