For obvious Covid reasons, travel-inspired perfumes continue to have a compelling appeal. There’s no shortage of vicarious options. But Ella K Pluie Sur Ha Long has been particularly attractive to me in recent months.
Ella K was founded by Sonia Constant in 2018. A senior perfumer at Givaudan, she has created several high-profile fragrances since the start of her career in 2006. Recent creations include Jean Paul Gaultier La Belle, Mugler Angel Nova, Tom Ford Ombré Leather and Narciso Rodriguez Musc Noir For Her.
SOUGHT AFTER: When not creating perfumes for her own brand, Sonia Constant produces fragrances for companies such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Narciso Rodriguez and Tom Ford. Image: Ella K.
Her niche company is an outlet for her own creativity, beyond the briefs of demanding and perhaps limiting clients. It centres on the adventures of the character Ella K.
From the brand’s launch collection, Ella K Pluie Sur Ha Long evokes the memory of sailing on a junk boat in the Unesco Heritage Site bay in north Vietnam (see below).
Image: Vietnam National Administration of Tourism. https://vietnam.travel
It’s the monsoon season, with water everywhere, so this EDP is an aquatic scent, but without the clichés of that genre.
That aquatic vibe comes through right at the start with floral notes of lotus (see below) and water lily. The perfumer makes the most of their fresh and airy wateriness. There’s more floralcy in the way of rich notes of cyclamen and magnolia, which bring on the sensual humidity. Apparently, there’s a note of rhubarb in the mix, but I don’t pick it up. Clean musk adds the finishing touch in the drydown.
Image: Jay Kastor / unsplash.com.
Pluie Sur Ha Long isn’t the first fragrance I’ve tried from Ella K. Like Poème de Sagano, Cri du Kalahari, Epupa mon Amour and Baiser de Florence, it translates its inspiration into luxuriant and expressive reality. And still leaves plenty to the imagination.
Ella K Pluie Sur Ha Long is available at Skins Cosmetics.
