Ayala Moriel- Epice Sauvage

Wearing Epice Sauvage for the first time is fun. One assumes the wrist-to-nose position and starts inhaling, trying to take it all in while identifying each and every spice in the blend, and they are all there and very obvious at first-cardamom, cinnamon and clove, smooth, spicy and warm like a wonderful cup of chai.

The exotic theme continues, but in another direction once the jasmine makes an appearance. Natural perfumer Ayala Sender of Ayala Moriel Parfums is a jasmine sorceress. She takes this somewhat problematic note and brings out the best in it. Hot summer nights in a beautiful faraway land, the sensuality and the more delicate aspects of jasmine are woven together with the spices into a heady perfume that is all silk and color.

The perfume dries down into a honeyed wood base, well-balanced and not too sweet. Some of the spices, especially clove and cinnamon keep popping up and maintaining the exotic oriental feel of Epice Sauvage. The lasting power depends on how much one uses, and I find that a normal application of several dabs of the parfum extrait to the pulse points only lasts a couple of hours. This led me to using most of my second sample and almost bathe in it. I was in spice heaven for the better part of a day.

Epice Sauvage ($110, 9 ml extrait de parfum) is available from ayalamoriel.com. It also comes in several other sizes and formulations. A sample pack of six scents is currently priced at $40.

Image: Model Anne Gunning in Jaipur, India by Norman Parkinson, Vogue, November 1956

Ayala Moriel- Ayalitta

Some summer days feel like the embodiment of childhood. Not necessarily a specific person's childhood, just the  general idea of carefree days stretching endlessly, playing outdoors at all hours and eating lemon popsicles. Ayala Moriel composed Ayalitta as a reminder of child-like innocence, but this is not your typical "young" perfume. Far from it, actually. Ayalitta is a chypre, all oakmoss and green galbanum, with a dry-down that is fully grown up.

The overall impression is very green. The herbal notes have a surprising tartness that captures your attention from the start and never fully leaves the skin. It goes well with the neroli and feels very uplifting and optimistic. Soon it morphs into a fully developed chypre with all the depth and character one desires. The scent moves through its development smoothly like a green forest nymph, bare feet on mossy ground. At some point, before Ayalitta dissipates, there's a hint of a more carnal element, a touch of sticky sweaty skin, and then it's gone, leaving you guessing.

The sillage and lasting time are among the more persistent of Ayala's perfumes. Then again, green notes usually stay with me longer than I expect. The remnants of Ayalitta on my pillow welcome me back the next day. What's left on fabric is a bit cleaner than the way it feels on skin- maybe it's the coolness of sage. It also works well on cold winter days. There's something about crisp chypres that make them come alive in a different and wonderful way.

Ayalitta by Ayala Moriel Parfums ($120, 10ml parfum oil) and various sample sets are available from ayalamoriel.com

Art: Young Lady With Gloves by Tamara de Lempicka, 1930

Ayala Moriel Yasmin Giveaway- The winner

The winner of a mini bottle of Ayala Moriel Yasmin extrait is Jane from Canada (See_Jane_Sell). Please contact me directly!

Yasmin by Ayala Moriel Parfums- Giveaway

Natural perfumer Ayala Sender of Ayala Moriel Parfums is offering The Non-Blonde readers the opportunity to win a mini bottle of Yasmin extrait (4ml). To participate in the draw, please leave a comment and tell us about natural perfumes you've tried so far, which ones are your favorites or if you haven't tried any, what makes you interested in natural perfumes.

Image: Winter Jasmine Fairy by Cicely Mary Barker, circa 1930-1940

Yasmin- Ayala Moriel Parfums

Jasmin soliflores can go wrong very easily. Make them too indolic and they're mostly unwearable in polite company. Use too much synthetics or cheap materials and you get a bathroom product. Combine the jasmine with too many other high pitched white flowers and you get the olfactory equivalent of a Celine Dion and Clay Aiken lovechild. But when it's done right, jasmine can take you places: a perfect summer night long ago with a special someone. A joyful early morning in the spring, the air is full of birds and hope.

Yasmin by natural perfumer Ayala Sender of Ayala Moriel Parfums is my definition of jasmin perfection. There's a balance between green and creamy; a mild and abstract fruity note that melds and becomes one with the skin. Yasmin is naturally sensual without any hint of vulgarity, and this is the perfumer's greatest achievement in this perfume. She succeeded in avoiding both the familiar clichés of jasmine-centered perfumes (we don't really need another Joy, right?) and the over-sexualized skank.

Yasmin is uplifting as it envelops the wearer in its beauty. The perfume is strong enough to be noticed without invading people's personal space. It's like wearing a very pretty dress that fits you to perfection and flatters you without screaming "fashion statement!". It's not tame, by any means, but you need to look (or smell) closely to notice the danger hidden inside.

Yasmin by Ayala Moriel comes in several sizes, both as a perfume oil ($65, 5ml)  and an alcohol based parfum extrait ($110, 9 ml) as well as a creme parfum. Available from ayalamoriel.com, where you can purchase sample sets, which is what I did.

Photo: myvintagevogue.com

Ayala Moriel Parfums- Roses et Chocolat

A couple of years ago I had a wonderful dessert at a downtown restaurant. It was a fragrant chai bread pudding with dark chocolate chips. It was so wonderful that the following weekend the husband and I tried to recreate it at home and fairly succeeded. The most memorable part of baking the pudding was the scent that filled the house- the mixture of spice, milk and chocolate. Smelling Ayala Moriel's Roses et Chocolat, a perfume originally created for Valentine's Day, reminds me of that aroma.

Roses et Chocolat is a spicy gourmand with a nice dose of a very dark rose. I'm usually not a rose person, but these are rich red roses that absorb the spice and never turn sour. Instead there's velvety smoothness that is sexy and tempting, like the perfect red lipstick and lacy lingerie. The chocolate doesn't hurt this image, either. There's a sensuality of opening a luxurious box of handmade truffles and picking them one by one- some are filled with rose cream, others with allspice and nutmeg.

Roses et Chocolat is a parfum extrait, so no wonder it feels so luxurious. Ayala Moriel Parfums is an all-natural line by Vancouver-based perfumer Ayala Sender. These perfumes are the real thing and have the kind of depth we often wish to find in fragrance and rarely do nowadays. It reminds us that perfume can be a true luxury and not just a lab product. What could be better for Valentine's Day?

Roses et Chocolat ($110, 9 ml, currently on a seasonal discount for $99. The scent also comes in travel size and assorted other products) can be purchased from ayalamoriel.com. I've been testing a nice sample set that my husband bought me a few months ago.