The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
In churches and shrines, ex votos are the small offerings left behind when prayers are answered, a plaque, a candle, a token of gratitude left by the faithful. This fragrance draws from that tradition of sacred exchange. The composition centers on beeswax, chosen for its historical presence in religious ritual. Immortelle and pandanus build the warm, sweet, golden opening, an olfactory equivalent of amber light through stained glass. The immortelle contributes a rich, resinous sweetness while the pandanus adds an intriguing tropical depth beneath the surface warmth. For the first moments, the blend feels like stepping into a candlelit space, honeyed and inviting.
What makes Ex Votos distinctive is its sustained duality. The beeswax soliflore structure is familiar enough, but Christi Meshell built it with animalic notes and angelica in the base, a deliberate nod to the feral. The honeyed warmth does not stay pristine. It deepens, earths itself, and arrives somewhere more honest than it started. This is fragrance as devotion with teeth. The yellow florals, narcissus, broom, and goldenrod, are collectively present in the blend, and each contributes something distinct.
The evolution
The opening announces itself confidently: beeswax, immortelle, pandanus. Sweet, warm, immediately honeyed. For the first twenty minutes, this could be a straightforward soliflore. Then the heart takes over and the picture changes. Goldenrod arrives with a slightly bitter-green edge that cuts the sweetness. Narcissus brings a creaminess underneath. The transition is not dramatic, more like the moment candlelight steadies after you have cupped your hand around the flame. The base is where Ex Votos earns its name. Ylang-ylang's tropical sweetness meets animalic notes that add a whisper of something wild, something that does not belong in a church. Angelica earths the whole composition. The honey does not disappear. It deepens, becomes something you smell on your own skin the next morning, present but quieter, intimate rather than announced.
Cultural impact
Ex Votos fits comfortably within the niche perfumery tradition, a beeswax soliflore with rare florals and natural ingredients. It offers something warmer and more unconventional than mass-market warm florals.
