JoAnne Bassett Venus Amber

By Tom JoAnne Bassett is a California-based perfumer I was lucky enough to meet a few years ago and test out some of her wares. She invited me to meet her at a perfume event in Santa Monica and gave me samples of more of her scents. I'll circle back to review them since they're wonderful, but the moment I popped open Venus Amber, I had one of those moments. You know the kind. The ones that you hope happen when you're home alone so you can sniff your wrist and moan "oh g-d" without causing too much of a commotion. Venus Amber is simply gorgeous. Spicy, warm, woody, musky; it plays some of the classic notes of Bay Rum and other traditional "masculine" notes and lifts it to a higher level. Notes from her site: "There are 25 distinctly different essential oils and absolutes that comprise this natural perfume. It has a musky, spicy,  amber accord.  The soft powdery, drydown of the vanilla and benzoin gives way to the musky, ambrette seed and frankincense, cedarwood, cistus, and labdanum classic goodness. Bay rum plays with rosewood, sage, cinnamon, and cardamon…to create a spicy melange. The citrus notes of bergamot, blood orange, lemon,and yuzu add that extra lift, zing, and sparkle.  The wonderfully sensuous jasmine and rose de mai accord play with your heart. The other special oils form a bond that holds it all together." JoAnne lists this as a masculine, but were I female I wouldn't hesitate for a second. Venus Amber is available at JoAnne's website (link to Etsy site). Her Facebook Page is here. My sample was provided by the perfumer. Image: Her website