Fragrance Bouquet Presents Haydria Perfumery (Part 1)

Haydria Perfumery specializes in creating perfumes with a retro, vintage feel inspired by the golden age of the 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and early sixties. Through her creations, perfumer Haydria Bish wishes to convey nostalgia for the immaculate beauties of the past and return glamour to our lives by imbuing her fragrances with the essence of classic pinups, burlesque queens and femme fatales! I was very impressed with the creations of this indie line: all the fragrances are thoughtfully composed, have excellent sillage and longevity, complex development and most importantly, they all have a good, solid construction. In this two part series, we explore the entire fragrance lineup -currently consisting of eight fragrances- with four reviews today and the next four in Part 2 of the series.

• Bernie!: Bernie! is inspired by rockabilly pinup Bernie Dexter (pictured left). Incredibly evocative of classic 50’s florals, this is sure to please lovers of luscious vintage perfumes. Creamy, luxurious gardenia and sharp-ish, green jasmine are blurred by frothy aldehydes and any notion of tameness is quickly dissuaded by the fiery bite of peppery spiciness. The base of gentle, enveloping sandalwood balances the pungent floral heart perfectly, adding a comfortingly sensuous feel. The end result delivers a message of pure self-confidence and self-assured allure. With Bernie!, Haydria Bish really delivers her promise of creating a perfume that truly smells vintage.

• Burlesque Blue: Burlesque Blue opens with a floral flourish, extravagantly showering the wearer with white blossoms. Jasmine is the most prominent floral note, but what I love are the moments I get juicy, nectarous hints of honeysuckle. According to the official notes, I should be smelling plum - but I don’t. The delightful green cord that runs through this composition is tempered by the soft embrace of sandalwood and warm musk, touched by a hint of gorgeous, smoky myrrh. Soon the floral notes turn into a whisper and the beautiful warm base is allowed to take over. This is a beautiful musky floriental that brings to mind the glory of Opium… which in itself is a strange comparison, because Burlesque Blue has a very definite green streak and absolutely no clove to speak of. The deep drydown is a very warm amber-patchouli combination.

• My Geisha: This one opens as one of the subtler scents in the line, having a soft, innocent girly appeal. The first impression is fresh and very dry, featuring a beautiful matcha (Japanese powdered green tea) accord. Orange blossom and clean musk add warmth to the composition and as time goes by My Geisha goes from dry to gently sweet. However, there is a fruity note present as well, which becomes increasingly pervasive and ruins the calm feel of the fragrance for me. I can’t quite identify the offending fruit, but it smells quite exotic, making me think of summer. It is at the same time tart and (too) sweet and unfortunately ends up dominating the composition, at least in my perception. The end result is summery, happy, flirty and very, very young. Not for me, but if you are a fan of exotic fruit notes for the summer, give it a go.

• Gypsy Queen: A woody, spicy floral fragrance, Gypsy Queen manages to be at once mysterious and sultry-sexy while at the same time manifesting a familiar, delightfully comforting gourmand bite. The floral touches are seamless and well blended, adding femininity to the unapologetically woodsy infusion. Sweet spicy accents give it an exotic twist, while cinnamon and a yummy, toasted nut accord lend an almost edible vibe. The rising musky civet base however forestalls further musings on this being a gourmand fragrance: once it becomes evident, Gypsy Queen takes an absolute turn into lusty, smoldering territory. Dark and naughty, this is definitely one of my favorites in the line.

Images: www.haydriaperfumery.com, Flickr by deneyterrio, Revelation: The Modern Geisha by Kalandrakas via Flickr, Flickr by Sonny