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

Vera Solid Natural Perfume is Back!

Three different lavenders and white sage grown and distilled in Ojai are combined with orange blossom and thirty one other plant essences with two of my own complex chords go into Vera. The labyrinthine orchestration results in a sparkling, sunny, uplifting yet calming pure fume, evocative of the location in Southern California where the inspiration began.

Breath deep, connect to the land, the sunshine, the air, the plants, the honey bees—all guides to our inner sanctum of knowing and peace.

Read more about Vera at these posts here at the journal

The liquid and Eau de Parfum version of Vera is coming along with other fragrances that are sold out and the intoxicating Summer jasmine perfume. I also have To Bee and Blanc as an Eau de Parfum to unveil, which by the way, are fabulous layered over each other. The synergy gives conveys a deep, rich honey note.

I'm a presenter, once again, at the NAHA Beyond Aromatics conference. Yay! This time, the happening takes place at the University of Utah toward the end of October. Come join me and this dynamic community.

Nine

Nine years ago I came out of my aromatic shell 🌱 and debuted the Roxana Illuminated Perfume line, website and blog with being a presenter at the Ojai Lavender Festival. In the photo below I am chatting with the aromatherapy legend Robert Tisserand. As you can see my beginnings were very humble.

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud 

was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

~ Anais Nin

It was my first step into what at the time was a very adversarial field of "Natural Perfume", which is why I used the quote above on my products. I was adamant about not including the historical animal ingredients that my peers were using, as well as synthetics or isolates. Nine years later I am still standing in my truth with supporting and promoting our connection to nature...and inspiring others to do the same.

On that blessed, grand day I released Vera, composed as a song to lavender and the regional farmers working with this healing herb. The handmade fragrance is an herbaceous bouquet of lavender and sage inspired by ingredients from the beautiful Ojai Valley in Southern California. The scent has been expertly woven with several types of lavender, notes of white sage, fresh mown hay, orange blossom and a salty ocean breeze. FYI, I am just about out of the current edition.

We are celebrating the ninth anniversary of Roxana Illuminated Perfume, the completion of my online course and the first day of the Summer with a 25% discount at my website on any orders over $50, enter the code "Lavender" upon checking out.

FYI, I'm sold out and close to be out of many fragrances including Vera, thus don't delay if you have a favorite.

Many thanks to each of you who have been part of this wonder filled adventure. You can read more about that day at the Ojai Lavender Festival at the second post I wrote here at this journal.

Vera Natural Perfume Mini Compact in Allure

Press is always a thrill, a bit like sugar, sweet and addicting. In this case its Allure Magazine, published by Conde Nast in New York City, where they requested I send them a mini compact. When I asked which of the solid perfume samples I had sent was their favorite they said Vera. Thus, there she is in all her purple splendor with these eloquent words:

Inspired by the techniques ancient artists used to grind pigments from natural sources for their illuminated manuscripts, Roxana Illuminated Perfume was founded in 2007 with the debut of its first fragrance, Vera. Since then, the line has expanded by nearly two dozen scents, in both liquid and solid form. And while the liquid versions may smell just as divine, it's the solid fragrances that really hooked us. Made with beeswax from two hives tended by the brand's founder, Roxana Villa, these botanical-infused perfumes come in simple round tins topped with the company's honey beeswax seal, tiny refillable compacts made from vintage 1940s molds, or statement-making lockets for on-the-go reapplications.

Vera Anniversary 2015 Winners

Hello dear friends, I have the names of the winners, but first...thank you to every single one of you who participated in this celebration in one way or another. I'm so grateful for each of you!

The PinBoard Winner is Jennifer

See her beautiful board here

I had my husband Greg and daughter Eve each select their favorite and then compared notes. Although all of them were beautiful, all three of us choose Jennifer's as the most evocative board for Vera.

The winners of the Vera mini compact or liquid perfume vial are:

Swan Lake Vintage

Stix and String 

Those two gals were chosen by the randomizer from over 100 different entries, including lots of multiples.

Congrats to the fortunate winners and once again, many thanks to every single person who participated. Please come back again in a few months or so for another much more succinct giveaway.

If you are one of the lucky ones mentioned above please e-mail me with your mailing address: roxana (at) illuminatedperfume.com.

Vera PinBoards

We have seven glorious pinboards for Vera. It's going to be soooo hard to choose one!!! Let me know which one YOU feel represents the fragrance the best.

Brenda:

https://www.pinterest.com/mzbloom/the-essence-of-vera/

Iris:

https://www.pinterest.com/irisdevoogd/where-lavender-takes-me/

Mihaela

https://www.pinterest.com/signorinascent/vera/

Victoria

https://www.pinterest.com/vadelew1491/dreaming-of-vera/

Beatriz

https://www.pinterest.com/beatrizf/vera-perfume-inspired/

Yvonne

https://www.pinterest.com/yahill1/lavender-dreams-vera-by-roxana-illuminated-perfume/

Jennifer

https://www.pinterest.com/lottchenloo/ode-to-vera/

Giveaway Reminder

This is a heads up to remind you of two things....

1. I'm doing a really generous giveaway surrounding Vera, highly recommend you all get on it. I'm giving away a round compact of Vera for the person who creates the most beautiful board on Pinterest about the fragrance. Only one board has been submitted so far (It's a beauty!) thus, if you can create one as pretty your chances of winning are pretty high. Read details about the giveaway and all the different ways to enter here.

2. The Ojai Lavender Festival is this Saturday, although I won't be exhibiting this year, I highly recommend attending and stopping by the perfumery just off the 101 on your way up or down.

VERA Anniversary Celebration 2015

In mid June of 2007 with the help of my friend and graphic designer Terese Harris I launched the website, blog and Vera on the morning of the Ojai Lavender Festival. In honor of that blessed day, lavender and the fabulous journey, here is an anniversary celebration with something for everyone.

The first part of the celebration is a free sample of the Vera natural solid in any order of $25 or over (not including tax or shipping). This is in addition to any other free sample that may be part of your order. To get the sample please include a note with your order upon checkout either via Etsy or my website.

For the second part of the festivities I will be giving away Vera perfume related gifts to four lucky winners. If you are one of the lucky winners you can choose from these two prizes:

- Vera liquid in glass vial, 1 gram by weight
- Vera mini compact solid perfume

- The grand prize is a Vera solid perfume round compact, valued at $195, this prize will go to the most beautiful Pin Board creation, see #1 below.

There are several ways to enter:

(1) PIN BOARD
- Create a board on Pinterest that either evokes the essence of Vera.
- Feel free to use any imagery from the website, this journal, Greg's site, etc. I've started a Vera Pin Board that you can use for reference here. Submit your beautiful creation, or creations, via e-mail (roxana at illuminatedperfume.com) with a link to your board by June 27th 12pm PST.
- The person who creates the most beautiful board will receive the Vera Solid Perfume Round Compact. If you have previously won a Pin It to Win It contest you may enter this contest.

(2) INSTAGRAM

1. Follow @illuminatedperfume on Instagram  2. tag a friend below 3. Repost with @repostapp, tag us @illuminatedperfume and include the hashtags #vera #lavender #giveaway Do all three get THREE entries, or ONE each.

(3) COMMENT
Leave a comment of this blog post and tell me what new product or fragrance you would like to see manifest, ONE entry.

(4) PURCHASE
Any purchase of $25 as of today June 17th, will receive ONE entry. If your entry is for $50 that will count as TWO, if $75 that will count as THREE, etc.

(5) REVIEW
Review one of your favorite Illuminated Perfumes on Make Up Alley, Fragrantica or other major perfume forum (THREE entries per each review). Reviews must be dated June 17, 2015 or there after. Please email me the link to confirm: roxana at illuminatedperfume.com

(6) FOLLOW
Follow this journal or the Roxana Illuminated Perfume on Instagram and you will receive ONE entry per each one. If you already are a follower please let me know.

(7) SHARE
Share this celebration on a social media site with a link to to this post and you will receive ONE entry.

(8) MENTION
Mention this celebration on your blog or any social media platform with a link to to this post and you will receive ONE entry. Please email me the link to confirm: roxana at illuminatedperfume.com

The fine print...

1. The deadline for entering is June 27, 2015 (The day of the Ojai Lavender Festival this year), at 12 pm (PST).
2. Once the pin boards have been looked at all entries will be placed into a random drawing via the "randomizer" and announced on this blog, twitter, instagram and facebook.

Thank you for your support over the years!

Truth is Singular

As I type this it is stardate 67167 and Vera, the perfume of Ojai and lavender is trending. The word Vera means true, referencing the botanical name for lavender Lavandula vera, true lavender.

Truth is a fascinating topic which appears to take on many guises. As Sonmi 451 in Cloud Atlas states "Truth is singular, its versions are mistruths."

Here is a video of Rachel Parent, a 14 year old girl that, like Sonmi 451 is able to discern truth and mis-truths.

Amethyst and sage

The amethyst cases came and went and will come again, here she is looking mighty fine with Vera.

Vera Winners!

Many thanks to everyone who participated in the Anniversary celebration. The numerous entries were submitted into "the randomizer" which choose four lucky recipients of Vera natural perfume. If for some reason any of these individuals fail to respond then I have four more back up winners from the list.

Drum roll please.......the first winner is Diana who loves the combo of citrus and soft floral. Our second winner is Margaret who would love to see something rosey, maybe a bath oil. I'm thinking Margaret should definitely check out Rosa solid natural perfume and Vespertina. The third lucky recipient is Ginger who will probably be really happy with Vera since she likes herbal scents. Forth in our round up is Marija who would like to see Kramer's "The Beach" cologne come to fruition. Hmmm, since I didn't watch Seinfeld I don't know this scent and must do some research as I am very curious! In the meantime my two beachy scents are GreenWitch and Page47...the latter being my personal favorite.

Once again, many thanks to everyone who participated in all the various forms. I am super grateful. I invite you back to upcoming To Bee giveaways which many friends and fans will be hosting throughout July.

Anniversary Celebration!

Four years ago on this day the journal, the website and Vera were launched at the Ojai Lavender Festival. It has been an interesting and wild ride, very much like the childrens book The Wind and the Willows. "Alternately slow moving and fast paced" is how Wikipedia describes the novel with a "mixture of mysticism, adventure, morality, and camaraderie." All this and more can be applied to the last four years of illuminating the world with the how, what, when, where and why of botanical perfume.

To mark the occasion I have some festivities planned which include some play and gifts for the next week as we wind ourselves to the release of the new Bee inspired natural perfume.

The first part of the celebration is a free sample of the Vera natural solid in any order of $25 or over (not including tax or shipping). This is in addition to any other free sample that may be part of your order.


For the second part of the festivities I will be giving away Vera perfume related gifts to four lucky winners. If you are one of the lucky winners you can choose from these prizes:
- 1 gram vial of Vera liquid
- Honey bee pot of Vera solid
- A brand new mini compact with a tin of Vera solid (Pictured below, this is assuming they arrive. My supplier has been a major flake since last November!)


There are several ways to enter:

(1) Leave a comment of this blog post and tell me what new product or fragrance you would like to see manifest, ONE entry.

(2) Any purchase of $25 as of June 15th, will receive ONE entry. If your entry is for $50 that will count as TWO, if $75 that will count as THREE, etc.

(3) Review one of your favorite Illuminated Perfumes on Make Up Alley, Perfume of Life or another major perfume forum (THREE entries per each review). Reviews must be dated June 15, 2011 or there after. Please email me the link to confirm: roxanailluminatedperfume.com

(4) Follow this journal, my tweets or the Roxana Illuminated Perfume facebook fanpage and you will receive ONE entry per each one. If you already are a follower please let me know.

(5) Tweet this celebration on Twitter with a link to to this post and you will receive ONE entry.

(6) Mention this celebration on your blog with a link to to this post and you will receive ONE entry. Please email me the link to confirm: roxanailluminatedperfume.com

(7) Mention tthis celebration on Facebook with a link to to this post and you will receive ONE entry. Please email me the link to confirm: roxanailluminatedperfume.com

(8) Answer any of these questions by sending an to e-mail: roxanailluminatedperfume.com
a. What other flash animation appeared on the front page of the Illuminated Perfume website other than the one which is currently featured? TWO entries for a correct answer.
b. What are the names of my favorite perfumes? ONE entry for a correct answer.
c. Which fragrance blog or publication was the first to mention Roxana Illuminated Perfume? ONE entry for a correct answer.

The fine print...

1. The deadline for entering is June 26, 2011, at 10 pm (PST).
2. Entries will be placed into a random drawing and announced on this blog, twitter and facebook.

Thank you for your support over the years!

Images ©RoxanaVilla

Lavender Fields Forever!

Lavandula vera, the botanical name for lavender, is in bloom in the garden. The honey bees are enchanted and thus the lavender gets pollinated and the circle of life continues in this woodland garden.

I'm honored to have my Vera natural perfume listed in a post over at the Blogdorg Goodman blog. This perfume was created for the Ojai Lavender Festival back in June 2007. In the article Jessica articulates some of the history of lavender and its entrance into the world of perfume.

Of all the fragrances listed Vera is the only vital nature perfume, what an honor! For now Vera can be found at the E-shop in all her manifestations...samples, solid, liquid vial, flacon and in the perfume locket.

Here are some testimonials I've started to gather. If you have one to share please e-mail it to me or leave it in the comments. Thank you to all my wonderous patrons, I love each of you!

"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

"Vera is one of my favorite scents of hers along with Cimbalom, Page 47 and Sierra. For me Vera is lovely to put on before falling asleep for deep restful slumber. The solid makes it perfect to carry for those times in the day where you need relief of the everyday stressors. Transporting you to a gentle summer evening watching as the sun attempts to kiss the moon with a glass of something good to drink (wine or tea for me)."
~ Angie

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

"Lovely scents, especially Page 47 and Vera. Vera is definitely my favorite in this trio--it's intoxicating and subtle at the same time. It's one of those scents that I loved instantly, knowing it was new to my nose and yet feeling as though I recognized it somehow...dreamy. Everything was packaged beautifully from a wonderful seller who clearly uses high quality ingredients in her products :) Thanks very much. I look forward to trying more."
~ Customer of solid perfume sampler

"All three are beautiful and feminine. Page 47 is more of a sexy scent.
The Rosa is elegant. Vera connects me to Nature in my daily urban lifestyle. Thank you"
~ Customer of solid perfume sampler

"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

Images ©Roxana Villa, Vera Illuminated ©Greg Spalenka

Lavender Fields

The weather has shifted here in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains and with that trees are in bloom as well as the sage and lavender in the garden. This abundance of nature also heralds in the return of Vera Solid Perfume.

When artist Sands Murray was reviewing perfume at the Perfume Critic he stated this of Vera in her liquid fluid state: "An earthy interpretation sans all pretension, with a surprising influx of the sage and orange blossom."


The creamy solid is very similar to the liquid although the beeswax base highlights some of the resins and gives the aroma a warmer quality.

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

At the E-shop you will find Vera in the single pink solid mini pot, mini pot sample sets, Honey Bee pots, refill for the compacts and the refill tins for the perfume lockets. The solid perfume compacts will be returning shortly.


Read reviews of Vera solid natural perfume at this links:
- Scent Hive
- The Examiner: Donna Hathaway
- Perfume Smellin' Things: Tom
- London Make-up Girl
- IndiePerfumes

Venus Day Tidings

The planet Venus is named after the Roman goddess of love an beauty. I tend to feel like a Venusian much more than an Earthling most of the time, especially these days.

On this most vibrant day, attributed to Aphrodite, I offer you a splendid review of the new Vera solid natural perfume at Scent Hive. It was the liquid version of Vera that was the catalyst for Trish and I to meet. Please fly on over to her most sweetly scented hive to read the review and perhaps leave a comment, especially if you have experienced Vera. At Scent Hive you will also find a giveaway for a trio sampler of Vera, Rosa and Chaparral® which I've decided to match here!


Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to tell me which is your favorite scent from the natural world...you know, like fresh roses, lavender, the ocean, sun baked or damp earth, the smell of a new baby, etc.

You must include your first name -or- etsy username AND email address with each entry or it will not be included.

For additional entries you can do any or all of the following:

• 2 entries (total) - Blog about this giveaway, leaving the URL to the post in comments (1 blog per entrant, please)
• 1 entry: Be or become a follower of RoxanaVilla on Twitter
• 1 entry: Be or become a fan of Roxana Illuminated Perfume on Facebook
• 1 entry: Be or become a follower of this journal: IlluminatedPerfume
• 1 entry per day of the contest: Twitter this message: RT @RoxanaVilla is hosting a #natural #perfume giveaway! Visit http://bit.ly/9WgLs2 for a chance to win

This giveaway is worldwide and ends on Tuesday, June 15th at 10pm PST.

More fine print, learned along the way
1. If we cannot contact you we will give your prize away to someone else.
2. Depending how many entries I receive I determine how the winner shall be chosen. Normally each entry is assigned a card from several decks here at the house, I then shuffle all the cards and have someone handy (like my daughter) choose a card for the winner and a runner up.
3. If you have won a Giveaway in the past you may enter again.
4. Please don't make up any new guidelines, what is outlined above is what we follow.

Good Luck everyone.

Photo of Lavarinth from Rivendel Farm and Lavender Illustration ©Roxana Villa

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.

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.

True

The word Vera is the Latin binomial for Lavender in the botanical language of plants. This linguistic terminology, made popular by Carl Linnaeus pictured at left, is a two part naming process called binary nomenclature. The system was designed to help identify all types of species in a more specific manner including Homo sapiens. For lavender the genus is Lavandula and the second, specific name or epithet is vera. In Latin the word vera means "true" referring to true Lavender.

The new and third edition of the liquid botanical perfume Vera is now ready to ship in the French flacon and smaller vials. The flacon version is sporting a new haute couture pouch. I'm still working on reformatting Vera as a solid perfume, although the little pouches are ready.

In a recent journal post, inspired by a question from the illustrious shoe artisan Wendy Holden I shared the details regarding Vera, which I have since amended with some additional information included below.

Vera Liquid Botanical Perfume
Fragrance family: HERBAL, FOUGERE
Ingredients include:
Wood, Resin, Bees Honeycomb, California Lavender and Sage, French Lavender, Bay, Citrus, a faux Ambergris accord I created and two of my own tinctures of Lavender and native California Sage.

The primary fragrance notes include:

Lavender, Orange blossom, Hay and Honey.

Vera Review at The Perfume Critic

Vera included in a Review at Scent Hive

I much prefer to acknowledge the YES instead of the NO's, however, to put your mind at ease, here are the NO's.

• No animal ingredients, nor do I test on animals.
  
• No isolates.
• No synthetic fragrances.
• No petrochemicals.
• No parabens.
• No phthalates.
• No artificial colors.

Vera is a botanical perfume extract is available in a French glass flacon containing 7 grams by weight of the liquid perfume, a glass vial containing 1 gram by weight and in sample packs.

Lavandula vera

"There's a few things I've learned in life: 

always throw salt over your left shoulder, 

keep rosemary by your garden gate, 

plant lavender for good luck, and fall in love whenever you can"

~ William Shakespeare

Trish over at Scent Hive shares her fascination with the Lavender note by showcasing three natural perfumes featuring the archetypal English garden herb. Vera, the perfume I created as a song to the Lavender growers of Ojai and the Chumash people, is one of the three she choose to review.

Sands Murray-Wassink, a contributor for the Perfume Critic, did the first review of Vera back in a June 2008.

Vera is available as a liquid perfume in three different sample packs, in a glass vial with 1 full gram by weight of perfume and the glass flacons with the heirloom pouch. I am working on the next edition now. The 7 gram size will be back in the next week or so with the solid version making an appearance soon.

I choose the word Vera for this fragrance because of the Latin binomial Lavandula vera. Vera meaning "true" in Latin, for true lavender. This fragrance utilizes a variety of local flora grown and distilled in Ojai by a farmer and small artisan distiller. I've also incorporated infusions of lavender and sage herb from the same location. Thus Vera becomes a very true representation of the area by using authentic materials. Read about the origins of Vera by following this link here at the journal.