Tag: motif olfactif

Brand Spotlight: Motif Olfactif

June 17, 2020

Motif Olfactif is a US-based independent and Black-owned fragrance brand. Oswald Paré is the founder and the perfumer. In fact, he does everything from the fragrance formulations, to designing the packaging, and marketing the brand.

Oswald Paré was born in Burkina Faso, attended university in Minnesota, and now lives in the US. I’m sure this has given him a richness of perspective, and I think you can smell it in his compositions. I received four scents as part of the current discovery set, and each scent feels so imaginative. They take you on a journey, which is my favorite aspect of fragrance.

Mon Oasis: This one stood out to me right away. A cooling lavender, blended with a blooming jasmine, with a subtle undercurrent of smoky tobacco. It reminds me a little bit of Do Son with that luminous white floral quality, and a little bit of Carven Le Parfum, with its slightly smoky jasmine. And yet, Mon Oasis is a fragrance all its own. It takes me to a place of peace and calm. It’s really an oasis.

Nectar Boisé: I don’t have synesthesia, but I sense this one as a bright, dense orange color. There’s a lovely peachy-fruit and vanilla accord. I get a Serge Lutens vibe with that dried, candied fruit note you often smell in a Christopher Sheldrake composition for Lutens. It’s funny, I don’t find Nectar Boisé sweet or gourmand though. It definitely has a warmth and a richness, but it’s balanced. It’s refined. I think this one is the most sophisticated composition of the group.

Vêtu de Vert: This is the one in the bunch that just doesn’t work with my skin chemistry. It’s bound to happen, and 3 out of 4 isn’t bad! There is a wet soil accord here that just does not mesh with my skin. The composition seems to hover slightly on top of my skin and never develops or changes.

Voile d’Encens: This incense scent is pure balsamic, resinous heaven. It feels textured, like a layer of dust on a hymnal in a church pew. It feels so tangible. The cedar stands out here as well. I just love it. It’s also the scent with the strongest sillage and longest staying power on my skin. This reminds me just a touch of my beloved Costes EDT by Olivia Giacobetti, and I mean that as a huge compliment.

There are two other scents that are currently sold out: De Toma à Zouma and Murmure Chypré. Those two scents are not part of the current sample set, so I haven’t tested them.

Cafleurbon has a recent write-up on Oswald here. It’s a really interesting article, if you’re interested in learning more about the brand and the perfumer behind it.

____________________

The photo was taken by me. I purchased the discovery set directly from the Motif Olfactif site. It was not gifted to me.

Here is What I’m Doing

June 7, 2020

Well, hello, everyone. I hope you’re all taking care of yourselves right now. If you’ve been out protesting, good on you! I hope you’re safe and wearing a mask.

Perfume and fragrance has not felt terribly important this past week. However, I noticed on social media, several people began circulating lists of Black-owned beauty and fragrance brands. I took a look at the perfume brands in particular. The only two brands that I had heard of before were Chris Collins and Maya Njie. I realized that I haven’t sampled or made a purchase from any Black-owned perfume brands. Not a single one!

I fall back on my designer scents, my favorites from Dior, Chanel, Burberry and YSL. They are comforting to me because they’re familiar. The thing I hadn’t realized is that these designer scents in particular exist in a very carefully cultivated bubble of whiteness. The vast majority of people involved with these fragrances are white, from the brand executives, to the perfumers, to the models chosen to front the ad campaigns. And I had never given it a second thought before! That’s how pervasive and insidious white privilege is.

Now, I am making a commitment to purchase from Black-owned fragrance brands. Each month for the rest of 2020, I am committed to exploring new Black-owned perfume brands. As you can see from the photo above, I am starting with a discovery set from Motif Olfactif for June.

I want to approach this in a mindful way. I will make purchases. I certainly will not behave like an entitled influencer and beg for free samples and bottles! I want to financially support Black-owned brands and bring some awareness by posting about them. I also want to take it a few at a time, rather than ordering all at once. I want to spend time with each sample, each fragrance, and really give each brand its proper due. Like I said above, I am kicking this off with Motif Olfactif right now.

This is only the beginning! It feels like we’re on the precipice of real global change. Let’s make sure that it’s lasting change and not just a fleeting moment.

__________________

The photo above was taken by me. Nothing in this post was gifted.

David @hoodscentz on instagram put together his own list of Black-owned fragrance houses, which is the list I’ve been paying attention to.

Fashionista posted this list of 250+ Black-owned and founded beauty and wellness brands.

@esteelaundry on instagram compiled their own list of Black-owned beauty brands.