A Bright Garden in Winter: Jane Cate’s Lark and Laughter & a prize draw

By Marla Jane Cate of California is truly the Flower Queen; her natural perfume line, A Wing and a Prayer Perfumes, features radiant floral compositions. Her rose soliflores are becoming sought after by American perfumistas, and Tallulah B2, a rosy ode to musk, was one of the stars of the Mystery of Musk project last year. When Jane told me she had finished work on two new perfumes, Lark and Laughter, and they were ready to debut in the heart of this miserable winter, I had to try them. OK, after spending an hour in 6am darkness shoveling fresh slush out of our driveway, I begged her….(Does that last sentence meet legal disclosure requirements?) Notes for Lark: Mimosa, boronia, neroli, violet leaf, iris, and sandalwood. Notes for Laughter: Tuberose, boronia, orange blossom, frangipani, and mandarin. Lark is honey-sweet and brilliant with golden mimosa, while Laughter melds tuberose, frangipani and orange blossom for a fragrance of surprising intensity and depth. I am not a big mimosa fan, in fact, the only two I’ve worn are Cinema and Kenzo Summer. Both weld mimosa to almond and musk. I like that combo. But Lark is straight-up-bright- yellow mimosa, and you know what? I love it! It’s so sunny, it made me giggle. Laughter, on the other hand, did not, because I was too busy sniffing my arm after I applied it. Tuberose was the big note in 2010, but only one, Vamp a’ NY, really struck a chord with me. Laughter is another all-natural that brings out the best of tuberose. It’s more subtle than Vamp, with an almost chypre’-like drydown that lasts for several hours. The burnt-spice notes of Vamp are absent, replaced by sweet citrus and boronia. Lovely stuff. Lark and Laughter will soon be available from Jane’s etsy site. Though neither Lark nor Laughter have knocked Tallulah B2 off her throne, she now has company on either side. Jane will be offering half-ounce bottles of Lark and Laughter to lucky commenters. Please leave a comment about your favorite flower, and specify which perfume you’d like to try. Winners will be chosen randomly by my olfactorily sophisticated house rabbits.