We are pleased to offer you the opportunity to buy a select group of Essense perfumes online. The perfumes are available in 1/4 ounce and 1/2 ounce sizes, for $25 and $46, respectively. Shipping is $8 up to $100, $14 up to $200. Free shipping on orders over $200. Shipped via USPS Priority Mail.

There are many more custom blends that you can purchase by calling Tamsan at 603-409-2799, or emailing her. Or come to the source where Tamsan will help you create your very own custom blend!

Single Note Scents, A-Z, not listed here, are available for $15 each, in addition to many other Imported Perfumes  and House Blends for $30 each. Essense has 23,000 previously created customers' recipe perfume-blends on file, dating all the way back from the late 1970’s through current 2023 files.

Introducing a new line of original scents:
Skunkadelic!™

Skunkadelic™ is part skunk, part funk! These three new trademarked perfumes celebrate multi-sensory creative inspiration of the 1960’s, 1970’s, 1980’s, 1990’s and the era of Y2K. Skunkadelic is Midwestern Motown and Urban Funk; Chicago Blues and Cleveland Soul. This is where funk meets skunk, the unofficial mascot of Martha’s Vineyard, where skunks reign top of the food chain. This is a synesthesia of the smells, the sights, and the sounds, in the imagination of this particular perfumer. A walk down memory lane, marrying decades of sensibilities with a modern salute to the old-time artisanal way of creating natural perfumes that are good for body, soul, spirit, and environment.

Blueberry Letter 22™ is the culmination of my first 22 years of perfumery, and also my personal “signature scent.” This scent makes me so happy, and I love to spread the happiness around. I happen to be what we call in this business, a “patchouli-fool.” I just love it. I created this scent in 2013. The base-note is  a very light White Patchouli Flower,  blended into additional base-notes abundant with several  different Ambers, imported from different parts of the world. Amber is a wood resin that imparts a smooth, woodsy, earthy, and sensual personality to all perfumes in the “Oriental” fragrance-family. The final secret ingredient is a vintage oak-aged Blueberry Essential Oil. The depth of scent like this develops over many years, like a fine wine or oak-aged sherry, and cannot be easily duplicated. This, like a fine wine, is a rare fruit and antique oak note pairing, mixed with the gentlest of Patchoulis, and some Amber resins that our earth has curated over millions of years. This is my artistic fragrant “ode” to the natural world that I love, and to the magical world of scents and perfumery.

Moonlit Violette ™ is a classically feminine floral with Musk base-notes. It’s a classic Light Musk perfume with Flowers! Did you know that the classic perfume Chanel No. 5 is a "Light Musk with Flowers" perfume? All Musks are sexy, because Musk is a natural pheromone with the power of conscious and subconscious attraction. Musk allows you to smell like you, only better. In this fragrance, I have mixed my favorite Musk, a White Musk with slightly Fresh Green overtones, with my very favorite Flowers, in honor of “Flower,” the pretty girl-skunk in the Disney movie Bambi. She smelled very good even though she was a skunk, because she wore so many Flowers!  This perfume, trademarked by Essense, incorporates my personal favorite Flower-notes: Violet, African Violet, Lilac, and Hyacinth, and joyously layers them with some other secret crisp, clean-smelling, fresh ingredients. Playful, lightly Floral, and exuberant!

Groov-A-Licious™ is inspired by the most delectable, luscious dessert I’ve ever tasted, in my entire life! “Strawberries Flambé Au Poivre” is the dessert that blew my 30-something year-old mind into sensory overload: a fusion and a table-side presentation of fresh, farm-to-table strawberries and toasted black peppercorns, served over creamy home-made vanilla ice cream with real vanilla beans. This perfume is an offering to those who adore “gourmand” perfumes, knowing that sometimes an edible-smelling scent is the perfect accessory. This fragrance combines a subtle, elegant, imported Vanilla Musk from India; with Brandied Pear; a hint of Strawberries and Cream; and the barest surprising suggestion of Black Pepper. This perfume smells delicious without being childish; an enticing scent that stays close to the body.

Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds
                  on the heel that has crushed it.                                                                                ~Mark Twain 

Seasonal Perfumes

Seasonal Perfumes change according to the season: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. Much like menus items in restaurant, perfumes change, according to ingredients available and desired, for each season. For example: Pumpkin, or Pumpkin Pie Spices may be used for perfume “notes” in the autumn, while Pine Cone, Orange and Clove, or Pomegranate, could be used for winter perfumes. Spring perfumes might use notes of Rain, Hyacinth, or Lilac. Summer perfumes often include Oceanic fragrance composites, combined with all the classic Flowers: Rose, Tea Rose, Gardenia, Honeysuckle, Freesia; or Fresh Fruity notes, like: Watermelon, Strawberry, Bergamot, Cumber-Lime, or Grapefruit
​

Sugar Kiss, sensual and flirty, is a perfect romantic fragrance for Valentine’s Day month,
which can be every month. With ambrosia-like base-notes including luscious Vanilla, Caramel, and Pink Cotton Candy, this delightful perfume blends heart-notes of Lily Blossoms, and Green Leaves with sparkling Citrus top-notes Sicilian Orange, Bergamot, and Sugar. This is a fun, playful scent which is a bit on the sweet side, but also fresh, and light, without being overpowering. Also makes a delicious top-note, when layered over other perfume blends. Some have layered this over Forest and Pine notes. Some have layered Sugar Kiss over various Ambers, Ouds, or Sandalwoods. It's super nice when mixed with Musks (Essense has 18 Musks). It's also surprisingly appealing when mixed with single-note florals like: Rose, Tea Rose, Lilac, Violet, Hyacinth, Carnation, Honeysuckle, Gardenia, Peony, Lily of the Valley, Pikaki, Frangipani, Plumeria...just to name the most popular. 

​

Summer Martini: A fresh, light perfume with classic floral foundation, citrus notes and seasonal “gourmand” flourishes. The classically sensual base-notes of multiple Musks are layered beneath middle-notes of Lily, Lily of the Valley,  and Tea Rose.  Summery top-notes include: Grapefruit, Citrus, Lemon-Lime, and hints of Raspberry. Additional "surprise" notes notes of Vodka and Gin, add  crispness and playfulness to this popular scent. Refreshing choice of scent for both spring and summer seasons, though this seasonal fragrance can be worn year-round. Very popular layered over Musk notes like China Musk, other Citrus notes like Bergamot, Lemon, Orange Blossom, or over a Tunisian Sandalwood base-note. Other notes sold separately, for $15 or $25. Email for details.

​Velvet Roses & Oud prominently features the romance of Roses; in this fragrance a combination of 5 different Roses. Some Roses that whisper, and other Roses that express their velvet opulence. Oud is the hottest fragrance trend for the last number of years, the addition of which lends a mysterious slighty smokey backdrop of the natural woodlands of far-away places. Oud is collected from the outside bark of southeastern Agarwood trees which have been around for thousands of years. More  recently, Oud has been rediscovered and called "the most expensive Sandalwood" by Fortune Magazine. Costing upwards of $5000 per ounce, Oud's become the hottest commodity in the international fragrance market. Worn day or night, Velvet Roses & Oud could be considered a romantic fragrance combination of Summer's Roses and Winter's Fireplaces.

Floral-Fresh Perfumes

Floral-Fresh Perfumes are classic floral themes that incorporate spring-like, light scents such as Hyacinth, Lily of the Valley, Orange Blossom, for example. Often freshened with Bergamot or other citrus components, and lately “modernized” with Oceanic & Ozone accords.

Rain™ is the ever popular classic floral-fresh perfume, created and trademarked by a California perfumer, in the 1970s. There are many imitations of this now classic fragrance but this is THE ORIGINAL version which sparked a trade-mark war. Customers describe this scent as a “freshly showered clean” smell. Good for office wear or everyday, this perfume has fresh light floral notes with a gentle Spring-like bouquet of Lilies.

Lilac Rain™ is a blend of Lilac with China Rain, the second most popular House Blend Perfume.  Lilac blended equally with classic Rain, as described above, and the classic China Musk, the most popular musk. The result is this Floral-Fresh Lilac scent layered over sexy, light Musk base notes. China Musk is available, by itself, in the "Unisex" section below.

Waterlily™ is a lighter, sweeter version of the House Blend Perfume Rain. This version smells more ethereal due to the addition of beautiful Freesia flower notes. Whereas Rain contains 8 flowers, Waterlily contains 9 Flowers, the 9th Flower being Freesia. This perfume is beautiful without being overpowering. Waterlily can also be further customized by combining it with other floral notes, like Lilac, Tea Rose, Plumeria, Magnolia, Hyacinth, Frangipani, or Jasmine, as well as other Musks. One of my personal favorite blends is Waterlily with Oriental Musk and African Violet.

House Blend Perfumes

Photo by Sarah Dennehy

House Blend Perfumes are those created and trademarked by Essense since 1991, when Tamsan purchased the business. Available only here, these unique Essense scents will be rotated throughout the year. Other favorite house blends, even if not currently shown here, are always available by emailing Tamsan. Other popular blends include: China Berry, Vineyard Love (featuring Oud), Crystal Blue Persuasion, Vineyard Sunshine, Woodstock, Violet Sugar Kiss, Honeysuckle Rain, Lilac Rain, Sugar Pie Honey Bunch, and Cedar Bouquet. All of these have the same price as the perfumes featured here on the shopping cart. $30 for 1/4 oz; $56 for 1/2 oz.

Vineyard Love™ has been recently reformulated to include “Oud” the HOTTEST perfume trend on the market today. Many of the major perfume houses have released major perfume launches featuring “Oud” which means “from wood” in Arabic, and “burning wood” in ancient Syriac. Oud is the rarest and most expensive of the Indian wood resins; the resinous beads scraped from the outside bark of the Southeastern Agarwood tree. Fortune Magazine has described Oud as the “$5,000-per-pound wood scent.”  Currently, Oud is the most expensive wood on earth. With accords reminiscent of Tobacco, Woods, including Cedar, blended with various Citrus notes, this mysterious “smokey” fragrance has mysterious allure for both women and men. It will smell smokier and spicier on males; but airier, with lighter Citrus Blossom top-notes, on females.

Purple Hay-Z™ is a “heady” incense-like unisex perfume, inspired by growing up in the late 1960’s and 1970’s. Created by Essense in 1994, to celebrate my love of all things purple and Jimi Hendrix music. Memories of the Woodstock generation are translated into perfumery by this blend of Patchoulis, Frankincense, various Musks, Vanilla and Spices, topped off with many purple flowers like Jasmines, Lavenders and Violets. Can be further customized, deepened or lightened, to suit either men or women.

Winnipesaukee Hippee™ is a more recent creation, an olfactory salute to the new home of Essense, near the shores of majestic Lake Winnipesaukee. Among the Lakes Region natives I have discovered the “Live Free or Die” spirit still remains in both young and old hippees, old-thyme Yankees, veterans, artisans, tradespeople, artists, writers, farmers, fishermen, retirees and young families... all who cherish the clean air, sparkling lake waters and remarkable scenery of this area. This scent is a blend of very light Patchouli Flower, Earthy base-notes, and top-notes of Fresh Mountain Air and Lake Winnipesaukee Waves. Fabulous on either men or women, this scent can be further tailored for either masculine or feminine personality. Some add extra Patchouli or Earthy notes; some blend with additional Flowers, like Honeysuckle, Lilac, Hyacinth, or Petals.

Unisex Perfumes

Unisex Perfumes smell  equally desirable on men or women. These three particular pure perfumes, applied on pulse points at wrist, neck, back of hair line or on beard, combine well with anyone’s skin’s chemistry for a subtle fragrance that lasts all day. Also, these three scents can be combined with each other for different effects.
​

Forest Rain™ is the previously described Rain with the addition of woodsy Cedar and green Pine notes, for a fresh outdoorsy scent. An earthy, green fragrance reminiscent of forest woodlands after a refreshing rain. Not overpowering, but gentle, to be worn by either men or women. Men do prefer it, generally. Excellent worn alone, but can be combined with additional herbaceous accords, like: Aloe Vera, Pinion, Sage, Snow Pea or Sweet Pea. Can be made into a deeper "masculine" scent by mixing with equal parts of China Musk, Suede, Tobacco, or all-natural Cedar, Teak and various Essense Sandalwoods. Women will often add additional floral notes, like Muguet, Hyacinth, or Cyclamen. Extremely appealing mixed with "softer" accords, like: Powder, Green Tea, Thyme tea, or White Tea.

Tobacco Oud has been the most popular unisex fragrance, by far, for the last several years. It's so overwhelmingly popular that it could be called a new "Essense classic."  Tobacco Oud is the irresistible blend of freshly harvested Tobacco leaves combined with the Wood Resin from the Southeastern Agarwood tree. Agarwood, more commonly called "Oud" or "Ouhd" is a fragrant, dark and resinous wood used in both incense and perfume. The "Oud" resin is scraped and collected from the outside bark of these trees. The combination of these natural essential oils from both Tobacco and Oud results in a perfume that's both sweet and smokey; herbaceous and woody. However, it's not a heavy scent as you might expect. It's surprising fresh. Fortune Magazine refers to "Oud" as the world's most expensive sandalwood, though it's not precisely a sandalwood, it has the same compelling qualities. It costs up to $5,000/ounce. This perfume smells fantastic on both men and women. The scent can be deepened with the addition of Tunisian Opium, or other Sandalwoods. Or, the scent can be lightened by adding Floral notes, or other Fresh notes. I wear this myself, in a "Gourmand" version, by adding the single-note called Cotton Candy. SOUNDS improbable, but it SMELLS amazing. Other single notes available for $15 or $25. Email for details or requests. You may have these notes mixed-in by me; or order these separately, and mix them yourself in the proportion you prefer. It's fun to experiment!

Tunisian Opium is an exquisite Poppy-inspired Oriental-type perfume with spicy Cinnamon middle and top notes. Extremely long lasting, this  Opium will change with body chemistry, generally becoming softer and powdery on females while more spicy on males. Over the 53 years of Essense, many customers, have found this scent to be extremely sexy. I have many customers who order Tunisian Opium every couple of years; they always have a bottle on hand because they can't live without it. People comment that the scent lasts even through ocean swims, and/or after dancing all night at clubs. This is a tenacious, somewhat hypnotic scent. If you keep this perfume in a cool, dark shelf or closet, it can last for years. It has a very long "shelf life" and you only need a drop to wear, so it's very economical. It mixes very well with China Musk, Forest Rain, Rain, and exotic Florals like Frangipani, Gardenia, Jasmine, Pikake, or Ylang-Ylang. It's also fantastic mixed with Ambers, Clove, or Chocolate. I have a new scent called "Café Rose," that mixes well with this.
Two of my favorite blends include Tunisian Opium mixed with a hint of Sudanese Black Coconut and/or Tunisian Jasmine.