Marie Antoinette, the infamous young queen of France had a perfume created for her by her royal court perfumeur - Jean-Louis Fargeon. Naturally he created an opulent, no expense spared fragrance exclusively for her. Inspired by the rose filled garden at Le Petit Trianon, this mysterious fragrance was kept in a black jade flask, which the queen kept with her always. Luckily for us Monsieur Fargeon had an apprentice, Pierre Lubin, who perhaps paid more attention to the formula than he should have. Known in the Lubin archives for years as the 'jardin secret', the formula has been newly revived with the help of one of Marie's black jade bottles that had been hidden away by a confidante. Fittingly it is now known as Black Jade.

The perfume is rich, seductive and alluring. As delicioulsy extravagant as you would expect from a queen notorious for her lavish tastes. This was a tribute to her beloved garden, so of course there are flowers, but this is no simple country garden. These are flowers fit for royalty. Lush, satiny roses and frilly jasmine are embroidered with cardamom and cinnamon and exotic incense. Then layered over a velvety base of patchouli, tonka bean, vanilla and amber. The opening is surprisingly cool and spicy, then as the floral heart opens and the roses bloom, it becomes warm, enticing and compelling. Exquisitely confident and unapologetically luxurious.

Black Jade eau de parfum - 100ml - $249