Posted on January 27, 2019 by Matriarch Blog
Posted in article, christi meshell, creatrix, feature, fragrance, house of matriarch, indie beauty, indie perfume, interview, mystic, natural fragrances, natural perfumer, niche, niche fragrances, niche perfume, niche perfumes, perfume news, Perfumer, women in fragrance, women perfumers
Posted on March 04, 2017 by Christi Meshell
High Perfumery is a branch of Epicureanism. Those familiar with the philosophies of Epicureanism know that the goals are beauty, inspiration and tranquility - the same goals of fine fragrance creation. Here, I share my Manifesta of High Perfumery - the 8 standards which can elevate a perfume from a mere scent to a work of High Art.
Epicureanism must be distinguished from hedonism, which always involves a negative aftermath - a price to pay. If the restraint necessary for the practice of Epicureanism is lost, the pleasure is corrupted into divine discontent and dis-ease ensues. A perfume can be exceptionally beautiful and alluring, however if it does not meet the standards of Epicureanism, it cannot be considered High Perfumery.
NATURE IS THE ULTIMATE LUXURY
Posted in 100% natural perfume, alchemy, christi meshell, creative, epicurean, essence, fragrance, fragrance house, fragrances, high, house, industry, inspiration, manifesta, noble, olfactory, perfume, perfumer, perfumery, savor, secrets, the best, tranquility
Posted on November 10, 2016 by Matriarch Blog
Posted in alchemy, american made, aromatherapy, artisan, artisan perfume, beauty, christi meshell, correnspondences, crystals, Designer, essential oils, fragrance, healing, house of matriarch, incense, indie brand, intention, Intuitive, Kabbalah, luxury fragrance, luxury perfume, made in USA, magic, magic perfumes, magical tables, Making Perfume, matriarch, mystic, natural, natural fragrances, natural perfume, niche, perfume, perfume house, Perfume Making, Perfumer, ritual, sacred, Seattle, top artisan perfumes, Top Perfumers
Posted on February 02, 2015 by Matriarch Blog
CHRISTI MESHELL, the owner and nose behind the Bellevue-based line House of Matriarch High Perfumery, dips her finger into a jar of tobacco-leaf extract and rubs some on the top of my hand, and in an instant I am transported back decades to my grandfather’s tobacco farm in Kentucky. Sticky-sweet tobacco leaves, old barns, haylofts, manure — the scent-memory is unblemished, like a perfectly preserved photograph.
It gives me goose bumps.
Meshell, with her flowing black hair, sumptuous silk prints, sparkly platform heels and fairy goddess grin, is an agent provocateur of scent, melding wildly intriguing elements into luxury fragrances that defy easy descriptions.
She was raised in oil country — Port Arthur, Texas — but she’s a Northwest hippie medicine woman at heart. Every morning she drinks a glass of water infused with frankincense essence. “It’s good for you,” she insists.
Meshell leads her guests past a to-scale human skeleton hanging by the stairwell that leads up to the plush design studio of her atelier, which is decked out like an eccentric sultan’s parlor (that’s a unicorn bust hanging on one wall; that’s a live white dove perched in a picnic basket by the window; that’s loungy electro by Thievery Corporation blaring on the speaker system).
Meshell sits cross-legged on the floor and begins the interview by burning a series of opulent tree resins: Pine, then dragon’s blood, then oud, which is so precious a piece no bigger than a fingernail costs $5.
The smoke rises and curls like a dancing ghost and forms a cloud above our heads.
“This is the original ‘perfume’ — it literally means ‘through smoke,’ ” Meshell says, during a mini-lesson on the evolution of fragrance, from its use in fumigating living quarters and hair to its use in prayer, ceremonies, courtship and other life pursuits.
Meshell says her sense of smell is so exact, she can tell that a man is smoking a Cohiba cigar from a block away. She says she can smell textures, too. Put a cactus close to her face and its physical prickliness will tickle her imagination.
“Your nose is kind of the last real touch point to the natural world,” she says. “It’s like you’re being touched by nature.”
This allows Meshell to work like a collage artist, composing multilayered fragrances with spectacular resonance that project something of the wearer onto everyone who comes near.
“It’s the last thing you put on before leaving the house,” Meshell says. “It’s that mood that you carry with you, your essence, your invisible aura.”
The smell of Puget Sound seaweed mixed with evergreen extracts, cannabis, animal musk and about 300 other ingredients brings a chilled-out, mystical and sexy vibe to the Blackbird perfume Meshell made in a collaboration with the Seattle fragrance brand.
For some customers, she says, her long-lasting, $120 to $300 full-size perfumes are the only material indulgence they allow themselves.
As Meshell shows off a wall-length bookshelf with hundreds of bottled ingredients, she says that some are derived directly from the Pacific Northwest. A blazingly intense lavender essence comes from plants grown in Redmond. She makes seaweed essence with washed-up kelp she gathers on beach walks.
Her favorite place to visit is the Hoh Rain Forest on the Olympic Peninsula with its hanging moss.
“This is the last enchanted forest, and we live in it,” Meshell says of the Northwest in general.
“Nature,” she says, “is the ultimate luxury.”
Tyrone Beason is a Seattle Times, Pacific NW Magazine staff writer. He can be reached at tbeason@seattletimes.com. Alan Berner is a Seattle Times staff photographer.
Posted in agent provocateur of scent, american made, art and business, artisan, artisan fragrance, artisan perfume, Bellevue-based, cannabis, christi meshell, custom fragrance, custom perfume, eastside, Enchanted forest, enchanted forests, evergreen extracts, fine fragrance, fragrance design, fragrance house, high perfumery, Hoh Rain Forest, hookah perfume, house of matriarch, indie perfume, indie perfumer, Local perfume, locally sourced, luxury fragrance, luxury perfume, matriarch, natural, natural perfume, natural perfume manufacturer, natural perfumes, nature, nature is the ultimate luxury, new luxury brand, new natural perfumes, new perfumes, niche, niche fragrance, northwest, Northwest Essence, northwest hippie, olfaction, Olympic Peninsula, original perfume, Pacific Northwest, Pacific NW Magazine, perfume house, Perfumer, private label fragrance, Puget Sound seaweed, raw materials, Redmond Lavender, Seattle, seattle art, seattle fragrance, Seattle fragrance brand, seattle perfume, The Seattle Times, through smoke, tobacco, top artisan perfumes, ultimate luxury, united states, vegan perfumes, washington, west coast, woman owned business
Posted on January 19, 2014 by Matriarch Blog
Located on Seattle's Eastside, House of Matriarch creates perfumes and flavors for niche market segments and independent private labels. Our award winning perfumes are created with timeless methods and noble materials. Through the ancient Royal Art of High Perfumery, we enter the Temple of Alchemy to embody fragrance at its highest: Mother Nature in liquid form.
Our Perfumer and brand visionary, Christi Meshell is "the Nose" behind some of the most compelling new fragrances in today's niche marketplace. Her versatility as both Creative Director and Fragrance Composer allow her to single-handedly develop a concept from initial inspiration through final display. Each of her creations is an original design, composed from her proprietary accords and without any premixed bases or fillers. Critics and fans continually laud her designs with accolades like "The Gold Standard in Fragrance", "Genius in a Bottle" and "The Priestess of Perfumery".
A mystical heritage has called her the lifelong study of magical correspondences, plant medicine and sacred cosmology, knowledge which finds practical application in the fragrance creation process. In August, 2013 Christi received the title Top Artisan Perfumer at the International Fragrance Awards and in December, 2013 House of Matriarch was named TOP INDIE FRAGRANCE HOUSE of 2013 by Cafleurebon. Her work has also been praised in Men's Journal, Sunset Magazine and Seattle Magazine.
Christi launched her first perfume in Bellevue in 2009, and she's been churning out award winning compositions under her own Matriarch brand and for private labels all around the world. Her first cult classic, BLACKBIRD created a stir in fragrance circles in 2012 when it beat out anchor brands like Versace and Chanel in sniff tests. Some say BLACKBIRD marked the "dawn of a new era in perfumery" . Now all eyes are on Seattle and the "fragrance revolution" she has been credited with igniting.
"Beauty will save the World." C. Meshell
Posted in american made, art, artisan, artist, awards, beauty, beauty will save the world, best fall fragrances, best fragrances for 2014, best winter fragrances, blackbird, bohemian black, christi meshell, community, conceptual fragrance, creatrix, custom fragrance, custom perfume, design, fine fragrance, fragrance, fragrance creation, fragrantica, high perfumery, house, house of matriarch, indie, indie fragrance, luxury, luxury perfume, manufacturer, masterpiece, matriarch, meaningful luxury, mens journal, natural perfume manufacturer, new luxury brand, new natural perfumes, new perfumes, niche, northwest, olfaction, perfume house, perfumer, premier, royal priestess of perfumery, Seattle, seattle fragrance, seattle perfume, sexiest scent, tastemakers, top perfumers, top perfumes, west coast, woman owned business, world, worlds best perfumers
Ⓒ House of Matriarch 2008-2023
