Lovers Rock

As with many of these natural perfumes, the order of the notes of prominence on the right, are based on what stage of the perfume you are smelling. This perfume changes quite a bit. Right now I'm smelling the dry down of this perfume, and I'm getting a lovely almost minty waxy warm woody tobacco and soft spice aroma. Like old wood rubbed with wax and gentle spices. Earlier stages had a much stronger cinnamon and clove notes. The projection on this is much lower than synthetic fragrances - it starts at arm length and is a skin scent for the majority of wearing. Longevity and sillage are both weak. Price point is pretty expensive; 180$ for 30mL. Edit: trying this again after 6 months I’m really intrigued in how the oil has aged. I don’t know if oils ‘mature’ but this one seems more creamy now and overall woody milky cloves in tapioca ambiance. Love this now! EDIT2: I ended up not buying a fragrance from this house. You decide if this is a perfumer you want to support (from a recent marketing email): "Many of you know that I'm writing a book ... a hybrid memoir and investigation into scent and perfume cultures, and sensuous embodiment as a radical resistance against colonization, white supremacy and patriarchal damage." I prefer not to buy from ideologues or jargon talkers, no matter how pretty their perfumes, you may feel differently.

Note: Hi Wildflower has rebranded itself under the new name Tanaïs and changed a lot of its offerings, but Lovers Rock and a few of their other old fragrances are still available. Fragrantica doesn't have the new brand name in their database. Clove is a note that can be overpowering in fragrances, but Lovers Rock is clove done right, the sharpness of the cloves rounded out by ample woods and resiny touches. It's sweet, spicy, and earthy, and smells like one part rice pudding and one part sexy unlit incense. It's both cozy and sensual. I'm assuming that the fragrance is named after the romantic subgenre of reggae, and while the winterish notes don't immediately evoke tropical climates, the heady warmth of this fragrance does fit the concept. Hi Wildflower/Tanaïs is pricy, but I think their fragrances are worth it for lovers of natural perfumery.

This is one of my favorite perfumes. It starts out with this amazing spicy clove and pepper. From there, it's warm, woody, with a touch of sweet amber and tonka. For me, the dry down is very warm and woody and it lasts a long time. I use the roll on oil and I can often smell the woodsy base notes the day after. When I wear this, I can't stop smelling my wrists. I love it that much.

I hadn't worn this one in a long time, but I impulsively grabbed it this morning and sprayed it on. The weather today is cool, likely to be the last cool day for the next six months where I live. It is absolutely gorgeous with its sophisticated subtle sweetness and spicy woody notes. I strongly recommend it!