StClair Scents - Frost, Fresh Cut and Gardner's Glove

 For those of you who, just like me, spent their childhood on the countryside, surrounded by green fields, open land, orchards and colorful gardens of vegetables and flowers, StClair Scents will be like taking a wonderful trip down memory lane. Even if you are not aware of Diane's inspiration from the surroundings of her homeland, the sense of natural you get from the first burst of small particles that gently touch your skin is utterly vivid... The nature is almost palpable.

StClair is a simple, uncomplicated, natural smelling line of fragrances that create an evocative image of being in the nature breathing it through all of your pores. This brand represents what i like to call transparent and honest perfumery, original perfumes that don't pretend to be more than they are, and that succeed in creating an all natural effect by using both, synthetics and naturals. 
Owner of a homestead creamery called Animal Farm, in Orwell, Vermont, that produces high quality butter, Diane decided to launch StClair Scents - an indie line composed of three fragrances for the moment. (Boy, many things come to mind when hearing Animal Farm and Orwell in the same sentence - especially when growing up in a communist country!) 

Frost (bergamot, mandarin, coriander, petigrain blossom, Meyer lemon, honeysuckle, rose geranium, elderflower, petitgrain, cistus, labdanum, vanilla, vetiver, cedar, smoke and clove) is a smoky herbal fragrance inspired by the poet Robert Frost and the verses of his To Earthward:

Love at the lips was touch
As sweet as I could bear;
And once that seemed too much;
I lived on air

That crossed me from sweet things,
The flow of—was it musk
From hidden grapevine springs
Downhill at dusk?

I had the swirl and ache
From sprays of honeysuckle
That when they're gathered shake
Dew on the knuckle.

 Unlike the sensuality of the poem, Frost is a cold and crispy fragrance, warm only at base where speckles of a cozy amber make are hiding in the shadows of a smoky and spicy geranium, just like a late Autumn day when the metallic feeling of dark and cold meets spots of sunshine. Although it's not my type of fragrance i can't stand indifferent in front of its artistry, especially of its swirls in between the cold of the entry and the warm spiciness of the base, the transition is beautifully composed and fascinating. 

First Cut (bergamot, yuzu, rosemary, basil, tomato leaf, lavender, rose de mai, rose geranium, immortelle, hay, tobacco, oakmoss and vanilla) opens with a burst of aromatic citruses - creating one if the most realistic and natural aroma of zesty hesperides i experienced, followed by a dry vibe of a haylike tobacco that wears a honeyish aura. The dry down reminds me of Mown by Hendley taking off the smoky effect and adding a subtle hint of vanilla. 

Gardener's Glove (Meyer lemon, tomato leaf, galbanum, bergamot, jasmine sambac, apricot, black currant bud, linden blossom, lily, rose, leather, saffron, patchouli, amber, vetiver, benzoin, castoreum and fir needle) it's a special fragrance and the one that touched me the most with its nostalgic waves. A bunch of flowers hold by an astringent greenery of the tomato leaves, covering a butyraceous leather that bring memories of my grandfather's old leather gardening gloves. The slight bitterness of the tomato leaves makes the fragrance to be as interesting it is and to differentiate it from the other leather fragrances i know.

As far as i know Diane is interested in creating and adding a new fragrance to the line, one inspired by her other passion - the animals, which i hope it will be just as good as the others are.

StClair Scents are available on the official website at 65$ for 13ml, and a sample set for 18$.

Samples provided by Diane, opinions are my own. I don't get paid for my reviews.