Papillon Artisan Perfumes – Epona – “Memories Light The Corners Of My Mind”

“Memories light the corners of my mind.” Something about that Barbra Streisand lyric from her melancholic 70’s hit struck me when I sprayed Papillon’s latest perfume, Epona. Liz Moore’s most recent launch pays homage to her horse, and although I’m not a “horse guy” or a Streisand fan, smelling it brought back some memories from my childhood. But rather than feeling melancholy, the perfume makes me smile. Certainly, perfumes light the corners of our minds, stirring up memories of the past. Indeed, there’s nothing misty morning about the memories stirred up by Epona.

When my brother and I were younger (primary school age, I guess, around the late 80s or early 90s), and my mum and dad would go out for the night (it wasn’t a regular occurrence, a few times a year, maybe), she would pick us up early from school and drop us off to her friend’s house in the early afternoon for the evening. They were a Polish couple who lived just outside town on a large property. My brother and I would call them Babcia and Dziadek, the Polish words for grandma and grandpa. They had many pets (a couple of dogs), but the star attraction for us boys was their horse. We’d never been near a horse before, so it was quite a sensory experience to visit. We wanted to ride the horse!

As soon as I sprayed Epona, it seemed to encapsulate the scent of their horse and its surroundings. At its heart, Epona smells like an airy leather, soapy perfume. But, rather than just zeroing in on the horse like Corpus Equus from Naomi Goodsir, Epona delivers on a broader scale. Epona is more of a landscape shot than an intimate portrait shot in photography vernacular. First comes the green meadows dotted with purple flowers. I thought iris, but the brand states violets. The earthy, smoky touches come from opoponax, and the resinous material adds impetus to the leather accord. The leather accord doesn’t feel as heavy as in something like Chanel’s Cuir de Russie. But if you like that scent, you’ll probably enjoy Epona.

The saddle soap accord and hay keep things crisp and clean and prevent Epona from becoming too overwhelming. Still, animalic nuances (horse skin accord) emerge as the perfume develops. I get the impression of narcissus with its heady, honeyed sweetness, warm musk, and maybe even some civet. But, there’s nothing to repulse. Instead, the animalic notes merely draw one in closer. In addition, to mimic the outdoors, there are some mossy woods and fresh vetiver elements as Epona dries down.

I can make several olfactory comparisons, as Epona is primarily a floral leather fragrance and perhaps the sort of thing we’ve smelt before. Chanel’s Cuir de Russie and Parfum d’Empire’s Cuir Ottoman immediately came to mind. Within Papillon’s lineup, Epona comes across as a lighter, easier-to-wear stablemate of the more intense Salome. But the intriguing contrast between Epona’s divergent layers makes it a must-try. Even if you own any of the fragrances I’ve listed, Epona wouldn’t be superfluous in your collection. It’s easily one of the best perfumes I’ve sampled in 2024.

My brother and I never did get to ride the horse. But Babcia and Dziadek would spoil us boys with sweets. My favourite was always the Racuchy (a Polish pancake filled with apple slices). The creamy pastry Karpatka also went down well. We’d sit outside and eat our treats, watching their horse galloping around while playing with their dogs in their large backyard. Carefree times! And Epona took me back. It never ceases to amaze me how perfume does it, stirring up echoes from the past and reminding us of the way we were.

Have you tried Epona? Do you have a favourite horse-themed scent? I can think of quite a few that have bolted through the stable doors in recent years.

Note: I purchased the Epona sample. Except for the image of the horse (Unsplash), all images are my own.