Good Day to our POSSE! I have a buddy. When I first started reading the scentbloggosphere I fell in with the amazing Arielle Shoshana. I loved her voice, her cat and her real love for fragrance and humanity. I would read and comment religiously and when she did nice things for people I always got involved in any way I could. We even met in NYC back in 2014 in Thanksgiving Week, at OSSWALD with a whole bunch of the NYC perfume peeps. Then she opened a niche perfume shop in Washington DC! Who was her first customer? Yep, me. Then she announced the release of her eponymous fragrance. First customer? Yes, you guessed it.

Arielle Shoshana EdP

Arielle Shoshana site gives these featured accords:
Passion Fruit, Grapefruit, Rhubarb, Mandarin, Peach, Saffron, Pink Pepper, Cardamom, Magnolia, Sandalwood, Ambroxan, Vanilla, Vetiver Bourbon, Iris, Musk

On first spritz you can smell passionfruit as clear as day. It’s luscious and fruity and almost photo realistic. Quickly it’s tempered by a piquant grapefruit with other citrus and the familiar zing of pink pepper. The whole as surprising and fun as you could imagine, instant smile. You’d think it a perfect summer spritz, and it is, but in winter it seems to have a whole new fizz. Warming the darkest and bleakest winter days with the ultimate burst of fragrant sunshine.

Once the initial fireworks die down a bit the passionfruit and sweet, just about to be ripe peach take centre stage. They are backed by a light green herbaceousness and the heart is where I think Arielle Shoshana really shines. managing to capture the wild fruitiness and offset it with enough shade and depth that it is easily a unisex fragrance. It does lean towards past, typically feminine stories.

The base takes a long time to arrive. In fact the long heart has multiple changes of pace and highlights. We smell the cardamom, citrus, peach and hints of the vanilla and woods. All of them built around a passionfruit pillar. It isn’t till far later in the evening we really hit base and it’s a creamy vanilla sandalwood with quiet hints of a dark rum cocktail.

Anyone who likes Byredo Pulp, Neela Vermeire Creations Bombay Bling or Phaedon Pluie de Soleil will find Arielle Shoshana a hit. Equally, if you hate all of those don’t write it off because it is quite different. I’d personally love to meet a Suit Guy with the self confidence and masculinity to wear it with aplomb. That would definitely get my attention and keep it.

On top of all this fabulousness the 10ml Travel Spray is only US$26 with FREE US Shipping
I’m so jealous, March even got to the shop in DC

NYC Thanksgiving 2014

Some of the crew in NYC in 2014. Arielle, Birgit (Olfactoria’s Travels), Portia, Daisy, Poodle and Josie. Thanks to Arielle for the pic.

If flamboyant fragrance is your jam then you NEED to try Arielle Shoshana RIGHT NOW!
Portia xx

Portia also writes for Australian Perfume Junkies