The Scent of Summer

The garden is very fragrant with the herbaceous scent of the native, white sage at the moment. On days when the air is clear and I am working in the garden I can perceive the aroma of the sage in the soil, which reminds me of the sand at the beach.

Fragrance is a very personal experience, most often tied to our memories. As I ponder "Scents of Summer" I think of childhood when I would go to beach regularly or trips to Catalina Island on my best friends sailboat.  For someone leaving land locked, in say Missouri, they most likely won't have any ocean related scents, and thus a completely different list from mine.

What would go on your list? Here's mine, botanical origin, pulled from my scent palette:

Seaweed absolute

Choya (seashells) which smells of smoke, like summer campfires

Galbanum, green, fresh cut leaves

Citrus: lemon (lemonaid), orange (Orange Julius in Newport beach)

Herbs: Thyme, oregano, parsley, sage, rosemary

Flowers: Plumeria, lavender, tuberose

Fruity: Berries

Not of botanical origin:

Sunscreen

Chlorine

Here's a selection from the Illuminated Collection:

SEA: GreenWitch

BEACH: Page 47

GREEN: Hedera helix

CITRUS: Blossom Cologne (returning June 22nd)

HERBS: Vera

SMOKE: Chaparral, Terrestre, Aumbre and Q

FLOWERS: Chiaroscuro, Rosa, Gracing the Dawn

FRUITY: Cimbalom

At the Shore Line

We went to Santa Monica yesterday afternoon to breath some ozone rich air. My allergies are acting up and thus a little drive through Topanga to the beach became a necessity. In fact it may become a regular thing, it was so very nice there.

The air was fresh and clean with barely any smell, except that very subtle sandy beach air which is so hard to duplicate as a botanical natural perfume. There is a hint of it in Page 47, but the actual air on the beach has so much oxygen rich ozone that I don't know if its possible to duplicate.

Pollen free
Ozone rich

It was about 5:30pm or so when we arrived into Santa Monica. We parked the car in one of the structures and walked across Wilshire Boulevard, over the bridge onto the Santa Monica Pier. Looks like Cirque de Soliel is in town with the OVO show. We were very tempted to purchase tickets and go see the show that night, but alas, I need to purchase essential oils this month. Maybe next month, for Greg's birthday would be awesome.

It's a new moon, good time to start projects.

On our way back up the toward Santa Monica we walked through the renovated Santa Monica Place. Despite the fact that I used to teach aromatherapy regularly at the Santa Monica Massage School on the Third Street Promenade, it became obvious that I hadn't been there in a few years when I saw the renovated mall and that the Broadway deli, a local fixture, was gone. (sigh) There are a bounty of trendy and cool boutiques, here is a photo of one little shop that had a very hop bohemian vibe to it. Love the suspended scarves overhead.

Photos ©RoxanaVilla

The Wild West

The latest edition of Chaparral® botanical perfume has manifested with a slightly different character. The feel is a bit more feminine, less masculine. I've decided to offer this new version, although I will also be making it once more with those more wild masculine notes missing from this latest rendition.

When I step outside in the early mornings and inhale deeply of the air here in the Santa Monica Mountains the native sage is the primary note I perceive, almost all year long. What I have come to realize over the years is that the sand along the coast specifically from Santa Monica to Malibu has this sage note in it. This new Chaparral® has an element of that California beach note which the other doesn't. Please give them a whiff and share your scent impressions with me.

At this moment in time I haven't decided if I will make more of this more feminine aspect of Chaparral®. Once it is finished I most likely will offer it as a special request item.