LE PETIT GARÇON EDP - MY VERY OWN BLEND

LE PETIT GARÇON EDP

Launch: 2015 – Customized Edition

Perfumer: Ane Walsh

Olfactive Director: Simone Shitrit

THE COMPOSITION

Olfactive Notes of: Cedrat, white grapefruit, mimosa, genet, tagetes, osmanthus, roman chamomile, calendula, fabriana imbricata (pichi), adesnemia boroinoide (paramela), honey & pollen tincture, ambergris, musk algazal.

Olfactive description: Yellow-ish radiant, sweet, waxy-honeyed, slightly fruity, hay-ish and herbaceous, with a balsamic, warm leathery, animalic - mineral undertone. Unique, sensual and slightly inebriating.

INSPIRATIONS

Continuing to work on discrepancies in perfumery, this time I wanted to work the concept of incongruity, in such a way that we would not have either contrast nor opposition.

“To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys... But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world...” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944)

The Little Prince character represents the open-mindedness of children, as the prince is an explorer who restlessly asks questions and is willing to engage the invisible secret mysteries of the universe. The beauty of Saint-Exupéry's poetic writing goes into such details that in the original French version of the book he has never used the word adult. Instead, he calls adults "les grandes personnes" (the big people). What he meant with that was to say that what matters is the attitude of a person and not his actual age. In that sense children can act like "grandes personnes" and adults can also see the word as little children. Which brought me to an intriguing question that has been challenging me for a while: Do we all have a little prince (child) inside of us?

Continuing to explore psyche as inspiration the brief that I shared with perfumer Ane Walsh was the thought of creating a fragrance that would evoke this child that we have inside of us and what it means to have one when you have already grown. 

Having an inner child means that you are constantly questioning and opened minded without limiting your perspectives. You are aware of and sensitive to the mysteries and beauty of the world. 

But what happens when you let your inner child run your life?

“…The inner child comprises and potentiates these positive qualities. But it also holds our accumulated childhood hurts, traumas, fears and angers. "Grown-ups" are convinced they have successfully outgrown, jettisoned, and left this child and its emotional baggage long behind. But this is far from the truth. In fact, these so-called grown-ups or adults are unwittingly being constantly influenced or covertly controlled by this unconscious inner child. For many, it is not an adult self-directing their lives, but rather an emotionally wounded inner child inhabiting an adult body - A five-year-old running around in a fifty-year-old frame. It is a hurt, angry, fearful little boy or girl calling the shots, making adult decisions. A boy or girl being sent out into the world to do a man's or woman's job… And then we wonder why our relationships fall apart. Why we feel so anxious. Afraid. Insecure. Inferior. Small. Lost. Lonely. But think about it: How else would any child feel having to fend for themselves in an apparently adult world?" (Stephen Diamond, PH. D., edited)

In a nutshell: if the little child does not have an adult making the rules of the game there will be a lot of suffering. I asked the perfumer to stay away of tantrums! Suffering was not the aspect I wanted to explore because I wanted to come up with something that I would like to wear; that brings out beauty, not pain. For that matter I had to detail the brief in a more personal level and explain to her that it all came from the fact that a friend of mine once called me little prince and that I also have a little friend that needs my constant attention and that the fragrance had to be about him...and me:

MY IMAGINARY FRIEND

Garçon is a little boy born in the northwest part of France called La Bretagne (French Brittany), part of the six Celtic nations. In the Celtic language his name means warrior.

To bring the aura of Britanny I asked Ane Walsh to compose a bouquet with mimosas and genet. Mimosas brought a soft, delicate, sweet, powdery floral note with a suave green honeyed undertone, while genet added a hay-honey-like scent with a tenacious herbal tone. To add a marine sensation of a coast line ambergris was added. 

MIMOSAS

Photo credit: + Q Perfume Blog

Following the thoughts of the little prince's friend the fox, in the excerpt of the book cited above, Hervé is not just like a hundred thousand other little boys. He is a unique little warrior who has tamed me. He is my inner child, my imaginary friend. 

The inner child embodies innocence and openness; love and joy; creativity and curiosity; wonder and awe; appreciation and devotion; beauty and playfulness; forgiveness and unity; determination and strength; gentleness and enthusiasm.

Hervé has all that. He inspires me to create; he challenges my curiosity; he is the fine-tuning of my appreciation and determination; he brings unity to my thoughts. Garçon is the little child in me and he is responsible for what wonders and awes me and this is exactly what I wanted the be the core of this perfume.

In that line of thought the fragrance had to be about The Little Prince’s idea of grandes personnes and what Hervé represents to me. The name LE PETIT GARÇON EDP was my idea of a merger of both.

The funny thing is that this composition not only had to have a scented composition of La Bretagne, but it also had to have the golden locks of the little prince and myself (I also have them!). Garçon, my imaginary friend, has red hair and freckles. 

TAGETES, CAMOMILE, PARAMELAS, CALENDULAS 

Calendulas were added to compose an orange yellow-ish bouquet, adding a warm creamy texture (like redheads' skin) with an herbal undertone. Tagetes (marigolds) and a bright crisp, sweet-herbal balsamic chamomile with its apple notes brought the essence of little children and a fruity sprinkle. Honey and pollen tincture were not only the final golden touch but they added a spring-y solar aura to the fragrance.

“WONDER IS THE FIRST OF ALL PASSIONS”

René Decartes (1596–1650)

“Passion may be a friendly or eager interest in or admiration for a proposal, cause, discovery, or activity or love – to a feeling of unusual excitement, enthusiasm or compelling emotion, a positive affinity or love, towards a subject. 

The origin of the word passion is found in the Latin word "passio" which means suffering. On the surface, the word “passion” can stir emotions in us inspiring, motivating and elevating us to live life at a more exciting fulfilling level. But just as the core of an apple cannot be separate from the apple itself, “suffering” is always at the core of passion. We cannot have one without the other. In that sense could Hervé inspire passion without making me suffer? 

Both Garçon and myself are solar souls. So I wanted this aura for the very first whiff. I also wanted the notion of freshness because both children and passions have in its core the freshness of a new adventure, the excitement for life. Cedrat and white grapefruit were added to give this freshness that only citrusy notes can give, but also to balance the sweetness of the fragrance with a zesty varnish. Paramela notes were also added to bring a sensation of well being and fluidity.

LA BRETAGNE

So far the idea was a solar fresh orange yellow-ish Breton composition which brought me back to the question of incongruity (the proposal mentioned at the beginning of this post) and other questions that came along: is it possible to create a fragrance that is slightly carnal and yet, take you to a spring/summer trip to the blooming coasts and still make sense? And if we can't have passion without suffering how can I leave pain out of the brief?

The term passion is particularly used in the context of romance or sexual desire though it generally implies a deeper or more encompassing emotion. For that matter the perfume had to contain both wonder and awe, but in a different tone  - the tone of passion. Ane Walsh surprised me by adding Fabriana Imbricata, a note that is said to have inebriating effects when inhaled. By the way, I learned that Paramela smell is also very attractive. Both notes combined with ambergris and musk algazal ended up developing a rather disturbing stimuli. Something that it is kinda difficult to explain. Provocative and instigating.  Sensuality with a fleshy-warm-sweet kinky touch was added, bringing the sensation of touching skin, of instinctive sex, of something rather chemical (chemistry of attraction). Osmanthus came to compose the flowery bouquet with a sweet, warm, rich, honeyed leathery note and an elegant animalic undertone. Fact is that smelling this perfume on my skin makes me blush.

So, answering my very own question, as incongruent as it seemed, passion, desire, wonder, awe, the coast of La Bretagne and my imaginary friend were brought altogether to compose one fragrance. LE PETIT GARÇON EDP ended up being artistically conceived and unpredictable exuberant as passions are. 

***

Cole Porter was an all-time talented composer and song writer. In 1936 he composed a song about the incongruity of passions and in 1946 Frank Sinatra brought a beautiful romantic tone to the lyrics. 

Wearing LE PETIT GARÇON EDP puts a huge smile on my face and it feels as silky as Sinatra's version of I've got you under my skin.   It makes me travel to La Bretagne.  It fells like lying on the warm sand. It brings me closer to my inner imaginary friend Hervé.



I've got you under my skin
I've got you deep in the heart of me
So deep in my heart that you're really a part of me
I've got you under my skin

I've tried so not to give in
I've said to myself this affair never will go so well
But why should I try to resist, when baby I know so well
I've got you under my skin

I'd sacrifice anything come what might
For the sake of having you near
In spite of a warning voice that comes in the night
And repeats, repeats in my ear

Don't you know little fool, you never can win
Use your mentality, wake up to reality
But each time I do, just the thought of you
Makes me stop before I begin
'Cause I've got you under my skin

BLACK HIMALAY EDP - MY VERY OWN BLEND

When you take your passion for fragrances to the next level (remember the stages of a perfumista?) and develop your very own blend it is a road of no U-turns. The desire of creating more and more perfumes is in your heart already.

Last year I started to develop a 3rd fragrance of my own, also with Brazilian Natural Perfumer Ane Walsh. For this project the idea was to explore a theme that I find extraordinary which is the game of light and darkness (some perfumers call it chiaroscuro). By definition chiaroscuro in Italian means chiaro = clear, light + oscuro = dark, obscure. In art it means the arrangement or treatment of light and dark parts in a pictorial work of art. In perfumery it is a combination of olfactive notes that bring the notion of light and freshness with contrasting notes that bring the opposite idea. 

Chiaroscuro also means the interplay or contrast of dissimilar qualities, as a mood or character, that Jungians call it The Shadow. That was the concept that I wanted to explore.
The  shadow is the dark side of our personality. It is an unconscious aspect of the personality which the Ego (conscious) does not identify in itself. It was seen by Freud as mostly negative (primordial part inheritance of humanity, such as repressed violence and sexuality) ; while for Jungians a shadow can include everything that is outside the light of consciousness. Instinctive and irrational, shadow is also a source of creativity that appears in our dreams and visions bringing sometimes conflicted desires or intentions.

"...Jung also made the suggestion of there being more than one layer making up the shadow. The top layers contain the meaningful flow and manifestations of direct personal experiences. These are made unconscious in the individual by such things as the change of attention from one thing to another, simple forgetfulness, or a repression. Underneath these idiosyncratic layers, however, are the archetypes which form the psychic contents of all human experiences. Jung described this deeper layer as "a psychic activity which goes on independently of the conscious mind and is not dependent even on the upper layers of the unconscious—untouched, and perhaps untouchable—by personal experience" (Campbell, 1971). This bottom layer of the shadow is also what Jung referred to as the collective unconscious..." extracted from WIKIPEDIA.

Jung defined SHADOW as everything we do not know about ourselves, both dark and light. However, we get glimpses of these unknown shadow parts of ourselves when we project our shadow into the world or onto another. We can come to know and embrace our shadow through dreams, projections and by paying attention to the opposites that we attract or reject. 

The idea was to embrace the shadow by transforming it into a fragrance.

Chiaroscuro and the dark side of personalities have been greatly explored by motion pictures. Conflicted anti-heroes with morally ambiguous identities shot in constant opposition of areas of light and dark best describes the film noir gender and a theme that I wished to explore in perfumery for quite a long time.

In terms of concept shadow and film noir were the starting point for the fragrance, but because Film Noir is too vintage, I decided to choose a neo noir movie to inspire both of us into creating a more defined concept.

Although The Black Dahlia is not my favorite Brian de Palma movie, it is a modern crime noir genre of movie (neo noir) that brought a display of characters and intersecting relationships that caught my attention. Just like every film noir, in The Black Dahlia you will see gangsters, policemen, couples developing sordid romances, a bit of drama, a bit of terror and nothing ever seems what it is. 
Women in this movie are head-spinning beauties. Scarlett Johansson plays Kay Lane, a Marylyn Monroe kind of blonde who seems to be the sweet, nice and decent. She dates a handsome cop called Lee (played by Aaron Eckhart), but wants his partner Bucky (played by even hotter Josh Harnett). She is a soft femme fatale marked by duplicity and sensuality, disguised into the house wife type. In the movie her good side is translated by her blond hair and the fact that she is always wearing soft creamy clothes, but the hidden predatory Kay shows herself to Bucky when he comes to protect her all evenings, when she stays alone while Lee is out investigating crimes. She undresses in front of Bucky and offers her half naked body making him confused and tormented by the fact that Lee is his partner. 
This game of seduction brings temptation and desire and leads Bucky to another femme fatale called Madeleine Linscott (played by stunning Hillary Swank). The character is also defined by a contrast of dissimilarities. Although coming from wealth and a notorious Hollywood family, she leads a questionable life as a bisexual who crawls into smokey bars and lesbian clubs looking for one night stands of both sexes. She is the real femme fatale in the movie. Glamorous and dangerous; seductive and repulsing she uses the vulnerable afflicted Bucky so her name won't be linked with the murder of The black Dahlia -  whom she had slept with because she thought they looked very alike (Madeleine was in a sort of egotrip). 
While Kay wears soft creamy fabrics, madeleine wears black with glam...
Than we have The Black Dahlia character (played by Mia Kirshner)... Once coming from a rather wealthy and respectful family, was arrested for underage drinking and became an actress of pornographic lesbian movies and the lover of many men. The beautiful young woman from Boston ended up brutally murderered in the case that became one of the most famous criminal cases : The Black Daliah Murder.

THE BALCK DAHLIA

JEANNE MOREAU

The Brief
My idea was to take both Kay and Madeleine personas to represent the light and dark facets of the fragrance. Go deeper into shadow with The Black Dahlia. 03 femme fatales in one fragrance. 05 dubious personalities (both Lee and Buck are also questionable) in one perfume!
I also wanted to explore meditation. Through meditation and the awakening of the third eye one can reach wholeness and accept that we all have a dark side. SHADOW and LIGHT become ONE.

Ane Walsh went nuts with the fact that I wanted to explore a neo-noir film and meditation and Jung's shadow; all in one fragrance. It was a challenging puzzle of many pieces to be brought all together in a composition that would be feminine, seductive and wearable. To help her set the mood, she watched the movie and I gave here a strange instruction: when mixing raw materials you have to listen to Miles Davis. Not any Miles Davis CD. The soundtrack of a  1958 French Film Noir - Ascenceur pour L'Échadfaud (Elevator to the Gallows in English). 
Ane also watched the documentary about the murder of Elizabeth Short (The Black Dahlia) and she extracted her joy and sadness; her mysterious life and her fragility.



The explanation is simple: Ascenteur pour L'Échadfaud is a French film noir bringing the story of criminal lovers that bought to movies a new way to look at a woman and also a unique and new solution of matching music and sound. Black Himalay also had to have a unique match of a smokey jazzy beat with champaca notes.

Now the mood of the fragrance was defined: Sensual, mysterious, feminine, slightly vintage, smokey, smooth, soft, head-spinning, ambiguous, chiaroscuro, neo-noir and  jazzy.

The name

I created the name of the fragrance that would reflect in 2 words the concept we were to explore - BLACK HIMALAY EDP.

CHAMPACA FLOWER

Photo credit: + Q Perfume Blog

If La Signora and Ofir were all about irises, Black Himalay had to be about the second raw material I love the most: Champaca. 
I have always dreamed of having my very own blend of champaca fragrance. A creamy warm floral note with tea like facets and apricot undertones. Rich, luxurious, ultra sensual aroma with a floral-fruit note of magnolia.
(LA SIGNORA EDP and OFIR EDP  are my first very own blends)

Although I wanted the smokey atmosphere of Film Noires, I am not fond of incense notes, which are usually related to that effect...what to do?
I always loved Champaca by Ormonde Jayne and the way she combined green notes of bamboo and green tea. Tea echoed in my mind. I also recalled that Annick Ménardo had used black tea to give Black Bulgari its smokey-rubery personality with a very contemporary urban touch. That is what I wanted for my Black Himalay - a smokey touch of a city! I wanted a note that could also bring the notion of dark, black smokey nights, so I told Ane Walsh that I wanted the toasted smokey property of teas, that would enhance the already presented undertone tea notes of the champaca. Black tea from Syria and Earl Gray were added to play with  the Choya Loban.

The base had also to have darkness, but with a forest touch of oakmoss (the chypre touch that love so much!). 
Once darkness in the fragrance was settle for shadow, I needed the light to be constructed at the same time. Nagchampa, Kenian Myrrh and Siam wood would bring an Himalayan temple - meditation effect that I wanted in the fragrance without the hippie, indie touch. Although the fragrance also brought patchouli, I specifically told Ane to take a long distance from "woodstock-y notes". 

Many perfumer's, including Linda P. have used steamed-rice and tea as complementary notes of champaca. My Creamy layers came from a combination of Siam wood, champaca, and musks.

Also for light and freshness Ane build me a joyful citrusy opening with bergamot and neroli. 

I also wanted that over all these layers of darkness and seduction a golden vibration. A luxurious golden touch that had to be with the ambiguity of femme fatales. Femininity and allure masking less noble intentions.

Because this is a live perfume, somedays I feel it dark green and shadow-y; sometimes I feel it fresh, uplifting and slightly soapy. There are days that tea notes are enhanced; there are days that neroli notes are.
I think it depends on my conscience and sub-conscience: If I projecting shadow or not.

The bouquet was composed with a bed of champaca leafs, champaca flowers, gardenias and a bubblegum magnolias.

Clean and clear; dark and dirty, ethereal and doomed, the fragrance contains a breath of the Himalayas,  a golden glamour, a mysterious aura of the femme fatale persona of film noires, and most of all 

THE SHADOW.

Notes composing the perfume:

Black tea from Syria, Earl Gray tincture, Italian bergamot & neroli, lime, *nardostachys jatamansi, champaca, magnolia and gardenia bouquet, white champa leaves, nagchampa, patchouli, ambrette, muskambrette, black  and white musks, oakmoss, Siam wood, *Choya Loban, Kenian myrrh.

* Nardostachys Jatamansi is a flowering plant from the honeysuckle family that grows in the eastern Himalayas.  Nard Oil or muskroot oil with sedative properties 

* Choya Loban is a destructive distillation of Boswellia serrata/Indian frankincense. It is slightly smokey, sweet resinous  with a balsamic-woody undertone. In Natural perfumery is usually used for Russian leather perfumes, forest bases, fougeres, men's colognes, leather accords, chypre, incense notes and temple perfumes.

Frankly I knew that Ane Walsh is a great perfumer and that she understands the way my mind works, but she pulled this one out in such an intriguing artistic way that I can only say one word: PERFECTION.

A PUBLIC LETTER TO THE PERFUMER

Dear Ane Walsh,

you are one of the most incredible perfumers I had the pleasure to enjoy the work. You are the person who can transform my wildest dreams into such beautiful artistic creations that fills my heart with joy, admiration and most of all HOPE for niche perfumery as an expression of liquid art.

I could not find more words to express such gratitude. I am not such a good writer as you are a perfumer my dearest friend ;-)

Much love and thank you so much,

Simone Shitrit

The fragrance is dedicated to HF who is definitely my shadow.

LAKSHIMI EDP by SIMONE SHITRIT & ANE WALSH

To Marcia Yahn

Lakshimi EDP is one more customized perfume that I have created with natural perfumer Ane Walsh this year. Developed to be given as a birthday gift to a friend who is an yoga & acro yoga teacher and massotherapist the scent parted from the idea of a body splash and body lotion that she loved very much but unfortunately discontinued.

She wanted a fragrance that would be gourmand with notes of coconut and vanilla, surrounding a fresh green note of lemongrass. A perfume that is uplifting and at the same time fresh and sweet. 

LAKSHIMI EDP REVIEW

Launch Year: 2014

Perfumer: Ane Walsh

Composition:

Top notes: Bergamot, Persian lime; Middle notes: Coconut absolute, vanilla, bee wax absolute; Base notes: vegetal musk, ambrette, Thai sandalwood, Massoia wood.

Olfactive family: citrus-fruity, with a gourmand touch.

Gender: feminine

Inspiration:

Lakshimi EDP was inspired by the beautiful landscapes of the Brazil.

The joyful aura of the North of São Paulo shores, its tropical weather and its exotic fruits.

Composed with notes of coconut and vanilla you will surrender to a holiday experience at the beach, feeling the skin warmed by the sun in a hot summer day. The smell of Hawaiian Tropic suntan lotion in the air will mix with the branny salty marine breeze.

After a day at the beach you will be brought to São Paulo’s countryside. The lemongrass note composed with citruses will take you to the roads that lead you to Paulistas’ farms and country houses.

The fragrance:

Lakshimi EDP is a game of contrasts. It is a relaxing fragrance that brings lemongrass, bergamot, vanilla and sandalwood. Calming essential oils that bring inner peace and comfort contrasting to an uplifting and energetic aura of Tropicalia.

The Brazilian aura was brought by the gourmet combination of vanilla, coconut and bee wax absolute. Coconut absolute notes were broaden with massoia wood and deepened with vanilla.The bee wax was added because my friend is nuts for honeyed scents. It gave a golden aura to the perfume and added more sweetness since the vanilla is a bit salty.

A sensual touch was brought with notes of sandalwood and vegetal musk.

The name:

Although the perfume was inspired by Brazilian landscapes the fragrance also brings a combination of essential oils to balance and calm vata-pitta doshas. By choosing Lakshmi for inspirations both perfumer and evaluator decided to add to this Brazilian inspired perfume the spirituality of the Hindus.

Photo credit of the Lakshimi Godess painting: Dory Hartley

According to Hindu specialist Subhamoy Das Goddess Lakshmi means Good Luck to Hindus. The word 'Lakshmi' is derived from the Sanskrit word "Laksya", meaning 'aim' or 'goal', and she is the goddess of wealth and prosperity, both material and spiritual.

Lakshmi is the household goddess of most Hindu families, and a favorite of women. Although she is worshipped daily, the festive month of October is Lakshmi's special month. Lakshmi Puja is celebrated on the full moon night of Kojagari Purnima.

Lakshmi is depicted as a beautiful woman of golden complexion, with four hands, sitting or standing on a full-bloomed lotus and holding a lotus bud, which stands for beauty, purity and fertility. Her four hands represent the four ends of human life: dharma or righteousness, "kama" or desires, "artha" or wealth, and "moksha" or liberation from the cycle of birth and death.

Cascades of gold coins are seen flowing from her hands, suggesting that those who worship her gain wealth. She always wears gold embroidered red clothes. Red symbolizes activity and the golden lining indicates prosperity. Lakshmi is the active energy of Vishnu, and also appears as Lakshmi-Narayan - Lakshmi accompanying Vishnu.

Two elephants are often shown standing next to the goddess and spraying water. This denotes that ceaseless effort, in accordance with one's dharma and governed by wisdom and purity, leads to both material and spiritual prosperity.

Worship of a mother goddess has been a part of Indian tradition since its earliest times.

Lakshmi is one of the mother goddesses and is addressed as "mata" (mother) instead of just "devi" (goddess).

As a female counterpart of Lord Vishnu, Mata Lakshmi is also called 'Shri', the female energy of the Supreme Being. She is the goddess of prosperity, wealth, purity, generosity, and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm.

It is believed that on this full moon night the goddess herself visits the homes and replenishes the inhabitants with wealth. A special worship is also offered to Lakshmi on the auspicious Diwali night.

From more creations of Simone Shitrit & Ane Walsh: La Signora EDP ; Ofir EDP