Boldly Lauren

Phases and moments of my life are punctuated with different scents – each evocative of a specific time, moment, or memory. Scent is an incredibly powerful tool to define us – take a moment to think of people who are special to you and the scent you recall. For me, I am very conscious of my scent and what I want people to associate me with.

My greatest downfall with fragrance (and maybe it’s actually a gift) is that I enjoy a wide variety of fragrance styles which makes it hard to pin down ‘my style’ of scent. Some days I want a soft feminine floral, sometimes I want a rich vanilla-tinged gourmand, and other days I want something powerful – almost masculine leaning.

For years now, I have had a deep love for Olivine Atelier. Creator Julie Wray has an impeccable nose. Her creations often include delicate white florals (notably gardenia), decadent vanilla, sensual skin-like musks, all of which beckon you to come closer. I have sampled a majority of her creations and have fallen in love with several (notably Sugar Moon, Opal Moon, Wolf Moon, Turquoise Moon, Amongst The Waves) but recently I ordered a sample of Full Regalia, and I was immediately smitten.

You have to understand something…I had been waiting for this sample in order to make a decision as to whether I was going to purchase a fragrance during the Sephora sale or buy a bottle of this instead. It arrived on the the last day of Sephora’s sale, and minutes after applying it, I ordered a full bottle and scrapped my purchasing plans from Sephora. Julie is good…really good.

Full Regalia has a wonderful, inspirational backstory about Julie’s grandfather’s racehorse, Full Regalia. This particular racehorse was an expensive purchase that lost all of his races that season, except for one. In the end, Full Regalia pulled ahead and won the race, and as Julie says on the site, it’s as if ‘he seemed to suddenly remember who he was’.

“There’s nothing quite like knowing, without a doubt, who you are and what you’re here to do.“

Perhaps it’s the description that called to me as I have entered a phase of my life where that rings truer than ever, or maybe it was the notes: Vanilla, Egyptian Jasmine, Moroccan Red Rose, Musk, Blackberry, & a hint of Patchouli.

On my skin, Full Regalia opens with the delicate warmth of vanilla mingled with juicy, slightly tart blackberry. It isn’t overly sweet on my skin which I appreciate. Next, I detect a hint of the Moroccan Rose which is very velvety and sultry on my skin; I absolutely love when the rose begins to bloom in the composition. As Full Regalia wears on my skin for a while, the vanilla continues to shine (as does the jasmine), but then the musk and patchouli peek through and add a really interesting depth and longevity to the fragrance. Patchouli often scares people and conjures images of little old grannies or hippies in headshops, but when used appropriately, patchouli can make a fragrance so interesting. Additionally, I find patchouli wears really well on my skin; most of my most complimented perfumes contain a pinch. This perfume oil wears for a very long time on me – I can even detect it the next morning in little whiffs! While it starts much more grandiose, it eventually sits a bit more intimately on your skin (this is pretty common with perfume oils). The longevity though? Phenomenal.

When I roll on Full Regalia, I feel a sense of being complete; like it matches who I am on the inside. It’s filled with femininity, sensuality, confidence, and a bit of mystery, yet it’s cozy and familiar feeling at the same time, too. Full Regalia is truly a unique bird, combining florals, gourmands, and the intrigue of patchouli and sensuality of musk. It strums the chord I often struggle to find in parfumery: capturing many notes and facets I crave but aren’t often blended together, yet together they work in beautiful harmony. This perfume smells…expensive. Each full sized bottle now contains carnelian to ignite passion, courage, and motivation, and has a gold cap. Full Regalia has fully captured my heart.

I highly recommend trying a sample first – but this is also available in a 15ml oil rollerball, and a 30ml spray.