Continuing to sample Le Jardin Retrouvé’s scents passed on to me from cpf via LJR.  The flower scents: Citron Poivré (Spicy Lemon), Eau de Tubéreuse (Tuberose), Jasmin (Jasmine), Verveine (Verbena), The Lys (Lily), and Chèvrefeuille (Honeysuckle).  I will do the roses in a separate category.

Verveine (Verbena)

A billow of freshness with a spicy middle note…. To enhance the Verbena note, Yuri Gutsatz imagined adding a whole bouquet of plants and herbs from Provence.

What are the notes for Verveine?

The verbena note develops and leaves a rich and complex harmony with Geranium, Sage, Thyme, Lavender and Neroli, plus made long-lasting by the addition of woodsy notes like Sandalwood and Vetyver.

I don’t get any lavender from this.  I love the fresh, bright lemon, which is long lasting.  It stays true.  While tart, it isn’t sour.

What is Verbena and where does it come from?

The verbena in Verveine comes from Provence in France.   The scent is obtained by distillation of verbena leaves, with a rather limited output.

What does verbena smell like?

It has a slightly green, almost tart lemon smell, wonderfully refreshing.

What associations are there with verbena?

Surprisingly, to me at least, there are legends that verbena protects from vampires. For such usage, people mixed it in herbal tea, kept it near them or used oil extracted from the plant.   It might be perfect to wear if you are planning to see New Moon, not that we think vampires are alive and well today.

Additionally, verbena has been associated in antiquity with supernatural or divine forces, called tears of Isis (the goddess of fertility) (Egypt)or Juno’s tears (queen of the Olympian gods who protected marriage) (Rome.) In Greece, it was dedicated to Eos Erigineia, goddess of the dawn.

In Ancient Rome the generic name was a term for sacrificial herbs that were considered very powerful.  Pliny the Elder mentions verbena, perhaps a general term for sacrificial herbs, presented on Jupiter’s altars.

And who knew that in the early Christian time, legend had it that verbena was used to staunch Jesus’ wounds after his removal from the cross. Consequently it is called holy herb or devil’s bane.

In Japan, verbena flowers are a symbol of cooperativeness.  (I will need my artist daughter to make one of her Victorian flower pendants for me with this flower.)

The names in many central and eastern European languages associate it with iron. Dutch: IJzerhard ("iron-hardener"); Danish: Læge-Jernurt ("medical ironwort"); German: Echtes Eisenkraut ("true ironherb"); Slovak: Železník lekársky ("medical ironherb"): and Hungarian: vasfű ("iron grass").

William Faulkner’s short story An Odor of Verbena, claims vervain is the only scent one can smell over the scent of horses and courage.

If you were born July 29, it is your flower. [The information in this section comes from Wiki.]

What does Verveine remind me of?

Verveine is similar to L'Occitane Verbena which is a blend of lemon verbena, lemon tree and geranium and is very crisp and green.

There is even some slight resemblance to Jean Nate, but it is more sophisticated.

The crisp greenness of Verveine settles quickly into bright lemon.  I love this stage of the fragrance.

Who can wear this?

This could easily be worn by a man or a woman.

Is it modern or traditional?

I associate this with modern, because of the new fragrances by L’Occitane.  OTOH, L’Occitane might have brought back a scent from the past.  It seems new and fresh to me.

Once again Yuri Gutsatz’ fragrances stand the test of time.

Could you layer this?

Maybe not, unless you were going for the lemon.  I think it would dominate over whatever you were layering with.

What I like about it:

I love the lemony green of it.  Now that I know some of the associations for this plant, wearing it will have more meaning.  Perhaps I will wear verbena for Easter as a kind of scentual reminder of Jesus.  I will definitely spritz a verbena fragrance when going to see New Moon, the second movie in the Twilight series.

What is this fragrance like?

If you want a pick-me-up, this fragrance is as refreshing as lemonade on a hot day.  It leaves you feeling happy.

My take:

If you are looking for verbena, Verveine is perfect.

What do you think?

Have you tried any of his fragrances? (If not: Ask Le Jardin Retrouvé for Free Samples - All around the world.) Do you like verbena fragrances? If you have, do you have a favorite? Learn more about Le Jardin Retrouve house and Yuri Gutsatz.

Best,
Karin

This post is by Karin of Savvy Thinker, guest blogger. Karin loves perfumes, especially vintage or artisan. She has a wide range of interests including but not limited to books, cosmetics, business, and jewelry, including beading.

Photo Credits: http://www.lejardinretrouve.com/

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Fragrance Perfume, Guest Blogger, Le Jardin Retrouvé, Women's Perfume, Yuri Gutsatz

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ancient rome, billow, cpf, divine forces, flower scents, goddess of fertility, goddess of the dawn, herbal tea, honeysuckle, juno, Le Jardin Retrouvé, neroli, new moon, pliny the elder, queen of the olympian gods, Retrouvé, sandalwood, tart lemon, tears of isis, tuberose, verveine, vetyver, Yuri Gutsatz