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!

12th year Anniversary

I've been so swamped between the move to another house, the spa-cation and getting prepared for the Santa Fe Art Tour at the perfumery that I completely forgot about the 12th anniversary of launching Roxana Illuminated Perfume, ugh!

Back in February of 2007 I was contacted by Sandy Messori to be a presenter at the Ojai Valley Lavender Festival. As you can imagine I felt extremely honored considering some of the other speakers were luminaries in the aromatherapy community, like Suzanne Catty & Michael Scholes. Along with presenting I was offered a booth to sell my products.

At the time I had just started coming out of my shell as a "perfumer", even though I had already been teaching, creating my botanical perfumes and custom fragrances for clients. The invitation gave me the impetus to get my branding and a website together, which launched on the day of the event June 16, 2007. You can read a little bit about it here at the journal.

As a gift to you I am offering 25% off the round tins of Vera (pictured above). This lavender perfume was created specifically for the Ojai Lavender Festival to be a reflection of the landscape, it is complex yet simple with notes ranging from lavender, sage, sun-kissed skin, honey and resin. Use coupon code VERA at the illuminated perfume website, or come pick it up at the perfumery.

Here are a few testimonials I uncovered...

"This perfume has redefined lavender for me. It has built it into a scent that is stunning in its complexity; that is both very natural and very feminine in a sophisticated way. This is one little luxury that I hope never to be without again."

~ Customer of Vera liquid flacon

"Lavender is one of my favorite flowers and scents, and this smells exactly like the real thing, not heavy or overpowering at all like those soap and bath products! Thank you so much!"

~ Customer of Vera solid perfume

"I love that you make perfumes I can wear without getting a rash. I love the heavenly scents and I'm thrilled with the extra solid samples you included! Thank you!"

~ Customer of Vera liquid perfume flacon

"Starts as a herbal-y lavender then dries down to soft resins. Exquisite."

~ Customer of Vera solid perfume

"Absolutely beautiful perfumes. As well as smelling good, I love how each seems to be imbued with intention to me; Sierra is joyful, Q is grounding and Vera gives a feeling of clarity."

~ Grace

"Thanks, Roxana! It smells wonderful ~ as per the words of my fiancee. :)"

~ Fireman, Vera liquid for his girl

I LOVE the VERA it has a wonderfully complex scent,

and the "sun kissed skin" note is very sensual!

~ Customer of Vera solid perfume

"This is my favorite stuff in the whole world. "

~ Customer of Vera liquid falcon

"I am wearing this right now. Seeing how Vera is my favorite thing in the world, of course I love it. Love, love, love it."

~ Customer of Vera solid perfume compact

"The depth of this fragrance is amazing. Lavender has a very open, honest fragrance, but Vera is so much more. It is open and subtle at the same time. I love wearing it.

Thank you so much for creating this wonderful fragrance."

~ Customer of Vera liquid vial