I was recently sent a package from Jay of Shloksha Perfumer. It contained a 30ml bottle of Bouquet Monument RTP and a discovery set. It’s right up my street, being a small, independent house, with no frills packaging and fire in its belly. East meets West with aplomb (please use this word more in daily life). Imaginative, passionate and beautifully blended, I see a bright future for this perfumery. Here are my impressions:
Soapy Heart
This one had me at “Soapy”, one of my favourite perfume accords. It smells like you’ve stepped out of a luxurious citrussy bubble bath, fresh as a daisy and ready for a fluffy white towel.
Aqua Fern
This is intended to evoke “a party in a mangrove swamp on the western ghats of Goa and the Malabar coast.” If you can’t imagine such a thing, and I couldn’t, then let me assure you of its fresh, fruity, aquatic and minty character. It smells cleaner than something that has never known a speck of dirt, and so will you when you wear this summer breeze of a fragrance.
Nicotine Factory
Don’t be fooled by the name and the images of cigarettes, this couldn’t smell cleaner and fresher. With notes of dried nicotine leaves (think pot pourri), combined with one of my favourite ever combos: violet and leather, and you have a beautiful scent that sits close to skin, and has an unusual and comforting retro feel.
Madurai and Mathura
A green, almost gourmand scent that wouldn’t be out of place in al fresco picnic among a herb garden. Bursting with basil and dill, and an almost astringently clean, mineral note, this is a green Goddess of a summer scent.
Mother Green
Proper herby, earthy grass, with an emphasis on the earthy. With hints of freshly churned earth and cut grass, this is most definitely a scent for the outdoorsy types who like lying in the grass and looking at the sky.
Malabar Woods
An earthy, hippy sandalwood that reminds me of the little bottles of patchouli oil you used to be able to buy in the Indian market stall in the 80s. Ideal with a battered denim jacket covered in badges, or something cheesecloth-y. Definitely one for sitar music and contemplation.
Godfather’s Pudding
This delightfully named gourmand is a rich confection of orange and raspberry and berries and chocolate, but somehow, it’s not cloying or sickly. With a hint of cigar smoke and a whisper of oud , this is as much Godfather as it is pudding, but somehow, it really works.
Bouquet Monument RTP
If you like pina colada and getting caught in the rain, then this is for you. Full disclosure: pineapple is not my favourite note of all time, but I respect that it has a place in fragrance. In this instance, it’s a slightly creamy, pineapple-y vanilla that wouldn’t be out of place on holiday, or anywhere sunny.
Where to buy it
You can buy Shloksha fragrances from their website. Start with a Discovery set and you’re sure to fall in love with at least one of them!
Disclosure
I was sent these products with no expectation or fiscal reward and opinions are my own.
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