With the similarity between music and perfume, it’s no surprise that the former often acts as inspiration for the latter. I’ve talked before about the crossover of “notes” and “chords”, and even the array of ingredient bottles being described as a perfumer’s “organ”, and so it’s always fun to find a new fragrance that takes up the thread. Perfumes have been inspired by specific pieces of music, or particular pop bands, but an operatic season is a slightly different approach. Eight & Bob have taken the world-famous Glyndebourne Festival as their starting point, and the resulting La Musique de Christie hits all of the right notes.
Fragrances launch in such rapid succession that you could easily be forgiven for not entertaining any scent that wasn’t created in the past twelve months. Our minds, and social media feeds, become so saturated with the newest “must have” perfumes that we often overlook everything that has gone before. I’m not talking about fifty years here; I’m thinking more along the lines of twenty four months! If there is one positive thing that lockdown has given us then it’s surely the gift of time - time to research - and that’s exactly how I discovered the deliciously deceitful, and wonderful unisex, Charade from Sarah Baker Perfumes.
An aristocrat, a butler and a US president ... it's not a combination that screams fragrance house to you but that is exactly what this one does. The colourful story of Eight & Bob has provided an enviable history for the company and, whilst it might need to be taken with a large pinch of salt, it definitely entertains its fans. This year sees the release of Champs de Provence, which is the company's sixth fragrance since they "relaunched" in 2012, and it promises to capture the "freshness and beauty" of the Provençal landscape. It's an area that I adore and visit often, so I was intrigued to see whether it really did take me back.
