Words you can smell.
Disclaimer: I haven't done work for 4160 Tuesdays. I made this billboard as as my submission for a challenge created by Word Tonic: Gen-Z Writing Community in collaboration with Sarah McCartney, perfumer and founder of 4160 Tuesdays. It involved writing a press release to a publication of my choosing. I chose Vogue, therefore focusing on the luxurious scent of the perfume.
This was the result:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Ever Wanted To Smell Like A Shakespearean Masterpiece?
4160 Tuesdays announces Sonnet No.1, A Fragrant Mosaic of Floral Shakespearean Symbolism
Sarah McCartney, self-taught perfumer and founder, gives the bard’s love of botanical language olfactory form
London, UK: Expect a poetic touch in stores come mid-February. The London based artisanal perfumery, 4160 Tuesdays, will be releasing the eponymous Sonnet No. 1 in BritYard on Regent Street, and possibly even the Perfumeology shop in Philadelphia.
Sunlight pours through the curtains like a sieve into the lovingly decorated room behind perfume designer, Sarah McCartney. Her lips are fabulously rouged, and through the hint of a smile, she declares her perfume “slap-bang in the middle of gorgeous.”
More than a paragon of impeccable taste, it speaks to McCartney’s artistic excellence, which is evermore exemplified by Sonnet No. 1.
Named for Shakespeare’s first sonnet mentioning “beauty’s rose,” McCartney designed the fragrance to capture the aroma of the playwright’s favourite flowers. It is no secret that he adored them, often alluding to their meaning in order to emphasise a character’s inner world or the atmosphere of a scene in many of his plays. He spoke to his audiences through the language of flowers, and it seems there is no end to the world of inspiration Shakespeare has built around it. It has intertwined itself in song, weaved its way through prose both classic and contemporary. But today, it finds itself in a bottle.
Sonnet No. 1 is deeply romantic. The fragrance is an anthology of fresh flowers and smooth, earthy undertones. From the outset, it delivers a refreshing spritz of rose otto, sweet lily, and Bulgarian lavender. This gives way to reveal a heart of violet, narcissus absolute, which becomes intensely seductive with its rich, fruity tones and hints of spice, and rose absolute. The rose absolute evokes a more intense aroma than the otto, closer to the original scent of fresh rose. At its base, French hay, beeswax, and musk provide a cocooning finish. The hay is rather reminiscent of that freshly cut under a golden sun, imparting a scent that can be described as cousin to petrichor, while the beeswax bestows a honeyed softness. These notes combine to create a forest-like aroma; fresh, woodsy, and evergreen, accented by floral accords both sweet and subtle.
Shakespeare is forever immortalised as one of the greatest playwrights humanity could have ever offered, but the sense of smell is a potent force, one which McCartney masters brilliantly. The closest thing to time travel, this olfactory rendition of Shakespeare’s literary excellence transports its wearer to Queen Elizabeth I’s court in 1595, where Burbage would have performed. There has truly never been a more perfect way to smell like art incarnate.
For those keen to get their fill of this enchanting potion, but are not local to London, do not fret. The eau de parfum will be available to order on 4160 Tuesdays’ online shop in two sizes, 15ml and 30ml, priced at £60 and £95 respectively.
