Epona

The horse as the metaphor: the inner self, to be exploited or to be liberated. I never have had the equestrian experience, though I have often romanticized it, or wondered if it were an element of a past life. When I look into a horse's eyes, I always immediately feel: "soul." As I see them graze, I think of how they once were worked to exhaustion by humans, yet were still true, still loyal. So much 18th and 19th century literature and poetry used the horse as symbolism, mostly as it pertained to the human condition. When I learned of Liz Moores' Epona, a tribute to the companionship with her own horse, I immediately sought to experience it. There is the lather and suds of a carbolic soap used lovingly. There are sweet violets à la Jolie Madame in this meadow. The mammalian kindness and sweet gaze, the rawness of a living being full of verve, yet has moments where it is as gentle as any kind soul could be, of course while chewing dandelions. The grassy, leathery musk of a stable and the round hay bales in the adjacent pasture are here. To call this idyllic would nearly undermine the experience—it feels so much more real than any hackneyed fairy tale. It somehow reminds me of what I regard as one of the most beautiful films ever made, "Days of Heaven"—painterly cinema, the lonely expanse of the Texas prairie—it is a must watch. The "horse skin" here is the most thoughtfully rendered animalic accord I've experienced. Earnest, unyielding horsey cresols perhaps only tempered by the appearance of a bittersweet opoponax. Wearing it feels like the honeyed glow of a hopeful sunset, and as I ponder my own inner self while Epona is on my skin, I think of the liberation that comes from letting go of thoughts that restrain. "You are not your thoughts," a wise horse whispers in my ear. How about that? I can remember that each time I wear Epona and am transported to a place that feels alive and free. I will agree with another reviewer that this ranks with a vintage Caron extrait in design; absolutely moving wizardry.

Leather. Of the Mona di Orio Cuir variety. Violets. Slightly anisic, powdery and sweet. Hay. Sun dried in the field. Narcissus. In the sun, slightly pissy but more dry and fragrant. A slight gasoline whiff in the first few seconds. I have no experience with horses, but I’m assuming that the whole is the saddle skin accord. Imagine a dry green chypre with a touch of indolic florals and a leather base, but on the skin of a person. What emanates after a bit of sweat has been there. Now take the whole and add some violet and honey sweetness. Just a tad, enough to make it lived in and get rid of the dryness. It’s still leathery, it’s still hay-ish but smooth and buttery. This is Epona! I find it more introspective and quiet than the rest of the Papillon line up, but I think that’s the point; a moment with yourself or a loved one, which could easily be a horse for lovers of these beautiful equines. But make no mistake, this isn’t a light or quiet scent; the scent envelops rather than radiate. And it feels like a hug. While I don’t associate it with other scents, I do perceive it as vintage, just like most Papillons. It has the gravitas of a perfume from the 1930’s to the 1950’s, and like SuzanneS said, it belongs with the great classic wonders of yore. Another masterpiece from Liz! Brava! Edit: the drydown is magical!

The opening notes of Epona (named by equestrian Liz Moores for the Celtic horse goddess) display a smooth, ambered, iris-buttery leather like the inside of an old-fashioned purse, with a faint touch of lipstick-y violet. Cuir de Russie stuff, basically: the plush, feminine side of leather. Then it gets a lot smokier and earthier and mossier, not at all like a “normal” leather scent, with glints of golden honey amid the earthy-green depths. The core is now a dark-brown smoky leather with a pine-tar quality. Our “horse” is taking a walk in the woods. In the drydown, the smokiness fades and the leather is just soft and steady, with glints of warm lamplight amber and a hint of “soapy” clean flowers. As always, Liz Moores is subtle. This isn’t a loud piney-smoky leather like so many niche perfumeries do (Hiram Green Hyde, Pryn Taiga, Zoologist Tyrannosaurus Rex). Epona is low-key, close to the skin, and kidskin-glove soft, while still evoking the outdoors. It feels quieter and simpler than Moores’ earlier perfumes (the majestic floral Hera, the mighty leather-incense Anubis). Epona feels more like chamber music where those were symphonies: fewer moving parts, more subdued, but still lovely.

This fragrance sets the equestrian bar 10/10 Finally. Finally, I've found a refined perfume that is based on a true relationship with a special horse and a day spent with it. Finally, I'm not being gaslit by perfumers about the smell of cow leather equating with the smell of horse skin. The first minutes are dusty florals, but after that it's a GORGEOUS wearable animalic with amber, hay, vetiver, saddlesoap, and light florals. I say it's wearable, but you have to like horses because I can smell horse mane, horse shoulder, girth area, and even stall cleaning time. This is not a linear fragrance and it will take you on a journey of an elevated, realistic equestrian experience. Longevity: This lasts 6 hours plus. It really lasts longer, but I reapply at 7 or 8 hours because I am not given to subtlety. EDIT: All four of my horses love this perfume. They look astonished and delighted, yet oddly calm. I guess it speaks to them too. I've never seen them react like this except for a minor riot when I wore Kajal Ruby and they thought I had hidden fruit treats.🍑🍎🍏🥥

A crisp morning; the glorious smell of dew and grass mingles with my scent. Three kids standing in an alley Excuse me, sir, are you with the military? A resounding 'NO' follows... Echoes from boots fade. A sneeze ends the echo's embrace. A smile curls on the man's face. A man shifts his gaze to the women on his right. Excuse me, miss, is that you on that nice horse? 'yes' "it is a nice horse' Well, thank you. Do you ride as well? Dubious: 'no' Nervous laughter follows... Her smile widens. Two moments from a day with Epona ===== I won't bother telling you what this smells like. This is a grand gesture to the perfumer's companion; let that really sink in. Every time I spray this again, it keeps showing me new facets. The scent changed a bit as some air got in the bottle. I still can't wrap my mind around what this perfume is, so I will just keep on wearing it. If you are a leather lover and appreciate art in a bottle. Just click buy; don't bother testing. We need to be supporting perfumers like this more.