I’d love to start 2021 talking about an exciting fragrant discovery I made in 2020, the independent perfume house Vireo Perfumes. Its founder and owner, Kaitlyn ni Donovan, is a self-taught, natural perfumer who lives in Portland, Oregon.
A life-long scent lover with a passion for vintage perfumes, Kaitlyn began to explore natural raw materials in 2006 after realizing that certain synthetic components in fragrances caused her to develop cluster headaches. She did not want to stop wearing perfume and, thus, sought to make her own, primarily using natural materials. She began her journey by blending essential oils to create personal scents that both friends and strangers would often notice and compliment her on, and, from there, learned to compose more complex fragrances.
She studied every raw material she could get her hands on and worked on designing scents that would be artistic and unique, but also wearable. For Kaitlyn, every raw material has its own personality and can trigger a kaleidoscope of emotions that enhance one’s mood and life enjoyment. Her creations are often inspired by music, movies, mythology, and other art forms.
Vireo Perfumes is named after the vireo, a small, shy bird. Kaitlyn is also a singer and musician and, like the vireo bird, needs her time alone to compose her “scent songs”.
The musical reference resonates because composers and perfumers have their own specific inspirations in mind, but the listener or wearer will often bring their own perception to the experience, which may match the creator’s vision or be entirely unique or somewhere in between.
Vireo’s fragrances are crafted in small batches using fine, rare natural raw materials that are carefully selected and tested. The creations have a “smoky”, glamorous, and timeless vibe that embodies Kaitlyn’s appreciation of vintage perfumes – Guerlain Apres L’Ondee and Balmain Vent Vert are two of her favorites.
Thanks to Kaitlyn’s generosity, I have had the chance to try several of her fragrances over the past few months and I would love to describe the three that stood out for me:
Coco Violette
Kaitlyn created this for herself on a rainy spring day while reading Wuthering Heights and eating her favorite violet pastilles.
She wanted to pay homage to violets and, thus, started thinking about them in different forms and settings, such as those violet pastilles, violet soaps, and more. She researched violet plants and their use in different cultures and mythology, and even looked for songs, poems, and biographies that have women named Violet as protagonists.
My impressions: Fragile violet petals are dusted with a veil of impalpable cocoa and powdered sugar that together bring a touch of sweetness to the fragrance. Creamy orris conveys an elegant decadence that evokes dressing tables from old Hollywood movies. Overall, the fragrance is sweet, clean, and delicate, recalling candied violets and old-fashioned soaps.
Draugr Noir
This fragrance was initially created as a bespoke to highlight the use of frankincense in scent. Therefore, Kaitlyn included five frankincense types from different regions, distillations, and also a hojary tincture. (Hojary frankincense is one of the best in the world)
The scent has a vivid tongue-in-cheek inspiration that recalls tomb zombies in adventure movies. The name Draugr Noir is a play on words on “Drakkar Noir”, the eighties men’s cologne by Guy Laroche, and “Draugrs”, undead mythical creatures from Scandinavian folktales and characters in the video game Skyrim. Kaitlyn tried to imagine what cologne a Draugr might wear in the evening and composed an “olfactory” film that combines a playful concept (tomb zombies) with sacred, contemplative notes and accords (aged frankincense, myrrh).
My impressions: To my nose Draugr Noir has an overall mineral coolness that recalls damp sacred vaults from old churches or monasteries, a sensation conveyed by the frankincense and myrrh notes. Kaitlyn’s “musty old tomb critter musk” accord adds the dusty aroma you might find in a hidden ancient crypt. Spices, herbs, and woods seamlessly blend to convey a slightly smoky accent. This is a bold, whimsical, and unique scent.
Lovers Amber
The way Coco Violette is a tribute to violets, Lovers Amber is a tribute to amber. With this fragrance, Kaitlyn wanted to portray the olfactory effect of multiple resins and precious vanilla absolutes as if they are being captured by light. After warming on the skin, absolutes shimmer like amber stone jewels and glisten like light through stained glass or water. With this concept in mind, she created a scent that would be rich and beautiful, but not overly heavy.
My impressions: This is a sensual, complex amber fragrance that deftly balances spicy, aromatic, and woody nuances. The tropical floral notes convey an exotic boozy quality, the beeswax and vanilla a shiny richness, and the white gold amber a mossy accent. Kaitlyn’s lightly smoked signature base made of precious resins, balsams, incense, and woods seeps through hours later.
Perfumer’s note: Kaitlyn’s is grateful to those who support boutique, small-batch fragrance businesses like her own and appreciate the work and craft that go into each creation. She greatly respects fellow perfumers, especially Diane St. Clair, Christophe Laudamiel, and Antonie Lie.
I reviewed the three fragrances from samples that were kindly gifted to me by Kaitlyn and from my own full bottles. I’d like to thank Kaitlyn for her generosity in sharing samples of her creations and raw materials, and also, for inspiring fragrant conversations.
Fragrances by Vireo Perfumes do not contain materials that would hurt or cause discomfort to animals. Kaitlyn has developed custom humane natural musk and leather “accords” by using resins, fruits, and floral tinctures. The bottles come beautifully packaged and wrapped in scented ecologic Lodka wildflower seed-infused paper made by hand with 100% tree-free, recycled fibers sourced by FlowerSeedPaper.
Photos with the brand logo were kindly provided by Kaitlyn ni Donovan.
Photos of fragrance bottles were taken by Sarah.
