Let me introduce you to Tanja Bochnig, a talented natural perfumer based in Berlin.  Tanja has a beautifully constructed collection of fragrances called April Aromatics and her work touches me in that wonderful way where I feel a connection to everything she creates. There are other fantastic perfumers that also have this effect of course but for today let’s focus on this line.  At Esxence last year I met Tanja and she had a lovely warmth and energy that I immediately gravitated to.  Calling All Angels was the perfume that called my name, and was suitably smitten. This fragrance was an Art & Olfaction winner in 2014 in the artisan category and is a resinous, golden ambered incense that is deeply soothing with a touch of something magical.

If you’ve only sampled natural perfumes at the local health food store and thought that they’re not particularly special or you’ve heard Chandler Burr say that natural perfumes don’t qualify as an art form then cast those associations aside.  April Aromatics is part of the new wave of natural perfumery. The whole line is carefully crafted, of high quality and well made. These fragrances feel like fully fledged perfumes, not just a mix of a few naturals that have been pushed uncomfortably together. In addition to the perfumes, Tanja  also produces oils and has a wonderful chakra oil set, designed for yoga practice but in reality can be used to suit your requirements.

Pink Wood: Nose : Tanja Bochnig: Year : 2017 : Notes : Sandalwood, agarwood (oud), cistus, labdanum, oakwood, patchouli, rose otto, rose absolute, geranium, sweet pink fruity notes.

Pink Wood is Tanja’s new release and has already been awarded third place in the Outsider Scent Awards earlier this year in its inaugural outing.  I’m going on a slight tangent now but I’ve been thinking about the colour pink recently. Pink done the right way (and not the baby doll variety) has a touch of the subversive and hot pink in particular has a quirky Westwood side that never goes out of style.

Wearing Pink Wood this week while traipsing around a rain-soaked Budapest was an  odd juxtaposition but it did make the city come to life in the most unusual way. I had the sense that there’s a spike of punk contained within its veins. The city and the perfume that is.

I know some of you may wonder about the rose and oud combination. Hasn’t this been done to death already?  Well in fact it’s not a common trope in natural perfumery and Tanja manages to accomplish something with Pink Wood that’s a step beyond the ordinary. I’d suggest that you really must experience this perfume to see how she has turned this theme on its head.

This is the scent of  red berries and dark roses intensified with geranium, whipped into a magenta cream layered onto a woody crust of sandalwood and oud. Yes it’s true that at times I wanted to taste its charms.  Pink Wood flickers with an unfamiliar hue, an intensely dark filter that moves in and out of focus with tufts of greenery that verge on the herbal.  Patchouli and oud lend Pink Wood a sense of mystery, although the oud is not of the barnyard variety and blends perfectly within the scent, along with the labdanum so that it never seems out-of-place or dominates the proceedings.  The scent feels voluptuous and heady from the outset, and a little tipsy on pink star dust. You can imagine pink powder scattered everywhere, shimmering on the landscape with a magical quality.  Voluminous, enchanting and sumptuous are words I’d use to describe Pink Wood. If you already enjoy the rosy, red goodness of  Rosenlust, then think of Pink Wood as a palatial, woody, oriental version with a twist of subversive goodness.

The Low Down :  Subversive dollops of magenta rose cream served with woods, oud and imagination. 

Read more about Pink Wood on : Cafleurebon , A Scent of Elegance  

Pricing : Please check the April Aromatics website for further details. RRP is 169 Euro for 30 ml, 89.90 Euro for 15ml and 13.99 Euro for a sample . 

Notes : Images :  Featured Images :  Tim Walker  (Cover, Pink Dress and Face) : April Aromatics (Tanja Bochnig) : Megan In Sainte Maxime (April Aromatics sample) : Pexels Photos : Pink Tree

Disclosure : Sample gratefully received from April Aromatics.  Opinions my own.