Perfumes by Terri: Introduction and Giveaway

by: Stefanie Jaehn

Perfumes by Terri - A Nutritionist with a heart for Gourmand lovers

February. I always dread this time of year when winter seems to be endless, gray, and cold. Whenever I leave the house, I feel the urge to have some fancy candy or piece of chocolate with my afternoon coffee, just to treat myself for bravely facing this sometimes really nasty weather. Needless to mention that this way to sweeten a gray day is pretty tasty, but with more than a month's worth of cloudy days still ahead, you don't need to be a nutritionist to figure out that this will probably leave me cursing my gray-day-sweetening by the time summer—and with it, bikini season—is approaching. 

Terri Bozzo is both a nutritionist and a passionate perfume lover with a soft spot for gourmand fragrances. So lucky me, while I was searching the internet for a wobble-free way to satisfy my coffee-and-treats cravings, I stumbled over her website and got caught up in a variety of pretty promising scents. Eventually I ordered a sample set and with its arrival, splendid gourmand heaven had come to my very doorstep.

 

But before I tell you more about Terri and the generous giveaway she's hosting, let me give you a mouthwatering appetizer of what you'll find on the fragrance menu:

CONFIT DE ROSE

Confit de Rose preserves the joys of a late summer's day. Red roses blooming, slightly soapy, rose jam on honey wafers, drenched with butter and a little bit of caramel (I'm not familiar with graham crackers but I do get some crunchy honey wafers), hints of red fruits, a slightly malty undertone and a light dusting of cocoa add up to this creamy, rich, and fascinating blend. A very interesting combination! This rose is effortlessly sunny, as it combines the scent of sun warmed roses with sweet cream and crackers, a good antidote to color in any gray day. Notes: Rose Absolute Morocco, Plum, Red Berries, Creamy Notes, Cocoa, Graham Cracker

FROLLINO LAVANDA

Think of the softest floral lavender in a baby blue color. Now imagine baking shortbread cookies, thick and creamy butter, and the smell when some sugar starts melting to caramel. Yes, Frollino Lavanda is this good. What appears to be a soft, but slightly fresh lavender makes your mouth water before you know it, thanks to the to the buttery shortbread cookies smell underneath. What could turn out to be too sweet is cleverly balanced by some tart juiciness, probably blackberry. Relaxing has never been any sweeter than with this one on! Notes:  High Elevation Lavender, Sugar, Butter, Caramel, Beeswax, Vanilla, Blackberry

VANILLE DEBAUCHE

A darker shade of vanilla. Pretty boozy with vanilla beans that have soaked in rum just like homemade vanilla extract: slightly woody, a little dark, mysterious and smoky. And just like that vanilla extract Vanille Debauche isn't overly sweet but very aromatic. Rather dry with a little bit of white honey or beeswax, dried fruits for sure and balanced with that slightly smoky wood which makes me think of oak wood. Vanilla for sure, but yet a lot more than that. This is simply gorgeous. If Frapin 1270 and Spiritueuse Double Vanille had a child, it would probably smell like Vanille Debauche! Notes:  Vanilla bourbon CO2, beeswax, boozy notes, amber, dried fruit, wood, tobacco

 

ELEGANCE SOMBRE

When I dabbed on Elegance Sombre, it instantly made me smile. I had a vivid picture on my mind: a peaceful coffee break on a golden October day. After a day spent in the garden, full with the joys of sun, autumn colors and the company of wild birds and beasts, you settle down in a soft chair, feeling comfortably tired from your day's work, to enjoy a warm cup of coffee and the early autumn scenery outside the window. Quiet, tranquil, peaceful, happy, and golden. Elegance Sombretranslates that into a lovely zesty orange which feels pretty sunny, followed by a thick buttery vanilla, a very creamy coffee with a hint of chocolate, and some earthy patchouli and a little bit resinous shadow paint a perfect image of golden autumn. Notes:  Birch Leaf, Licorice, Orange, Cocoa Absolute, Butter Co2, Vanilla Bourbon, Davana, Oakmoss, Coffee, Sumatran Benzoin, Patchouli

MANDORLO CIOCCOLATO

Seriously, this one ought to come with a warning to keep something to eat handy before you spray it on, or else you'll most likely end up trying to bite your arm! This is almond biscotti perfection: almonds, chocolate chips, with a fresh and uplifting orange on  creamy, buttery biscotti. The initial sweetness fades quickly, Mandorlo Cioccolato calms down and becomes a little darker with a pronounced coffee note. What makes it even more interesting to me is its airiness while being mysteriously dark. Aromatic and scrumptiousMandorlo Cioccolato is like a sibling to Elegance Sombre and, along with it, is among my favorites. Notes:  Almond, White Florals, Orange, Cocoa Absolute, Butter Co2, Vanilla Bourbon, Davana, Oakmoss, Coffee, Sumatran Benzoin, Patchouli

 

DOUCEUR BRULEE

Lemon and sweet cream, a match made in heaven. Douceur Brulee is like liquid sunshine and sure to brighten any day, no matter how dark or rough it may be, this will make you smile.   Lemon, a little orange, buttery, milky vanilla and a dollop of caramel. Delicious! The longer it is on your skin, the more glorious it gets. There's an ambery skin note that lasts literally ages on my skin—ambroxan, yes, but with all the delicious lemon-cream icing. What baffles me most, is Douceur Brulee's dynamic. It constantly changes on my skin and keeps me interested all the time and longing for more.  Notes: Lemon, Browned Caramel, Butter, Coconut Milk, Beeswax Absolute, Oakmoss, Ambroxan, Musk

VERTIGO CUIR

A very surprising blend of sweet vanilla caramel over a little bitterness from an almost burnt sugar and a musky sweet suede purse! A bitter-sweet gourmand leather. It had me envision a young woman with an expensive leather purse of soft and velvety suede, very elegant to behold. But when you come close to this seriously elegant young lady, she mischievously smiles and grants you a glimpse of what she's carrying in that elegant purse: caramel candies!   Interesting and unusual for sure, a little wild, yet sweet at heart. I think this idea is really cute and it probably fits many gourmand-loving girls out there. A sweet, but different scent that melds a leathery rock attitude with a caramel candy sweetness.  Notes:  Leather, Green Notes, Fresh Florals, Caramel, Vanilla, Musk

 

SUCRE ET FLEURS

A perfectly named, transparent bouquet of creamy white flowers, carefully wrapped up in a honey sweet vanilla gauze, and laced with a slightly smoky resin and creamy green nut. As Sucre et Fleurs warms up on the skin, a dry and slightly peppery woodiness emerges and keeps the sweetness of the other notes perfectly in check. Creamy, feminine white flowers and gourmand notes blend to a sweetness that Is yet somehow fresh. This reminds me of Gaz, the Persian nougat with rosewater, pistachios and honey. A very rich taste, creamy sweet but aromatic, Sucre et Fleurs is all this but with jasmine and lily instead of the rose. Notes:  Jasmine, Lily, Green Notes, Pistachio, Honey, Frankincense, Vanilla, Cedar, Benzoin

 

As much as Guerlain fragrances share their Guerlinade, basically all of Terri's scents share a certain “Terrinade,” a blend of a creamy vanilla, caramel and butter. Though this may sound almost cloying, be assured—it isn't. All the scents are well-balanced, tasty but with a little bit of something special going on in them that make them stand out from random gourmand fragrances.  

 

The Nose behind Perfumes by Terri

 

Terri has loved perfumes since she can remember and after she had discovered that niche fragrances offered a whole new fragrance world, she started experimenting with oils, blending accords and extracts here and there. What began basically for fun became professional when a fellow perfumer and her best friend encouraged her to go for the real thing and create handmade fragrances to her heart's content. I personally like her approach very much, as she chooses raw materials just for their smells and doesn't limit her creativity to certain materials. She follows the way her nose leads and what it feels like working on:

 

Perfumes by Terri - A Nutritionist with a heart for Gourmand lovers

February. I always dread this time of year when winter seems to be endless, gray, and cold. Whenever I leave the house, I feel the urge to have some fancy candy or piece of chocolate with my afternoon coffee, just to treat myself for bravely facing this sometimes really nasty weather. Needless to mention that this way to sweeten a gray day is pretty tasty, but with more than a month's worth of cloudy days still ahead, you don't need to be a nutritionist to figure out that this will probably leave me cursing my gray-day-sweetening by the time summer—and with it, bikini season—is approaching. 

 

There's good news, Gourmand lovers, as she mentioned her current projects include a tobacco/oud fragrance leaning of course toward the gourmand. Terri said: 

“I found a couple awesome natural ouds that work well blended together, and the tobacco is sweet and sets it off well. I'm not sure what the sweeter components will all be but there is some vanilla in the prototype. I'm also doing a S'mores scent, with a natural cocoa absolute, a wonderful smoky marshmallow, and a great graham accord I made. I have the bones fleshed out, but it also needs a dark twist ... I just received some Peru Balsam, and it could be part of the answer.”
 

Trusting your own nose is a good principle for any fragrance addict, and as a parallel, for a perfumer probably, too. So Terri said, she will be following her mouthwatering gourmand themes:

“I've always been drawn to gourmand scents, though I usually love the ones that are unique or dark, or have something 'else' to them.  My personal favorites from other houses include Slumberhouse Ore and Pear and Olive,  House of Matriarch Coco Blanc and Blackbird, and many of Pierre Guillaume's wonderful offerings[...] I feel like I can really open up my creativity when I'm working on things I personally love to smell. I do love creamy florals, but then again I like them sweeter so they might still have a gourmand twist!“
 

Giveaway

Good news for Fragrantica readers! Terri is generously sponsoring a giveaway of four full sample sets! Be sure to leave us a comment below for your chance to win. Good luck to you all! I will announce our lucky winners in the comments section, so be sure to stay tuned.

Thank you so much, Terri, for brightening up my gray February with your lovely scents!

Photos: 

Maddernein Cake by jamieanne, on Flickr 
Vanilla Bean Lavender Cupcake by Janet Hudson, on Flickr
Vanilla Dec 2013 by Anthony, on Flickr
Autumn Reds by Tim, on Flickr
chocolatte biscotti by Kirsten Loza, on Flickr
Orange Crush cupcake by Kristin Ausk, on Flickr
Bag cake by Eldriva, on Flickr
Turkish Delight, French Nougat, Coconut Ice- Jones the Grocer, Chadstone by Alpha, on Flickr