What amazes me after all those years of trying many new perfumes is that there will always be something new and innovative that will make me go “aha” or “aww” or even “wow”
My latest “wow” moment came a few months ago when I had the opportunity to meet up with Lucy Akhurst and try her perfumes. Following a successful career in acting, writing and other creative endeavours, she channelled her creativity into making perfumes. La Maison Hédonique was created to tell stories, evoke emotions and take you to journeys and adventures unique to everyone.
Her 4 initial perfumes plus the newest addition InnSaei are very thoughtfully made, bold and unforgiving inspired by her own stories that remain unfinished challenging the wearer to decide how they end.
Samedi À Paris
Top – Bergamot, Mentha Citrata, Mandarin
Heart – Warm Cotton, Soft Woods
Base – Coffee, Hay, Amber
Elegant Paris vacation – this I how I’d describe this fragrance. A morning stroll on the banks of Seine wrapped up in lush clothing and stopping for a coffee in one of those quaint coffee shops. Soft and romantic, starts mentholy fresh and soon warms up with soft, aromatic woods laid on a base of amber and a distinct coffee note.
Apéro
Top – Bitter Orange, Juniper, Lime
Heart – Garrigue Herbs, Anise, Salt
Base – Black Pepper, Bay, Soft Tobacco
Very smoky and herbal with a salty vibe, feels like having a vacation at a seaside cottage when after a long walk on the beach breathing the sea air you cuddle inside with your company sipping on drinks while someone lights up a cigarette.
Cerf Blanc
Top – Cardamom, Mandarin, Ozone
Heart – Smoke, Moss, Leather
Base – Oak, Cedar, Peat
This is how the old London buildings smell. The remnants of log fires burning, rich tobacco, leather armchairs, heavy oak furniture, drinks infused with spices and citruses and a touch of mustiness that comes from being too close to Thames river. A real olfactory journey.
Comme Un Loup
Top – Green Mandarin, Cardamom, Orange
Heart – Rose, Spikenard, Warm Spice
Base – Smoke, Incense, Animal
Feral and polished at the same time, this is a scent for the brave! Roses mixed with spices in a perfume that has no boundaries, it pushes the limits of what’s considered a rose floral / oriental perfume. Lucy has managed to bottle an actual wolf roaming inside a rose garden lurking for his prey.
InnSaei
The newest release, InnSaei, is a beautiful big white floral scent with the juiciest grapefruit at opening and the softest calming musks at drydown. A scent that is bold but in an calming and enveloping way, it somehow pulls you from the world and offers you a moment of solitude to regroup and recharge.
You can find all La Maison Hédonique at Jovoy