Mimosa, or wattle as it is better known here in Australia, is enjoying quite the resurgence in popularity on the perfumer’s organ. Smelling sweet and powdery, mimosa’s yellow floral tonality of light green and woody nuances speaks of springtime like few other florals could ever hope to, but employed most often deep within the compositions of perfumes favoured by, shall we say, women of a certain age, mimosa has never enjoyed the mainstream popularity of blooms like jasmine or tuberose. This changed though in 2019 with a flurry or new releases that put mimosa front and centre of niche and designer launches; notably, the salty-fruity rendition of Amouage Love Mimosa, Goldfield & Banks decidedly grand Velvet Splendour, Gucci’s strangely dank-green Winter’s Spring, and Daisy Eau So Fresh from Marc Jacobs. Mimosa suddenly seems the floral du jour, and Penhaligon’s offers us its latest starring release by way of The Favourite.
Named for Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (1660-1744) – who incidentally was the wife of the Duke of Marlborough for whom Penhaligon’s longest surviving fragrance, Blenheim Bouquet, was commissioned – The Favourite pays homage to both Blenheim Palace, the Duke and Duchess’ colossal country house, and the Duchess’ own instrumental role in its conception and construction.
Charismatic as she was beautiful, but also ambitious and scheming, Sarah was an English courtier who rose to become one of the most influential women of her time through her close friendship with Queen Anne – a friendship for which she was dubbed “The Favourite” by many envious courtiers. Taking full advantage of her close relationship with the Queen, Sarah petitioned tirelessly for Her Majesty to honour her husband’s battle victories over the French King Louis XIV during the War of the Spanish Succession with both a dukedom and a residence befitting such a title. As always, Sarah succeeded in getting from the Queen what she wanted, though her cantankerous behaviour and exceedingly lofty budgetary demands for Blenheim’s construction resulted in a fall from grace and dismissal from court after which Sarah near single-handedly oversaw the construction of her great palace.
“The stage is set, the setting is Blenheim. The story concerns the mother of this majestic Palace. Her scent fills the Royal Quarters as golden mimosa sways society’s opinion. She greets with a darling smile, charming and coy, innocent as a wildflower. Yet, layers peel away like mandarin and bergamot. Smoke and mirrors. Iris and musk. Manoeuvres and mystery create the most wonderful of palaces. But what goes on in the shadows? Leave it to her, it’s better that way.” – Penhaligon’s
True to my experience on skin, Penhaligon’s offers these notes for The Favourite:
mandarin, bergamot, freesia, violet leaves, jasmine, mimosa, iris, sandalwood, ambroxan, musk
Like the coquettish young Sarah in the years before her marriage and Princess Anne’s ascension to the throne, The Favourite opens pretty and charmingly with sun-warmed mimosa, honeyed freesia and iris under a veil of mandarin and bergamot brightness. The mimosa is soft, fuzzy and powdery, while the iris is cool and crisp, but buoyed by the sweetness of the freesia. Immediately though from behind the playfulness of the citrus and mimosa-florals, the composition promises a more serious-minded complexity as the cold metallic bite of violet leaf lends sombre edge to the overtness of the mimosa. Here, The Favourite is fun and frivolous, but disguising an eagle-eyed focus and clarity that only become apparent with more time on skin.
Relinquishing its grip on the composition in the heart, the mimosa settles into the bouquet of its supporting florals – iris and freesia still, but now also jasmine – imparting as it does an almost waxy character to The Favourite upon which the base eventually emerges. Crunchy crystalline white musk, sandalwood and a large dose of ambroxan make for a drydown that is surprisingly woody, and no less persistent than Sarah’s incessant petitioning of Queen Anne for the finances to build her palatial home. This is not to say though that the mimosa is absent in the drydown, because it never leaves the composition. Rather, it hides in the shadows of the base, imparting its powderiness and subtle sweetness on the base accord to keep the ambroxan-heavy woods from veering into masculine territory, and in what is becoming an increasing crowded category, this woody inflection is what sets The Favourite apart from its mimosa contemporaries.
The Favourite so well captures the charms and beauty of the vivacious Duchess for whom it is named, but also the golden-hued baroque opus that is Blenheim Palace. Perfumer Aliénor Massenet has crafted for Penhaligon’s a perfume of frivolously fun florals deftly cut by the steely resolve of violet leaf and commanding base of ambrox woods and musk to so perfectly mirror the personality of Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough in just the same way it depicts the pomp, pageantry and majesty of her grandiose home. A very English take on mimosa, as is to be expected of Penhaligon’s, The Favourite eschews the overt sweetness, florist-shop-green, and even carnal characteristics of its star bloom in favour of poise and purpose. The result, a mimosa with much wider appeal than most.
Year of Release: 2020
Perfumer: Aliénor Massenet
Alternatives: Amouage Love Mimosa, Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh
Available: Libertine Parfumerie and www.penhaligons.com for $289, 100ml