Well we seem to be on a bit of roll here with some of the more hyper-niche perfumers being featured at the Posse and that’s a good thing.
Liz Zorn is one that I was meaning to write about for a while, but I mistakenly thought that she had shut down her perfume business in favor of her (quite excellent) art. So I kind of didn’t want to write about something that you’re unable to get; it’s sort of like stating that I just had the Apollonian ideal of cherry pie just now, but I got he last piece and the bakery closed. Too bad, so sad. Come to find out I was wrong, and one can still get the lovely Blood Orange & Vetiver I purchased at her “going out of business sale” but not the Gardenia.
Well, something is better than nothing, right? And as lovely as Gardenia 63 is, with it’s crisp, green, stemmy opening and bright, fresh, eminently wearable take on Gardenia I have to say that given a choice I would go with the Blood Orange and Vetiver every time.
Blood Oranges, as you know, are those seasonal Oranges originally from Spain (I think) that are (I think) seasonal over winter (I think.) I’m not sure if they grow them in the US or they all come from abroad, but they’re known for being slightly sweeter than a regular orange and having the singular blood red flesh that can, when ripe, be almost black. In America it’s a tradition that one gets Mandarins or Clementines over the holidays as stocking stuffers (“Cuties” is the big brand in the States) but I will take a blood orange anytime over those. Zorn pairs the bright orange with cinnamon, cardamom, and a touch of nutmeg (to quote Ina Garten “not so much you think ‘Oh, Nutmeg'”) to give it a little, dare I type it? Holiday Flair as well as some grassy vetiver and a grounding in vanilla, woods, and comforting musk.
Being natural it’s not shrieking or overwhelming or obvious but it does have great lasting power. Considering airports, fractious relatives and the general case of the “icks” one (at least I) get at this time of the year, I say who needs to be “Home for the Holidays” when I can have this, fettuccine Carbonara and Turner Classic Movies on demand? That makes me truly thankful.
(I know- how DOES he say single?)
Blood Orange and Vetiver is available at the perfumer’s website, $135 for 30ML of Eau de Parfum, which these days is basically free. I purchased my bottles from the perfumer. Some of her other scents (some of which may no longer be available) can be sampled from Surrender to Chance.
Photos: my iPhone, and Pexels
LOVE Liz Zorn’s stuff. I bet I’d really like this one, too. I want to try her Steely Violet Rage, just for the name alone. Tomorrow my housemate and I are making several dishes from Milk Street / Chris Kimball that looked enticing, to go with our roast turkey breast. I’m looking forward to it and grateful I don’t have to travel any further than the kitchen, as we’re expecting snow overnight.
I would enjoy snow if I didn’t have to go anywhere in it. When I lived in Milwaukee I loved it- when we had a full larder and firewood for the fireplace.
How did I miss Steely Violet Rage?
Oh, my petunia!
You know I am a longtime Zornophile, starting with Violets and Rainwater and proceeding onward (I still have the dregs of one of her early vetiver-centric scents, Underworld, which bears a resemblance to Djedi)
That being said, I’m not a huge fan of vetiver so…. I dunno
the vetiver in this is just a tad. It’s not whipping you with it. It’s more about the orange and the spice.
yikes! (because I am BROKE)
Another independent brand I wish it were easier to get here. Ditto on blood orange, particularly juice in fizzy water (I don’t do alcohol any more — used to love it in Prosecco) or even with a bit of really good ginger beer. I think Xmas would be best with Indian takeaway or in a 5 star hotel in Paris. One day.
Indian Takeaway in a motel in Indian Wells sounds pretty good to me. I love Indian food.
Those both sound attractive the way you describe them, Tom. I enjoy the music side of the holidays — singing with my choir — listening to carols on the radio. Decorating my house in a modest way (I’m no Martha Stewart). Buying gifts for family and friends. But I refuse to overdo the juggernaut of holiday madness. I have enough on my “to do” list! I need to check out the Liz Zorn offerings. Thanks for the reviews, Tom. P.S. Whole Foods makes a fabulous Blood Orange flavored Italian soda in cans or bottles with no high fructose corn syrup. It’s awesome!
Music is the absolute One Thing I can’t do without during this time of year – Music of the Baroque does a stunning Holiday Brass and Choral concert (always in one of the old Catholic churches that abound in Chicago’s neighborhoods)
Baroque music, yes. Otherwise I am a bit curmudgeonly about the Holiday music.
Thanks for the Whole Foods tip- I may pop over on Black Friday!
I also think blood oranges are from Sicily because of a perfume that I like very much, Arancia Di Sicilia (“Sicilian Orange”). “Top notes: Arancia Sanguinella” = blood orange – extracted in Sicily. The orange in this is gorgeous. I agree blood oranges are delicious! They’re the only oranges I buy when I can find them.
I bookmarked Liz Zorn’s website. I think I could like Blood Orange & Vetiver and there were several others that I would like to try.
There are more that I want to try now that I know that they’re available.
I think blood oranges are a southern Italian and Sicilian thing, they do need cold nights to develop the red blush on their skin and to develop a deeper color inside, they grow well in coastal So-Cal, there is a tree in the lotus infested garden where I work, its location shared among a few worthies, they are really good.
Great info, thanks!
Hi, sweetie! So nice to see you on here! How is the lotus-infested 😉 garden doing? Give it (and the Blood Orange tree) a hug for me!
Its doing great, always good to see you in comments!