It’s been a long haul of an American winter, what with a contentious election, arguments about bailouts and a global economy that looks like it’s headed right for the backyard septic system, so I figured a dose of sunshine is just about well deserved at this point.
I’ve been reading comments on blogs and forums about people cutting back on discretionary spending, maybe not splurging on the wildly (or even mildly wildly) expensive niche perfumes they might have once considered must-haves, so I wanted to feature one of my favorite new discoveries: Laurie Erickson’s Sonoma Scent Studio — a tiny boutique perfumery out of California that offers quality, hand-mixed, hand-bottled fragrances at a very attractive price point.
For example, you could blow $200.00 on a 1.7 ounce bottle of Serge Lutens Bois de Violette, or you could snag a one ounce bottle of Sonoma Scent Studio’s Voile de Violette for $47.00. They’re both woodsy violet fragrances that are suited for warm weather wear, yet Erickson’s Voile de Violette is the one that’s soft, fun and perfect for daily use, so you can smell fresh and lovely while still stoking that inner, frugal glow.
I see that as totally a win-win situation.
So in the spirit of sniffing for quality at bargain prices, I’m offering five 0.5 ounce bottles of Sonoma Scent Studio fragrances as part of a random drawing. Let me know in the comments section if you want your name to be considered for a bottle and which bottle is your preference. If you’re having trouble getting a comment through — sometimes the Movable Type program is a little iffy — you can find my email address in the About Me section.
I have five different flavors of Sonoma Scent Studio to offer:
Voile de Violette: “a unique and unconventional violet fragrance with fresh aspects from the green violet leaf and woodsy additions from the cedar, vetiver, and tonka” — notes of violet, iris, rose, cedar, vetiver, violet leaf, tonka bean, hay and myrrh.
Lieu de Reves: “a beautiful powdery perfume with soft floral notes of violet and rose on a base of heliotrope, tonka, cedar, vetiver, amber, vanilla, musk and a touch of orris” — notes of heliotrope, violet, rose, jasmine, cedar, amber, vetiver, tonka, orris, vanilla, musk and very soft aldehydes.
Ambre Noir: “a rich and sultry scent, with cedar and sandalwood in the base and subtle deep rose weaving between the woods” — notes of labdanum absolute, amber, rose, olibanum, myrrh, vetiver codistilled with mitti, oakmoss absolute, aged Indian patchouli, Texas cedarwood, sandalwood and castoreum. Ambre Noir has a high concentration of natural ingredients.
Vintage Rose: “plummy rose with a rich base of woods, tonka, amber, and labdanum. Not a rose soliflore, but a feminine blend that’s warm and full bodied” — notes of rose, plum, amber, labdanum absolute, sandalwood, cedar, vetiver and tonka bean.
Encens Tranquille: “copious amounts of lovely woodsy frankincense CO2 extract and rich labdanum absolute help make this is a dry and resinous scent for lovers of frankincense and labdanum” — notes of frankincense, myrrh, labdanum absolute, oakmoss absolute, aged Indian patchouli, Texas cedarwood, Indian sandalwood and ambergris.
All bottles are brand new and have never been sprayed — I only took them out of their boxes for the photographs, so they’ll be very slightly handled.
Again, if you’d like to be included in the drawing, leave a comment with both your name and the fragrance that piques your interest in the comments section of this post. I’ll draw the names next Friday (March 27th) and will announce them on the site. You’ll need to contact me with your mailing address details by the following Monday (March 30th).
And go check out Laurie’s website. She’s part of a new tradition of contemporary perfumers that formulate, mix and bottle all their fragrances by hand, which helps keep the costs down while preserving the quality of the product.
If you’re in the market for fragrances that are affordable while still smelling exclusive and boutique, you should give her work a try. She has an excellent sample program, and I’ll be including some samples of her other fragrances in the packages that will go out to Grab Bag winners.
Note: due to present (and burdensome) U.S. customs restrictions, I can only send bottles to addresses in the United States. I sincerely apologize to any international readers.
{ 40 comments }
Ooh, pick me! pick me!
Encens Tranquille? Ambre Noir? Encens Tranquille? Ambre Noir?
Ambre Noir I think….
Somehow, I have this vision of you jumping up and down and waving your arms . . .
Frantically.
Hi!
Please enter me in your Sonoma Scent Studios drawing. Encens Tranquille would be my first choice, but any of them would be lovely. So far I’ve only sampled SSS, all with good results, but it would be nice to live with one of her fragrances for awhile.
Thanks for your post on Bookhunter. I’ve already ordered a copy for my niece as a congratulations present for getting into library school.
Cheers, Kathryn
Hi, Kathryn! I made sure your comment was able to get through the vicious gatekeeper software so that I could have a record of your submission for the drawing.
Thanks for being a reader, and I hope your niece enjoys Bookhunter!
Hello,
I’d love to be entered, Viole de Violette sounds great! I’ve recently discovered your blog through Liz Zorn. Love your writing as well as the phenomenal photography. Thanks!
Hi Nathan:
Please enter me in your Sonoma Scent Studios drawing!
Me too me too me too me too!!!!!!! I love Laurie’s Perfume in Progress blog. I feel like I know her.
Please enter me for Encens Tranquille or Lieu de Reves or Ambre Noir. In that order. (Although I will take all three if noone else is worthy………)
Thanks!
Jo
This is a great idea Nathan thank you. I would love to be in the drawing for any of the bottles, my preference would be Encens Tranquille or Amber Noir. Thanks again and have a great weekend.
Tim
Voile de Violette is one of my personal favorites from Laurie =) Please enter me for any of the bottles, but I would LOVE to try the new Lieu de Reves! thanks.
I was actually sitting on the couch under a blanket, knitting. But I had very jump-up-and-downy THOUGHTS. Pinky swear.
And I hope your niece loves Bookhunter, Kathryn, it’s a mad, terrific book and giving it makes you a very cool aunt.
Nika, Jo, Tim and Monica — consider it done!
I’m really pleased to see that Laurie Erickson has a fan club. I think her latest item (that she keeps threatening to produce one of these days), Tabac Aurea, should help bring her talent to the attention of a lot more people.
Would love to be entered, thank you for hosting this generous giveaway. My choice would be for Ambre Noir.
Please enter me in the drawing for the .5 oz bottle of Voile de Violette – it’s so pretty and natural. I’ve sampled it but not bought a full bottle yet. I am a HUGE fan of Laurie’s since last year. I am so glad I found her. Some of my most favorite fragrances are from SSS. You are wise to recommend her as a cost saving alternative to other niche fragrances – AND it’s all made by her in the USA, so buying from her helps the economy, lol! She is a joy and very talented. I am very fond already of Lieu de Reves, Rose Musc, Velvet Rose, and Femme Jolie, and am looking forward to the release of Tabac Aurea, which is gorgeous! Thanks for the drawing!
Amy and Ann, your names are in the bag!
Again, it’s good to hear that Ms. Erickson is so appreciated. She’ll be pleased to know that her work has its share of ardent admirers.
Hi, I’ve always wanted to try the smokin Ambre Noir or Encens Tranquille. Great blog. I discovered your site several weeks ago from a perfume blogger’s links.
Hey, you Basenotes Junkie!
Welcome to the site, and I’ve included your name on the list.
Wow! I am in for the drawing please! I guess my first choice would be Ambre Noir, but I would happily accept any of these beauties. I have sampled and love them all.
So very glad to see you giving Laurie Erickson this much deserved recognition, Nathan. Her scents are just beautiful and filled with high quality ingredients. She is such a lovely person.
Good luck everyone!
Ah, so word is getting out about Tabac…I agree; I think that scent will bring even more people in to her fold.
Meanwhile, I’d be happy for an opportunity to extend my hand and have a bottle magically fall in. Voile de Violette or Ambre Noir, I think…though a Vintage Rose or a Lieu de Reves could be nice, too…
Happy Belated Birthday to the other, Happy Equinox to both.
Shelley! Have you been part of the testing team for the Tabac? You have to email me and tell me about your reactions along the development process. It was quite the interesting journey as that fragrance grew and matured.
I’ll definitely put your name on the list for a bottle.
Lieu de Reves or the Voile de Violette! I have not tried any SSS, but they do sound like lovely scents. Worth a trip to Wine Country! Thanks,
Laura M
Please enter me in the giveaway, I have wanted to try her scents for about a year now. Can you enter me in for all of them? I truly would like any of them. And thank you for keeping up this blog I read it daily and love it so;-) BTW, will you take me to Craft on my birthday this year??!! FABULOUS!!!
Yes, I was part of the testing process! Wasn’t it fascinating to be able to witness an evolution? I will indeed send you e-mail later today…have not yet experienced the final version, but hope to soon.
Very nice of you to plant some flowers over the septic field, as it were.
Laura and Kayliana — thanks for stopping by and throwing your names in for consideration. I think I’m going to have to pick up some more bottles just so there aren’t quite so many disappointed faces when the winners are announced on Friday . . .
Shelley — I look forward to hearing your thoughts on Ms. Erickson’s Tabac! And I’m happy to hear that you were one of the voices of feedback. We’ll have to compare notes.
Just checking in to see if I am in the drawing, and I see everyone acknowledged but me…sob, sniff, sob. ‘~)
I too have been lucky enough to have sampled a couple of the Tabac versions and am super excited to sniff the final sample. I am just as excited to sniff the Gardenia Musk, but that one isn’t quite ready for sampling.
Her new Lieu de Reves is breathtakingly gorgeous!
LOL! You’re acknowledged, you’re acknowledged!!!
I’ve been hearing a lot of good feedback about her Lieu de Reves. It appears to be a new favorite in her line.
Thanks Nathan! :~)
Thanks so much for offering this! I love SSS, and honestly would be thrilled with any of them, but esp. Encens Tranquille. Glad I found your blog, too!
Totally torn between the guilt at already having way more perfumes than most women see in their lifetimes (which is a stupid distinction, I know) and wanting to have ALL the perfumes.
Rosarita — your name is on the list, and good luck in the drawing. Thanks for stopping by, too. It’s always nice to see new faces in the neighborhood.
Marin — you’re torn? I would have thought “Wanting To Have It All” was pretty much your buddhist mantra.
I’ve been meaning to try her perfumes for quite some time now. I love the bottle sizes she offers, and plan on ordering the new Tabac Aurea. I’d love a chance to win the lieu de rieves-Thanks for this great offer!
Kristin — you’ve got some competition for the Lieu de Reves, but the random pulling of names out of a hat gives you at least a semblance of a fighting chance.
Good luck!
You talked me into it.
I feel I should be absolutely clear that the irony of having “I want it all” as a buddhist mantra is not lost on me.
*giggle*
I was quite proud of myself for that one, though I do admit that my arm gets a little sore from all the patting of myself on the back.
Hi Nathan,
Please enter me in the drawing for Voile de Violette, it sounds like something I would like. Planning to order samples from this line eventually, waiting for the Jour Ensoleillee to come back in stock, though…
Hey Charlotte, will do.
I think Ms. Erickson has had her hands full recently with trying to get the Tabac Aurea completed and ready for sale, but now that that day is just about here, perhaps the Jour Ensoleillee won’t be far behind . . .
Hey, did you draw this yet? If not, enter me!!!
(I think you can guess which one I would want, dahlink…..)
Not yet! Still a couple of more days to go. I’m trying to decide if I need to put together some elaborate mechanism for drawing the names . . .
Your name is now on the list!
May I please be entered in the drawing? I would love to experience Encens Tranquille.
Thanks!
Your name is in the bag. Good luck!
Hi Nathan,
I’d love to be entered in the drawing. I think I’ll go for the Ambre Noir…I want to compare it to SL Ambre Sultan and see if that $120 bottle was worth it (actually it totally is, esp. with the cold weather). Anyways, glad to have discovered your blog today.
Tarun — you slipped in just under the wire. The drawing happens tomorrow, so today was the last day to get your name in. Thanks for stopping by the blog, and good luck!