For those of you who live in or around Brooklyn, have you ever noticed these leaves peeking through concrete slabs on the sidewalks or in parks? These are violet leaves, and we actually use the natural violet leaf absolute in our exclusive Brooklyn fragrance.
You're probably wondering how we ever found a plant or flower to represent Brooklyn. Coastal violets and violet leaves are historically native to Brooklyn's marshland coasts. And with our impending store opening in Brooklyn, what better time than to spotlight the ever-present yet often ignored violet leaf.
Violet leaf smells nothing like violets, the flowers, but adds this metallic coolness and earthy fresh cut-grass feel to a fragrance. I actually found it rather complex to work with, as it can be very overpowering and can destroy an entire fragrance if not diluted properly. We used it to create our first Nomaterra Cologne called Brooklyn Violet Leaf, which will be exclusive only to our store (you won't even find it on our website).
We're OBSESSED with this scent—especially when it's worn on our men! Come check us out and try our Brooklyn Cologne and our other scents at The Shops at Kent, 240 Kent Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11249!)
I was doing some fall cleaning, and came upon my old fragrance collection, which I started in my early teens. Some are classics, and some I'm slightly embarrassed for even buying, buy hey, I was experimenting! I think I may have even had a Gap fragrance at one point, but I threw that one out a while ago. It's amazing how my taste has evolved from fragrances like CK One and Tommy Girl, to indie perfumes, to creating my own fragrances for Nomaterra. One thing that hasn't changed though, is my joy for exploring different perfumes. There's nothing wrong with trying it all, from completely obscure brands that only ever came out with one scent, to best-sellers. Even with my own brand, I still enjoy exploring what's new, what's out there.
One scent that sticks out in this collection is CK One. CK One debuted in 1994, and was revolutionary for its time due to its forward thinking ad featuring Kate Moss and LGBT activist model Jenny Shimizu, and most importantly, for the fact that is was a unisex eau de toilette, a first of its kind. It now smells like nail polish to me, mostly due to the fact that its been aging in a box for over 10 years. What's interesting though is that CK One really started a movement in the creation of unisex fragrances, that is still very much alive now. You name it, and almost every designer and niche brand has at lease one unisex fragrance.
The last one in these row of oldies is Acqua Di Gio. Another renowned classic that's won its fair share of awards including a Fifi Men's Fragrance of the Year Nouveau Niche in 1998 and had been entered into the Fragrance Hall of Fame last year. This is what my husband used to wear, like many men. He's now moved on to wearing our Brooklyn Violet Leaf Cologne.
What fragrances do you remember experimenting with from your childhood/teens/early years? Do you still wear them? What do you wear now?
