Products in the “Parfums des Beaux Arts” Category

Susinon was a luxurious and strongly scented lily perfume that was made by the  Egyptians as well as the Greeks, but the Egyptian version was thought to “excel most’. This fabulous fragrance was also used by Cleopatra to scent the sails of her royal barge, perfuming the air along the Nile as she sailed, proclaiming herself as Goddess and Queen. The exhaustive recipe for Susinon calls for spices and resins to first be soaked in fragrant wine and balanos oil to be prepared. When the oil ready, it is added to the spices along with 1,000 lilies. Interestingly, in our time a lily perfume would be almost exclusively worn by women, but for the ancient Egyptians, Susinon was one perfume deemed suitable for a man.
* 1,000 LILIES PERFUME has been created for Denver Art Museum’s KING TUT exhibit, 2010.

Inspired by Bonifacio Bembo’s “Adoration of the Magi” (about1455-1460) and Renaissance Milan’s great wealth and status among cities. This fragrance depicts traditional Catholic incense, which is based on the gifts of the Magi to the Christ child: frankincense, gold and myrrh. Even during the Renaissance, these rare aromatic gifts of the East (frankincense and myrrh) were more costly than their weight in gold.
I have included a precious rose note to this design as well, to center the essence and to symbolize Mary.
(*image credit: Bonaficio Bembo, active about 1444-78, Adoration of the Magi, about 1455-60, tempera and oil paint on panel, Denver Art Museum; the Simon Guggenheim Memorial Collection, 1957.167).

* please note: 1 ml sample vials of EdP are 1/2 filled; Perfume / extract vials are filled.

Many wonderful works of Renaissance Art were created in Northern climes. Tapestries were known especially from the Flemish through France and into Italy. Alba was inspired by one such tapestry from the late 1500′s, woven at a Brussels workshop. The tapestry is made of wool and silk and the fragrance has been designed to convey that subtle sense of texture.
Alba also takes it’s inspiration from alpine flowers, delicate flowering trees and a delicacy of the northern landscape, white truffle.
(*image credit: Flemish designer, active 1500′s, Military Scenes, possibly from the story of Scipio Africanus, late 1500′s, woven at a Brussels workshop wool and silk tapestry, Denver Art Museum, Neusteter Textile Collection, Anonymous Gift).

* please note: 1 ml sample vials of EdP are 1/2 filled; Perfume / extract vials are filled.

Alluring. Refined. Otherworldly.

My own personal amber perfume made more balsamic and rich with a classic floral heart for those of us who love amber but usually find it too sweet to wear.

* EdP sample vials are 1/2 filled.

Caressing. Enveloping. Passionate.

A rich red rose perfume.

* sample vials are 1/2 filled; Perfume / Extract sample vials are filled.

Simply one of the most popular fragrances of all time! Eau de Cologne was originally called ‘Aqua Admirabilis’ by it’s creator Gian-Paolo Feminis, an Italian perfumer working in Cologne, Germany. French Soldiers and travelers brought the “water of Cologne” back to France and a classic was born. This light, clean and elegant scent was an essential for any 18th Century “Toilette” and has been admired through the ages by the stylish and refined Louis XIV, Marquise de Pompadour and Napoleon I.

100% Botanical Perfume.

KYPHI (an alternate spelling is Khyphi) is probably the most famous of all early Egyptian perfumes handed down to us from antiquity. Kyphi is the Latin version of the Greek translation of Kapet in Egypt which was originally a general term for fumigation through smoke and was used in the temples. Eventually Kyphi developed a particular recipe and ‘brand’. Primarily used as an incense, Kyphi was also used as a remedy for such ailments as nightmares and snake bites.
*For sale at Denver Art Museum’s KING TUT exhibit, 2010.

Opulent. Enigmatic. Beguiling.
My Italian Journey no.8;  A journey of time and space, rather than a physical one.  Cimabue (pronounced chim-ah-boo-ey) was the artist to bridge the opulence of Byzantium with the insight, knowledge and brilliance of the Florentine Renaissance.

* sample vials are 1/2 filled; Perfume / Extract sample vials are full.

I have had this dream of making a mushroom perfume for many years now… Cuir et Champignon embodies all the soft and inviting qualities of white button mushrooms, then leads you to a more hidden place where the darker mushrooms grow and on to rich rawhide and dusty leather. I hope that you will love wearing Cuir et Champignon as I do; for me it’s a new classic.

* EdP sample vials are 1/2 filled.

A rose like no other: dirty ROSE. The image of a single rose that has been a bit manhandled; bruised and dragged through the mud which gives it its rugged beauty. Although dirty ROSE is a rose based perfume the note does not dominate; it is interwoven throughout the fragrance, continuing to grow as it dries down. And ladies…he may just borrow this; its a shared experience.

* sample vials are 1/2 filled.

Inspired by the allegorical image, “The Triumphs of Time, Fame and Divinity”, by a follower of Andrea Mantagna, Divine Gardens not only speaks to the imagery in the work but also Mantua’s exquisite homes and gardens of the wealthy and powerful.
This green and glorious fragrance is my first green chypre utilizing a tomato leaf note.

* please note: 1 ml sample vials of EdP are 1/2 filled; Perfume / extract vials are filled.

Based on 18th Century perfumer Jean-Louis Fargeon’s descriptive formula for “Eau de Cypre Composée” and associated with Madame du Barry, last official mistress of Louis XV.  A rich, classical white floral-animalic perfume.

100% Botanical.

“Orange Blossom Water of the King”.  Orange Blossom, the epitome of grace and lightness, was one of the most sought after essences of the 18th Century and in the Court of Louis XV; aptly called “Le Cour Parfumée” (The Perfumed Court).   Eau de Fleurs d’Oranger was synonymous with Louis XV, so much so, that it was re-named “Eau de Fleurs d’Oranger du Roi” posthumously.

*100% botanical; the animalic notes are comprised of botanical accords to mimic the animal essences.

Based on detailed notes for the fragrance, “Parfum du Trianon”, commissioned by Marie Antoinette. She asked her perfumer, Fargeon, to create a fragrance that would evoke the aroma of the gardens of her beloved palace, Petit Trianon and her ‘Hameau’ (Hamlet). He created for her a delicate and beguiling floral perfume that not only bespeaks the flowers, woods and fresh air of Trianon but is full of symbolism of her life at Versailles and role as Queen. It is a perfume that illustrates the light hearted grace and sparkling enchantment of high Rococo style.

* 96.5 % Botanical Perfume.

Euphorisme d’Opium: Opium Perfume: c.1977

The original “YSL Opium” perfume, when launched was a scandal. Not only for the open drug reference but for it’s open sexuality and sensuality. Just as YSL was inspired by his beloved Morocco and the Orient, I have infused the original design of Opium perfume (which as of 2010, is no longer on the market) with some extra doses of the euphoric aromas that bring this enchanting Spicy-Oriental perfume to life.

* EdP sample vials are 1/2 filled.

Brilliant. Evocative. Shining.

A fresh and citrus orange scent with warming notes of spice and woods in the drydown.  Delicious!

* 92% botanical.

Warm. Subtle. Mysterious.

Inspired by the arousing aroma of Italian Jasmine in full bloom, warmed by the Mediterranean sun. (It must the the secret weapon of many a Bella Donna… or maybe the scent of a Botticelli incarnate).

My Italian Journey No. 5 design.

*EdP sample vials are 1/2 filled.

Lush. Haunting. Forbidden.

The whispering  scent of an unseen garden; the jewel hidden at the center of many Italian Palazzi. {One must have the key to enter this place of meditation or rendezvous…}

The enticing scent of Mediterranean flowers and musk.

* EdP sample vials are 1/2 filled.

Luscious. Intoxicating. Chic.
My Ginger étude no.1 is a perfectly rich and decadent gourmand ginger spice perfume.

* sample vials are 1/2 filled; Perfume / Extract samples vials are filled.

* 96% Botanical / Natural Perfume.

A brand new design collaboration with Carrie Meredith from “eyeliner on a cat” blog is an abstraction of texture and synesthetic color (and a slight play on words: guimauve) which translates to “Silk Marshmallow”.

There’s a kind of dada-esque quality to the name, which I love, that speaks to the silky ‘texture’ of the fragrance and it’s overall “grey-blue-violet” tonality (connoted by the main orris note and is the ‘mauve’ reference). The odd (but wonderful) balance of orris – violet – animalic nuances counterbalanced with gourmand notes of anise and cocoa beans is quite unexpected. The gourmand aspects bring the idea of “marshmallow” into a new focus.

Guimauve de Soie is unlike anything else in my collections to date; I am very excited by this design and it’s such a pleasure to present it as my first original creation of 2012.

* EdP sample vials are 1/2 filled ; PERFUME sample vials are filled.

Exotic. Piquant. Balmy.

In the Indochine, where the air is moist and the elements tropical, you will need a light and refreshing scent. This is my ginger etude no.2, a fresh cut ginger perfume that expresses the cooler side of the essence balanced with subtle tropical florals, sandalwood, a soft honey musk drydown.

Created for Denver Art Museum’s Cities of Splendor exhibit, 2011, the ITALIAN SPLENDOR collection brings the glory and richness of the greatest cities and art of Italian Renaissance to life in fragrant form.
Included in the set is a 1 ml vial of EdP: Alba (from Across the Alps), Adoration (Milan), Divine Gardens (Mantua), Medici (Florence), Secreti di Belle Donne (Venice) and Venus and Cupid (Siena).

*Please note: the sample vials in this pack are filled.  The individual sample vials for EdP listed with each perfume are 1/2 filled, however.

La Vie en Rose: Paris Perfume: c.1983
Taking a cue from YSL himself, I was as much inspired by the dress (The Paris Bow Dress) as by the original design of the 1983 perfume itself. YSL allowed himself to be inspired by the perfume to create the dress… La Vie en Rose is an expanded version of the original rose, violet, aldehydic perfume with added sparkling notes to suggest a gloriously youthful exuberance and a champagne fete along a Springtime Champs Elysees.

*EdP sample vials are 1/2 filled.

Inspired by the inimitable French artist Toulouse-Lautrec and his images of Parisian high-life in the 19th Century. This luscious fruity, floral chypre-oriental speaks of nights of gaiety and memories of the Moulin Rouge!

Le Smoking: The Tuxedo: c.1968-1975
The Tuxedo for a woman was revolutionary and avant-garde at the time that YSL began introducing the style into his collection. Inspired somewhat by the smoking jacket and women’s liberation, the Tuxedo was a continuous muse for every subsequent collection right until the last. “Le Smoking” , named after the first Tuxedo design, is a sophisticated green chypre fragrance based of course on the Blond Tabac (fine cigarette) note as well as the new ‘marijuana’ cigarette and Moroccan incense.

* EdP sample vials are 1/2 filled.

Ligne Trapéze: The Dior Years: c.1950
Inspired by YSL’s very first collection as the new art director at Dior: the Ligne Trapéze and the gorgeous silver evening gown found in among these first designs. The absolute aesthetic of French chic at this time was a sense of coolness; an ultimate air of elegance. The perfume displays this same, slightly aloof, beginning and warms into the aldehydic-animalic drydown found in most fine fragrances of this period.

* EdP sample vials are 1/2 filled.

Ma Plus Belle Histoire d’Amour: The Late Years: c.1994-2002

“Ma Plus Belle Histoire d’Amour”, is the song sung to YSL by one of his great muses, Catherine Deneuve, at his last Haute Couture show. It speaks of the great love story between YSL and his dedicated clientele. By the later years, YSL had become and icon; a legend. Ma Plus Belle Histoire d’Amour speaks to the sense of greatness of the man and his work but also of the his clientele of this time; first ladies, heads of state, socialites and powerful, established women. The fragrance is an elegant ozone, floral-floral inspired by the “Linden Wisteria Evening Coat” found in the collection. It is modern, yet timeless and truly lovely.

* EdP sample vials are 1/2 filled.

Exotic. Sensuous. Delicious.

Based on a Moroccan delicacy of exotic spices, flower buds, desert fruits, sensuous honey and precious woods, Mahjoun is filled with the life of the bazaar by day and the depth of a Marrakesh night.  It is simply divine.

One of the most famous names in Renaissance Italy, not only among the mighty, wealthy and powerful but also among the fashionable and beautifully scented. They were known as a lavishly scented clan. My Medici perfume was not only inspired by this fabulously scented family but by a painting attributed to a follower of Botticelli called “Portrait of a Young Man in a Red Cap”. The scent speaks to fiery red spice notes, deep woods and leathers that would have been found in any study of a young Renaissance aristocrat.

* please note: 1 ml sample vials of EdP are 1/2 filled; Perfume / extract vials are filled.

Minimal. Urban. Crystalline.

A modernist approach to interpreting mint in a fragrance.  As one of our customers told me, ” It’s really not like chewing gum…but more like picking fresh mint from a window box in the city”.  I think that sums it up perfectly.

Artistic. Provocative. Suave.

This vintage inspired woody/resinous/conifer design for men expresses the scent of the artist; some notes from the studio, leather bound books, hints of smoke and a whisper of aged single malt scotch.  Incredible!

* Eau de Parfum sample vials are 1/2 filled.

Dreamy. Silent. Exquisite.

At Midnight, the winter moon shone.

Waves of light, beaming through the dark night sky.

This is when we dream.

An exquisite oriental / chypre of the vintage ‘riche’ style; beautiful on both men and women.

* EdP sample vials are 1/2 filled; Perfume / Extract sample vials are filled.

* 89% Botanical Perfume.

Mirabella perfume encompasses the energy of a mature, sophisticated woman and the sense of a grand floral perfume that has morphed into a rich fruity-floriental – chypre.  This is *not* a perfume for a young girl.

90% botanical perfume.

* 1 ml sample vials: EdP samples are 1/2 filled and PERFUME / extract samples are filled.

Limited Edition Spring 2011:
Here is my Muguet Cologne, stated for men, but really it is for anyone. Designed in the ‘eau de cologne’ style, the concentration is lighter and the overall feel is woodier and greener than a soliflore. For me, there is something about it that rings very true to an element of Muguet… kind of stylized like an art deco figure. It’s fresh and refreshing and I feel very approachable and easy to wear. I just loved the concept of creating a Muguet Cologne for men to enjoy this delicious Spring treasure.

100% Botanical.

As well, an original art work (acrylic/ sumi ink/ interference pigment on rice paper) was created through the inspiration of creating the perfume design. 

Limited Edition, Spring 2011:
Inspired by vintage lily of the valley perfumes and the challenge to create an all botanical muguet fragrance, Muguet de Mai Perfume is a floral  bouquet centered around lily of the valley; not a mere soliflore taken from the ground and placed, sequestered, in a bottle but a perfume that brings the atmosphere of May, warm and sunny with blooming flowers everywhere, green grass and wet earth. Muguet de Mai is feminine and sweet; slightly girlish and womanly, too. She is a maiden of the fields covered in lily of the valley.

100% Botanical.

* For this limited edition perfume we created 9, 5 ml antique perfume flacons in 2011.  We currently have 2 left for sale.  As well, an original art work (acrylic on canvas painting) was created through the inspiration of creating the perfume design.  “Muguet de Mai”, 2011, can also be seen and purchased here.

Our Limited Edition Collection would not be complete without a special Holiday Fragrance.

*EdP sample vials are 1/2 filled; Perfume/Extract sample vials are filled.

Rare. Mystical. Sacred.

A warm and softly wooded Oude perfume.

Oude is one the rarest (and is the costliest!) aromatics in the perfumer’s palette with a mystique all it’s own.  It is a sacred and revered as the ‘Aroma of God’ in some cultures.

* EdP sample vials are 1/2 filled ; Perfume / Extract sample vials are filled.

Universal. Spiritual. Illuminating.
Lotus, the universal symbol of beauty and enlightenment, encapsulated.
* EdP sample vials are 1/2 filled.

Dedicated to the Egyptian God of the Crocodiles, Sobek, Sampsuchinon is a wonderfully green scent with unexpected nuances of spice and resin that gives it it’s unique depth. The herbs most closely associated with Sobek are marjoram and oregano which are sweetly fragrant. In western perfumery, marjoram and oregano are almost exclusively used in men’s designs, Sampsuchinon is remarkably suited to both men and women.
* Sampsuchinon PERFUME / Unguent Solid has been created for Denver Art Museum’s KING TUT exhibit, 2010.

During the Renaissance, Venice was at the height of it’s power and luxury. Not only the global force for trade in Europe of exotic spices, fabrics and ships, but also for love and seduction through their beautiful Courtesans. A famous book of the period was called simply “Secreti”; a book of beauty secrets. My Secreti di Belle Donne perfume is inspired by the famous Courtesans of Venice and Venetian delicacies as well as the work by Vittore Carpaccio, “Portrait of a Lady with a Book”.
Secreti di Belle Donne is a wonderfully rich and subtle perfume that speaks to the beauty preparations of the lovely ladies of Venice as well as the underlying erogenous scent of the lovers trysts.
(*image credit: Vittore Carpaccio, about 1465-1525, Portrait of a Lady with a Book, about 1495, oil on panel, Denver Art Museum, Gift of Samuel H. Kress Foundation, 1961.168)

* please note: 1 ml sample vials of EdP are 1/2 filled; Perfume / extract vials are filled.

The Beat Look: c. 1958-1964
The Americanization of French culture was at it’s height in the late 1950’s and YSL was not immune to it’s influence. Inspired by the street looks of youth culture, the beats and the motorcycle chic of the “Wild One”, “The Beat Look” was revolutionary. The perfume is not only inspired by YSL’s collection and French culture of the time but also by his very first perfume launch “Y”, a fruity-aldehydic chypre, of 1964.

* EdP sample vials are 1/2 filled.

Created for Denver Art Museum and the only North American showing of the Yves Saint Laurent Retrospective Exhibit. This collection not only chronicles YSL’s long and wildly creative career from his years at Dior to his finale in 2002 but takes inspiration from specifically chosen garment pieces in the show that perfectly illustrate the artistic collaboration between fashion, culture and perfume.

* all 6 perfumes can be found in 5 ml miniature flasks: Ligne Trapéze, The Beat Look, Le Smoking, Euphorisme d’Opium, La Vie en Rose, and Ma Plus Belle Histoire d’Amour.

Created for Denver Art Museum and the only North American showing of the Yves Saint Laurent Retrospective Exhibit. This collection not only chronicles YSL’s long and wildly creative career from his years at Dior to his finale in 2002 but takes inspiration from specifically chosen garment pieces in the show that perfectly illustrate the artistic collaboration between fashion, culture and perfume.
* all 6 perfumes can be found in 1 ml sample vials: Ligne Trapéze, The Beat Look, Le Smoking, Euphorisme d’Opium, La Vie en Rose, and Ma Plus Belle Histoire d’Amour.
* {All of the 1 ml sample vial are filled}.

Radiant. Sublime. Poetic.

This is the scent of a summer evening in Provence: Lavender fields  growing high on a Provençal  hillside warmed by the afternoon sun.    I just love this warm fougere-oriental lavender perfume for all year!

* EdP sample vials are 1/2 filled.

Inspired by “Venus and Cupid”, attributed to Girolamo di Benvenuto, 1470-1524, the image and delightful scent are reminiscent of earlier Roman themes decadence ad luscious natural sensuality. Venus and Cupid is a sensuous perfume filled with floral fecundity and the nectar of the Gods.
(*image credit: attributed to Girolamo di Benvenuto, 1470-1524, Venus and Cupid, about 1500, Tempera and oil on panel, Denver Art Museum, Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, 1961-1972)

* please note: 1 ml sample vials of EdP are 1/2 filled; Perfume / extract vials are filled.

Inspired by the utterly chic and sophisticated style of the late 1970′s and early 1980′s classic green floral chypre, Vert pour Madame has power but more than that, she has depth. She’s achieved it. As well, Vert pour Madame is the perfect harbinger of Spring with notes of hyacinth, jonquil and lily of the valley sewn into the earth with cedarwood, patchouli and moss.
* sample vials are 1/2 filled; Perfume/ Extract sample vials are filled.

Confident. Expressive. Superb.

Beyond the classical form of Vetyver, which is usually a more a vetiver based, lime peel dominant, eau de cologne style scent.  Our Vetyver accentuates and revels in the smoky, woody-earthy nature of the grass root with added notes of birch tar, tabac and rich balsams.

In partnership with the LAMBI fund, sales from DSH Vetyver will  support the rebuilding in Haiti and continue funding rural relief. *30% of retail sales will goes to help those in need.

* 92% botanical

Nostalgic. Worldly. Belle Epoque.

Inspired by the Orientalist movement in Europe in the late 1800′s and rich turn of the 20th Century perfume designs.

Deep. Saturated. Glorious.

My Italian Journey No. 4: Based on a dark and mysterious deep purple violet I found in a hidden garden on the Island of Murano.  I fell in love at first sniff.

* sample vials are 1/2 filled.