New Perfume: Lost Lagoon

 Inspired by a hidden garden of azaleas

Happy May Day!
I'm excited to share with you my new perfume for spring and summer: Lost Lagoon.

Every spring, the rhododendrons awaken - first slowly, building anticipation. By early May, they simply burst with colour and aroma, some of the bushes so dense with flowers that you can't even see their leaves and branches...

These fragrant azaleas paint the edges of Lost Lagoon with myriads of flowers of tropical colours and exotic scents as versatile as the number of hybrids planted there: some are reminiscent of lily, others are like ylang ylang and some smell like cool suntan lotion. Bluebells, violets and other bulb flowers and annuals are planted among them; and magnolia, lilac and syringa contribute their luscious perfume to the already fragrant air. Freshly cut grass from the Pitch & Putt is the only reminder you're still in the Northern Hemisphere and not in the tropics...



In case you can't experience this extravagant botanical explosion in person - don't be sad: I've bottled that scent especially for you!

Lost Lagoon is the third installation in "Perfume For A Place" series, which is inspired by my favourite places in Vancouver. This perfume will transport you to a secret lagoon surrounded by tropical flowers. Lost Lagoon is a refreshing Chypre with exotic floral notes of magnolia and ylang ylang and loaded with bergamot and green notes of rhododendron buds, violet leaf and galbanum.

Top Notes: Bergamot, Lemon, Galbanum, Violet
Heart Notes: Rhododendron, Magnolia, Ylang Ylang
Base Notes: Oakmoss, Amber, Iris

Beyond Paradise

My favourites were the one I have titled “Beyond Paradise” as it smells, in my opinion, the way Estee Lauder’s perfume of that name would dream of smelling. I think you can guess which one I like better. The colours are so tropical in this one, and so is the scent – a shameless tropical floral that asks to be worn on the head or make into a lay. It’s heady, fresh, fruity… Sounds like a familiar ad copy of the florals from recent years? They only wish they would live up to this rhododendron’s standards!

Rhododendron Eyelashes

These are the yellow rhododendrons that were making eyes to me in my garden every day (they still are, but the mascara is starting to fall off…). They have an intense yet fresh lily scent, just like a wild yellow Alpine lily.

Sun Tan Lotion

I hope that the breeder of this hybrid was wise enough to patent the scent of this rhododendron, as it is now used to scent quite a few sun screen lotions… It’s smells gorgeous as a flower and a bit of a nuisance as a sun tan lotion.

Tiger Lily

This rhododendron not only has the colours of tiger lily, it also smells like one! A very heady, sweet, indolic floral.

More Lily Shaped Rhododendrons

These look like lilies, and smell like lilies...

Orchid

The variety of rhododendron is quite incredible. This rhododendron flower was not very fragrant, but it looks like an orchid.

Coral Bells

Two White Rhododendrons

A rhododendron tree:


Here is a classic white rhododendron:

Other Garden Delights

This is another rhododendron in my back garden, with the lovely pond in the background. For some reason, the almost-open bud clusters remind me of lotus flowers…

The contrast between the different flower colours are far more delightful in reality. It can’t be a surprise why these bushes are so loved by gardeners…


You can also go for the Persian Carpet look with miniature bushes with dense small flowers:

Fuschia Bells