Beauty Stat

Welcome to a line of perfumes created by Kate Growney, born and raised in Hawaii and one who subsequently became a beauty editor in New York at Harpers Bazaar, Elle and more ( Saffron was Growney’s New York nickname, James her father’s first name).

Growney was inspired to start her own line of fragrances after feeling that no perfumer had been able to capture the true scent of Hawaii . Saffron James was born to bring a little bit of the islands to the world. All of the scents are based on the exotic flowers from her home state .

Saffron James is perfect for summer weather and Growney says herself, “It’s time to put away the big bottles of sophisticated florals and complicated musks for more refreshing scents.” There are four fragrances; out of those, I’ve tried Nani. Pikake is the main note in Nani. It’s awash in jasmine( which is called pikake here, ) as well as mimosa and plumeria. Definitely tropical and floral, yet light, Nani strikes me as a summer’s night scent. Think sundresses, sandals , the beach and the moon.

The full list of Saffron James perfumes with prices for each :

-Le’a ($85) – Pink and White Plumeria, Pineapple Leaf, Passionflower and Hibiscus

-Nani ($110) – Pikake, Pink Plumeria, Mimosa, Lily and Ylang Ylang

-Punono ($85) – Ylang Ylang, Pikake, Carnation, Vanilla and Tunisian Opium

-Ume ($85) – Ginger Absolute, Waterlily, Gardenia, Yuzu and Mousse de Chene

The line is available at www.saffronjames.com and www.beautyhabit.com

- By Diane Artzberger, The Beauty Alchemist