Jasmina

Jasmina by Eiderdown Press: It’s not often that I write back-to-back reviews on perfumes from the same fragrance house; it’s rare for me to flip my lid over a line of natural fragrances; and its rarer still for me to fall in love with a jasmine-heavy perfume. But I have fallen into a swoon over the line of organic, botanical perfumes from April Aromatics (created by Berlin-based perfumer Tanja Bochnig)—and if you find me writing about these perfumes for three weeks in a row, understand that it’s not because I don’t have other perfumes to sample, but because they are that good. In fact, this week’s review is attributable to an email conversation I had with my perfume-blogging friend Jasia, who pointed out the excellence of April Aromatics Jasmina, and who was so right about it that I feel like I should thank her. Very few jasmine-centric fragrances have ever wormed their way into my heart, so I didn’t expect Jasmina would worm its way there either, and I probably would have sampled it dead-last were it not for my friend’s enthusiasm. As it turns out, I now feel like I’ve found my perfect jasmine perfume—one that is floaty and easy-to-wear while also managing to be sensual. A balancing act that is pretty hard to beat. If I tell you that Jasmina is the olfactory equivalent of sunlight, then you might get the impression that this is a happy perfume, which it is. But there is also a tender whiff of flesh (of skin) that is like a kite string which tethers this olfactory sun to the Earth, or more precisely, to its earthly occupants. Wearing Jasmina, I think about people and places that have a sunlit easiness to them and an undercurrent of something else I can’t name, except to call it a sense of the personal (rather than the breezy impersonal). Hopefully you will know what I mean when I say that wearing this perfume makes me think about Butters from South Park; and John Denver singing “Sunshine on the water looks so lovely”; and certain bends in a river in upstate New York I once knew intimately, thanks to a boyfriend who liked to canoe. It’s a perfume that makes me think about my childhood, and the times I spent outdoors with my sisters, and how easy it was to entertain ourselves when we were a certain age. And in the way that it makes me think of all these things, I would have to say that this perfume makes me feel a genuine sense of gratitude for every smooth-sailing moment of my life. Jasmina starts off with a very discernible and lovely burst of grapefruit that is just tart and juicy enough to make one feel uplifted and groovy, as if the sun has been out for days and the sky is the perfect shade of blue. As it melds with the jasmine and ylang-ylang accord, there is a hint of the wintergreen facet that often accompanies white-floral perfumes, and that reminds me of the natural world and of being outdoors. The top notes hang on for a delightfully long time, and so does the “main event,” which is the straightforward and dreamy smell of jasmine that is nectarous and pretty. In the first hour of wear, one can detect a sheer amount of indoles that smell fleshy and have a tinge of the urinous about them, but they are so light that only a perfumista who is seriously sniffing her wrist would recognize them. That they are present, though, is what lends Jasmina its gentle sensuality and takes it from smelling merely lovely, in a way that a landscape painting is lovely, to smelling poignantly lovely ... like a landscape you once stood in; a landscape in which you can see yourself taking part.

For me Jasmina was a Wonderful Surprise! I smelled it before and I thought :“nice, sweet, strong, maybe later”. But then I learned one thing about April Aromatics natural parfume. They are not just fragrance, they are alive substances with consciousness of it’s own. And usually, if You just receive them in mail, they need a day or so to composure themselves from the stress of travel, yes, just like people. And second, how much they open to You their essence and healing properties depends on You, on how You treat them. If You are tired or depressed or have no real intrest in them and just spraying them in the attitude “You cost me so much, You better perform well”,- chances are You will not get the true picture of this alive fragrance. It’s just like with little child, if You have no time for it and tell it to sit down and make homework... the result will be so so at best. But if You say: “Now, I am all attention, I know You are magnificent and I can’t wait to see what You can do!”,- the child will be so happy and eager to perform! Just like that April Aromatics fragrance is alive and has infinite potential in healing You, uplifting, and it is smart to know what to do for You! But like a little child it will do it especially fantastic if You come with respect and love and happy expectation. So when I found out that about these amazing fragrances, I keep sample box nearby, and it is long empty, but time from time I open empty tube and inhale and sort of communicate with the fragrances one by one... and just like to me, it will tell You which fragrance when to use to heal You and make You whole,- yes they are That Powerful! Jasmina (after our long communication :) acts for me as a Mighty Happy Blast of Energy. It gives sort of powerful electric charge to the base of the spine, awakening kundalini and when it unwinds and rises along the spine it energizes the whole body through the nervous system, but makes it in a happy, sweet and gentle way... the feeling is “I can fly around the world like superman :)” I am really happy to have found April Aromatic’s amazing fragrant world! Thank You!

Jasmine is another natural perfume from April Aromatics with the most rich and very beautiful sweet floral aroma with a subtle Ylang-Ylang smell in the deep soul of this lovely fragrance. The term Jasmine is probably derived from Persian word Yasmine meaning "fragrance," which is adopted in Arabic as Yasym given to jasmine flowers. Fragrantica "says" it is a masculine scent but for me this fragrance has captured the beautiful, feminine and classic characteristics of the flower itself with its single note blend of jasmine is both refreshing and inspiring, becoming a very sexy feminine fragrance. This is jasmine conveyed as naturally as possible, without the creaminess or the sweetness that is often added to it even with the note of pink grapefruit. Another very well done April Aromatic fragrance to take you heightened spiritual awareness and encourages sleep and dreaming. If you like and has been looking for a pure and natural jasmim scent, definitely this is for you. Enjoy it.

This is the first indolic jasmine perfume that I've ever loved. Though it has an animalic quality, it doesn't go overboard into the fecal jasmine territory. It retains a freshness and natural garden-like quality. Unfortunately, because it's a natural perfume, it's not as longlasting in its intensity and tends to dwindle away, but it still has a beautiful drydown. Even though it doesn't build in sillage, it's still worth buying such a beautiful jasmine scent. I'm testing the alcohol version from a sample, so perhaps the oil version would have more endurance. Reminds me of a fresh pikake blossom still growing on the plant.

This is such an amazing soliflore. I love almost every April Aromatics fragrance and this one is no exception. It's a true jasmine, fleshy, heady and creamy. It smells exactly like my mom's jasmine plant when it's in flower and it has excellent silage and longevity. i don't know how this line consistently produces such long lasting, gorgeous, natural fragrances but I'm so glad they do.