NOSTALGIA (A SONNET FOR GRASSE)

Nostalgia is a love song to the French-Alps village of Grasse, where Kismet-founder Shabnam Tavakol studied perfumery. Structured on poetry’s 14-line sonnet form, the fragrance is composed of 14 raw materials. Nostalgia’s first stanza is based on seductive suede, saffron, and leather accords, evoking Grasse’s roots as an epicenter of tanning in the Middle Ages. Heart notes include Rose de mai and nagarmotha as a nod to Grasse’s rise as the world’s perfume capital in the 18th century—home to hillside flower fields that meet the Mediterranean Sea. At its volta, Nostalgia turns upwards towards anisic top notes inspired by Pastis—the complex, herbal aperitif with which Shabnam developed an intimate relationship during after-school hours at Grasse’s sole watering hole, Le Crystal. At once leathery, musky, floral, herbal, smoky, and spicy, Nostalgia is a unisex scent intoxicating to men, women, and everyone in between. Feelings : Adventurous, Bold, Rich, Deep, Confident Top: AniseHeart: Tonka Bean, Rose de maiBase: Leather, Suede, Nagarmotha Note: Our fragrances are made by hand in small batches, are unfiltered, and contain a high concentration of natural raw materials—therefore, some cloudiness or sediment may occur. 10ML or 50ML ARE YOUR FRAGRANCES ALL-NATURAL? NON-TOXIC? DO THEY USE RAW MATERIALS SYNTHETICS? CHEMICALS? PARABENS? Our fragrances represent custom small-batch formulation, hand-selecting only the finest oils and ethically sustainable raw materials in our dedication to artful olfactive storytelling. We are not, and do not claim to be, an all-natural perfume brand, but we certainly pride ourselves in being natural dominant. We do not put parabens in our perfumes, but there are trace amounts of natural preservatives. This is in the interest of the client, so that their perfumes have a 2-year shelf life rather than 2-month. Yes, we use some synthetics in our compositions. There are things you learn in perfumery that make this topic not so black and white. Just because something is “natural” doesn’t mean it’s safe. There are many natural raw materials thatare dangerous or have allergens that irritate or burn the skin. Synthetics are essentially lab created materials that mimic scent profiles or the natural world while still being safe to apply to the skin. Synthetics can also be a more sustainable alternative to some endangered natural raw materials—for example, natural Indian Sandalwood and Brazilian Rosewood are now extinct dueto over-harvesting; in cases like this, synthetics are sustainable substitutes. For that reason, to be fully safety compliant, we use both naturals and synthetics to ensure a harmonious and safe composition. ARE YOUR FRAGRANCES ALLERGY TESTED? Our fragrances are in compliance with International Fragrance Association (IFRA) standards both in the US & EU. ARE YOUR FRAGRANCES CRUELTY-FREE / VEGAN? Yes, our fragrances are 100% vegan and cruelty-free. We do not test on animals. HOW TO MAKE A PERFUME LAST LONGER? Truth be told, fragrances wear very differently on different skin types. There are also many contributing factors, like: weather, sweat, how you apply, how much you apply, etc. Two tricks of the trade we always share with our customers for longevity is to spray your clothes and spray your hair. The more fiber a fragrance can attach to, the longer it has a chance to last. HOW COME THERE IS SOME CLOUDINESS / SEDIMENT IN THE PERFUME? We use a very high concentration of natural raw materials, hence why our price points are slightly higher than “market standard." With that said, we also do not filter our fragrances. That means oftentimes there is naturally occurring sediment, fat from flowers, or debris from the distillation processes that could be floating in the liquid. There is nothing harmful or dangerous about this. You can compare / imagine the way natural wines have sediment at the bottom of the bottle and can flow into your glass with some cloudiness.