New Release from Dame Perfumery: Bergamot, Jasmine & Labdanum at Tigerlily Perfumery, San Francisco

I have blogged (briefly) before about how much I enjoy the creations of Jeffrey Dame, the nose behind Dame Perfumery, based in Scottsdale, AZ. I heard he was going to launch a new fragrance, and the honor went to Tigerlily Perfumery in San Francisco's hip Mission District. I had been lusting after Dark Horse for some time, so I figured it was a great opportunity to pick up a bottle and hopefully meet Mr. Dame himself.​

Dame Perfumery women's collection at Tigerlily Perfumery

It turned out that the new perfume for women is called Bergamot, Jasmine & Labdanum. What a delight as the spring weather is becoming more regular here in San Francisco. I had the pleasure of sampling it, and I found it to be an incredibly fresh jasmine fragrance that is not sharp or cloyingly synthetic the way jasmine perfumes can be. I have my fair share of jasmine perfumes, as I gravitate towards jasmine in warm weather, which makes sense because that is when it grows.  Bergamot, Jasmine & Labdanum is cologne-like in that it opens with sweet and clean citrus, and it contains a true-to-life white jasmine heart. 

The new Bergamot, Jasmine & Labdanum for women

The kicker is the slightly fizzy labdanum. It is not easy for me to describe the scent of labdanum. All I can do is compare it to my experiences with it in other perfumes. I find it to be on the light (as opposed to heavy) end of balsamic, with a slight fizziness that sometimes reminds me of champagne. And that is what I detect in Bergamot, Jasmine & Labdanum. I absolutely love the way it combines with jasmine here to give the perfume some weight without taking away from the freshness of the jasmine. I highly recommend it for spring and summer!​

Meeting Mr. Dame was such a pleasure. It is nice to see a perfumer who is approachable and accessible. I took the opportunity to ask him some questions that come to mind every time I encounter his line of fragrances.

AP: Are your perfumes made to be layered with one another?
JD: No, they are meant to stand alone. But if you like to layer things, then of course wear what works for you and what you enjoy!

AP: I hear that many women enjoy Herb Man. Can you tell me what notes are in it?
JD: There are so many notes in it. Herb Man is meant to be like Herbs de Province.

AP: Can you tell me the difference between the perfume oils and the spray bottles [of his Art Collection, which includes Dark Horse, Black Flower Mexican Vanilla, and Desert Rose]. Do they smell slightly different on the skin, or are they identical whether you use the oil or the spray?
JD: The oils will smell creamier on the skin and will not produce as much sillage. With the sprays, the alcohol tends to spread out and accentuate the top notes more, and the top notes will last longer. In oil form, top notes fade quicker. It's worth trying both the eau de parfum and the oil.

One thing Mr. Dame mentioned is that sillage (i.e. scent trail) is such that you can smell it on yourself, but it will not go so far out that you annoy others with your perfume. In using my bottle of Mate, Heliotrope & Patchouli, that was EXACTLY my experience. That is precisely how I like my sillage to be.

Let me take this chance to say that I really dig what Dame Perfumery is trying to do with it's motto of "Modern American Perfumery". Just the other day I was chatting with fellow perfume worshipers, and we were all in agreement that Americans aren't really "into" perfume. It is difficult to get friends and family to wear it and get excited about it. It's also difficult to get people to try something other than that same old stuff they've been wearing for the last few decades. These days people seem to wear perfumes that us perfume worshipers refer to as "safe". Safe perfumes are a polite way of saying bland and ultimately forgettable. Seems like most Americans are cool with spritzing on something from Bath and Body Works if they are going to "wear" anything. That's not even perfume!

Men's collection, including the new Citrus Man

I think what it boils down to is that Americans (and I'm GENERALIZING) are more casual when it comes to perfume. They don't want to smell "perfumy". I know many people who abhor perfume entirely. And if anyone buys a bottle of perfume, they likely don't want to spend a fortune on one bottle.

Enter Dame Perfumery. For starters, the scents are tight. And what I mean is that they're simple, yet they're expertly blended. The olfactory notes are crisp and distinct, yet you can smell how harmoniously they blend with each other as well as play up certain subtleties of one another. They are just so darn pleasing to the nose! While your personal taste may lean one way or another, it is hard to actually dislike any of them. They make easy gifts. If somebody likes the scent of pear, buy them Pear, Water Lily & Amber. Done. Easy! And for a nice sized bottle of perfume, you don't have to break the bank. Like me, you might end up wanting 2+ bottles, so the price point makes that achievable.

L-R: Men's collection, Women's collection, Soliflores, and Artist collection

I mentioned that I asked about Herb Man. I personally love the scent of herbs, so I finally got the chance to spritz some on my skin. I loved what I smelled (I told you--they are hard to dislike)! It was a nice change from green, fresh herbs and seemed to be more of a fresh, minty top note mixed with savory dried herbs on a woody base. No particular herb stood out, so I did not smell like a rosemary bomb or anything like that. Very enjoyable.

Despite loving so many perfumes from Dame Perfumery, I left Tigerlily Perfumery with what I came for: the gorgeous Dark Horse, which I truly worship. You can see my review for it here if you would like! It is a palo santo dream come true, if you are into sacred woods.

I had such an enchanting time chatting with other customers and sniffing all kinds of other stuff too. 

Special thanks to the lovely hostess with the mostess--Antonia of Tigerlily Perfumery for having us! See ya soon!

​Hail, Perfume!

Jeffrey Dame and me with my bottle of Dark Horse; @AveParfum Instagram photo