Monday, May 31, 2010

May Flowers: A Rose Tribute


On this last day of May the heartfelt and warm Dennice Mankarious bids us adieu with a bouquet of roses in her Tribute to the Rose.

Thank you to all of the participants who contributed with words, images and creativity as well to all those who dropped in to visit, leave comments and smell the roses.

Image: The Soul of the Rose by William Waterhouse

May Flowers


Here in the Santa Monica Mountains where Topanga Days is in it's third day, we have a visitor from New York. Leah, from Asking Leah, reminisces and shares the bounty of NYC in the Spring.

Image: Lesbia and her Sparrow by Sir Edward John Poynter

Saturday, May 29, 2010


The month is slowly winding it's way toward June as the weather inches toward more light and warmth. For today's contribution to May Flowers we have a post from Lynn at LillyBonBon in Minnesota who shares with us how to make a Vintage Lace Poppies Scarf.

Image: The Four Seasons (Summer) by Alejandro de Riquer

Friday, May 28, 2010

Perfume Illuminated: Magnolia


Perfume gets illuminated with the splendor of the Magnolias as our May flower contribution today. Each morning after I drop my daughter off at school and drive back to our little house in the woods I observe whats happening in the plant world. I'm not a "news" person, especially in the morning. I much prefer to take in the intelligence of nature at the start of my day. I highly recommend it.

For the last month I have been keenly monitoring the local Magnolias. At the start of May I began to see the milky white buds appear in the trees. This week I've noticed that the flowers have fully opened.


The specific Magnolias I am referring to are Magnolia grandiflora native to south eastern United States. This evergreen has gorgeous, large saucer like flowers with dark green waxy leaves. The majority of the trees here in the Los Angeles area were planted early on when the cities were for being planned. Here in the San Fernando Valley Magnolia is not only a flower that blooms in May but also the name of a Street and a 1999 film by Paul Anderson.

As a species Magnolias are part of an ancient plant civilization dating back ninety five million years ago. Pollinated by beetles, instead of bees, the flowers have evolved to withstand the constant crawling of insects.1


FRAGRANCE

The botanical perfume artist has a treasure chest of Magnolias to choose from for their artistic creations.

Golden Champa or Champaca, Michelia champaca, from India is an absolute derived from the flower. The odor is intoxicating, aligned with other heady florals such as ylang ylang and orange blossom. Fruit and spice notes are weaved in with the heady sweet floral aspect.

Other essences termed Magnolia are Magnolia fargesii from China available as a C02, a Michelia champaca Attar from India traditionally hydrodistilled in May and Michelia alba often termed as White, an essential oil from the leaves or a Co2 of the flowers.

All of these share a narcotic, sweet, fruity floral profile to a certain extent although Michelia alba is tempered with green notes.

When blending with the above mentioned essences mindfulness is required, a little goes a long way. Golden champaca is so lovely on it's own no other fragrance materials need be combined with it as a beautiful single note perfume. However, if you would like to create a more complex fragrance consider adding other oils from the east to create a fragrance for Buddha, since this is considered his flower. Vetiver and sandalwood are excellent choices for a base highlighted with citrus, black pepper and a touch of clove for you top notes.

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia

Thursday, May 27, 2010

May Flowers: Pink Rhododendrons


It's the Flower Full Moon and Trish of Scent Hive has a reminder for us all with her May Flower contribution Pink Rhododendrons.

Image: Antique postcard from my families collection dated circa 1900, Argentina with an old botanical engraving.

The Faery Ring


The silver shimmers of this full flower moon feels like an auspicious time to evoke the Faery Ring. Initially called the Inner Circle, the Faery Ring is a select group of patrons that have been invited to participate in illuminated feasts of pure fumes.

To join in the dance:
1. Become a patron of Roxana Illuminated Perfume by making a purchase.
2. Sign up for your once a year Birthday Gift.
3. If you have done the first two and are an individual who is a regular patron and/or has purchased full sized compacts and flacons you will be entered into the Faery Ring for the term of 2010. Members will be gifted a special, handmade package in June.


As part of the Faery Ring members will receive advance samples of all new Roxana Illuminated Perfume™ releases. Since this has been set up in conjunction with the launch of three new solid perfumes current members will shortly receive the new solid sampler trio, albeit not in advance. Other benefits will arrive for the summer and be announced through out the year as the program is refined. In the meantime, make sure to sign up for your once a year Birthday bonus!

Images: Fairies of the Meadow by Nils Blommer and Midsummer Eve by Edward Robert Hughes

May Flowers: Honey Bees


Gathered together under the light of a Full Flower Moon a circle of bloggers has come together to share their stories and impressions on May Flowers and the release of Vera solid natural perfume. At the bottom of this post please follow the links to each of the participating blogs, although some may be posting late due to a variety of conflicting events.

{Honey Bees}

Friday, May 14th, while I was working on the Nasturtiums post for Perfume Illuminated a gift from Aphrodite flew into our lives.


The gift was a swarm of winged alchemists, honey bees, which arrived at our compost bin looking for a home. If you are a regular reader of this blog then you may recall last August upon finding my bee guru, Kirk Anderson, I intended to eventually start a hive. To my hearts delight a group of very sweet, friendly honey bees came to us, thus adding a bee bonnet to my ever expanding hat rack.


Expert bee mentor John Lyons came to help us transfer the bees from the compost bin to a temporary nuc box. Read and see pictures of that event here. Regrettably that swarm choose to depart, but left me a bit of beeswax for my new solid perfumes. Meanwhile a fellow member of my Backwards Beekeeping group said I could have her "bird house" bees if I came to get them. The "bird house" bees are now cheerfully residing in a periwinkle bee hive while we quickly learn the art of beekeeping.

The book The Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manly P. Hall states "The bee is sacred to the goddess Venus and, according to mystics, it is one of several life forms of life which came to earth from the planet Venus millions of years ago."1 The Greek Goddess of beauty Aphrodite is also associated with the planet Venus which governs Friday, the day the bees arrived.


Sometimes May flowers bring us more than just floral bouquets. Under the luminous light of this Flower Full Moon I have prepared three intoxicating golden elixirs from the sweet aroma of flowers. The new set of perfumes entices us into an “illuminated state of floral consciousness”, as Tom Robbins so eloquently states in Jitterbug Perfume.

Aligned with the arrival of the bees this new trio takes a step further into authenticity by incorporating beeswax from my own bees and Rivendell Aromatics in Ojai. I introduce to you Vera, Rosa and Page 47, each with it's own unique imprint of flowers.

Vera is rich with blooms of lavender and white sage while Rosa drips of sweet rose blossoms saturated in wood and oud. Page 47 returns with a heart of jasmine laced with underpinnings of amber evoking flowers on a hot sandy beach.


He who with health would live at ease,
Should cultivate both fruit and bees;
Much labor though the first demands,
The second's for more feeble hands.
~ Quote from The Beekeepers Textbook, King, N. H. , King, Homer A.

Please visit the following blogs in the next few days for impressions of Vera solid perfume:

Tom at Perfume Posse VERA GIVEAWAY!

Portland Examiner

The Windsphere Witch

Indie Perfumes

References:
[1] Manly P. Hall (1988) The Secret Teachings of All Ages, The Philosophical Research Society.


Images: HoneyComb and Sage Photos ©Roxana Villa, Bees on Postcard, Beekeeper and Rose image are collages created by Roxana with old engravings.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

May Flowers


On the twenty six day of May blogging Jen from Sewn Natural shares the story of discovering the glories of May with her new infant daughter three years ago.

May Flowers by Jen

Image: Antique postcard from my families collection dated circa 1900, Argentina.

A solid expression of Vera


The word Vera, meaning true, is the Latin binomial for lavender in the linguistic terminology of plants. This natural perfume expertly weaves several types of lavender with notes of white sage, fresh mown hay, orange blossom and a salty ocean breeze.


Vera liquid botanical perfume was first unveiled at the Ojai Lavender Festival in June 2007 when I was invited to be the keynote speaker. The introduction of the second perfume in the California series arrived on the same day that the formal website and blog were launched. It was a very exciting day as I finally stepped into the world of aromatics as a botanical perfume artist.

"There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud
was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."
~ Anais Nin

The solid expression of Vera debuts with the full moon this Thursday, May 27th, almost three years since the liquid graced us with her illustrious bouquet. Luxurious and creamy the unguent contains the same accords and has a very similar aromatic profile which remains very true to the liquid.


The evocative fragrance is an ode to the herbaceous bouquet of lavender and sage from the Ojai Valley in Southern California. Regionally distilled herbs harmonize with a floral heart and infused oils from local flora. For the base I have used beeswax from my own consciously cared for bees and from the grower/distiller of the essences and plant infused raw materials contained within Vera. The painting of the fragrance thus is very wholistic and true to Ojai.

"We don’t have a language for the senses.
Feelings are images, sensations are like musical sounds."

~ Anais Nin

Fragrance family: HERBAL, FOUGERE
Notes: California & French Lavender, Sage, Bay, Citrus, Wood, Resin, Bees Honeycomb, Hay, Oakmoss and hand infused Lavender from an organic farm in Ojai. There are over forty pure essences in this complex lavender perfume.

As I sat down to draw the preliminary sketches for Vera I began with a traditional cologne formula from there I choose to weave in aspects of the Indigenous people of California. Known as the Chumash tribe they inhabited the coastal region of California between Malibu and San Luis Obispo. The Chumash lived in harmony with the land sustaining themselves primarily from the sea and the oaks. As I read this I choose to expand the narrative to include notes from the sea such as seaweed, choya (distilled sea shells) and wood.


Vera solid natural perfume arrives in an American made, antique finish metal compact contained in a purple haute couture crocheted pouch. I pour each solid perfume into a separate tin that fits inside the antique finished metal compact. This ensures lasting performance of this pure, natural, botanical perfume. This insures that the vintage gets better with age.

The crochet pouch and the enhancements on our box have all been created by hand. Solid mini samples are also available individually or in sample packs.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

May Flowers: Artisan Gallery Flair


On the twenty fifth day of this May Flowers blogging event we have a contribution from Jill of the Artisan Gallery team on Etsy. She handpicked flowers from team members all over the world, making this contribution a very international bouquet.

May Flowers: Artisan Gallery Flair

Image: Antique postcard from my families collection dated circa 1900, Argentina.

Monday, May 24, 2010

May Flowers: Bed of Roses

May Flowers: Bed of Roses
by Laurie Stern

I’ve always had a love affair with flowers, especially roses – they are my favorite May flowers, although I wouldn’t want the daisies to hear me…

"I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck. "
~Emma Goldman



Drawing ©Laurie Stern, created when she envisioned her flower business
.
I love flowers so much that I started a flower business on a whim. One day I saw a flower stand and I thought to myself, “I want to do that!” And so I did. I got a permit and bought a vintage canopy bed at a garage sale and named my stand “Bed of Roses.” I went to the flower market and started buying flowers, surrounding myself each day with the most aromatic and glorious of nature’s gifts. I experimented endlessly and discovered for myself the wonders of flower arranging. Soon, my customers were asking me to arrange flowers for their daughter’s weddings, and my little Bed of Roses wasn’t big enough anymore. My business grew and my arrangements became bigger and more elaborate. One day I looked up from the roses and ribbons and 15 years had passed. I left the wedding flower business, though I loved it, and started creating perfume, a different, more ethereal bouquet. But even today, nearly 25 years after I pulled the canopy bed from my tiny truck and set up shop in Kensington, the thought of bridal bouquets and May flowers makes me delirious! I remember making bouquets with trailing jasmine, and adding roses, gardenias, freesias, and sweet peas to form a new flower scent…


It’s amazing how nothing really changes. I’m still arranging flowers, even though I’m not waking up at 2 a.m. and working on weekends. I still bring many ravishing scents together to create a new flower, a new arrangement – all of my perfumes are mixed bouquets. There’s Songbird, my first favorite perfume, a mouth-watering blend of citrus, spices, and sweet, narcotic flowers that unfurls towards a soft, powdery finish. Then there’s Honey, a blend of French orange blossom, Moroccan and Bulgarian roses, deep vetiver, Madagascar vanilla, honey, and beeswax crowned with antique clove, pomegranate, and pink grapefruit. There have been many more perfumes, hundreds in fact, and I put just as much care into creating these bouquets as I did when I filled Tussy Mussies with delicate blossoms and antique French ribbons for my brides. My love affair with flowers continues, always tempting me to try something new. Today, as I stand among the May flowers in my garden, I feel a shiver of excitement, and I can’t wait to see what enchants me next.

Thank you so much, Roxana, for inviting me to contribute to your wonderful May Flowers blog event! You are so gracious and a delight!

Images: Antique postcard from my families collection dated circa 1900, Argentina, Bed of Roses drawing and Bouquet photo ©Laurie Stern.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

May Flowers: The Rose


Gertrude Stein once said "A rose is rose is a rose is a rose." On this most beautious Sunday afternoon we get to experience some rosie delight by Saorise at the La Mome blog.

Image: Antique postcard from my families collection dated circa 1900, Argentina.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

May Flowers: In Sonoma


Twenty two is considered a master number. It is no coincidence that fellow niche perfume artist Laurie of Sonoma Scent Studio joins our bouquet on such an auspicious day.

May Flowers in Sonoma

Image: Antique postcard from my families collection dated circa 1900, Argentina.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Perfume Illuminated: Sweet Peas


If its Friday it must be time for a new contribution to Perfume Illuminated! Today we venture into one of the favorite flowers of the Victorian era, the enchanting Sweet Pea.

Native to the southern portion of Italy and Crete these festive flowers add beauty and charm to a garden while providing fabulous fragrant bouquets for the home. Botanically known as Lathyrus latifolia or Lathyrus odoratus these pretties are available in a wealth of cool toned hues.


FRAGRANCE

As a natural botanical perfumer I have not had the pleasure to experience a Sweet Pea essence. I have read that the most fragrant of all Sweet Peas comes from the line created by the horticulturist Henry Eckford. A tincture of these may prove well worth the trouble, for these like violets, would probably need to be removed and added daily. Although I suspect Sweet Peas would not give up their fragrant treasures.

Steffen Arctander mentions that an essence could be obtained by using the enfleurage method or a solvent extraction.1 However, the book "Flower Oils and Flavour Compounds in Perfumery" mentions that steam distillation, enfleurage and maceration yielded poor results2. Arctander sites the fragrance as containing notes of freesia, certain types of wild roses, orange blossom and hyacinth with balsamic, honey and mild green notes.4 Green notes again, a reoccurring theme here at Perfume Illuminated Project.


A Natural Sweet Pea perfume composition

Create a base accord with:
Styrax
Benzoin
Tolu Balsam
Vanilla

The main heart note in a Sweet Pea perfume is Orange Blossom2 supported with:
Rose
Tuberose
Mimosa
Honey
Beeswax
Jasmin
Musk Ambrette

and for the shimmering top notes:
Petitgrain bigrade
Cinnamon
Clove
and a few drops of a fresh a Green Accord


FLAVOR: Beth Schreibman Gehring
Please continue reading about Sweet Peas at the Windesphere Witch blog

[1] [4]Steffan Arctanders (1994) Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin
[2][3] Danute Pajaujis Anonis (1993) Flower Oils and Flavour Compounds in Perfumery

Images: Opening Painting: Take the Fair Face of Woman by Sophie Anderson, antique seed packet of Sweet Peas and old engravings cleaned up and put on parchment.

California Dreaming


In late 2008, while in the midst of filing the trademark on the word chaparral for my perfume by the same name, I received a phone call. It was a writer who was doing a piece for a magazine. She asked me lots of questions, which I answered most graciously. I didn't hear back until an e-mail a few months back. Seems the magazine was interested in revisiting the story but with a different angle.

The writer is the very talented Elizabeth Khuri Chandler and the magazine is C, for California. In the May 2010 issue I am mentioned in an article called Top Notes within the Beauty section of the sophisticated, glossy periodical. The sub heading reads..."A growing set of CA perfumers is bucking the trend of mass fragrance production with small-batch scents."

Thursday, May 20, 2010

A Spring Bouquet


The moon is full on Thursday May 27th at 7:07pm Eastern time. To coincide with this lunar splendor and the May Flowers blogging event three solid natural perfumes will be available: Vera, Rosa and Page 47. Reviews, impressions and giveaways of them will also be available that day.

Vera and Rosa will finally have their complimentary solid format. It's taken me awhile to recreate all the necessary accords/chords that are within the formulas of these two native Divas. The leather accord found in Rosa contains multiple accords, like worlds within worlds. I have also infused plant material from Ojai to go in these.

Page 47, originally released for a limited time back in August, finally returns. Although originally the color vibration for the little mini pot was "gold" I have found a lovely pearlescent white to match the antique white crochet pouches.

The purple wax for Vera I have had for some time now, where as the rosy pink hue for Rosa was quite a challenge to find. In the end I did locate the right tone, however, it is a bit too similar to the current color of Terrestre. Thus this requires shifting so that there is no confusion for the folks who get the mini pots with the bee stamp.

Terrestre's new color harmony is like the color of a cooper penny.

All these details take a lot of time and energy, especially when you are a one person sweat shop gleefully working 24/7. Although they debut on May 27th I will be sending samples to a few devoted patrons this week.

Photos ©Roxana Villa, Angel at top was photographed on Christmas Day at the home of Marilyn and John Neuhart.

May Flowers: Crafting a Cork Board Garden


Thursday, associated with the lucky planet Jupiter brings us a fun project from friend, fellow blogger and jewelry maker extraordinaire Nicole of
Lillyella.



Images: Antique postcard and stamp are from my families collection dated circa 1900, Argentina.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

May Flowers: Grape Hyacinth


​May Flowers- The Grape Hyacinth: An Ode to Salomeja
by Ida Meister

If you are following this line of thought, then clearly you are a lover of simple delights, whether you have access to a garden, or not…Much like myself.

Grape hyacinths grace gardens with very little effort. More related to the lily- though much resembling the hyacinth itself, in miniature- they require little tending. Once those bulbs are in the ground, they sweetly and obstinately bloom, no matter what ! Undemanding, fey, winsome – they add a light-heartedness to the landscape.



Grape hyacinths remind me, always- of my husband’s mother, Salomeja. It is no coincidence that they bloom at the very time she passed away, 13 years ago. They were blooming in her neglected garden then; I hope that the new owners have them still.

Tender, slender stalks support a profusion of blooms, resembling a cluster of brilliantly-hued purple grapes. [Much like my petite mother-in-law, whose relatively long, graceful legs supported a fiercely protuberant bosom ! I referred to her lovingly as our “puff-bosomed Lithuanian robin”, LOL ]

Interestingly, the have very little scent [ excepting the musk variety, which I’ve never seen] ; their main appeal is their intense color, their stubborn resistance to disease, their persistently cheerful mien. They refuse to languish; highly decorative, but never showy- they bestow their abundance with love and an abundance of good faith.

Thus it is, many years since, that I await the blooming of the grape hyacinth with gratitude and a sense of peace. I welcome its arrival - as I do, now - the memory of Salomeja- And all that was simple, noble, beautiful, and resilient in her.

[ Thanks be to dear Roxana , for including me in her exploration of the floral joys of May ! ]

Images: Grape Hyacinth photo supplied by Ida
, antique postcard and stamps are from my families collection dated circa 1900, Argentina.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

May Flowers: Aromatic Feast


A fellow mother, friend and mentor brings us an Aromatic Feast on this 18th day of May. Olfactory delights filled with blooming flowers along the East coast of the United States arrive via Aromatherapy educator Jade Shutes.


Images: Painting by Waterhouse, antique postcard stamps are from my families collection dated circa 1900, Argentina.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

May Flowers: Tulips



Our bouquet on this fine Sun day arrives all the way from the Land of Nether in Het Groene Hart (the Green Heart) via artisan Thongbai Tatong. Delight in the beauty she shares with the iconic flower from her homeland and the inspiration of her Dutchie skirt.




Images: Opening painting Musicienne du silence by Arthur Hacker 1900, postage stamp is from one of the antique postcards which I have cleaned up and modified.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

May Flowers: Queen Anne's Lace


A heart felt memory laced in dainty flowers to adorn the art muse. Perfect for a beautiful Spring day as we merrily, merrily, merrily journey down the stream with Jennifer of Sacred Cake.

Queen Anne's Lace




Images: Opening painting Young Girl by Jules Bastien-LePage, postage stamp is from one of the antique postcards which I have cleaned up.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Perfume Illuminated: Nasturtiums


The nasturtiums along the south side slope of our yard are finally returning with vigor. A few years back when the other neighbors lived there they decided to replace the fence and in the process the brutes pushed loads of dirt and stomped the nasturtiums and Santa Barbara daisies to death. Steadily, despite the gophers, both sweet flowers are once again gracing the slope with their magnificence.


The first nasturtiums I planted were when Eve was a tiny infant at the Encino house. I decided to create a medicinal and culinary garden in the back yard. A book suggested planting nasturtiums for children because they have nice big seed pods for tiny hands and the child is able to quickly see the results. In the garden I had planted flowers amongst the herbs and vegetables. Later I learned that Nasturtiums make good companion plants because they attract beneficial insects while repeling unwanted visitors.

Nasturtiums, or as my friend Rebecca once referred to them "Nasty Urtiums", are easy to grow adding beauty to the garden and a peppery quality to meals. The genus tropaeolum is native to South America, like me. First cultivated in the Andes of Peru the plant was referred to as Indian cress by the Europeans and later deemed Tropaeolum majus. The original flowers were yellow in color, although now they exist in a splendid variety.

A relative of the nasturtium flower is watercress which goes by the botanical name Nasturtium officinalis, sometimes causing confusion. The Latin root of the word nasturtium may have come from nsus/nasus meaning nose and tortre/tortus referring to torture or twist. This term "twist of the nose" refers to the expression on the face of the individual tasting the spicy edible.

This gleeful climber or bush with it's bright trumpet flowers is the topic of Perfume Illuminated today.

FRAGRANCE

The peppery taste of Nasturtiums is partly due to the amount of sun and heat the plant is exposed to. In varying shades of yellow to red, the little trumpet flowers and the disc like leaves act as solar panels absorbing the suns thermal energy. The result of this intake is the chemical component glucosinolates, which are also present in mustard oil.

When one stands amidst nasturtiums the aroma is a blend of green, fresh floral notes with a a bit of pepper. If you poke your nose into the flower the primary note is floral followed by a bit of musk, green and spice. The aroma of the leaves and stems has the same pungent quality with the floral component removed.

The little sample of Nasturtium absolute I was gifted by a distiller has none of the fresh green floral notes. The essence is a yellow mustard color and slightly viscous. The fragrance when first inhaled is slightly irritating to the eyes and nose with an extremely strong burnt, spicy vegetal musk. To my nose it reminds me of the smell of a Japanese restaurant when you first walk in the door. Where I perceived fresh green patchouli, galbanum and pepper notes in the musk of the green leaves, the musk component of the essence is as if it is weighted down by garlic. None of the luminescence of the plant appears in this absolute. Perhaps diluting the material would render a less pungent aroma.


Years ago when I first attempted a nasturtium perfume I tinctured the flowers. Regrettably the fresh, green floral notes were not harnessed. Perhaps it requires the daily swapping and replacement of flowers like a violet tincture, definitely worth a go.

***

Nasturtium Tincture

1/2 cup of leaves and or flowers, if you are using flowers remove the reproductive portion.
1 cup of perfumers alcohol or a high alcohol content brandy or vodka
Clean glass container with a tight fitting lid.

Begin by placing clean, dry, plant matter, the prima materia, inside the jar then proceed to cover with your alcohol. Make sure that all the plant matter is completely covered by the liquid to avoid challenges with mold. Steep your prima materia shaking daily if possible. After four to six weeks strain the material and use this as the base for a Nasturtium liquid perfume.

***

Nasturtium Vinegar from Herbal Gardens

1 cup nasturtium leaves, flowers, and buds
1 pint champagne or white wine vinegar

Place the ingredients in a clean clear glass jar or bottle. Tightly seal. Let sit for at least 3 weeks before using. Place a new nasturtium in the finished bottle for decoration, but you should make sure the vinegar always covers the flowers or they will mold. Makes 1 pint vinegar to use in salads, sauces and flavoring in other dishes.

***

Another route is to recreate the aroma with single notes and accords. Begin as I have suggested in previous posts, by experiencing the aroma and energetics of the plant first hand. Have faith in your scent perceptions even if they differ from others, including authorities in the industry. Pay attention to what the impressions of others are keeping your own in mind.


As mentioned above the main notes I perceived were floral, spicy, green and musk. When I create the nasturtium perfume I will begin by making a tincture as mentioned above and then creating four accords for each of the main notes: floral, green, musk and spice. The floral aspect is more like Mimosa than Ylang Ylang, Jasmine or Rose, thus consider using a Mimosa accord. For the Green accord I suggest essences like Violet leaf and Galbanum among others. The Dandelion accord is a definite candidate. The main spice note is in the realm of Pepper with Ginger and a heavily diluted Garlic essential oil. Be mindful if you are going to use garlic, the essential oil is one of the strongest on the planet, no kidding! Patchouli the ideal place to begin for the musk component.


FLAVOR: Beth Schreibman Gehring
Please continue reading about Nasturtiums at the Windesphere Witch blog

IMAGES: Opening Nasturtium and Nasturtium photo postcard ©RoxanaVilla, Nose and Mouth are old engravings that I have cleaned up and modified.