Amber Vanilla by Regina Harris

Amber Vanilla has the richness of a Pre-Raphaelite painting, reminiscent of a jewel-encrusted medieval fabric, dark golden heavy velvet. According to various sites, the notes here are just those in the name, amber and vanilla, but I don’t believe that for a second, this is a complex albeit very smooth blend. Amber opens the composition and it is dark, warm and intense; there is a depth to it that is very incense-like to my nose and I suspect there is an incense note in Amber Vanilla. The fragrance becomes darker and more resinous as it settles on my skin, and even when the vanilla drydown comes, bringing some sweet softness to the blend, the perfume does not lose the vague churchy feel that, to me, is the essence of its uniqueness. Like the first Regina Harris perfume oil, Amber Vanilla has a certain religious atmosphere yet it is an incredibly sensual fragrance. This scent reminded me of the story of St. Theresa of Avila, Roman Catholic mystic, who entered states of ecstasy while studying religious texts in a Carmelite cloister, and of Bernini’s sculpture, The Ecstasy of St Theresa. “I saw in his [angel’s] hand a long golden arrow, its metal point tipped with fire. With this he appeared to pierce my heart again and again, reaching into my insides and ripping them from me, leaving me embracing in the great love of God." Just like in the story of St Theresa and in Bernini’s magnificent work, in Amber Vanilla divinity interacts with matter and spiritual merges with corporal. Amber Vanilla Perfume Oil can be found at Beautyhabit, $125.00 for 15ml

The Madonna by Edvard Munch and Regina Harris Perfume Oil

Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter, lithographer, etcher, and wood engraver, is considered to be one of the most significant influences on the development of German and Central European expressionism. Munch's disquieting and tortuous art reflected the conflicts of his time, and his own unhappy life. His Madonna is not typically demure and full of inner light. She is dark, provocative and somehow troubled. Sensual, mysterious and tragic. Very intense. "The pause during which the entire world halts in its orbit. Your face embodies all the beauty of the world. Your lips, as crimson as a ripe fruit, are half open as if to express pain. A corpse's smile. Here life and death shake hands. The chain that links thousands of past generations to the thousands to come has been meshed." (Edvard Munch) Regina Harris Perfume Oil, also known as Frankincense Myrrh Rose Maroc Perfume Oil, is for me an olfactory equivalent of that painting. It is alluring, disturbing and mysterious. This is an Expressionist scent, with the notes of frankincense, myrrh and rose distorted and exaggerated to achieve an unsettling, dark and simmering fragrance. The notes are rich and complex and very smoothly blended. Lasting power is exceptional, the bottle is stunning, and, even though the price is rather high at $125 for 15ml, this scent keeps calling to me and one day I am hoping to have it in my collection. * The Madonna by Edvard Munch, 1894-5, Oil on canvas, Nasjonalgalleriet, Oslo