Boldly Lauren

Ellis Brooklyn Myth*: my newest obsession.

Why hadn’t I ever seen or heard of this brand before???

The full-sized bottles were elegant; the gold lettering jumping off the matte black label, a heavy-looking black cap adorning the top. A quick scan of the page led me to the name Bee Shapiro, the creator of Ellis Brooklyn, so I searched her name on Google wanting to know more about the brand.

A former lawyer turned business entrepreneur (and now a beauty columnist for the New York Times), Bee set out to create a safer but still luxurious fragrance line during her pregnancy with her daughter Ellis, while living in Brooklyn. Thus the line Ellis Brooklyn was born in 2015; formulated without parabens, phthalates, and is cruelty-free and eco-friendly. The nose behind the fragrance is Jerome Epinette, which if you’ve ever heard of the lines Byredo or Atelier Colognes, you’re already familiar with his work! Bee specifically created Myth for herself which she describes as ‘a modern musk that’s still feminine and inviting’. I have to say, I wholeheartedly agree with that description.

Buying a fragrance online, scent unsmelled is a dicey game. Not knowing how the notes listed smell compared to the actual formulation, and also having no indication of how the fragrance will mix with your body chemistry…it’s truly a gamble. I’ve had many successful purchases, thanks to copious amounts of online reviews (thank you Fragrantica) however, it can be challenging finding natural perfume reviews anywhere online. Lucky me, Ellis Brooklyn made the cut!

I chose Myth because if you’ve read my previous post about fragrance, you know I’m head over heels for jasmine scents. Seriously, one night after getting ice cream with my husband, I drug him over to smell some star jasmine that was blooming nearby. Can’t help myself. It’s magnetic. The notes listed are bergamot, ambrette seeds, cassis, tiger orchid, pink lotus, jasmine petals, patchouli, liquid musks, white cedarwood.

I opened up the box and spritzed it into the air. First reaction…MMMMMMM.

Oh girl, this is good stuff.

 I sprayed myself and continued on with my afternoon. The scent drifted around me, like a floral bouquet-but not in a way that’s cloying or suffocating. No. It was heavenly. Classy, elegant, timeless: as Bee put it ‘inviting’, not offputting. It’s the kind of scent that makes me think of a clean, white button-down shirt, pencil skirt, and patent sky-high stilettos. This is the kind of scent that transcends the time of day or setting; it’s a signature fragrance.

The longevity is quite good, I would say at least a good 12 hours; the sillage (the trail the perfume leaves behind in the air), moderate. It certainly doesn’t jump out to strangle those around you, however, it’s not a ‘skin scent’ either.

I will definitely purchase a full bottle.

Available at Credo Beauty* $30-$100