From Floraïku, the Forbidden Incense candle trio: "...with a Mimosa scented candle that is intriguingly floral, alongside a Lily of the Valley candle for the 'light' shadow and a Smoked Wood for the 'dark' shadow. These candles are made with japanese tea cups, a white porcelain as fine as air, gilded with fine gold. Packaged in a box indigo and gold. Ideal for gifting or treating yourself", Three x 130g for $309 at Floraïku.
I’ve mentioned before that I’m a city-dweller and a homebody with a very low degree of wanderlust. However, after the forced confinement of 2020 and early 2021, I felt the need to escape my urban surroundings and my daily routine for a few days. A few days at an inn in a wooded riverside landscape turned out to be just what I needed; even two hours’ travel from New York, there’s enough greenery and quiet solitude to shift my perspective.
Returning to my metropolitan perch, I found myself reaching for a few nature-themed, “green”-heavy fragrances that I’d gathered into a little pile earlier in the summer. They’ve been helping me to extend that outdoorsy mood a little longer, even as I settle down at my laptop with my window view of adjacent apartment buildings. Here are three I can recommend for sensory refreshment and mental wanderings…
Today, I tackle six more Floraïku perfumes; for an introduction to the line, see yesterday’s Part I.
Sound of a Ricochet (vanilla, tonka bean, sandalwood) “A red dragonfly under the burning sky, the sound of a ricochet.”
What a great name: Sound of a Ricochet. I expected something sharp, startling, so I was surprised at the warm notes listed for this scent. This is a cuddly, wool-y scent, with creamy vanilla and tonka bean…
Floraïku came to my attention not because I smelled one of its fragrances but because I saw one of its bottles; beware beautiful packaging. Floraïku is an offshoot of the niche line Memo Paris and its perfumes are inspired by Japan. At present, Floraïku has 19 perfumes (two of which are “ShadowingTM” fragrances — more on those later). According to the Floraïku website, the perfumes were developed by Aliénor Massenet or Sophie Labbé and each perfume supposedly contains more than 50% naturals (not sure any agency monitors such claims).
Floraïku fragrances are arranged in groupings: Forbidden Incense | Kodo — Sound of a Ricochet, My Shadow on the Wall, My Love Has the Color of the Night; Enigmatic Flowers | Ikebana — I See the Clouds Go By, Cricket Song, First Dream of the Year; Secret Teas and Spices | O Cha — The Moon and I, I Am Coming Home, One Umbrella for Two; Light Shadow — Sleeping on the Roof; Dark Shadow — Between Two Trees. Each scent has a poem attached to the perfume and comes in a gorgeous bottle/10 ml travel spray combo (presented in a bento box). Eight of Floraïku’s perfumes are missing from my two posts this week: Just A Rose, Ao, The Mountain Standing Still, Flowers Turn Purple, In the Rain, Wind in my Hand ($755!), In the Dark and Surprise…
Floraïku's Green Tea candle set: "This Floraïku set of three candles represents the Secret Teas and Spices collection with an aromatic and captivating Green Tea scented candle, alongside a Lily of the Valley candle for a white floral aroma and Smoked Wood for a deeply woody scent." Three 130g candles for £220 at Harrods.