Paul Schutze ‘Behind the Rain’ ( UK Exclusive only at Shy Mimosa ) Inspired by the warmth of the sun after a sudden rain shower. A sunny, bucolic ode to those quiet moments of happy solitude spent amongst nature in early Spring. Organic, impressionistic and understated – a muted masterpiece, an olfactive watercolour, an ode to the elements – in particular, air, earth and water. Discreet, elegant yet assured. Notes Include: Grapefruit, Linden, Conifer, Black Pepper, Sweet Fennel, Olibanum and Vetiver. Extrait D’Atelier ‘Le Jardinier’ ( UK Exclusive only at Shy Mimosa ) Maître Jardinier is a labyrinth of greenery, … Continue reading April showers & Spring greens: the scent of re-birth, hope and brighter days.

Love is in high demand right now. Not necessarily the romantic or sensual type of love, but the universally understood language of compassion, friendship, trust, and care for one another. It’s most definitely what the world needs now, more than ever. In the sense of being kind, courteous, and gentle on yourself as well as others; rejecting judgement – embracing empathy; and giving a little more of yourself with no expectation of returns. Love is many things, not merely a glib transaction of commercialised kitsch – as it is more than just one day of the year, it is if … Continue reading ‘What the World needs now, is love sweet love …’ Shy Mimosa’s top perfumes for healing the soul, evoking love, arousing lust, and some, just simply to be enjoyed’

We all know that January feeling, when the days are dark, and the sun has not shown herself for what seems like weeks; when we feel low, damp and missing that certain joie de vivre. The collective sense of lacklustre drive, and depleted optimism of mid winter can really give us the blues.Whilst perfume is not a miracle, it certainly is a tonic for the senses and the soul, and here are five optimistic scents that will brighten the darkest of days. Spritz liberally and enjoy the sense of well being that these perfumes and their olfactory optimism can bring … Continue reading Five Alive! 5 Perfumes to lift the soul on gloomy days

The light becomes softer, the golden glow of late afternoon across butter coloured fields lifts our moods, the approaching season of mellow fruits and mist inflected mornings allows our senses to relax, soften and also for our collective human spirit to go inwards. A time of reflection, nostalgia, of thought and gathering ourselves for the winter ahead. As we rearrange our clothes and wardrobes, our gardens and houses in accordance to the change of season, we also look forward to changing our perfume. As summer ends, and we put our citrus infused, perhaps aquatic and fresh colognes away until next … Continue reading Five Perfect Perfumes for Fall – Shy Mimosa Perfumery.

Where to start with this one? The smouldering overture of head notes, or the lingering dry down and erogenous base notes? The Perfumers prologue, or the Alchemists epilogue? These questions are posed as soon as Spell 125 hits the air with its complex set of aroma molecules, which fly in such tight formation, its hard to distinguish separate notes – which of course is the mark of a truly great Perfumer on form. Impressionistic, dark, soulful, animalic, of the forest, resinous, are accurate descriptors whilst taking in the first five minutes of this bewitching composition. Colours of deep velvet browns, … Continue reading ‘Spell 125’, New Release – Papillon Perfumes, Alchemist : Liz Moores

So December comes around again, and another year draws close to its conclusion. Cue the flipside to commercial and materialistic fever pitch; for here cometh the season of olfactive thoughtful introspection, of hibernation, ancient sleep and waking dreams, where perfumed ghosts and quiet haunting beauty, wafts silently between days end, and nights hard frost. Enter ‘Sous Bois’ by Nancy Meiland – a lumineer of contemporary British perfumery – with her fifth olfactive outing, a green and elemental composition which is both grounded in the earthy tones of the forest floor whilst reaching for the glacial air and skies of mystical … Continue reading ‘Sous Bois’ by Nancy Meiland: Journey into the dark green forests of Winter

As the mornings get crisper and cooler, with the crunch of leaves underfoot; that certain something in the air that evokes nostalgia and long lost love, tells us that Autumn has well and truly arrived. A time of great beauty – a season of deep colour and introspection, a bittersweet journey where the joy of now, and the wistful presence of ghosts past quietly collide. Nowhere is this more beautifully encapsulated than in nature and its perfumes. If you are seeking something a little less obvious, a perfect scent for the Season of ‘mists and mellow fruitfulness , there is … Continue reading Five Audacious Scents for Autumn. Exclusives – Shy Mimosa Perfumery, Clifton, Bristol.

  Rentless Cardamom Coffee What would Love do? Amelie Mae I’m Home A difficult and brave balancing act between the strains of commercial profitability, and the freedom of a left of centre intellectualised cult perfume brand, aspiring to be art.   Unless you are anosmic, most folk hurry past the challenging scent of Lush stores across the world, as the heady odour of high octane olfactory theatrics billows unapologeticly out of its kooky open doors. Even for those brave enough to enter this peculiar psychadelic kingdom of soaps, strange wobbling jellies, and glitter infused bath bombs, the overpowering  waft can … Continue reading Lush : Gorilla Perfumes Volume IV – A Review.

Perfume is often perceived as frivolous and mass produced, synthetic and throwaway – not unlike a 3 minute Pop song which has its moment then is swiftly forgotten. But with the quiet and steadily growing movement of niche and artisan Perfumery making a resurgence – the like having not been seen for nearly a hundred years – the concept of scent as a transient slice of Popular Culture is being challenged. And rightly so. Even those of us with the most simplistic notions of what Perfumery entails will understand that it is as much steeped in Artistry as it is Science. The creation … Continue reading ‘Eglantier’ – Where two Seas collide under the pink of Nordic Eventide. (Nancy Meiland Parfums Review : Part II)

I had the great pleasure of being co-tutored by Nancy several years ago on a Perfumery course, long before her steady – but Phoenix like – rise to the heights of  being one of Britain’s fast emerging and exceptionally talented new generation of female Perfumers. Like a true artist, Nancy’s olfactory creations breathe an authentic reflection of her personality: they sparkle, shimmer and emote in a dreamy impressionistic style which is perfectly European and at times particularly British. It was back in 2005 on a bitter February afternoon in St James, London in a grand Georgian drawing room around a … Continue reading ‘A Very British Affair’ Nancy Meiland Parfums, A review: Part One