Salamanca is a Spanish university town halfway between Madrid and the Portuguese border, an island of culture in the middle of “charro” (cowboy) country, the part of Spain where bulls are raised for the ring, and acorn-fed pigs are raised for the famous air-cured jamon (ham). To capture the midsummer atmosphere of dusty, sweet fields of dry grass and weeds, old stone buildings and the leather goods sold in the shops on the Rua Mayor, Salamanca is for all lovers of leather, hay, hot sun beating on dry grass, and water evaporating from wet stones by the trickling river. Most of all, it’s for those who love old stone cities, hot sun, and wide-open spaces basking under a crystalline blue sky. Released in 2012 and created by Ellen Covey, Salamanca features notes of hay absolute, tonka, mitti (an attar made in India by distilling the scent of clay), vetiver, immortelle absolute, African helichrysum oil, labdanum absolute, opoponax, a leather accord created especially for use in this fragrance and yellow mimosa absolute. Salamanca is a parfum.
OLYMPIC ORCHIDS SALAMANCA REVIEWS
Fragrantica: "This fragrance is so close to what I imagined my perfect fragrance to be and I never realized it until now. I've had the bottle for a little over a year now, but I first sampled it several years ago. I remember it being heavy on the leather at first spray, smelling almost chemical-y, but I liked that. Over time the leather would warm up and soften (I literally imagined a stiff leather jacket getting loosened up and worn in) into the more earthy/sweet notes. I grew up where hay bales are a normal part of the landscape, and I don't ever think I caught Hay on this fragrance then. It was just a masculine chemically leather scent with spice to me. Over time, and who knows if it was my body chemistry or the ingredients, or my ability to smell new things in it after getting used to it--it changed! The way it smells to me now is only leather as a foundation, but its instead extremely effervescent and mineraly right at the beginning and throughout. It's so beautiful. I understand the yellow mimosa note now and it really does work so well with the leather and the vaguely petrichor / dry grass situation. Every time I spray it I feel like its some strange citrusy dirty mineral water, but weighed down with the clay and leather so it's got body and staying power, doesnt fly away. This really is a work of art to me, by far my fave Ellen Covey scent."
Fragrantica: "WOW. This is blowing my mind. I'm getting a lot of mitti attar, which I'm absolutely reveling in. Given the fact that a few nights ago I slept in a cabin made of clay and straw in the woods, I can confirm that this does in fact smell like actual clay from the earth (this is a compliment). There's a warm, hazy quality that accompanies the earthy and acrid scent of clay. This dry, husky element reminds me of hay bales warmed under the sun’s rays. Every now and then I catch a splash of marine seaweed funk, which is more than welcome. I pick up the molasses-like fragrance of immortelle in the late dry-down accompanied by sticky opoponax. Salamanca pairs dry, cracked earth with moist and wet notes along with a flourish of warm resin. The result is a delightfully unique take on leather that truly leaves me impressed. Wearing this makes me feel like a large and elusive lizard basking on a rock in the sun. Excellent."
Fragrantica: "Probably the most unique on leather I've put my nose on yet. This is niche proper. I get leather, permanent marker, dry earth and most importantly motor oil. The motor oil association is pleasant, it transports me to spending time with my Grandfather in his Auto shop. Projection is huge(gf hated it) longevity is impressive. I saw someone mention picking up a celery note, I smell it too on the deep dry down."
Fragrantica: "I understand the inspiration behind this scent but to me it's cowboy outlaw scent like Red Dead Redemption. Late 1800s. Dry grasses and equally dry leather heated up by the midday sun; dusty road leading to a town being industrialized. It's such a strong association, I cannot shake it. It's not a scent I personally would wear but it is so well done and it's one of a kind."
Fragrantica: "A beautiful leathery vetiver in the mode of Djedi (so I see the connection to "Onda"). This starts in a different place than the long-lost Guerlain, however. This begins with an intriguing herbal, marine, leather-earthy scent (the clay/mitti attar is definitely a presence!) whereas Djedi starts with a bold aldehydic floral. Because of that, Djedi's drydown into animalic, bone-dry vetiver is startling, and the herbal-seaweed-leather notes in Salamanca segue quite seamlessly into an ambery, grassy, vetiver drydown. This is the big place where the scents intersect--a bold vetiver-prominent base tied together with sticky labdanum, animalic leather, and little hints of vanillic/coumarinic sweetness and musks to bring it all together. Intriguing, bold, and wearable."
Fragrantica: "I love how this just transports you to a place. You’re wearing thick rubbery leather armour in a sandstone house, surrounded by a collection of clay pots. It is absolutely unwearable. It’s intensely strong, especially the leather. That said, it is very cool how it transports you to a place."
Fragrantica: "Opens with the most incredible leather and clay notes. I’m blown away by the depth achieved in this artistry. The underlying herbal green notes come forward after about a half hour to reveal a celeriac quality- green and salty. This is one of those perfumes that touches on almost unwearable for me because it is so niche, yet I have to have a small bottle just so I can wear it for me sometimes. This house is full of masterpieces - their perfumes are so special and will appeal to the weirdos who don’t want to smell like everyone else. Bravo."
