sonoma scent studio: 3 posts

Smoke and Ashes

Please give a warm welcome to Elisa Gabbert, a new Bois de Jasmin contributor. Elisa’s first brush with perfume greatness came in the form of a bottle of White Linen lotion from her grandmother. About 20 years later, she fell down the rabbit hole after reading “Perfumes: The A to Z Guide” cover to cover on a flight. Currently she lives in Denver and is the content marketing manager at a small software company based in Boston. She also writes poetry (with collections including “The French Exit” and “The Self Unstable”) and is a founding member of Denver Poets’ Theater. You can discover her poetry and reflections on other things at her blog, The French Exit.

If we were wired properly, the smell of smoke would read as a warning sign. Yet I don’t associate smoke with Colorado wildfires or the carcinogenic properties of cigarettes and burnt toast. Instead, smoke conjures all things cozy and delicious: passing whiskey around a campfire, worn leather gloves, blown-out candles, the whiff of vanilla pipe tobacco when you pass a dapper old fellow on the street. I love smoke in my food (lox, bacon, barbecue,  smoked paprika, chipotle chiles) and I love smoke in my perfumes.

incense-smoke

Because smoke comes from fire, it’s an inherently warming scent, so as the air gets crisp and I pull out my scarves and fall jackets, I start craving my smoky perfumes. There’s a bit of magic in them – it makes sense that crushed rose petals would smell something like rose, but it’s somehow less obvious that you can bottle the effect of gray wisps rising in curls from ash.

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Sonoma Scent Studio Fireside Intense and Winter Woods : Perfume Review

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woods

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Some perfumes appeal to me for their complexity, others for their unusual character. Whenever I explore the collection of Sonoma Scent Studio, I realize that what draws me to Laurie Erickson’s work are the personal stories that she paints with her scents. Erickson’s fragrances are like glimpses into her own universe, reminiscent more of Annick Goutal’s spontaneous etudes than Guerlain’s studied epics. Fireside Intense and Winter Woods illustrate this idea well. They are the scents of a bonfire, of smoldering cinders and of tobacco crumbs in the pages of old books.

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Sonoma Scent Studio Incense Pure : Fragrance Review

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Incense1

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Incense Pure was my introduction to Sonoma Scent Studio’s collection. The first time I wore it, I was reminded of the initial role of perfume as a healing potion—one drop of Incense Pure on my wrist, and I felt uplifted and refreshed. Since then I have tried most of the Sonoma Scent Studio’s fragrances, and my initial favorable  impression of the line remains unchanged. With every fragrance, regardless of whether it made my list of favorites or not, I have been delighted to discover not just a memorable scent, but also the very distinctive fingerprint of its creator. This is what touched me about the fragrances; they make a coherent, yet diverse collection and provide a glimpse into someone’s universe.

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Latest Comments

  • Henry in The Scent of a City: Notes from Lviv: I remember the aroma of incense in many of Kyiv’s Orthodox churches being different, cleaner, than what I remember from Latin churches. I’ve tried getting frankincense, musk, and rose incense… April 17, 2025 at 7:47pm

  • allo in Recommend Me a Perfume : April 2025: Thank you so much, Alityke. That’s very good news and I have found a bottle under $75 that I’m going to try. It’s worth it to me to see if… April 16, 2025 at 10:56am

  • David in Bulgari Eau Parfumee au The Vert : Perfume Review: We have a few BVLGARI Eau Parfumee au the vert to sell (produced as last pcs in 2020). If you are interested to have this rare parfume, let me know. April 16, 2025 at 7:24am

  • Alityke in Recommend Me a Perfume : April 2025: As Jicky was my gateway into fine perfumery back in ‘79 I’m delighted to say Jicky is back on form, better than the last two formulations at least. So much… April 16, 2025 at 2:50am

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