Fragrance du Bois NHS raffle – win a bottle worth £5,000!

Fragrance du Bois have generously commissioned the creation of a VERY special bottle of Oud Bleu Intense, to be raffled off to raise funds for the NHS Heroes at University Hospital Lewisham.

To be in with a chance of winning, all you need to do need to make a minimum donation of £5 – which is more than worth your while, seeing as the bottle of perfume is worth a staggering £5000!

Watch the film, below, to see just how staggeringly beautiful this spoecial bottle is…

Explaining why they wanted to do something to help, Fragrance du Bois say: ‘We have been thinking long and hard how we can help support our healthcare heroes globally during the Pandemic . There is no single way to do this to support all, so we are choosing Hospitals and organisations that have been highlighted to us, to date we have supported Commune Di Milano and raised €1600 which isn’t enough and we plan to do more .

Having seen the daily insights provided by @dralexgeorge we had to select one Hospital to support and chose University Hospital Lewisham where he works as an A and E Doctor as we have seen with Dr Alex’s help on social media the reality all hospitals are facing daily with Covid 19 alongside all the other hospital emergencies.

If we can get maximum support for this campaign we will choose other Hospitals globally to support using Go Fund Me which doesn’t allow us to support the whole Healthcare system we have to choose one at a time.’

 

Oud Bleu Intense is one of their very best-selling fragrances, and we can certainly understand why. An intoxicating blend of salty marine air, forest-y earthiness and addictively complex truffled notes, many have swooned at first sniff, and we definitely get those special perfume palpitations when it’s on our skin. The standout is the pure, sustainable oudh oil – the signature ingredient of the house – softly wrapped in cool spices of cardamom and nutmeg, freshened with mandarin, enriched with a trio of myrrh and then sensually wafting forth a lightly smoked trail of frankincense… Heavenly!

Fragrance du Bois Oud Bleu Intense Parfum – from £39 for 3ml (in a serum ‘pen’), to £495 for 100ml parfum. (Or, of course, £5,000 for the limited edition bottle!)
Buy it at: jovoyparis.uk

We wish everyone who enters the charity raffle the best of luck, and even if you’re not lucky enough to win it, you’ll be helping a fantastic cause…

By Suzy Nightingale

The scented spotlight: 3 niche houses you need to know

Not everyone happens to live near a niche perfumery (or even a department store with a diverse selection) – and even if you do, it’s sometimes overwhelming to work out where to even begin.

That’s why we like to highlight houses you might not yet have tried, or perhaps have been curious about but didn’t want to spring for a full bottle before you’ve even sniffed any of their fragrances. And this, dear friends, is why perfume samples are essential to fragrance lovers with noses hungry for more, more, MORE! (Scroll down to find out how to get your hands on these).

Today we’re going to focus on our pick of favourite fragrances from three niche houses, all of which you are able to try in the just-launched Precious Perfumes Discovery Box – containing NINETEEN fragrances. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves: which of this small selection of dazzling gems will your spotlight hit first…?

Jovoy Paris Amber Premier is a stunning evocation of velvety, swathing warmth, featuring rose, spices and (of course) the amber accord that gave the fragrance its name. Golden, glimmering it wraps your skin in deliciousness, and  you’ll be sniffing your wrist all day long.

Jovoy Paris Touche Finale plunges you into a world of glamour, fluffy mimosa brushing fruity rose, batting its eyelashes provocatively with flirty heliotrope. A re-interpretation of the classic Poudré, Jovoy describe it as ‘…a tribute to the seductive souls who each have their own rituals of preparation.’ Think dressing rooms, swansdown powder puffs and vintage lipstick. Mwah!

Widian Black I is an Arabian adventure of the senses, starting with a cool/ hot juxtaposition of cardamom, vivid cinnamon and languid drifts of incense as creamy sandalwood and smoky cypress lead you deeper into the journey. The deep and sensual base notes of musk and cedarwood really round this out, a perfect balance that leaves a lasting trail…

Widian Black II invites you to explore a secret garden filled with memories, blue skies beckoning you forth with notes of citrusy mandarin and lush plums swagged with roses. Smooth as silk sandalwood and soft musk whisper to a mysterious base of vanilla and moss, for a scented walk you’ll never want to end.

Widian Black III The third iteration of this opulent house opens with sparkling bergamot and an unusually fruity spearmint before utterly seducing you with supple, aristocratic leather (the ultra expensive kind) and a most elegant dry woodiness, almost transparent in its sophistication. Sweet vanilla, moss, and patchouli then become increasingly addictive as it warms with a throb.

Widian Black IV If subtle is your key to seduction, you’ll definitely be reaching for this graceful little number. Bergamot cuts through the sweetness of blackcurrant and plump prune as delicate rose petals and white flowers flutter to a downy base of vanilla and white musk infused with creamy leather and snuggly sandalwood.

Widian Black V Travelling back to the roaring 1920’s and Bright Young Things, immerse yourself in the breezy freshness of lemon and succulent peach sprinkled with spicy cinnamon. A flower garden at the heart proffers bouquets of tuberose, heady orange blossom and a solar accord (so trending!) on a refined, more-ish base of cedar, caramel and vanilla.

Fragrance Du Bois Oud Jaune is one of their best-selling scents, and you’ll soon discover why. Opening with wafts of exotic blossoms, you’ll dream to a breeze of monoi, ylang-ylang and luscious fruits before swooning to a heart of jasmine, orange blossom and white flowers.  And in Precious Perfumes you get a FULL SIZE Perfume Pen to try, worth £39 alone!

With the Precious Perfumes Discovery Box, you get an astounding NINETEEN niche fragrances in all, two of them alone worth £36 each, plus the full size FRAGRANCE DU BOIS PERFUME PEN worth another £39.To be honest, we’re not sure how we managed to fit so many in, so it would be madness not to get it (and some extra for presents) frankly. Hit that link to find out more and grab yours today!

Precious Perfumes Discovery Box £40 (£35 for V.I.P. club members). BUY IT NOW!

By Suzy Nightingale

Fragrance Du Bois: sexy, sustainable & so right now

With their headquarters in Paris and a number of privately owned sustainable plantations in Asia, Fragrance Du Bois are quite unashamedly oudh-obsessed – and are world experts in the protection and harvesting of what’s sometimes known as ‘liquid gold’.

Derived from the dark resinous wood of the Aquilaria tree, oudh (often spelled ‘oud’) is an utterly fascinating material – a resin that occurs in less than 7% of trees, in the wild. Which explains why the material is so precious – and, sought-after. In fact, so Fragrance Du Bois tell us: ‘Due to illegal logging, wild resources have been severely depleted. So, since 2004, all species of the Aquilaria tree have been protected under CITES [Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species].’

So Fragrance Du Bois have taken a stand by putting themselves at the forefront of condemning the use of oudh from illegal sources – and, beyond that, have made it their mission to educate the perfume industry and fragrance buyers alike. ‘Only pure oudh oil, produced from trees nurtured and managed on our own plantations, is used in our fragrances,’ they explain. ‘This means that we can absolutely guarantee that it is from a sustainable and ethical source.’

Using some of the best noses in the world to craft their fragrances, apart from their emphasis on sustainability, the house are known for their elegant and always surprising use of this precious material – and we were delighted last night to be invited to a showcase at Jovoy Mayfair, to experience some of their soon-to-be-launched latest collections

Fragrances for the hair have been flourishing these past couple of years (one of our favourite layering techniques), and Jovoy tell us that many customers ask for ‘hair perfumes’ as soon as they walk through the door – fascinating to see what once was a trend has now grown into a full-blown fragrance category of its own. How timely, then, that Fragrance Du Bois are launching three Hair Mists of their own in early November – featuring three key best-selling fragrances of the range: Oud Rose, Oud Orange and Oud Jaune.

A red velvet-lined case, meanwhile, held five of the seven exciting new fragrances launching in February 2020, and of course we had to get a sneaky sniff. Capturing the essence of the fashion capitals of the world, there’s the beautifully cool Milano and two moods of New York: 5th Avenue, a breezy, sophisticated day-perfect scent; and New York Intense: a moody, sensual, sensational atmosphere that felt sweetly hushed and utterly addictive.  Cannabis Blue captured a heady, smoky atmosphere shot through with fruity, fresh eucalyptus, and Velvet Amber was reach-out and stroke-me sexy with a heftier dose of oud and oodles of supple velvet/leather in the base. We cannot wait to finally get to wear them!

Want to try some of their fragrances for yourself at home? We know not everyone happens to live within easy reach of a niche perfumery, so we are thrilled to stock the Fragrance Du Bois Discovery Set in our shop.

Each fragrance expresses true mastery of this unique ‘liquid gold’ (as oudh oil is known). You’ll fall in love, we guarantee it – even you oudh naysayers!

Be transported to exotic fragrant lands, happy in the knowledge that Fragrance Du Bois is also looking after caring for the environment, planting a tree for every full size fragrance purchased! What’s not to LOVE? Go on: sniff these FIVE FABULOUS FRAGRANCES for yourself…

Fragrance Du Bois Discovery Set £20 for 5 x 2ml eau de parfum

By Suzy Nightingale