Best Once Upon a Time by Francesca Bianchi Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

Sun-drenched spring air infuses the tangle of timbers the beavers call home, inviting the family to venture from their cozy den. A sparse winter diet of dry buds and twigs gives way to a juicy salad of fresh waterlilies and leaves. The drive to build is awakened and soon the industrious carpenters are hard at work. Yet over the rustle of branches and the slapping of tails on wet mud, a hammering is heard. In a nearby maple forest, farmers tap thick trunks, creating channels through which sugar-laden sap can flow. Unfazed, the beavers toil on. In tandem they work, the beavers crafting lodges while farmers harvest sweet sap, guiding it to a sugar shack where alchemy will transform it to a rich, golden syrup.

Evoking the onset of spring, Zoologist Beaver Maple Edition combines fresh florals with the delightful sweetness of cocoa-infused maple syrup. Within smoky woods laced with earthy vetiver and patchouli, castoreum and vanilla offer a cozy haven. Like a carefully-crafted lodge of a beaver family, this scent offers warmth while hinting at hidden depths.

A rich, smoky blend of honey, tar, vanilla and incense.

The perfumer leaves the perfume plot sketchy - to be completed by your imagination. Are you in your autumn apiary watching honey trickle into jars, smoke lingering in the air from bonfires of fallen leaves? Are you on the well-tarred deck of a merchant ship carrying huge barrels of honey? This beautiful, smoky fragrance will definitely take you somewhere.

Starring

(these fragrant materials reanacted the Honey and Tar story):

castoreum tinctura
benzoin absolute
birch tar essential oil
Himalayan cedarwood essential oil
sweet myrrh essential oil
vetiver essential oil
guayak wood
agarwood essential oil
Atlas cedarwood  essential oil
jasmin sambac absolute
hops CO2
lavender absolute
patchouli essential oil
cardamom absolute
tonka bean absolute
vanilla CO2 extract
orris root CO2 extract
Vanuatu sandalwood essential oil
Royal Hawaiian  sandalwood essential oil

Important notice:

Anna Zworykina’s blends are olfactive smellscapes (but neither aromatherapy, nor ‘spray-and-go’ perfumes). Her blends are sensory experiences, closer to works of art created in the scented plane (rather than, say, visual or audio).

Certain essential oils and absolutes that are used in her 100% natural perfumes may potentially cause allergies in some people. Please spray Anna Zworykina’s blends on fabric (on sleeves, scarves, etc.). This said, Anna Zworykina has acquired a huge fan base over many years and people interacted with her blends for quite a while now. We are not aware of any reports of any skin reactions so far.

However, Anna advises that those who are prone to allergic reactions, pregnant and nursing women, as well as people with chronic illnesses to be extra careful. Before trying natural blends, study the list of ingredients and consult with a doctor if you are not sure or a had a history of allergies. If you do decide to put these blends on your skin (unable to resist the temptation) always test the blend on the inside part of your elbow first and wait.

Do not spray these blends liberally as a cloud in the way you would spray a conventional perfume. Anna’s smellscapes need to be… carefully applied and experienced. Be mindful that some oils can also make your skin hyper-sensitive to UV.

Inspired by the traditional Provençal sweet Calisson, an almond-shaped paste of candied fruit topped with fondant icing. This edp launches with bergamot and sugary milk. Fresh orange blossom radiates from the heart, supported by a warm and creamy sandalwood. Base notes of caramel, vanilla and musk complete the mouth-watering effect.

Perfumer: Dominique Moellhausen

The spirited country girl arrives in the bustle of the city, determined to change her status to “anything but innocent”. That’s Sweet Lure, bubbling with naughty possibilities. Cinnamon and lily-of-the-valley swirl in a bamboozling haze of neroli and vanilla, keeping things alluring but fun.

Succumb to the indulgence of Vanille Crème, a gourmand evoking the richness and tenderness of homemade custard. The bergamot and cream opening recalls the velvety scent of freshly made crème anglaise. The heart reveals vanilla, enhanced by a touch of caramel and buttery notes. In the base, enveloping notes of vanilla, musk, and sugar snuggle with sweetness.

Grande Ile blends the bounty of Madagascar — vanilla, pink pepper berries and black pepper — into a sensual and comforting spicy amber. This award-winning scent blends a warm ambery accord with clove, caramel nuances and a rich woody bouquet. Contrasting notes of dry cedar, creamy vanilla, and resinous touches create depth and intrigue. Grande Ile’s enveloping trail unfolds gently on the skin, revealing evolving facets throughout the day. Depending on who you ask, this intriguing beauty moirés between Oriental lilies, a vanilla sauna, and a smoky souk.

Nosy Be... sounds like a motto for an inquisitive perfume lover. It is, however, the name of a tiny island north of Madagascar. It's an island specializing in the production of patchouli, ylang-ylang and other magical fragrance materials for the perfume industry.

Patchouli Nosy Be is a tribute to the tropical humid shade loving plant that when distilled lends an ambery, dark, leathery and almost chocolate aroma - patchouli.

Naturally, it's the precious patchouli from Nosy Be in the perfume in the company of dense vanilla, dusty schinus molle and dry sandalwood.

A sweet, ambery perfume with many shades of sweet packed into a single formula: heliotrope, vanilla, caramel, toffee and benzoin, all interlinked with a soft sandalwood theme.

Bon Parfumeur open olfactive dimensions and invite you to add your own story. Try 402 if you like sophisticated gourmands.

Perfumer for 402: Corinne Cachen. 

French Macaron captures the essence of its namesake French pastry. The opening notes of warm milk and almond offer a comforting sensation, like a freshly baked macaron. The heart reveals a fruity raspberry, balanced by a biscuit note. The caramel and vanilla base is a sweet and smooth sign-off.

Inspired by the innovative use of materials that allowed 18th century clockmakers to construct the first truly accurate marine chronometers, Lignum Vitae combines elements of wood, metal and salt to produce a truly unique, transportive fragrance. Lignum vitae itself is an incredibly dense wood - the only wood which is guaranteed to sink in water - which is indigenous to the Caribbean and the north coast of South America. The brand’s nautical theme is enhanced wonderfully by caramel, a madeleine cake accord and a cool winter lemon note which provide a truly unique gourmand experience akin to smelling warm shortbread, muffins or cupcakes.

In combining unexpected and exotic raw materials, Beaufort London celebrates the innovative spirit which brought to an end the search for lost time, and permitted the safe passage of ships across the world.

***

The Sniff on Lignum Vitae:

"An innovative gourmand fragrance with a masculine slant, Lignum Vitae by Beaufort London is something rather unexpected. And who doesn’t love a plot twist?"

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