Padme Lotus (2009)
by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

Notes: blood orange, Moroccan neroli, osmanthus, tagettes, centifolia rose absolute, pink lotus, white lotus absolute, Brazilian vetiver, Tamil Nadu sandalwood, violet leaf absolute.

Restrained and elegantly balanced orange and osmanthus top notes introduce a fruity-green floral composition of elusive, almost disembodied character. It’s not that Padme Lotus is a weak scent, but rather that it’s oddly pellucid, ethereal, and very hard to pin down. Though violet leaf contributes a watery green accent, the fragrance doesn’t feel “aquatic” - at least not in the accepted sense. Instead Padme Lotus offers an intriguing warm/cool olfactory paradox.

The prominent tagettes (marigold) note on display in Padme Lotus has a vegetal quality that borders on medicinal, while lotus itself is a curiously spicy floral note. In combination with soapy neroli and a vetiver base note they yield a bracing, spicy effect, but without the weight normally associated with piquant spice notes like clove and cinnamon.

Meanwhile, the fruity facets of rose, lotus, and osmanthus are handled in an especially subtle and sophisticated manner, so that I’m never tempted to lump Padme Lotus with the common run of adolescent fruity floral scents. My only complaint with the clean vetiver and sandalwood drydown is that it arrives too soon, and I’m tempted to reapply Padme Lotus every two or three hours. I tolerate this scent’s evanescence because while it lasts it offers a uniquely rarified, contemplative olfactory experience.

18th July, 2010.