L’EAU DE TAÏPI Exotic Water Body Splash Cologne by Jardins D’Écrivains.

The perfect antidote for “Spring Fever” and the Late-Winter Blues after more than a year of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fragrance Give-away.

*TWO 300 ml family-size bottles of L’EAU DE TAÏPI generously offered by 1) François Hénin, founder and owner of Jovoy Paris Parfums Rares , and 2) Anaïs Biguine founder and owner of Jardins D’Écrivains.

* SIX signed copies of my book, BAD GIRLS PERFUME.

“Spring Fever and L’EAU DE TAÏPI by Jardins D’Écrivains” is a Bad Girls Perfume One-Woman-Show video recounting how the Exotic Water Body Splash Cologne L’EAU DE TAÏPI  magically transforms my mood and makes EVERYTHING better, from my bathroom to the entire house, and even – well, you’ll just have to see!

See how to qualify for Give-Away below.

 

L’EAU DE TAÏPI — the juice

L’EAU DE TAÏPI is a sparkling clean burst of sea mist bearing a floral aquatic fragrance, exotic yet tantalizingly familiar – sharp and heady in one instant, suave and dreamy in the next.

Top notes: Bergamote – Tamarin – Elemi;

Heart Notes: Frangipanier – Marine – Coco;

Base Notes: Musc blanc – Tiaré.

 

Personal and Imaginative Analysis of L’EAU DE TAÏPI

Its bright sunny zesty-ness comes from the Bergamot;

Its exoticism come from

*The flirty and juicy, spicy fruitiness of Tamarind;

*The lemon-like sweetness and sharp pine-y staying power of Elemi resin;

*The heady and unabashed sexuality, similar to that of a jasmine or gardenia of the Tiare Flower;

*The cover-girl for sexiness and hot sultry nights — Frangipani, so often featured among the flowers on a tropical-print bikini, is seductive, heady, and strong;

Its irresistible comfort and reassuring smoothness that can hover for hours caressing the air and my skin like soft voices on a breeze — comes from its heart of Tiare Flower and coconut oil;

*Its immaculate purity and sparkling cleanliness, as I imagine Earth on the First Day of Creation, peacefully gazing about in primal innocence and wonder, comes from the White Musc.

Ah, yes and:

*Sea Water– Whether as a cooling cloud floating above the ancient volcanic peak of a desert island; or as the warm and liquid source of all life, lapping at my feet and swelling towards distant shores as far as the eye can see, glistening and fertile, calling me away, far away.

A spritz of L’EAU DE TAÏPI, and I’m the intrepid adventuress whose travels have transported me to a far-away land. I swim in azure waters lapping beaches of fine white sand. I bathe in sun-dappled lagoons beneath rushing cascades and steep mountains. Flowers are everywhere — in my hair, bobbing on the water, and clinging to the mossy cliffs towering above my head and disappearing into a cloud. Soft melodic voices speak to me in an unfamiliar language, calling and teasing, generous with laughter. The world of L’EAU DE TAÏPI is a lush and fragrant jungle paradise of white water, brilliant colors, deep green shadows, and song.

Nuku Hiva, the largest of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia.    Photo courtesy ©Caroline O’Donoghue/Lonely Planet

 

For those who like a bit more detail ….

My L’EAU DE TAÏPI story is a long one. I first discovered it a year ago at an amazing Yacht party on the Seine organized by Francois Hénin to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Jovoy , his flagship fragrance boutique in Paris.

February 29, 2020 – The Party to end all parties  “The Jovoy-Sur-Seine” Paris Yacht Party-Press Event. As fate would have it, this party was, in fact, the last of the big Parisian fragrance parties for more than a year…  Photo ©Sarah Colton

 

 

François Hénin, Owner and Founder, celebrating 10th Anniversary of Jovoy Paris at February 29, 2020 Yacht Party on the Seine      Photo ©Sarah Colton

 

I already knew Anais Biguine and her brand Jardins D’Ecrivains whose fragrances take inspiration from literary works and their authors. In my book, BAD GIRLS PERFUME, I had included a description of Jardins D’Ecrivains’ woody and spicy fragrance, ORLANDO, inspired by Virginia Wolfe’s androgynous character with eternal youth, Lord Orlando/ Lady Orlando. (p.72) For more info about Jardins D’Ecrivains, Anais Biguine’s other fragrance brands,  her boutique in the Marais district of Paris and its e-commerce website, check out Maison Jardins d’écrivains….  

L’EAU DE TAÏPI Exotic Water Body Splash Cologne is inspired by Herman Melville‘ s 1846 book Typee (Taïpi in French), based on his experiences in the Taïpivai valley on the island of Nuku Hiva,  in which Melville describes the exotic beauty and fragrances of this French Polynesian island culture in its primal glory and purity. Before smelling L’EAU DE TAÏPI, I had only been there in my dreams, so thanks to Wikipedia I learned that Nuku Hiva, is the largest of the Marquesas Islands , a part of French Polynesia.

 

Valley and waterfall on Nuku Hiva . Photo courtesy @Ben Thouard

 

 

The February  2020 Jovoy Yacht Party/Press Event was the official launch of L’EAU DE TAÏPI, so in addition to interviewing Anaïs, I was able to spend time with her over the course of the day and the glamours evening.

Anais Biguine, founder and Owner of the brand Jardins D’Ecrivains presents L’EAU DE TAÏPI at Jovoy Press Event/Yacht Party on the Seine- February 29, 2020  Photo ©Sarah Colton

 

The next day, having returned home from the party in the wee hours, it was late morning, and I was still in my pjs and bleary eyed, when I got around to opening the huge bag of fragrances and samples François had given me at the end of evening before. The bottle of L’EAU DE TAÏPI was the first thing to come clanking out on to the table, and the sight of the 300ml “industrial strength” dispenser bottle made me laugh. I loved the irony of putting a rare and delicate fragrance in such a practical, industrial-style dispenser for GET THE JOB DONE efficiency. This streak of irony and dry wit is one of the things I love best about Anaïs, and it runs through the middle of all her brands (she has several). Where, I mused, was I supposed to keep my L’EAU DE TAÏPI? Under the kitchen sink with the other cleaning products?  A quick spray, convinced me that, no, absolutely NO. I needed this crystal clean, sparklingly uplifting, and exotically transporting fragrance with me NOW, ALL TIMES, and  EVERYWHERE. I wanted to breathe it in. Live in it. And the best place to start was in my bathroom.

After showering and spraying myself liberally with L’EAU DE TAÏPI, I loved the way the bathroom smelled so much, that I kept coming in for a sniff. That’s when I decided to carry it around the house with me. I sprayed it in the kitchen. Ahhhh. And in my office. Ahhhh-HA!  I even gave it a go at the — well, you know, from my video.  The results everywhere, and especially to my mood, were MAGICAL.

The First Covid 19 Lock Down

As fate would have it, within a week of the Jovoy party, France went into full Covid 19 lock down. One of my best memories during these first few dark days was the uplifting brightness and optimism of L’EAU DE TAÏPI. 

“The Power of Fragrances vs The Covid 19 Pandemic”  – The Birth of a Bad Girls Perfume Video Series 

Around the third day of Lock Down, I decided that this uninterrupted period of Lock Down was the perfect time to finally really master my new  Adobe Premiere Pro, video editing program, and to produce some videos from start to finish. Choosing as a logical title “The Power of Fragrances vs the Covid 19 Pandemic” for what was to become a monthly series of ‘learning-as-I-go-along-(the-hard-way)- 100%-one-woman-show’ video productions. L’EAU DE TAÏPI was the first fragrances on my list.

Also, and most certainly inspired by the clean fresh smell of L’EAU DE TAÏPI, I decided that a serious cleaning up and organizing around the house was in order, a process which for me invariably means making an even bigger mess of things before I get it TRULY straightened out.

A day later, catastrophe struck. Horror of horrors,  — my bottle of L’EAU DE TAÏPI disappeared! Given the gigantic mess I had created in my apartment during the first stages of my massive clean up project, my frantic search for it came to no avail, and I despaired of ever finding it again. Not only could I not make a video without my precious bottle of L’EAU DE TAÏPI, I missed the fragrance terribly.

Taking a philosophical view, I decided that the best way to get through this Covid 19 Lock Down was to concentrate as much as possible on what was positive and joyful, and then take things one day at a time.  So after joyfully downing a glass of wine, a few glasses actually, I resolutely continued about my business for the day.

The Perfume “Borrower”

A rather L-O-N-G  seven days later, when I happened to venture into my husband’s office/man-cave, my heart leapt at a faint but unmistakably familiar odor. My L’EAU DE TAÏPI !  A hasty rustle through the clutter (he, too, was in the middle of a massive clean-up), and there it was — shining in all its glory on his desk. Hourray ! My joy was doused a moment later though, when I discovered that the bottle was — empty !  No hard feelings (MUCH…GRRRRR). I’m always happy, as you are too, maybe, (are you?), when members of my family like my fragrances and occasionally ‘borrow’ them….

Turns out it wasn’t just my husband. It only took a bit of Bad Girls Perfume Spying to snap these photos catching more than one ‘borrower’ family member  ‘red handed’ !

Specimen #1 (Identity withheld for security purposes)  Photo ©Bad Girls Perfume

 

and

Specimen #2 (Identity withheld for security purposes)  Photo ©Bad Girls Perfume

Scoundrels or Bad Grrrs ? 

But wait ! And Ooops! Not long afterward, the un-attributed photo below showed up on my desk, purportedly catching ME in the act of ‘borrowing’ back my own damn bottle of L’EAU DE TAÏPI. REALLY ! The cheek of it all !

Photo ©Unknown

Note to self:

Perhaps ‘Scoudrels’ is too harsh a word to describe these dear people. Bad Girls and Bad Boys, or perhaps, “Bad Grrrs” is the better term. After all, though outcomes can sometimes be disconcerting, it IS gratifying to know that other people, including members of my own household, actually read Bad Girls Perfume, take its wisdom to heart, and occasionally even ‘borrow a page out of my book’.

Bad Girls Perfume Tip:

Beyond all doubt, L’EAU DE TAÏPI  has enormous uni-sex and universal, family and multi-generational appeal. To avoid frustration and possibly even family strife, always keep at least 2 bottles of L’EAU DE TAÏPI going in the house at all times.

 

 The continuing sage of the  L’EAU DE TAÏPI  Video Project

By this time Jovoy was closed and locked down, and so was Maison Jardins D’Ecrivains.  No more L’EAU DE TAÏPI to be had for love or money! My L’EAU DE TAÏPI video project would have to be put on hold, and as far as my, and my family’s, personal needs for L’EAU DE TAÏPI  were concerned, we would just have to live on ‘fumes’ for a while.

Many months, and as many other ‘Bad Girls Perfume vs Covid 19’ videos later, I was finally able to procure, not one, but TWO more bottles of L’EAU DE TAÏPI from François and Anaïs.

Always a pleasure….

 

The Entrance of the Jovoy Paris boutique on the rue Castiglione.

Photo ©Sarah Colton

 

The JARDINS D’ÉCRIVAINS display at Jovoy  Photo ©Sarah Colton

 

 

The Maison Jardins D’Écrivains boutique on rue des Tournelles in the Marais district of Paris

 

 The Video, L’EAU DE TAÏPI, vs Spring Fever

Though by now it was February, this late-winter timing for a video about L’EAU DE TAÏPI  actually seemed optimal for helping combat the ‘ready-to jump-out-of-my-skin’ depression that I, and just about everyone on the planet was feeling after more than year of Covid 19 pandemic. 

The  book, Typee, vs Spring Fever

The fact that L’EAU DE TAÏPI was inspired by Herman Melville’s book, Typee, inspired ME to read it. More than 150 years after its first publication, I found this unusual first person adventure story to be highly readable, educational, entertaining.  (See excerpt below).

In addition to descriptions of unspoiled lush and primal beauty and fragrances of French Polynasia, Melville makes thought-provoking existential and philosophical observations about the quality of life among the ‘savages’ he meets on his island adventure, in comparison to the life the European and North Americans brought to enlighten and civilize them.

Excerpt from Typee

In Chapter 17 (for some reason my edition of the book does not have page numbers….)

“…When I looked around the verdant recess… , and gazed up to the summits of the lofty eminence that hemmed me in, I was well disposed to think that I was in the ‘Happy Valley’, and that beyond those heights there was naught but a world of care and anxiety.  As I extended my wanderings in the valley and grew more familiar with the habits of its inmates, I was fain to confess that, despite the disadvantages of his condition, the Polynesian savage, surrounded by all the luxurious provisions of nature, enjoyed an infinitely happier, though certainly a less intellectual existence than the self-complacent European.

“The naked wretch who shivers beneath the bleak skies, and starves among the inhospitable wilds of Tierra-del-Fuego, might indeed be made happier by civilization, for it would alleviate his physical wants.  But the voluptuous Indian, with every desire supplied, whom Providence has bountifully provided with all the sources of pure and natural enjoyment, and from whom are removed so many of the ills and pains of life — what has he to desire at the hands of Civilization?  She may ‘cultivate his mind — may elevate his thoughts’ — these I believe are the established phrases — but will he be the happier? Let the once smiling and populous Hawaiian islands, with their now diseased, starving, and dying natives, answer the question. The missionaries may seek to disguise the matter as they will, but the facts are incontrovertible; and the devoutest Christian, who visits that group with an unbiased mind, may go away mournfully asking — ‘ Are these, alas!  the fruits of twenty-five years of enlightening?”

Further in the same chapter, Melville observes that

“…the continuous happiness, which so far as I was able to judge appeared to prevail in the valley, sprang principally from that all-pervading sensation which Rousseau has told us be at one time experienced, the mere buoyant sense of a healthful physical existence…”

 

The Transformative Power of Art Imitating Life Imitating Art

My Art Imitating Life Imitating Art experience of L’EAU DE TAÏPI the fragrance, and TYPEE the book, was both enriching and transformative. And like so many art forms, far from being limited in time and space, its power and sillage continues to amaze me, day in and day out, enriching and transporting my thoughts and dreams… 

Thus, I humbly offer the suggestions in this piece and this video as an antidote to Spring Fever and Covid-19 Pandemic Blues, and invite you to come away with me!

Sarah and the Bad Girls

 

Art Imitating Life Imitating Art     Photo © Florence Villeminot

 

TO QUALIFY for GIVE AWAY, please like, comment, share, whatever makes you feel good, and by all means – dream! After all, just a spritz of L’EAU DE TAÏPI can transport us all to the exotic beauty, fragrances and JOYS of French Polynesia in its primal glory and purity …Ahhhhhh. See you there!

FIN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9 comments

  1. Jon Snow |

    Wow, back with a bang and a spring breeze to warm us all up. Living in the UK I almost would ask yourself and the wonderful French folk to just fill our air with this to cheer up our grey dreary Island 😜 I mean it worked on your kitchen 😂. Aw Mr Sarah just clearly appreciates all the best things doesn’t he. And that book sounds like something I need to read, I enjoy a real unglorified look at our histories.

    Great to see back and bringing your sunshine ❤️

    • Sarah Colton |

      Awww, Jon. Your comment, so fresh and early, makes me feel wonderful. Thanks soooo much. As you can imagine, I’ve been buried in work on this for — DAYS!! And reading your comment inspired me spritz on a generous dose of L’Eau de Taïpi from the bootle I keep on my desk. Wish I could waft you over some this very moment. Instead, I’m sending you a bunch of warm, spring is surely coming soon, Bad Grrrs Perfume kisses. Stay well, my friend. xxx Sarah

  2. Damiana |

    What a fantastic description of L’Eau de Taïpi, Sarah. I haven’t heard of this fragrance before and I am intrigued. It’s been a harder winter here in Texas and elsewhere, and this dreamy scent would probably cheer up so many of us. Lovely article!

  3. Catherine |

    Love it ! ❤️❤️❤️

    • Sarah Colton |

      Thanks, Catherine. Looking forward to sharing a L’Eau de Taîpi adventure with you soon. xxx

  4. Sallie Lee |

    This post makes me want to board a plane, not to French Polynesia, but to Paris to buy out all the stock of Taipi. I love the spray bottle and the fantasy of bringing on spring with one pump!

    • Sarah Colton |

      Oh, please do come to Paris, Sallie. With your wild imagination and a single pump of L’Eau de Taipi, French Polynesia will only be the first stop of many on a fantastical journey.

      Packing my bags now. xxx Sarah and the Bad Girls

  5. Sarah Colton |

    Hi Damiana
    Thanks so much for this, and really glad you enjoyed the article and the description L’Eau de Taïpi.

    Also, especially glad that thanks to Instagram DM we were able to be in touch right after the extreme winter storm in Texas, and I was able to know that you were, and still are safe and sound. This has been a challenging year for us all of us, and for some more so than others!!

    Totally not surprising that you had not heard of L’Eau de Taïpi, even though it was launched a year ago right before the Covid lock down in France.

    As just one example of how difficult it was and still is for retailers and brands to recover from the prolonged Covid pandemic commercial slowdown, you might be interested in reading the article/interview I published in Ca Fleure Bon in June 2020 in which François Hénin explains what he had to do to get Jovoy up and running again after the first lock down. (And at that time, we actually thought it was almost over….) François’s experience was similar to MANY retailers around the world.)
    https://www.cafleurebon.com/we-love-this-store-jovoy-paris-parfums-rares-the-pandemic-edition-roja-parfums-elysium-parfum-cologne-draw/

    Now with vaccines finally moving along at a faster pace, I really do hope we may be seeing light at the end of the tunnel. You can be sure I’m spritzing L’Eau de Taïpi ALL OVER that situation!!!
    Sending xxx Sarah

    • Damiana |

      Hi Sarah, You were so kind to check in with me during the Texas storm. Thank you again for that! I appreciate the additional information about the fragrance and I have noted the Cafleurebon article you mentioned. I will read it soon! I’m always happy to learn more. I believe things will get better with the COVID-19 vaccine. We just need to be a little more patient! Have a great evening. 🙂

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