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Post by Trésor

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Where I grew up the opportunities to express my authentic self were few and far between, it was not until later in life when I’d developed a certain degree self confidence that I was able to manifest who I truly was and see that very person staring back at me from the mirror for the first time. It was in significant part through the exploration of exquisite fragrance and rituals of beauty that I found myself growing more comfortable in my own skin and experiencing a newfound symbiosis between body and spirit.

The one thing I recall so vividly with a great deal of fondness from these early years is so simple, the pacifying aromas that would accompany the application of my skincare and makeup. With each breath inward I could feel myself transforming, the chrysalis breaking away and the gentle warmth of lambent sunbeams filtering though upon my skin. As you can imagine, this olfactory landscape holds a rather profound emotional significance to me so when I came across a fragrance that encapsulated this sacred microcosm with such ease and incredible grace I was moved to tears. Sensual Orchid is a time capsule, the contents of which are the essence of what afforded me threads of hope and unimaginable joy when both were in short supply.

Sensual Orchid by Jerome Epinette for LM Parfums 2012

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Mandarin orange, almond, neroli
Heart: Orchid, jasmine sambac, ylang-ylang, peony, heliotrope
Base: Vanilla, musk, woody notes, cedar, labdanum, benzoin

Upon my initial breath I am taken by the heartbreakingly voluptuous vapours rising forth from my skin, crystalline wedges of mandarin orange glistening with cognac dew drops falling gracefully into an ebbing ocean of almonds imagined as heavenly cream. The technicolor petals of sumptuous ylang ylang rise from beneath the surface, radiant in hues of canary, languid with lashings of the almond cream and what’s now materializing as sweet, fleshy coconut. This achingly luscious olfactory texture calls to mind that of the creams my grandmother would apply each and every morning and night, a practice she passed down to me and one which would later exhibit itself as the genesis of one of my greatest passions. A veritable kaleidoscope of indulgent florals unveils itself, each petal metamorphosing into another before the one preceding can be identified in full. From narcotic jasmine, jovial peony, the syrupy richness of heliotrope to what I swear are tendrils of libidinous tuberose and back again in a display of decadent hedonism and dancerly motion.

Photo Stolen FotoCommunity

As Sensual Orchid dries down it takes on the scent of something very dear to my heart, the aroma which resides within the silk lined leather bag where I keep my favourite makeup, the cherished treasures that have done well to assuage dysphoria in the throes of growing up as a transgender youth in an environment of hostility and rage. A dulcet aura of soft vanilla permeates the background, not unlike the aroma of my beloved Russian Red lipstick. A gleaming hologram of cashmere woods flickers, redolent of the shavings of well loved kohl pencils, illuminating the diaphanous dust of delicate French face powder dancing in the air.

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

On my skin Sensual Orchid radiates in full bloom for just about six hours, tapering into a translucent whisper for another three until it finally exists as an exquisite memory. Initially the sillage is considerable but as time passes Sensual Orchid recedes closer and closer to the skin until finally fades away, becoming a sensory delight for only those you choose to draw near.

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies and Scented Hound
Jovoy Paris has €195/100ml
Osswald NYC has $225/100ml

Do you have a fragrance that reminds you of a particular metamorphosis in your life?

Until next time, my darlings.
Trésor