Following Bliss

 In June of 2007 (fifteen years ago!), at the Ojai Lavender Festival, I stepped out of my shell and "officially" launched Illuminated Perfume. 

This adventure all began with a Valentines Day newsletter sent in 2007, with a focus on Following One's Bliss. My subscribers at the time were a mix of aromatherapy and natural perfume students along with customers and clients of my art and illustration business.

Shortly after the newsletter went out I received a note from aromatherapy colleague Sandy Messori of Rivendell Aromatics. She was organizing the Ojai Lavender Festival on Saturday, June 16th, 2007 and asked if I wanted to be a speaker and have a booth.

I immediately answered "Yes!" and with the kind of vigor and drive a formal goal date can offer, my focus became laser beamed.

Although I had been making perfumes for myself and clients, as well as teaching classes and attending perfume events, I had been somewhat on the fence with moving forward. The reason for my hesitancy was all the infighting and back stabbing within the tiny natural perfume industry and the deception of indie perfumers using the word natural when they were using synthetics or a mixed palette. The opportunity to both speak and exhibit at the festival provided an impetus to boldly step into a new creative venture.

Several of the perfumes I had already created Q, Aurora, Lyra, Sierra, Chaparral and Vespertina, would be part of the launch with a few small tweaks. I also decided to formulate a special fragrance for the event that would become Vera, with the story of its construction woven into my presentation. At the time I was only offering liquid perfumes.

Read the details of what transpired that day by following this link here at the journal 

The initial intention of the brand,  which continues to be one of its pillars, was/is to bring beauty and light to plant fragrance without using any synthetics, isolates or animal ingredients, hence the use of the adjective illuminated.

I am so very proud to still be offering this work and extremely grateful for all the support along the way, thank you for being part of this wonder filled adventure!

Smell like an Egyptian

Exploring the Olfactive History of Ancient Egyptian Culture
with Dora Goldsmith

The olfactory landscape of ancient Egypt is like no other, revealing aspects of a culture where no boundaries existed with perfume, medicine & food. By examining the written sources left by the ancient Egyptians, we are able to dive deep into various aspects of this olfactory rich civilization.

 

AWE & WONDER

In these fascinating series of classes, we will embark on a practical and mystical journey into the very heart of a civilization based on scent.

Egyptologist Dora Goldsmith will decipher texts for us as we study Egypt through multiple dynasties, exploring a panorama of scents and rituals from sacred temples, personal gardens and the afterlife.

 

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A wonderful sensorial journey through ancient Egypt

"If you are interested in the history of the ancient Egyptians, alchemy, aromatherapy, herbalism and science, or are just curious, then this experiential course is a must! Egyptologist Dora Goldsmith takes you on a sensory journey of everyday life in ancient Egypt where you will not only enhance your knowledge of the rituals and ceremonies of this historically significant time, but also experience the unique scents associated with it. I would highly recommend buying the scent kits to accompany the course modules, which Dora has meticulously researched and prepared, as they will enhance your learning. It was only through making the perfumes myself that I truly appreciated this magnificent civilisation."

~ Paula M on May 10, 2021

 

 

 

Read more & grab your spot

HERE

 

 

The SCENTS of EGYPT WORKSHOP SERIES is a comprehensive certificate program, taking place over seven weeks via LIVE* Zoom sessions with Egyptologist Dora Goldsmith.

Each class in this workshop series offers three hours, including live instruction with handouts and a dedicated hour for Q&A.

Aromatherapy practitioners receive: 3 NAHA CE credits per class.

Join us for individual classes or the entire series

Kyphi

Unguent Cones

Temple Smells

Garden Scents

Scents of Lovemaking

Scents of Mummification & the Afterlife

Hknw, Meaning JOY

BONUS Class: June 6th, 2021: Smellscapes

 

 

 

Still not sure is this is for you?

Join us for this FREE* class on

June 6th, 2021

SMELLSCAPES

In this two-hour lecture, we will go on a smellwalk in an ancient Egyptian city to uncover hidden realities unexperienced and unimagined.

The tour invites us to reorient our senses, so that visualization becomes passive and olfaction becomes active. Through focusing on the sense of smell we gain a new perspective on the ancient Egyptians’ interaction with their environment.

*Use coupon code: smellwalk06

 

 

OUR INSTRUCTOR: DORA GOLDSMITH

Dora Goldsmith is an Egyptologist whose research focuses on the sense of smell in ancient Egypt. Based on the written sources, Dora investigates the ancient Egyptians' perception of the world through the sense of smell and recreates their smellscape. Her published works include the concept of stench in ancient Egypt (2019), the scents of mummification (2019) and the smellscape of ancient Egyptian cities (2020).

Dora gives lectures and workshops around the world accompanied by her scent reconstructions, where the long-lost world of the ancient Egyptians comes back to life through your nose. Two of her scent reconstructions, the Mendesian and the scent of mummification, have been exhibited in museums around the world.

 

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ancient Egypt Lives Again!

"If you've ever wanted to gain deep insight into the rich and complex culture of dynastic Egypt, this series of courses led by the brilliant, trail-blazing scholar, Dora Goldsmith, is an absolute must. Through seven, perfectly organized classes, the layered, and intertwining concepts surrounding scent in life, and in death, are fully explored. The creation and use of perfumes, incense, as well as flowers and food, are all illuminated via images, and beautiful ancient Egyptian texts. You also have the option of buying scent kits which are specialized for each class. (I ordered the Unguent and Aphrodisiac kits and I love them!) Do not miss this amazing opportunity!"

~ Kevin on April 25, 2021

Amanita muscaria inspired perfume

After listening to a very magical story about the relationship between the Amanita muscaria mushroom, reindeer and Santa Claus by Paul Stamets I decided to make a Mushroom perfume.

In plant fragrance making we use a mushroom absolute, sometimes referred to as Cepes (Boletus Edulis), that provides a wonderful earthy, base note. This is one of my personal favorite materials to work with, a tiny amount adds depth and a mossy, dirty, vegetative quality to chords and perfumes.

The absolute is obtained by the solvent extraction of the Boletus edulis, a mushroom which is most often found growing under conifers, like the Amanita muscaria.

I have started working on a perfume which features Boletus edulis extract but also weaves in some of the magical aspects of the Amanita muscaria for the main story.

I highly recommend watch the Paul Stamets video below

When the perfume formerly debuts I will donate a portion of the profits to Fantastic Fungi

Thank you in advance for your participation and sharing the love & magic!!

The Perfumery in Santa Fe, New Mexico

The Perfumery in Santa Fe, New Mexico is one part apothecary, (referencing my great grandfathers homeopathic farmacy) one part alchemical lab (where I distill and transform plant matter into golden elixirs), one part naturalist/artist studio, one part wizardress/priestess, and one part stylist.

All these parts are all the aspects of a modern day perfumer and myself as a multidisciplinary artist. If you have not yet watched the video interview with Ron, of our local art supply store here in Santa Fe called Artisan, then follow this link to the YouTube video or the embedded video at the end, from when he came by the visit. The entire video is just under thirty minutes long, thus set aside the time and enjoy!

The first out of the home perfumery, above, was located in Agoura Hills, California, just a short drive to Malibu. In mid-March of 2014 I came upon the location while celebrating Greg's birthday, and rather auspiciously the Universe aligned and the glorious space manifested into a work / showroom / teaching space.

I was there for about three years and would have stayed if it weren't for the shared ventilation system which caused synthetic aroma molecules to drift into the perfumery from the other units as well as a challenge with having any control as to the temperature of my space. Regrettably the landlord was not interested in working with me and thus I left, setting in motion the move to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The current perfumery is located in the mid town area of Santa Fe, New Mexico within a hidden complex called Lena Street Lofts with the anchor business being the original Iconik Coffee, with their roaster situated amidst tables & couches. Iconik happens to be in building A, the same as the perfumery, albeit they are at one end and I am at the other in unit A6.

Although I wanted to be in downtown Santa Fe or along Canyon Road, at the time no affordable or acceptable spaces were available. I was also told that mid-town would be a better location so that people, especially locals, could park easily. I still yearn for a spot in one of those two locations due to the vibe and visibility. It may still happen one day, while keeping the current space more for larger classes and product making.

I'm loving the connection and antique vibe of the perfumery with my great grandpa's homeopathic farmacy in Buenos Aires, Argentina called La Farmacia de la Estrella. Here are a few pictures above and below, so that you can get a flavor for it, there are more in the video linked above and here, or at the end of this post.

NATURE not natural

The word natural is getting even more abused than when I first started making fragrance. Most perfume brands claiming to be “natural" go to extreme measures to hide that they use any type of synthetics by greenwashing their wording and confusing the public.

A few terms I have been seeing a lot lately are:

"100% Natural Derived"

"Plant Based Perfume Made From 100% Plant and Flower Materials"

"Beyond Clean” 

The reason this is happening is because there is a demand for true plant fragrance, the tragic part is that these terms above, and many others, don’t actually mean anything. It’s really challenging when your brand is based on authenticity. As I have mentioned before, these smoke & mirror shenanigans make my job really difficult.

My “people" then think they are allergic to all perfume, including those made from plants, when what they are actually allergic to is the synthetics and isolates contained within fragrances. In the past I confronted a few perfumers about their use of words and was answered with "The word we live in is all maya anyway." What the heck kind of answer is that!

Here are a few post here at the journal that provide more information on this topic:

Word Rant Wednesday series:

Isolates, Bee keeper and Natural

Botanical Perfume Defined

Let's get authentic shall we?

Immortal

Eau de Parfum and other fragrance terminology

Is Botanical Perfume For You

Botanical Perfume Classes in March & April

Art of Botanical Perfume

March 2nd & 3rd in Encino, CA

April 6th & 7th in Santa Fe, NM

The Art of Botanical Perfume is a level one class, an introduction to making perfume with plants. In the past this was a one day course that always felt rushed and overwhelming, thus now I set it up over two days that will include these seven categories:

• 1. What is Perfume?
• 2. History of Perfume
• 3. Tools & Raw Materials
• 4. Fragrance Families & Types
• 5. Olfactory Awareness
• 6. Artistry
• 7. Orchestration

For an more in depth description of the workshop look at the online course, although keep in mind that we are squeezing 70 hours into two days. The Art of Botanical Perfume live or online course is a perquisite for the advanced classes. Seating is limited, grab your spot today.

___________________________________________________________________

Chord Construction & Perfume Types

March 9th & 10th in Encino, CA

April 13th & 14th Santa Fe, NM

This two day workshop is for those who have taken the 

ART OF BOTANICAL PERFUME 

class live or online course

DAY ONE : Chord Building A chord or accord in perfume is a term borrowed from music referring to constructing a synergy of notes that will be added to your perfume to create more complexity. In this day long workshop you will learn the notes and essences associated with eight fragrance families, how they relate to each other and how to make them more complex. These are the eight fragrance families we will focus on:

• Green
• Floral
• Earth
• Wood
• Spice
• Gourmand
• Citrus
• Fruit

By the end of the day you will have created a few chords that will be used on Day Two when we construct a perfume within a specific class.

DAY TWO : Perfume Types Perfumes are categorized into categories or types, which are also referred to as classes. This organizational system is based on the overall, universal scent impression. We will learn about these types, the notes that go into their formulation and construct one or more, depending on our time.

• Chypre
• Oriental
• Fougère (meaning fern in French)
• Floral
• Green
• Leather

All supplies & tools are included with the purchase of this class. Please bring a notebook for jotting down your formulas. By the end of the each day you will have gained new insights to add complexity to your botanical perfume formulas and knowledge to continue working with new skill sets.

Seating is limited, thus I recommend enrolling ASAP to grab your seat

✨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

The Schism

Humans are at an interesting crossword as we choose to either take the highroad or plunder down into a murky darkness of hate. According to some ancient texts there is the potential for more lower chakra stupidity before we finally migrate to the higher realms of consciousness.

In the meantime, there are sectors of people who are equating the use of beeswax with that of civet paste. I was not aware of this rather odd point of view, thus, I am here to clarify a few things...

• Big agro beekeepers, like John Miller showcased in More Than Honey, are very different than those of us who save feral hives and act as their guardians using holistic and mindful methods.

• Civet is a nocturnal animal related to the cat that secretes a pale yellow, viscous substance used in perfumery. Originally introduced to Europe by Marco Polo from China it died off in use when synthetic materials replaced the original palette of perfumers. Regrettably, civet has made a comeback as "natural" perfumers use it within their palette which contains animal ingredients. The fragrant substance is secreted from the animals anal glands and then scraped while the cat is teased and stressed in a tiny cage.  Quite horrific and certainly not in keeping with what we associate "green" and "natural" perfume with. According the Chandler Burr "Civet is like adding whole cream to soups or sauces." Indeed, in France and in the 14th century Venice, civet was an immensely popular ingredient in fine fragrance due to its alchemical magic at incremental amounts as well as adding tremendous longevity to a perfume.

So, what do you think, is using beeswax in perfume the same as using civet paste? It's possible that the confusion might be because those who are part of the "vegan" tribe prefer to obtain from"bee related" products but are okay with petroleum products, go figure. I'm still trying to understand that one.

At the end of the day, or our lives, each of us will be held accountable for what we've done here on planet earth or maybe not. What I do know is that if I hadn't saved the three colonies of feral bees that share there honey and beeswax with me, they would have been exterminated using toxic chemicals. 

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.

Word Rant Wednesday: Isolates

So far for Word Rant Wednesday I've gone over the challenge with terms like natural/botanical and bee keeper. The word we are going to take a closer look at today is one used in the food and flavoring industries that spills into perfume and body care: isolates.

There are two types of isolate molecules, the first one has been "isolated" from the source material like geraniol from geranium, usually utilizing some type of fractional distillation.  The second, and most prevalent, are isolated molecules which have been recreated in a lab, "patented" and then sold as natural and organic, even if the source material is not from nature and contains GMO's.

As I've shared in the history portion of my classes on aromatherapy and botanical perfume how modern medicine, in its current format, was created by men with an agenda to promote their patented pharmaceutical drugs instead of the wise woman path of plants. For example aspirin instead of white willow bark or the removal of an organ from the body instead of working with the patient to change on dietary and lifestyle changes are two excellent examples.

By using isolates in perfume and body care companies and niche, natural & botanical perfumers, are able to pump up certain types of scents in the products easily and cheaply. Thus the company creating the components and the user are mutually benefitting. The planet and sensitive human beings are the ones who lose because these lab created chemicals are not harmonious with creating the terrain of healthy microbes we ideally need to be cultivating.

Why not just use the first type of isolates, those derived via fractional distillation? Good question, the challenge is two fold, first of all isolates are not whole and thus do not contain the entire spectrum of nature in all her wisdom. Secondly when sourcing these isolated molecules it is know if the component is actually derived exclusively from an essential oil or one of the second type, which is being sold under the guise of natural & organic.

How do you know if your using essential oils that contain isolates? Avoid conglomerates, many located in New Jersey, that sell both synthetic and natural aroma chemicals. Ask your essential oil supplier lots of questions and demand clear and concise answers.

Many companies we normally associate with green beauty like Weleda use isolates to fragrance their products, mainly because of industry requirements. In the field of natural perfume the secondary group of lab created isolates have become somewhat "in" to easily boost a note by using a single molecule. Recently I was about to order Citron essential oil that I had assumed was whole since it was listed as an essential oil with a country of origin. To my surprise, the supplier warned me against it since he knew I was very specific about not wanting any essences that contain isolates. Citron is a yellow, lumpy skinned fruit with a sweet, tangy green and floral notes. For now I'll be sticking with Bergamot instead of Citron or a chord with Lemon, Bergamot and a few others to continue on the path of formulating complex, authentic, botanical perfumes without compromising on ingredients.

If I wanted to get really fringe science with you, sorta Phillip K. Dick / sci-fi realm, we could contemplate the idea of the conglomerates mimicking nature and then wiping her out so that they would hold the patent on all life forms, but that would be a little over the top, right? Let's instead smell some heirloom roses and pretend I never implied such a crazy idea.

Read more about what is happening with isolates in this article from Cosmetics Design.

Text, imagery and photos © Roxana Villa

Chocolate Natural Solid Perfumes are back!

As promised, the chocolate natural solid perfumes are back. It's taken quite a lot of experiments but the beast has now been tamed and ready to share. I've been conducting some tests while at the workshop and am happy to share that the general response has been swoons.

At the moment all I've listed on my website are the little samples and the refill tins for the little mini compact, everything else is on its way. All the upcoming new flavors will first be debuted for the "Chocolate of the Month Club" at my Ziibra page.

Introducing Mellifera

Mellifera, meaning Honey (melli) Bearing or Maker (fera) is the second part of the name for our little honey bee. The entire name is Apis mellifera, apis being the genus.

I began the fragrance Mellifera in the summer of 2013 for the HoneyLove Wax Symposium held in Culver City. The fragrance is based on everything that makes up the realm of the honey bee including herself and tribe members, the hive (as in To Bee), the landscape where she forages and other interesting bits about her.

The orchestration was initially composed by listing everything relating to the honey bee in terms of scent and then pairing essences to those words. For example:

Queen bee: Lemongrass

Forage bee: Based on research regarding the hone bees "nasanov" (scent) gland secretions that have components related to Melissa officianalis and Eucalyptus citriodora Melissa, Eucalyptus citriodora and Geranium.

Honey: Ylang ylang and Mimosa

Propolis: Resin and spice

Hive: All of the above plus musk and wood

Landscape: Herbs, flowers and tree sap.

After that I took birds eye view of these ingredients and began to weave them together with other notes to support them, keeping in mind perfume structure. The final composition of twenty two ingredients, all botanical except for the beeswax absolute. The orchestration includes woods, resins, leaves, flowers, herbs, rinds and roots. One of the featured ingredients is helichrysum both from Croatia and Ojai California.

I found this interesting bit on the wordnik blog: "In Latreille's system, the fourth family of aculeate Hymenoptera; the Anthophila; the honeybees." and this bit from Wikipedia: "The first Apis bees appear in the fossil record at the Eocene–Oligocene boundary (23–56 Mya), in European deposits. The origin of these prehistoric honey bees does not necessarily indicate Europe as the place of origin of the genus, only that it occurred there then. A few fossil deposits are known from South Asia, the suspected region of honey bee origin, and fewer still have been thoroughly studied."

I have many healers and intuitives come by my new workspace in Agoura, one of them mentioned to me that honey bees originate from Mars, as do all colony based creatures.

When this little forager was named they believe that she was a male and thus many songs and poems refer to her as such, for example:

“The pedigree of honey does not concern the bee; A clover, any time, to him is aristocracy.”
~ Emily Dickinson, The Complete Poems

The main image for Mellifera is the crown, with the color harmony being antique gold and iconography related to the Goddess since the honey bee is mostly female. Greg took a some beautiful photos of my fellow "Summer essence sister" Sophie specifically for Mellifera, including this one which was previously shared.

Mellifera is one of the items offered in the upcoming Fan Funding Event, and thus for a time being will only be available through that venue. It will be available for sniffing at the upcoming celebration of the new space on November 15th.

Here is what Sarah said about it when I put a little sample in with a locket she ordered:

"I applied some Mellifera mid-morning, and it's still lingering (4+ hours later). Initially it smelled of sweet vanilla + pepper, with beehive (i.e., beeswax + sun-drenched pine wood) notes. A bit like a sweeter + lighter Impromptu. Now, a few hours after application, it smells like a sweeter, lighter Aumbre, which is FANTASTIC, and may account for its longevity on my skin (Aumbre lasts forever for me)."

The scent is most similar to the fragrances in the line that have earthy, resinous, herbal notes like Impromptu, Aumbre, Terrestre, Chaparral, etc. Some noses might perceive it as "medicinal" due to some of the spicy camphor notes.

Then there is what happens to the scent when it comes into contact with each persons chemistry expressing itself on our skin. Everyone experiences scent so vastly different, depending on the olfactory terrain that they are accustomed to. If you have smelled Mellifera please include your experience in the comments or e-mail them to me so that I can share with the rest of the tribe....or should I refer to us as a hive?

Related posts here at the Journal:
HoneyLove Yellow Tie Event: August 2014
Life is a Flower
HoneyLove Wax Symposium

Is botanical perfume for you?

Botanical perfume is a niche market, appealing to those who are seeking a more authentic experience with nature and the vitality of a fragrance made by hand with a palette of botanicals. As mentioned in the post defining botanical perfumery, the word "natural" does not mean what we believe it to mean, especially within the beauty and food industries.

When we purchase a fresh bouquet of flowers, fruits or vegetables at the farmers market, from a local grower using organic methods, we are supporting an individual who has made a conscious choice. Unlike the big flower and food producers in other parts of the world, they are choosing to farm in a manner that supports the environment, even it it means keeping their business small. We are also supporting our local community.

Did you know that most of the flowers at the supermarkets and membership-only warehouse clubs are grown in Ecuador where there are no to little restrictions on the use of pesticides? The flowers are shipped to the US, inspected for insects and then often sprayed at the airport with more pesticides. Thus, next time you put your nose in a store bought flower and take a deep breath, keep this little tidbit of information in mind.

A true botanical perfume will not last for hours on end, although there are some that will last longer than others, this is dependent on skin chemistry and the amount of base notes in the fragrance. A great metaphor for botanical perfume is that fresh bouquet of flowers I mentioned early on in this post. When we purchase fresh flowers we want to bring that vital, fresh nature component into our home. Often it is for the visual aspect, sometimes for the aroma or both. A botanical perfume, like that fresh bouquet is alive, over time it will dwindle. The beauty is temporal. If longevity is important please follow this link to these other posts:
Questions, Answers and GreenWitch
Immortal

My goal is to work in harmony with nature, using authentic botanicals and mimicking the inherent wisdom of mother nature. Thus I use a palette which I has specific rules, for example, I do not use any or ever have, nor advocated the use of, historic animal ingredients such as civet, castoreum, ambergris and deer musk. I do not use isolates, even if they are stated to be natural because in truth, most are not natural and have been developed in a laboratory. I prefer not to use materials that have undergone splicing or from a vendor that honorable. Some vendors sell ingredients labeled incorrectly.

In general, the liquid perfumes last longer than the solids, GreenWitch being the most long lasting of all the fragrances in my line. Blossom and Gracing the Dawn are the most ethereal.

The other component of this work is beauty and art. An intention to illuminate the value of perfumes made in collaboration with nature alongside the history and romance of fragrance. Sometimes this part can be extremely tricky since budgets are so small and manufacturers of containers require high minimums. This is where creativity becomes very useful and which I began using the color coded wax seals. There is tremendous mindfulness and thought put into the concept of each fragrance and how to tell its story. At the moment my husband Greg and I create visuals and LookBooks to facilitate an experience of the fragrance.

Many thanks to those who have been loyal patrons of this work, its is because of you that we are able to continue doing this work and getting the message about our connection to nature to all sentient beings who are ready to hear it.

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.

Variations on a Theme

The simple round tins with solid perfume are being added to the E-shop today. For the moment I've put the fragrances into three basic tiers to make pricing a bit easier. Keep in mind there are still a few tweaks to be made.

Tier 1 is made up of the most expensive fragrances in my line, these are perfumes that are complex and/or have very expensive ingredients, in the case of these five it is a combination of both. For example, GreenWitch contains four chords, one which is a chord within a chord as well as jasmine, rose and seaweed.

TIER ONE

Gracing the Dawn

Green Witch

Hedera helix

Rosa

To Bee

Simple Round Tins, 8.7 grams  $69.60

Round Compact, 5.3 grams $90

Oval Compacts $98

Tier 2 is made up of the fragrances that are not quite as complex as those in Tier one and contain very expensive ingredients. For example Chaparral and Terrestre are not quite as complex as Chiaroscuro, however both contain Oud, one of the most expensive raw materials currently available.

TIER TWO

Chaparral

Chairoscuro

Cimbalom
Figure 1: Noir

Page 47

Terrestre

Vera

Vespertina

Simple Round Tins, 8.7 grams  $60.90

Round Compact, 5.3 grams $82 - $85

Oval Compacts $95

Tier 3 are fragrances which tend to have the least complexity in their formulation and the ingredients are not quite as pricey as those in the two previous categories. For example Aurora does contain some precious essences like jasmine, rose and carnation but there are only seventeen total ingredients in its formula.

TIER THREE

Aumbre

Aurora

Figure 10: Blanc

Lyra

Q

Sierra Solid Gold

Simple Round Tins, 8.7 grams  $52.50

Round Compact, 5.3 grams $80

Oval Compacts $95 - $85

Full throttle

It is full throttle "get ready for the show" here at in the woodland apothecary. Between creating synergies, decanting and making solid perfume I'm also working out all the final details for the booth.
Helpers have been orchestrated, its mostly down to all the fine tuning of the visual and scented accoutrements. I'm giving a presentation at 11:30am thus there are a few things to take care of on that front as well.

I'd love to hear from you which liquid perfumes to take to the show. I have eight little glass domes, in which three I have chosen for sure are: To Bee GreenWitch and the brand new Figure Noir. For the other five I'm considering: Rosa, Q, Hedera helix, Chiaroscuro and Vespertina. This selection covers the most popular selling fragrances as well as a difference range.