Perfume By Nature- Love Potion (perfume oil)

Before I start with tonight's perfume review:  I'm still waiting to hear from the winner of the Outlaw Perfume Project giveaway, Hotlanta Linda. Linda, please email me so we can make arrangement (another winner will be chosen if needed by the end of this week).

I already admitted yesterday that I've been spending my evenings lately watching old episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, so I fully blame Willow Rosenberg for this one. I remembered I had a sample somewhere of an interesting natural perfume oil named Love Potion, and that there was something very special about it- an interesting marriage of jasmine and vetiver that I had plans to test further but never got around to actually doing that. A quick rummage through my sample drawers  and the vial was found (I'm still waiting for my nieces to get old enough so they can sort and catalog my perfumes. There's some progress on this front: both are already out of diapers).

Love Potion was created by Ambrosia of the Australian label Perfume by Nature. It's an all natural product, for those who care about it, and certainly smells like one in the opening notes: they have that familiar rawness that characterizes many natural perfumes. I've learned to get past this but I'm aware it's still a deterrent for some perfume lovers, which is a shame, especially in this case. Love Potion is a lot more sophisticated than its name reveals.

Once the herbal jagged edges calm down there's a spicy blend of blood orange and cardamom that instantly dims the lights and suggests exotica. Then there's jasmine. The jasmine in this Perfume By Nature creation is not indolic. Nor is it green or sharp. It's the flower in full bloom, warm, sweet and musky. Depending on my mood it feels like a hot summer night in a tropical resort or a joyous early spring day when you go outside and just feel- wind in your hair and the sun shines or maybe it's just cold enough to put some color in your cheeks- you're awake and alive in the moment. It's that much fun.

When the patchouli arrives on the scene it's surprisingly mellow. No one is going to look around for the dirty hippie. It gives Love Potion a warm and solid base and plays beautifully with the vetiver that only appears for me in the late dry-down (longevity is great, by the way). What's I get from this perfume is not so much dark arts as it is a beautiful, wearable blend that feels uplifting and calming at the same time. Like Willow at her best.

Love Potion from Perfume By Nature can be found in oil form, which is the one I tested ($80, 15 ml) or an EDP ($32, 15ml) at perfumebynature.com.au. The sample for this review was sent by the perfumer.

Photo of the wonderful Alyson Hannigan as Willow making a potion: effulgent13.blogspot.com