Epiphany
House of Matriarch (2013)

Lavender is often employed as a relaxing scent, an olfactory chill pill, suitable for pillowcases to help ease you into sleep; or for a gentleman's fougère, to maintain (or at least project) cool composure, along with the lavender-scented starch in their crisp white shirts. A lavender chypre like Epiphany, however, is a different animal. This is a buzzy, kinetic lavender, more likely to energize than enervate. While the amber and sandalwood push it toward an oriental profile, the composition as a whole is clearly chypre. (Although the description doesn't mention bergamot, I'd be surprised if there weren't any.)

There’s an almost gourmand phase where the sweetness rubs elbows with a tonka-like breadiness (tobacco leaf?) that I could frankly live without. But that aspect is not sustained, and the whole grows glorious in the drydown. While not reminiscent of vintage, it has the integrity of vintage with the heft of a modern "beast." It's a huge thing! You'll want to spray lightly (I would have done well to test it with half as much), but there's no skank to avoid. It's just, well, a lot. If your tastes run to the gossamer, this probably isn't for you.

Artisanal natural perfumery runs the gamut in style (and quality), but Epiphany recalls the work of another favorite, Annette Neuffer. I think it's safe to say that if you like one, you'll like the other.

Only twenty minutes to sleep
But you dream of some epiphany
Just one single glimpse of relief
To make some sense of what you've seen

I am really enjoying this scent. The smokey-lavender aroma is front and center throughout top, middle, and dry down. There are undertones of pepper, honey, and sweet-flowers that I can not quite identify. Every time I think it may be too sweet for me, the peppery-smokey components pull it back into balance. It reminds me of a Renaissance Festival, where lavender and smokey incense are found everywhere. It is the kind of scent where you find yourself sniffing your arm throughout the day because it is so enchanting and engaging. I get compliments from friends on this, but I wear to please myself.

House of Matriarch Epiphany starts soon somewhat weird with a bizzarre accord of fresh leaves, pepper, aromatic spices, transcendant humid flowers (freesia?) and probably hints of aldehydes conjuring me more than vaguely the dusty/floral and earthy/vegetal Andrea Maack Silk's "molecular-ambiental" introduction. It seems to detect lichens and something vaguely mineral in a sort of prickly and "floral pollen type" way. A detectable honey (perfectly joined with the floral "buttermilk") and musky fresh oud complete the painting. The dry down is freshly musky, resinous-boise end floral in a sort of humid/lymphatic and remotely honeyed way. Frankly I'm not able to detect tobacco in this phase while I catch the vegetal pollen, the pepper (huge amount throughout), the dust, the floral sticky realism and hints of honeyed amber. The deep dry down appears somewhat soapy floral, well rounded, almost lacteous and barely ethereal. Anything groundbreaking but a must try for all those persons (women in particular) looking for something fizzy-musky with a freak-chic twist.
P.S= Along the deep dry down I finally detect a sort of soapy woodiness with an herbal undertone and hints of creamy tobacco. I detect just vague olfactory conjurations about Creed Royal Oud and Gaultier Fleur du Male.