When I received the invitation to attend the launch at The Pierre Hotel in New York for Fleur Japoais, the newest fragrance from Shalini, I was so excited. I knew it would be a very special evening, and that the fragrance would be a gorgeous one. The first time I met Shalini was at the launch of her fragrance Amorem Rose in early 2020 right near Valentine's Day, and the event that was held at the Pierre was such a lovely and memorable one. Her fragrances are truly special, and she creates them in collaboration with Maurice Roucel who is one of the finest perfumer's in the world. Shalini is an Artist with the sensibilities of a healer also, and her fragrances tell stories of a lifetime of her travels and her musings and her deep love of beauty and the earth. I wrote about Shalini and the Pierre and the experience of that wonderful evening then, and to have the opportunity in this early spring to revisit this beautiful place and renew my senses with delightful perfume and company was a beautiful gift and blessing.
There have been several new fragrance releases during these two years that have passed, and I wrote about one of them in these pages, Paradis Provence, when Shalini shared it with me in 2020. At the time she was sharing it with front line workers and others who she wanted to give a gift of its golden healing light to, and I treasure the elixir she sent me. I wore it often and there are still a few precious drops left to give me a feeling of warmth and calmness and peace when I need it.
Shalini has a history as a Haute Couture Designer, and she has created in her line of fragrances Haute Perfume. The experience is one of luxury as she uses only the finest of essential oils and ingredients to create a Pure Parfum that has qualities of healing, art and the inspiration of beauty and creativity of the natural world. Reflecting on the history of perfume as having been used for healing and prayer, Shalini has created what she terms a Modern Masterpiece, combining the ethereal with the quality that has lasting value and that will stand the test of time.
On a visit to the Shalini website, you will find words of poetry that have inspired the stories behind the fragrances. For Fleur Japonais, it is a poem by Basho Matsuo:
A cloud of cherry blossoms;
The temple bell－
Is it Ueno, is it Asakusa?
How many, many things
They call to mind
These cherry-blossoms!
Very brief –
Gleam of blossoms in the treetops
On a moonlit night.
A lovely spring night
suddenly vanished while we
viewed cherry blossoms
……
Basho Matsuo
A combination of Cherry blossoms, Magnolia flowers, Frankincense, Labdanum and Sandalwood, Fleur Japonais is inspired by the revered Cherry blossoms of Japan and the season of “Sakura”, of Springtime and renewal, a time of joy and celebration of life. The notes of Frankincense, Labdanum and Sandalwood add a quality of transcendence bringing the ethereal florals into an even higher and more heavenly realm. Shalini shares the vision that "In Japanese culture there is an association between the Sakura and the Samurai – the flower and the man. They are both admired for their fleeting beautiful lives. It is believed that the soul of the Samurai lives in the Sakura. We yearn for an understanding of our journey, our destiny and our life. A sense of peacefulness prevails in that understanding. Fleur Japonais parfum is sensual, transcendent, and heavenly. Clouds of pink caressing your face, the delicate fragrance of Cherry blossoms scents the air. The temple bells chime softly as the soft scent of the fragrance floats like pink petals caressing the earth."
Fleur Japonais is the seventh parfum in a series created by Shalini and Master Perfumer Maurice Roucel. Each one is Pure Parfum made in France, and each has a story to tell. In Shalini's words, "The collection of seven parfums reflects the changing moods and passions of the soul."
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