A sense of Sunset
By Jo Phillips
As the sun sinks slowly, the day calms and drifts off leaving a period of utter restfulness, that comes with its colours and scents; from the late orange glow of the early evening sky to the delights of Champa Jasmine, Tuberose, Frangipani and Agarwood whispering their gifts in the scented air all the way to the scent of tiles from a stone terrace still warm from the heat of the golden sun. And don’t forget the seasonal fruits and citrus offerings that generously waft around. An evening made most delightful be the very face of resting in a city garden in Saigon.
The city of Saigon Vietnam is surrounded by the Saigon River and is dotted with smatterings remnants of its history seen through its architecture that hosts both Chinese and French styles. A nod to its colonial past. This was the ‘pick up’ for Kate Crofton-Atkins who moved there and fell in love. As a skincare and fragrance specialist, it took very little time for her to open her heart to her surroundings and from that create a range as an ode to this remarkable location.
Partnering with a New York-based fragrance house, Kate spent over a year working with essential oils harvested from unique plants in order to produce the perfect combination of scents to reflect Asia’s diverse flora and distinctive blend of East Asian charm.
The collection contains body washes and lotions with scents explored like Vietnamese Rose and Delentii. The Paphiopedilum Delenatii a rare French orchid is found in south-eastern Vietnam, and so this silky scent celebrates the divinity of fresh-cut flowers, the light fresh delicate aroma is made up with the queen of the garden, the rose, alongside bergamot, a whisper of violet, rosewood and, of course, the scented orchid, Delentii.A total meeting of France and Vietnam.
Also find in the body and bath collection, delightful aromas of Frangipani and Neroli as well as the delicious offering, of the most voluptuous of florals, the tuberose, here paired with ripe wild fig, and in the hand cream collection also discover another scent white jasmine and gardenia.
The Tuberose and wild Fig pictures on the left is described as ‘capturing the delightful freshness of newly cut flowers, and a ‘citrus noir fragrance that captures the romance of a sun-warmed garden as it unfolds its enchanting scents into the evening air. With succulent notes of wild fig, tuberose and that night-flowering jasmine who offers up her best scent only of an evening combine with zesty bergamot, dry green vetiver and the warmth of cedarwood.
All the body washes are enriched with grape seed extract, a natural antioxidant, and aloe barbadensis leaf, a natural moisturising agent, whilst all the body lotions are enriched with natural extracts of sweet almond oil, argan oil, shea butter and aloe vera, allowing the soothing lotion to quickly absorbed to leave skin feeling hydrated and looking smoother. All the hand & body washes are sulfate and paraben-free. The hand lotions are enriched with Vitamin E, and are paraben and silicone-free too.
By now you must be in scent heaven, salivating at the sounds of these scents but take it another step forward and join us in a living room that is fragranced by both candles and reed diffusers with the same perfumes plus a few more.
Find Water Hyacinth and Lime blossom where fresh bright fizzy lime meets with woody notes of water hyacinth, here reminiscent of lazy afternoons on the banks of the Saigon River. Sunshine hot, yet cooled by the river water
Or maybe Juniper and Ginger is more your calling? delightfully ‘piney’ aromatic, crisp juniper sits here with sweet fizzy spicy ginger. It also has hints of warm clove, fresh bergamot and earthy patchouli blended with the freshness of eucalyptus. Think lush, green evergreen hills and thick woody expanses for a fresh uplifting sensual experience.
Also, find Agarwood and Amber, Cedar and Vietnamese Oud and Vanille and Tabac scented candles within the collection.
Cochine candles contain eco-friendly cotton wicks and the creamiest botanical wax from renewable resources using this more natural alternative to paraffin wax. With burn times of 50 hours that will fill a room fully.
The reed diffusers come in the same fragrances as the candles and are set with between 4 and 8 rattan reeds into the bottle of essential oil. Safe to leave unattended these scent giving reeds absorb the oil to create a perfect background scent for your home.
The brand is beautifully presented and so offers a few key home items to set off the scent collections, find treasure boxes, matchbox holders, photo frames and drinks trays all of which add a touch of eastern finesse to your home. The brand also has new releases coming that we will keep you abreast of because you really will not want to miss out on these.
Fragrance of any kinds will always take us to divine places. Its connection to our memory is well documented, as the part of the brain that deals with our sense of smell, sits right next to the brain area dealing with memory. So whether it be a sense of ‘smell-memory’ of your own or a delicious collection provided by someone else who has shared their loving insights, smell really does impact our emotional physical and spiritual health. So if the aromas of the East draw you explore Cochine in-depth and you too can sit in the gardens of Saigon.
To find out more visits Cochine.co.uk Here
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