They say you find love when you’re not looking for it. For me, this couldn’t be truer. I was not looking for a new perfume. But I was seduced, smitten. What first caught my attention was the the beautiful bottles, each with a pewter medallion and cap that has a different etched design, reminding me very much of the intricate carvings at the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. It’s like a sculpture or an interesting piece of jewelry. I started going through the bottles, sniffing all, and spritzing the ones I liked. Then I found it. A mesmerizing aroma that spoke to me. I had to have it. I’d never heard of the line, but so what. Adventuress from Boadicea the Victorious is my new fragrant love. It’s a soul stirring scent.
Bodi what? How do you say that? Michael Boadi, British hair stylist to models and stars, developed this line, which he launched in 2008. According to the Boadicea website, the name is more than an extension of his own.
Boadicea is Britain’s archetypal warrior queen: she shaped he mould that inspired later rulers like Elizabeth and Victoria when carving out the contours of the kingdom and empire. Her ferocity, dignity and bravery still inspire, and continue to inform our concept of courage and feminine valor. The warrior queen’s iconic ferocity, passion and strength are the very principles that motivate and drive the luxury branch which bears her name.
Yes, these are memorable and powerful fragrances (without being overpowering), but I think very feminine too. I know when I can’t stop sniffing my wrist where I’ve applied, that I want to go back and smell time and time again, then that’s a keeper.
Adventuress reminds me of another fragrance I love, Aria di Capri, by Carthusia. When I compared notes in both perfumes, I found that peach, a lush ripe peach, is in both. (I am truly a southern girl at heart). I have another peach scent, M’oma by Italian perfumer Laura Tonatto. None of these fragrances are cloyingly sweet. Instead they are rich and alluring.
Another intriguing aspect of Boadicea is that the First Lady is a fan. When Michelle O’Bama was in London in June 2009, she went to the Boadicea counter at Harrod’s. Apparently she liked the line so much that she bought three fragrances: Delicate, Divine and Noble. Not my favorites, these are lighter and more subtle than Adventuress, and the others scents I really like, Intense and Exotic.
There are three places in the US where you can find the Boadicea line: Henri Bendel and Avery Perfumes in New York City, and at Scent Bar in Los Angeles (also on their website Lucky Scent).
