Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.
The beauty of Slatkin Persian Lime Blossom & Mimosa lies as much in the perfection of the facets that come together to form this sunlit and vivid composition as in its unpredictable treatment of the floral theme. Unlike the more classical mimosa etudes a la L’Artisan Mimosa pour Moi and Parfums de Nicolaï Mimosaique, Persian Lime Blossom & Mimosa does not play up the powdered almond richness of the note. Instead, the perfumer Christophe Laudamiel, who created the fragrance for Slatkin & Company, turns the velvety softness of mimosa into the delicate precision of Venetian lace woven out of the golden threads. …
The initial explosion of tartness that lies between the crisp verdancy of tropical fruits and the radiant sweetness of orange blossoms sets stage for the fascinating juxtaposition of sensations. The spicy herbal note underpins the scintillating fruity accord, while the milky trail slowly undulates out of the floral heart and rounds out the woody impression in the drydown.
Like a vision of ripe fruit makes mouth water in anticipation of tasting it, the abstract gourmand accent hidden in the layers of Persian Lime Blossom & Mimosa lends the fragrance a seductive twist. The exhilarating, dazzled by the sunshine feeling that the perfume conjures is irresistible, and its ability to make me feel elated has won my heart upon the first inhale. And this in itself is very special.
Persian Lime Blossom & Mimosa features notes of red mandarin, Persian lime, rosemary, yellow freesia, jasmine, lilac, rose, ylang ylang, cedarwood, patchouli, musk, coconut milk, peach kernel. The perfume line also includes Black Fig & Absinthe and Muguet & White Jasmine. Slatkin fragrances have been discontinued.
Painting (click to enlarge): Paul Gauguin. Still Life with Mangoes. 1896. Oil on canvas. Private collection.
26 Comments
Sisonne: Dear V, oh, it would be a pity if the fragrances weren´t no longer available because I´ve never find a possibility to test them.
All three of them sound wonderful & seem to be interesting compositions.
I´m especially curious about the muguet because it´s my favourite flower 🙂
But I love Mimosa very much, too, so I enjoyed your review very much – though it makes me sad that they seems to be not one sales point in Germany or France… June 30, 2006 at 9:09am
Ina: I remember testing it at Neiman’s and liking it quite a bit. My fave of the line is the Absinthe one, though. As usual, though, your review makes me eager to retry it. 🙂 June 30, 2006 at 9:21am
BoisdeJasmin: C, Mimosa and Absinth are my favourite of the three, although the entire range is beautiful. I would be sad if it were indeed discontinued. June 30, 2006 at 1:33pm
BoisdeJasmin: Ina, it is very lovely. The last time I was at Bergdorf, they did not have any in stock, but maybe, Neimans still carries it. June 30, 2006 at 1:35pm
BoisdeJasmin: Marina, yes, you definitely should. I wonder if it might remind you of March 8th (International Women’s Day in Ukraine) as much as it does for me. I can also feel that wonderful festive anticipation. June 30, 2006 at 1:36pm
BoisdeJasmin: Anya, I was taught that neroli refers to oil steam distilled from the Citrus aurantium v. Amara, while orange blossom absolute/orange flower oil refers to the essential oil extracted with volatile solvents.
I assumed that in this case, Persian lime blossom refers to linden blossoms, which is what I notice (and love) the most about the composition. The floralcy underlying the citrusy top notes has an element that reminded me of orange blossom, however it is simply one of the facets. There are moments when I smell linden so clearly that I imagine walking under the canopy of blooming trees. June 30, 2006 at 1:44pm
BoisdeJasmin: Anya, yes, that is true. Absolute is a completely different process. Arctander defines absolute from concretes as not essential oils, while he allows steam distilled oils from absolutes to be considered as essential oils. I do not think that I have ever tried the latter. Sounds like I should, if only to compare for myself. June 30, 2006 at 2:56pm
Robin: V, agree it is a shame if they are discontinued. My favorite was the Absinthe. Just saw (and you probably did too) that Citron is to launch later in the year, so wondering if they will bring these back, or if they’re revamping the line? June 30, 2006 at 2:57pm
Marina: It sounds lovely! I guess I should hurry up and try it while I still can. June 30, 2006 at 11:02am
BoisdeJasmin: R, yes, I just read about Citron. I certainly hope that they will leave these fragrances in the line. They are very beautiful. June 30, 2006 at 3:39pm
Anya: V, a question that you may not know the answer to, but as a botanist and perfumer, I must ask: do they truly have a “neroli” of the blossoms of the Persian lime (actually quite a common lime, the one found in supermarkets.) In CA they call it a Bearss lime, here in Florida it’s shipped as the Persian. We use the term neroli to describe the essential oil of the Citrus aurantium v. Amara, and the perfume industry has, for some reason, chosen to ignore the “nerolis” of other citrus blossoms, including lemon, grapefruit, mandarins, and yes, limes. Perhaps someone is now producing it? If so — I want some!! 😉
I actually interpreted the Persian lime blossom to refer to the linden blossom, which is often called a lime blossom (don’t ask me why.) After I saw you listing of the notes, however, I had to pose the limeblossom neroli question. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_lime Studying at a University that grew over 1200 varieties of citrus (research station) and taking several citrus labs have made me a fanatic about citrus. LOVE them. I just track down the source of a Persian lime “neroli” if it does exist. I would hate to find it’s a synth “impression” they’re using, since I’m now piqued about it and think it *should* be produced as a natural. June 30, 2006 at 1:22pm
patchamour: Dear V,
It’s intriguing to read about and imagine these perfumes. Hope to get to experience them someday. The actual mimosa flower is such a delicate peachy, tickly thing, but the trees grow like weeds in the south in my mother’s yard. We used them as powderpuffs as children and got yellow cheeks from the pollen.
I hate to ask such basic questions of you ladies who know so much about perfumes, but can the aromas actually be created from the natural mimosa and linden blossoms, and, if so, is it done by distillation or by soaking the blooms in oil or fat? Is Jo Malone’s French Lime Blossom actually based on linden flowers? If these questions are too pesky, please just let them pass.
Best, Patchamour June 30, 2006 at 5:56pm
Anya: Hi V.
neroli = distilled blossom EO
concrete and absolute = extracted with solvents
Absolute never contains the EO, completely different process. Well, let me qualify that: some Indian producers are now distilling concretes and absolutes! The prices they’re getting for the tuberose, neroli and other “oils” is outrageously high. The scent is not that much better or stronger than the regular absolutes of EOs, so many are passing on this new trend.
Anya: V, I would be happy to share the “EOs from absolutes” that I got from an Indian supplier, but they only sent me tiny bits (due to the cost – 1kb tuberose “oil” =$15K). I do want to keep the little bits for my scent library. I did inform them point blank that I wouldn’t be purchashing them at that price. We discussed this on my yahoo NP group, and all those who had sampled them agreed. We’re trying to figure out why they’re producing them. Perhaps by avoiding the alcohol “wash” phase of production, they’re able to market to the Islamic perfumer who wants to avoid any alcohol? Write me privately and I’ll give you the name of the supplier and perhaps you can procure some. June 30, 2006 at 5:30pm
BoisdeJasmin: Anya, please do not worry about it and yes, you should definitely keep them for your scent library. I will come across some sooner or later. It would be interesting to compare. June 30, 2006 at 11:10pm
BoisdeJasmin: Patchamour, what a lovely memory! I associate mimosa with spring holidays, and perhaps for this reason, it is one of my favourite scents.
Ask anytime! That is what we are here for. 🙂 Mimosa absolute is prepared by the extraction with liquid solvents, although there are definitely some aroma-chemicals that have mimosa tonality. I have never encountered natural linden blossom absolutes, and usually the scent of linden blossoms would be synthetically reconstructed. As for Jo Malone French Lime Blossom, I do not remember it that well. I thought that it was a citrus fragrance though. June 30, 2006 at 11:19pm
patchamour: V,
Thanks for your answer.
Patch July 1, 2006 at 2:13pm
BoisdeJasmin: Patchamour, you are very welcome! July 3, 2006 at 12:07am
BoisdeJasmin: Kaori, I very much enjoy Frederic Malle Une Fleur de Cassie, however I understand that it is a challenging fragrance to wear, because it is a bit unconventional. Still, I find it stunning. Also, Calypso Mimosa is very pretty. It is probably my favourite one from the line. July 3, 2006 at 12:14am
k-amber: Victoria,
I love mimosa flower very much but the two fragrances you mention are not “my mimosa” ones, so I like to try Persian Lime Blossom & mimosa before discontinued. BTW, do you recommend any other mimosa scents?
Kaori July 2, 2006 at 9:06pm
k-amber: Victoria,
Thank you for suggestions. I have a tester of Une Fleur de Cassie and ,yes it is not easy to wear, as well as a way complex for me. The scent, however, is a keeper for sure. I used to have a few samples of Calypso but not mimosa. I will try it again!
Kaori July 3, 2006 at 7:29am
BoisdeJasmin: Kaori, Calypso Mimosa is very airy and pretty. It does not have the sweetness of other mimosas, and I think that this is what makes it easy to wear. July 3, 2006 at 12:04pm
Iliana: I happened to test this fragrance in Las Vegas while on my 10 year wedding anniversary and it has become my signature fragrance. I am constantly questioned about it and I hesitantly share the info because I love the uniqueness of its fragrance and would hate for others to over-commercialize it. I know this is selfish but those of you who wear Mimosa must understand my compromise. It is a beautiful aroma and It saddens me to think that it may be withdrawn from the market as I will be a loyal seeker of it always. When in doubt ebay… July 14, 2006 at 12:42pm
BoisdeJasmin: Iliana, I can certainly understand what you mean. Sometimes you just want to keep some things to yourself. I have a number of vintage treasures I fear mentioning, but in the end, I always do, because it is difficult not to share what one is passionate about. July 17, 2006 at 9:58pm
JellyBean: Does anyone know where I can find Slatkin Persian Lime Mimosa Perfume? I had a sample that someone had given me and I have been searching ever since. August 23, 2013 at 12:03pm
Victoria: Unfortunately, it has been discontinued and is no longer available. August 23, 2013 at 12:14pm