✨GARDENIA✨

I did it, and feeling extremely proud and grateful, a true to flower gardenia extraction! This elixir is like no other I have ever smelled, from the Tiara of Tahiti to Columbia. The extract is so pure and true, nothing compares but the white floral soul of Gardenia herself.

Since the extraction also produced a lovely fragrant alcohol I will likely combine the two into a pure plant solifleur, or expand on it to produce a more complex fragrance. #StayTuned

Want to smell it? I invite you to come to my lab in Santa Fe, and experience the rare and true beauty of authentic botanical perfume. Want to learn how I did it, come study with me, begin by signing up for the online class and then we can chat about attending the retreat in November where I will show the students the entire process.

The Art of Botanical Perfume is Now Open for Enrollment

One of the worlds most beloved courses on botanical perfume is back and open for registration! It is now streaming 24/7 with downloadable files from anywhere at anytime, on your desktop, mobile device or tablet with lifetime access. A specially designed, essential oil kit created with Eden Botanicals is sent out when you sign up. If you have opted for the payment plan then the kit will be sent upon completing the second payment.

The Art of Botanical Perfume is a pre-requisite to some of the future advanced online courses I've been developing. The seven module course is now open a select number of new students.

 Promo Video by Greg Spalenka

Art of Botanical Perfume .02

In May, after a rather surreal conversation via email, the Art of Botanical Perfume online course was temporarily closed for enrollment. Slowly (in between packing, selling the house and moving lock, stock and barrels to another state) I have been revamping the material for a relaunch.

Here is an overview of the original course:

In the ART OF BOTANICAL PERFUME Roxana shares how the craft of botanical perfume is essential to our modern day because it holds the seeds of Alchemy, Herbalism, Aromatherapy and the Arts—while still serving the Earth and positively affecting change in the human being. The artistry of the creation of natural perfume contributes to a sustainable way of life that is part of organic farming as well as the evolution of humanity’s spiritual consciousness. Perfume making is a fine art that goes beyond reading books and putting together suggested scent-pairings; it’s about truly experiencing the complexity and nuances of volatile essences, understanding what they mean to you and where they came from; as well as the comprehension of how to create a fragrance based on your own personal aesthetic. By the end of this course you will have a foundation to create unique botanical perfumes and a template to continue building your skill set.

1. What is Perfume & Introduction Module: 

Have you ever wondered where the word “Perfume” came from? In this module Roxana defines the word and gives an overview of the different palettes currently used to create perfume, knowledge on the complexities of this ancient practice and help you understand its depth before proceeding to the history of the industry.

2. History of Perfume Module: The “wholistic” telling of this story begins with the first aromatic molecules which came from the conifers. Discovered by the First People who noticed mood shifts and decreased insects while burning this plant material, the history of humanity has progressed in unison with our utilization of fragrance. In this module Roxana will share how the crafting of perfume stems from ancient fragrant preparations that were used for spiritual rituals and physical remedies. She will teach you about the multifaceted world-wide uses of scent from India, China, the Middle East, Egypt, Greece, and Rome providing insight into how this art form has changed and progressed through the ages.

3. Tools & Raw Materials Module: An artist, of any sort, cannot do anything without their tools and supplies. Roxana will explain what basic tools and raw materials you will need before fashioning your own perfume. She will explain and define words such as “Pipette” and “Stirring Rod”, as well as why you need beakers, funnels, blotter strips and more. Also in this module you will learn about essential oils; absolutes; extracts and concretes; high proof alcohol and how to make tinctures, infusions and an enfleurage. 

4. Fragrance Families & Types Module: In this module you will learn about the basic fragrance families and types of perfume. Roxana’s knowledge on this subject abounds, and she will provide you with the basics to better understand the scents you will be experiencing during this course and into the future. The language of perfumery is very complex and by the end of this module you will understand the difference between “fragrance families”, “types”, “descriptives” and “notes”.

5. Olfactory Awareness Module: In this module you will be exercising and building what Roxana refers to as olfactory awareness. This is something you can practice every single moment of your waking life, with every breath…and in turn it will help you develop mindfulness. Roxana will provide step-by-step instructions on how to dive deep into the wonders of your olfactory SUPER POWER, enabling you to experience scents rather than just learn about them. In this section of the course, you will be creating a notebook of what how you personally experience a scent and create from that authentic and individual resource. The process of experiencing scent without predetermined concepts, helps you create much more innovative fragrances. Your own distinctive sense of smell is your SUPER POWER, it will enable you to craft heavenly scents unlike any that have been made before. You will become empowered by your own experiences, and not be forced to conform to predetermined conceptions of scent.

6. Artistry Module: In this module Roxana shows you how there are many paths of learning and creating, sharing her experience of drawing from the right brain and circular thinking. Once you have learned the basic language of scent and how to categorize an aroma (Module 5), and then begin to tap into your own unique interpretation of scent (Module 6) we then move into personal artistry and aesthetics. 

7. Orchestration Module: In this final module you will construct your own unique perfume using the basic top, middle, and base note structure with suggestions on how to make modifications based on supplied formulas. She will guide you on perfume concentrations, proportions of aromatic compounds and the different carriers; and what the different types of carriers mean for the end result of the scent. We also delve deep into Alchemy and how the seven processes relates to creating botanical perfume. In the final lessons of this module you will orchestrate your distinctive perfume and with all the knowledge gained in this course share your new gifts with the world.

For more details contact me via e-mail: roxana <at> illuminatedperfume <dot> com

Art of Botanical Perfume, Online Course is here!!

After many nudges, I am finally launching the Art of Botanical Perfume online course! As an introduction we are doing a webinar next week followed by a launch scheduled for Spring. We are offering two different times and will be offering some discounts and goodies for those who sign up early.

If you are new to my work check out this video about me and this presentation from the aromatherapy conference at Bastyr with my specific thoughts on learning botanical perfume.

The course is set up as an introduction, focusing on the basics and the "art" of botanical perfume. For those looking for super technical skills and a more left brain approach than this may not be for you, although your inner artist will sure appreciate it.

Dailies

The daily gathering of little white florets from for the Jasmine sambac tincture continues. Although there was a bit of a dry spell of blossoms for about a week, the plants are flowering once more.

These waxy, abundantly scented little flowers have been getting added to 190 proof grape alcohol since April of this year. Thursday morning, while filtering the tincture, I poured a tablespoon into a glass. After finishing the process and cleaning up, I studied the fragrant potion and drank. The first impression was the strong, sharp, astringent taste of the 190 proof organic alcohol followed by the most glorious floral flavor. Like a well blended, complex botanical perfume, there was a journey of notes which ended with the most delectable tang of jasmine flowers...as if drinking an aspect of the soul of the plant which even the hydrosol cannot capture.

While experiencing this exotic and completely new taste sensation I contemplated how the high proof alcohol extracts botanical components that water cannot, making this format of experiencing the flavor of these delicate flowers a completely new and different adventure.

This tincture is meant for the 2015 edition of the Blossom Cologne. The 2014 edition of the fresh and uplifting cologne can be found here, keep in mind there is a specified amount of the cologne due to the finite availability of the hand infused alcohol contained within the fragrance.

Each plant material tinctures up differently, some do not not release there precious aromatic treasures while others do so very eagerly. Jasmine sambac works well as long as you can keep up the task of filtering old blossoms and adding new ones consistently for a period of three months or so. The alcohol in the tincture I've been making is just about completely saturated with aromatics thus, tomorrow I will begin doing an enfleurage with the jasmine blossoms.

HoneyLove Wax Symposium

This Saturday is the annual HoneyLove Wax Symposium, I'll be leading a class for the event titled "Scent and the Honey Bee" at the Culver City Headquarters here in LA.

Where: Honey Love: 5950 W. Jefferson Blvd. #8, Los Angeles, California 90016 MAP
What: Learn how to make natural, solid beeswax perfume based on scents related to the Honey Bee.
When: Saturday, August 10, 2013, 12:30pm until 2:00pm

Here is a link to the Facebook Page for those of you on that social media platform.

Then at 7:40 join us for a special screening of More Than Honey in Beverly Hills, afterwards the films director Markus Imhoof and fellow Backward Beekeeper Susan Rudnicki will be part of a Q and A discussion.

Bee Smart, Bee Happy, Bee Free and Live in Mindfulness.

How to use Illuminated Solid Perfume

Lovely Grace of London Make Up Girl has done a little You Tube video about how to use my solid natural perfumes. I've pasted it here for you to have a look-see, please share and comment if you feel inspired. Don't you just love her accent!