British fragrance house Illuminum have been on my radar since I first started my blog. I attended a Keziah Connections event at their offices in Dover Street and have been watching the brand grow and develop over the past three years. Despite the brand supplying the fragrance that Catherine Middleton wore on her wedding day and the popularity that followed the brand as a result, Illuminum have kept to their niche fragrance roots incorporating high percentages of essential oils (fifteen percent in the vaporizer range) and sourcing the highest quality ingredients
lluminum is available in selected House of Fraser stores and the beautiful fragrance hall at Fortnum and Mason. Dover Street, however, remains my favourite place to experience the variety of smells the brand has to offer. Creative influences for the brand come from a range of sources and they regularly collaborate artists. Most recently they have worked with Italian architect Antonino Cardillo to transform the Dover Street space into something quite unexpected. If you are in London over the summer it is definitely worth a visit.
On me, White Datura opens with sparkling citrus notes. As a citrus fan, I am happy and for the first twenty minutes after spraying I smell like zesty lemons and bergamot with a does of white floral. As the citrus dries the bold floral is exposed. Datura inoxia is part of the nightshade family of plants and all parts of the datura are toxic if ingested so it is also known as the fatal flower. Illuminum is not the only fragrance house to use this intense flower in their range – Serge Lutens (Datura Noir) and Illamasqua (Freak) also feature this note. Illuminum have a fragrance in their haute range (over thirty percent essential oils) called Trumpet Flower which also features white datura.
I would describe the datura note jasmine’s dirtier more intense cousin. As the day progresses, the floral element stays dominant. I don’t get the creaminess of vanilla or powdery-ness of musk even though both notes are in the blend. This is not a fragrance that storms into the room before you do. It stays quite close to the body after you have applied it. Having written all of the above, Illuminum is a brand that really needs to be experienced, preferably at Dover Street when you have the time to really take in the fragrance. If you like a floriental there is a good chance that you will like this fragrance. If you don’t like florientals, you are very likely to find a different fragrance from the range that you enjoy.
White Datura from Illuminum is available in fifty and one hundred millilitre bottles and prices start from seventy pounds
PR Sample