Sali Oguri ~ A Noteworthy Original

Whether she's writing music or blending fragrances...both involve a love affair with notes. Beautiful melodies or extravagant fragrances evoke a soulful, emotional response that is undeniable. Sali Oruri touches your heart with her music and your soul with her fragrance. Her first fragrance, Pink Manhattan was a run away success, selling out on Lucky Scent. I only wish I had met Sali sooner. I don't think there is a drop of this gorgeous, yummy peachy perfume left on the planet. (Oh woe is me!)

Sali Oguri is a classically trained musician based in New York who has put Bach and Mozart aside and has gravitated toward driving, hard-hitting and avant-garde styles of popular music. Her songs are true-to-the-heart songs about life, love, angst, fears, insecurities and pain. According to Sali, her modern pop crossover is an artist's study in multiple music genres.

You'll hear Hard Rock, Hip Hop, Soul, New Wave and Jazz elements sometimes in the same tune. Her sound is a contrast in extremes: heaven and hell, hot and cold, love and hate. With Sali, life is intensely on the edge, the ever-changing here and now. "All dressed up with no place to go" is a hypnotic, bitter-sweet ballad; a soulful cry of love lost seen through the eyes of a mother and daughter. This brought tears to my eyes the first time I heard it. Sali has a way of framing the heart-felt emotions we've all experienced.

Toping the charts at a new number one is Sali's newest fragrance launch called Unreleased Mix aka Persephone, described as a forbidden skin scent: a skinful (I'll add sinful) blend of dark chocolate, blackberry, pomegranate, Mysore sandalwood and notes of royal purple flowers. Persephone as the legend recounts was the Greek mythological daughter of Zeus and Dementer who was abducted by Hades. He tricked her by giving her a pomegranate to eat, which forced her to return to Hades for one third of the year for the rest of her life. As revenge, her mother, Demeter imposed a bitter cold winter upon the world as her sorrow at loosing her daughter was inconsolable. (Wonder if that's how these outrageous Minnesota winters came to be.)

With dark, almost sinister notes of chocolate, this is not your every day Hershey bar. This is a chocolate you'd savor one calorie at a time, a chocolate you'd wouldn't share with the kids, a chocolate reserved for special occasions...a chocolate that makes sweet love to your taste buds. It's dark, decadent and defiant, but definitely not a loathsome gourmand. The chocolate gives way to a luscious ambrosia of blackberries and pomegranate reminiscent of a dark sweet cordials enjoyed after a fine dinner. The sandalwood adds a layer of sacred warm incense, but none of the musty overtones that unfortunately appear with other fragrances. A playful note of dark lavender completes the magic of this perfume. Like Sali's voice, it's soft, sexy and sultry!

Unreleased Mix aka Persephone is available here.

And congratulations for "Private Dreams" currently on the Top 10 at Broadjam in the genre of Electronic-Dance. Visit Sali's website at www.salioguri.com for her complete music bio.

Sali will offer a 20% discount on orders place through persephone@salioguri.com.
Just include the code "Noteworthy" for orders placed between now and September 30th.

A little bit of whimsy makes 'purrfect' scents to me

As one of the Bay area’s most sought-after wedding florists, Laurie Stern discovered the world of perfume. Fascinated by this secret and mysterious world, she spent the next several years immersed in it, teaching herself the alchemy of scent by studying books on perfume from antiquity to the present and experimenting endlessly with scents and materials from all over the world. Creating the perfumes, the spa products and the exquisite packaging of Velvet and Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery feels like the inevitable culmination of all her past careers and passions. This is Laurie's dream come true.

Velvet and Sweet Pea perfumes bespeak Laurie's whimsical philosophy of creating quality products that are fun and made only with the finest natural ingredients. Velvet and Sweet Pea are the ever present 'kitty consultants' who purr and meander throughout the thousands of herbs and flowers growing in this perfumer's gardens overlooking the pristine Bay.

A passion for potions, a lover of luxury, an aromatic alchemist describe an incurable romantic whose Victorian studio holds a vast collection of ornate and antique bottles Laurie has collected from her world travels. The are transported into cherished gifts holding rare and precious oils, perfumes and colognes.

Jasmine Dawn & Dusk is at once an arresting melody of notes as both night blooming and dawn blooming jasmine harmonize with the citrus sisters of blood orange, mandarin and grapefruit. Keeping reign on what could be an overpowering burst of jasmine I find the long lasting base notes of honey, saffron, vanilla and cinnamon just perfectly balanced. Far from being a gourmand, this is a sweet sent and plays well with my chemistry. True to form, everyone will find their own comfort level especially where jasmine is concerned.

At a full dry down I'm left with a slightly bitter saffron which is actually quite pleasant. This is a close to the skin scent with frequent applications required every 2-3 hours as Laurie finds animal fixatives unnatural and not in accord with her philosophy to source on the finest ingredients from all over the world as well as tincturing and distilling her own specialties.

I could see myself lost in a mesmerizing afternoon, sitting in the garden as the afternoon son warms the scent her secret gardens. Everywhere you look, there is beauty to behold. I'll take my tour with a tall glass of tea.

Plan on spending a quiet, gentle time exploring Velvet & Sweet Pea's Purrfumery or better yet visit her in person. Here is the perfect place to find a cherished gift for a sister, a bride to be, or just to spoil yourself!

Who wants samples?

Marie Chantal ~ Seeing the world through rose colored glasses

Today, I'm taking a break from fragrance reviews to smell the roses and to introduce you to Marie Chantal who lives in Toronto, Canada. We became friends when she stopped by to read a post on Noteworthy Fragrances several weeks ago. I've found a wonderful, delightful and inspirational new friend! She will be quite surprised to read this editorial on Noteworthy Fragrances, but sometimes there are people out there in the world that are just too nice to keep all to myself. She is an avid blogger as "Wild Rose" and has posted some of the most beautiful photos I've ever seen online.

Marie has followed her heart and has put her soul into creating a natural skincare product line that is rose based and formulated using organic ingredients whenever possible. Where it is not possible to source organic ingredients, she has carefully selected the gentlest ingredients currently available, resulting in products which are kind to sensitive skin. Starting a new business of skin care products is not the easiest thing to do, nor will it in all honesty make Marie independently wealthy. But when you believe in a philosophy and care about others like she does...with patience and a huge dose of Wild Rose determination, I know she will be ultimately successful.

Marie Chantal developed from an interest in handmade skin care products and the enjoyment of creating wonderful creams and lotions at home. After much research into raw ingredients and recipe formulation, she decided to launch her own product range. The philosophy behind the company grew from concerns about the ingredients commonly found in mass-produced creams and lotions and a desire to produce a purer alternative.

All products are handmade in small batches to ensure quality control and each of the products in our range has been microbiologically tested for safety, in accordance with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Standards for Cosmetic Products. Marie Chantal would welcome the opportunity to tell you more about herself and her products so please feel free to contact her with any questions you have on her products or just drop her a note of encouragement, especially those who've experienced the 'joys' of starting your own business! Thanks!

Jewels of AQABA ~ Ancient love lost in the sand

When fantasy, sun and salt water meet the charms and atmosphere of antiquity...the Red Sea resort of Aqaba, a jeweled city city on an ancient caravan route becomes the inspiration for adventure, intrigue or a trio of fragrances created by Miriam Mirani, Jewels of AQABA.

Paying tribute to the ancient love story of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The precious components are the same that were used by the Queen in her daily bathing rituals.

At the age of twenty, Miriam began the journey of a lifetime, traveling throughout the Middle East in search of antiquity. Armed with knowledge of Semitic civilizations, their languages and history, she traveled along with Bedouin tribes, falling in love with the magic of the Nile Delta.

Linking the passions of the past with the present, Jewels of AQABA, even the bottles were intricately designed to represent the cupolas of the King's temple.


SAND Fragrance notes of iris, chamomile, geranium, coriander, cardamom, vetiver, frankincense and tuberose. A hot, sultry fragrance that conjures up dunes and desert winds.





MIDNIGHT SUN Fragrance notes gardenia, freesia, damask rose, orange flower, sandalwood, musk and tuberose. A romantic fragrance that speaks in a hushed voice, with a gentle, spicy sweetness.






BLU Fragrance notes of peach, apricot, rose, ylang-ylang, jasmine, vanilla bourbon, patchouli and musk. Make a dramatic entrance!

Available either from Miriam's website or Lucky Scent.

Who want samples?

Nobile 1942

The year was 1942, and a man had decided to start a new business. With the war at his doorstep and at the nerve center of a nation in turmoil was...Rome.

Umberto Nobile, a name that has always been synonymous with luxury fragrances, continued pursuing his passion, his lifelong vocation. The ultimate journey led to the creation of a very classy fragrance that is not for the uninitiated nor the timid. "Supreme seduction turned into fragrance" means wear this at your own risk! The perfume is amazingly powerful and wears for 8-10 hours.

PONTEVECCHIO W is a bold perfume with top notes of bergamot and mandarin and jasmine. The heart is distinguished by lush floral notes of rose, ylang-ylang and lotus. The dry down is a blend of citus, patchouli, sandalwood and vanilla. The sillage is truly beyond belief with this fragrance. The second time I tested it, I was busy cleaning our home as we had a group of special friends coming the next evening for dinner. As the party was concluding, one of the guests asked to have a brief tour of our new home. As we were in the master guest suite on the lower level, I could not believe that PonteVecchio W was still clinging in the air...as I had not been in this room for over 24 hours. Powerful indeed!!

PonteVecchio W A sophisticated, high energy floral with very seductive nuances. This is for seriously romantic encounters and could be too strong for the office if not used sparingly. Think mystery. Think seduction. Think PonteVecchioW.

NOBILE 1942 fragrances contain essential oils obtained through natural processes of steeping, filtering, and distillation. This results in a lengthy production process, but your patience is rewarded by heightened aromas and tenacious fragrances that maintain their substance and full body. In addition to PonteVecchioW, AnonimoVeneziano (for women) and PonteVecchio (for men) are available.

The patience of a craftsman is required in producing these fragrances. Once all of the ingredients have been blended, the mixture is left to rest for one month before it can be considered a fragrance ready to be bottled. The Italian tradition of creating fine fragrances is evidenced in the devotion that this small company adheres to in bringing you Nobile 1942.

All NOBILE 1942 products come with a seal that certifies their originality, and even the bottling, labeling, and packaging are done by hand with the care and dedication of a true craftsman. Stefania and her husband Massimo create their fragrances in a small laboratory in Italy, using natural essential oils that are purchased in Grasse. They produce the perfume and let it macerate in alcohol like a very good bottle of wine . They believe that their fragrance is 'alive' and that it changes not only in response with the type of skin but also with the temperature and the blood pressure of your body. "You can tell the difference from one person who is very active and anxious. The wood notes come out immediately even if they are not part of the top notes. In a quite person the flower notes come out before."

They are currently selling their perfumes in Italy and throughout the world in very selective channels. Don't expect discount e-tailers or U.S. brick and mortar stores to be glutting the market with their products. They plan to be as cautious about who sells their fragrances as the ingredients used in their manufacturing. The vision of Noble 1942 is to provide very qualitative products for a few people who love perfumes made with precious materials.

Send Stefani an email at: info@nobile1942.it for additional information and to find out where you can purchase these rare and seductive fragrances for your own collection.

Anya's Secret Garden

Anya McCoy, well known in the circle of 'natural perfumers' as an acclaimed professional with 15+ years of creative and business expertise in the field. Her private garden Casa Jasmin allows Anya the opportunity to grow and then tincture the many rare and usually unavailable fragrant plants that she loves to use in her perfumes.

Fairchild, inspired by the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens in Florida and is a breathtaking blending of three distinct jasmines along with ylang ylang, champaca, citrus, beach dried ambergris, oakmoss, seaweed, and pandanus (similar in scent to a peppery saffron wedded with a rose.) Fairchild is not a floral in the truest sense. It's exotic, complex and quite earthy and has not been the easiest of fragrances for me to wear. At first 'sniff' it's as thought someone has shouted 'fire' and all the essential oils and tinctures are trying to leave a burning building simultaneously. If you're unaccustomed to wearing pure, organic fragrances, don't rush too quickly to judgment as I did. Fairchild takes a minimum of 15 minutes to evolve enough to appreciate the complexity and thought provoking nuances that this fragrance brings to the table. Anya invites you to wear Fairchild when you want to feel empowered and strong. And that is exactly when I will wear it...so that would be just about everyday!

I'll review Pan at a future date when I can wrap my mind around the aroma of a tincture of 'rutting billy goat' hair.

Under the direction of Anya McCoy, the Natural Perfumer Guild is flourishing as a consortium of international perfumers, associates, suppliers and enthusiasts dedicated to perfumes made with natural aromatics. "The main principle of the Guild is to exalt and encourage the use of natural botanicals in perfume and toiletries. Standards of excellence in creating natural perfumes are demanded and met by our perfumers. We encourage you to sample these hand made artisan products, luxuriously experiencing the beauty of nature, captured in a bottle."

Fairchild and Pan can be purchased via Anya's Garden web store, in parfum extrait (3.5ml for $40), Eau de Parfum (15ml for $80) or in sample spray size (2ml for $20). A smaller size sample, is also available for $5.

Nemat International Oils

Incense, attars and bottles oh my!

Nemat International Oils of India has an incredibly huge inventory of oils that are very reasonably priced, well crafted fragrances and attars. The Attarwala family has been involved in the art and science of making attars for over 160 years. Attar is the name given to the fragrant oils made from extracts of flowers, herbs, woods etc. The family name 'Attar'+'wala' means possessor of attar. The Attarwala family traces its roots to the beautiful city of lakes, Udaipur, in the state of Rajasthan, India. Udaipur is known not only for its lakes and majestic palaces but also for its art and culture in which flowers and fragrances have always occupied a prestigious position.

"Nature has provided abundant sources of wonderful fragrances which can invoke deep feelings of joy, excitement or serenity. Each of us is stirred by a variety of fragrances, may it be the fresh green note of the forest after a shower, the early morning scent of the earth or the ever present odors of the beautiful flowers."

My favorite fragrance by Nemat Oils is the Rose S.J. I've no idea what the S.J. stands for, but this is a very confident, very beautiful rose scent with whispers of soft lemon that is about as true to nature as you'll get. I think the inspiration for this may have been the hybrid-tea rose, Fragrant Plum. Call me crazy, but this little bottle of Nemat Oil is incredibly close to the sample I have of Fleur de Thé Rose Bulgare by Creed that is part of the Private Collection, rather difficult to find and if you do find it, be prepared for some sticker shock!

Please don't take offense that I can compare a $10.00 fragrance oil with a finished perfume costing thirty times as much. But I'd be less than honest if I didn't commend Rose S.J. to all you rose lovers! It's pure, it's honest and one drop lasted the entire day.

The essential oils sold by Nemat International, Inc. are not diluted in a base oil such as Almond oil, Jojoba oil, etc. These are full strength essential oils. The essential oils can be used in blends to create perfume oils, and to fragrance products such as candles, soaps, incense sticks, etc. Therefore please use caution and apply a single drop or two at the most. These are very potent oils and could be overwhelming to you and to those around you if over applied.

The Nemat Oils website gives a complete listing of where all 200 oils are available for purchase. And if you're looking for bottles of all styles to make decants of your favorite scent to share, Best Bottles is the sister site of Nemat Oils.

Sevi ~ Mundo Botanicals

"Love is more than a noun at Mundo Botanica. It is the foundation of all we do here and in life." The result...honest, vegan, earth-friendly, cruelty-free and as natural as it gets - products formulated with aroma therapeutic essential oils and organic and/or certified organic botanicals. Sevi Kay, founder of Mundo Botanica is a perfumer, aromatherapist and an author who has been working with holistic remedies professionally since 1996. Sevi, born in Istanbul, grew up in Stockholm and New York.

Handcrafted by Sevi, these aromatic gems are without animal by-products such as Musk, Ambergris, Castoreum or Civet. Their natural fragrance are all free from artificial fragrances and phthalates (such as dibutyl-phthalate DEP, diisononyl DINP and butyl benzyl phthalate BBP). If you are sensitive to many synthetic perfumes, you will find that Sevi's natural perfumes are quite different than commercial perfumes or products containing synthetic fragrances and ingredients. Two exquisite fragrances are now available for your organic perfume needs.

Anatolia
Rising of the sun, fruit bearing earth, ancient dreams... A divine blend with floral and bright citrus notes kissed by dark chocolate. Key Notes:Turkish Rose Otto, Chocolate, Jasmine, Vanilla Bourbon, Orange,Tuberose, Osmanthus. This is a very warm, deep scent that evolves over and over. The verdict: Lots of twists and turns with this one!! I'd love for the chocolate to be more pronounced to tame the jasmine and tuberose.

Acacia Eau de Parfum
It is floral and sweet, sprinkled with a dash of spice. Top that with a breeze from the woods. Turkish Rose Otto, Jasmine , Vanilla Bourbon, Petitgrain, Neroli, White Rose, Tea Rose, Myrrh, Vetiver, Pink Grapefruit, Clove, Wild Sage. The verdict: This is an earthy, wild and mature scent. The sage does eclipse the rose tones...almost 'too green' for me, but definitely wearable, especially as Fall approaches. I'd consider laying just a drop of this with a milder linear rose scent for added depth. Both fragrances wear close to your skin and due to the natural component of the ingredients that Sevi uses, you'll need to reapply frequently, but therein is the beauty of organic fragrances!

Samples and full sized products can be ordered online.

Accord Parfait

The groom waited nervously at the altar as friends and family took their places on wicker benches placed in a casual manner throughout the garden. Amidst whispers that the bride was having second thoughts about her wedding day, the prelude continued. Loved by countless others before he arrived on the scene could she; would she, keep her vows? He seemed to know deep in his heart that she would always love only him, forsaking her history of 'love them and leave them'. All at once, at a predetermined precise moment, conversation ceased, and everyone knew that the bride had finally arrived. Slowly, but without hesitation, the bride, wearing a gown of creamy white satin, looking radiant and beautiful beyond compare, approached the altar where her groom blushed with thoughts of the honeymoon they would soon share. Our bride and groom pledge their abiding love and seal it with a long and tender kiss as the officiant proudly announces they are now Mirabelle and Gardenia Accord Parfait. Our groom, the Mirabelle plum is a small golden yellow plum with red speckles seems to have a history dating back to Asia Minor. His new bride is the very worldly and outrageously beautiful gardenia whose beauty and aroma takes center stage wherever she goes. Named by Carolus Linnaeus after Dr Alexander Garden (1730-1791), Scottish-born American naturalist, the gardenia has over 250 species that can be found from South Africa to India.

Accord Parfaits created, managed and are introduced by Quatre-Vents Prestige a young company of 'the four musketeers' who are all passionate about beautiful perfumes and have set before themselves a challenge: "to launch successful niche fragrances, which are simple and of high quality, at accessible prices, without advertising hype, focusing on a new consumer trend: the desire, observed in a growing number of countries, to find products which express the values of authenticity, quality and simplicity". How refreshing is that! And congratulations to each of you on your extraordinary vision and success.

Mirabelle and Gardenia Accord Parfait is a 'what you smell is what you get' fragrance with two linear notes of plum and gardenia, expertly combined at a precise concentration that gives you the same top, heart and base notes in an extremely long lasting, beautiful (and I mean beautiful) fragrance that has quickly advanced to the top five fragrances I own. Designed as a summer scent, not even 4 feet of snow in Minnesota will stop me from wearing this scent year round.

If you are like me and can't make up your mind...they have a perfect sample collection you can order. A "Discover Accord Set" is available for 28.00 Euro and contains generous 15ml bottles of six accords.

b-Glowing ~ A Noteworthy Scentational Experience

Lisa James has always known what it takes to make a great advertising campaign. For the previous 15 years before she opened her on-line beauty bonanza, mega-shopping fragrance and hard to find niche apothecary, she wrote ads for Nike, Coke and other multi-million dollar giants.

A self proclaimed 'beauty junkie' (you wouldn't be reading Noteworthy Fragrances if you weren't one also!) Lisa's love turned to passion and that passion eventually became b-glowing. I consider this to be one of the best organized on-line retailers on the entire web.

The name comes from the call-to-action of “being”. “Be the best you can be”, “Be you”, “Be truthful”, “just be!” And the word "glowing" from reflecting the radiance we all deserve to have inside and out! Lisa obviously has 'the glow'.

Only the best of the fun, hip, sophisticated superior performing, independently owned brands make it to the catalog of b-glowing. Great packaging and a fair price point certainly are important to Lisa as well. She must feel like the proverbial kid in the candy store surrounded with fragrances, bath/body, hair and make-up. Noteworthy Fragrances recommends any fragrance by Crazylibellule & The Poppies.

b-glowing takes pride in presenting products that are: globally conscious, fair trade, eco-friendly and cruelty free. The concierge page is a wonderful place to learn more about Lisa's philosophy, what products are new, great gift ideas from just $15.00 and new arrival announcements.

All products are shipped to you luxuriously wrapped with scarlet red tissue paper and placed in their signature red organza pouch from b-glowing.

So get going and get glowing! Lisa is waiting!

Neil Morris ~ A passion for perfumes

Making fragrant dreams is what Neil Morris does best. Fulfilling a life time desire to create meaningful and exotic scents, he is blazing new trails in the niche designer league. From the age of nineteen, he's been pursuing his first love. A declared 'self-taught' perfumer, Neil's greatest joy is assimilating your personal information as though he entered your psyche and then produces a mesmerizing perfume cocktail from his collection of over 800 essential and fragrance oils that becomes your very own holy grail. Hundreds of thankful customers have experienced this luxury of having a Neil Morris custom designed fragrance, never to be duplicated for anyone else in the world. I found a very interesting article in the Elegant Wedding magazine describing the minute by minute process of Neil's custom fragrance consultations.

When describing his creations, Neil loves to openly share the inspiration for his fragrances as well as the description of the various notes. Often inspired by imagery and dreams, he likes to have his fragrances transition through various stages while being worn - to move and dance on the skin. In keeping with the celebration of individuality, his fragrances are not gender specific and can be worn by men and women with total confidence.

In fact, my husband is a huge fan of Clear, which tickles his nose and his fancy with bright opening notes of pink grapefruit and linden blossom, then giving way to a beautiful combination of balsam and mint and finally a dry down of cedar and an extraordinary clean musk. This blends perfectly with his skin chemistry and always boosts my 'I'm going to follow you around for another whiff' quotient. On my skin...not so pretty...as the cedar and balsam are dueling it out quite fiercely. This is my man's scent and he doesn't mind for one second that I follow him around! (wink)

My favorite Neil Morris fragrance is Afire...oh la la, this is an amazingly seductive scent. Take an opening of tart citrus, luscious berries swirled in caramel, then a smoldering, passionate frankincense on the scene emerges that ever so slowly sets the stage for whispers of vanilla and soft wood notes. It's like Neil has blended this scent exclusively for me. Does this winsome, smiling teddy bear of a gentleman know me better than I know myself? How could he know what notes would transport me into a private sanctuary where memories have been stored away, where dreams need no permission to return? Although this is not a custom scent designed specifically for me...I truly believe with all my heart...this is what is would smell like. Thanks Neil.

Due to a delightful twist of fate, I have an extra sample collection that I'd love to share with the first person to email me with the correct answer to this question: What are the names of the two fragrances mentioned in the article about the launch of the Neil Morris collection at the Laguna Beach Montage Hotel 'Art of Fragrance'?

Who wants samples??

Purchase the entire NMF line of six 1.7ml spray samples for only $15.00. A perfect way to introduce yourself and your best friends to a collection of fragrances by someone certain to be known and adored throughout the world. I'll return to review additional scents in the future!

Possets 'a buzz' with Honey

Noteworthy News

Just announced - Possets is introducing a very special mid-summer collection of honey scents affectionately called "The Girls".

The first in "The Girls Love" series of Honey scents, is The Girls Love Pink Pepper is really a gorgeous blending of honey and that woody but feminine scent. This is PINK pepper and it dances beautifully with that deep from the comb honey and other secret ingredients within the blend.
The Girls Love Vanilla is for anyone who loves-loves-loves-the smell of vanilla, this is the supersaturated honey soaked, sinful, hedonistic custom rare and unabashed blend you have been waiting for. Outrageously lovely. Too pretty for angels almost, but not too pretty for you!
The Girls Love Limeys comes as really and truly beautiful pairing of honey and lime and secret ingredients, just like bees make. It is a real beauty again. Tart and sweet at the same time, a tiny bit spicy and full of life. And, yes, the word "limeys" is doing double duty!
The Girls Love a Good Posset! Oh so sweet, the honey and the pastry cream. This is the best French pastry cream, so buttery and makes love to your tongue. This is the stuff you find under those excellent plums, a thin coating of heavenly custard (no plums here though...nothing good for you at all). Yes, if you are the gourmand you pretend to be, you will love The Girls Love a Good Posset.
The Girls Love Clubbing! Imagine the thump of Club Bee music, the Girls show up and they are dressed to kill! Those wasp waists and big black eyes! That hair, those black leggings! The haze of clove with honey and other things. Yes. It's going to be a good evening!

Get your own Honey while they last!!

Today we discover a gem of a rose with a name that conjures up memories of my antique tea service, probably gathering tarnish, again in my closet or the sad epitaph of "A real rose dipped in sterling silver for your loved one." Nothing makes me cringe more than that description, unless it's being on the receiving end! But in the context of living, breathing hybrid tea roses, I can welcome Sterling Silver to my garden.

Sterling Silver Rose

The rose that pushed lavenders into popularity, 'Sterling Silver' is still notable for its clear, silvery lavender color and intense old-rose scent. Attractive pointed buds and cup-shaped open blooms come on a medium-size, moderately vigorous bush. One of the first light mauve colored roses. Parent of Angel Face, and second through fourth generation progenitor to many a fragrant mauve rose. Occasionally a bloom from this rose can seriously break your heart with its beauty. Unfortunately, Sterling Silver is not highly disease resistance and when the blooms fade, it can look quite ragged.

Stainless Steel Rose

An alternative rose with an even more unusual name is the Stainless Steel Rose. Also classified as a hybrid tea with impeccable lavender blossoms, up to 6 inches across, possessing a powerful, classic rose scent. Thought to be superior to its popular predecessor, Sterling Silver, because of it's long lasting blooms with a tough constitution. (I wouldn't expect any thing less from a Stainless Steel rose.)

Welcome Spring! Fabienne Christensen, the enchanting owner of the niche perfumery Possets warmly greets you as you step into her Over-the-Rhine studio at the Pendleton Arts Center in historic Pendleton, Ohio. The first impressions of Possets you get from visiting her website are: vintage, quirky, playful, coloring outside the lines and rather unconventional. It's precisely those qualities that endears Fabienne to her loyal customers.

What is a posset? A 'posset' is an archaic English term which originally meant a sweet smelling 'sop' or palliative which was concocted only to make you feel better, but not to cure anything. Later it came to mean something you treated yourself to, a small personal indulgence. It rhymes with 'cosset' because the two words could be used interchangeably. But, alas, the word 'posset' fell out of fashion, until now.

Fabienne has a lust to create fragrance with abandonment and creativity. Her corresponding artwork is also unabashedly creative. She explains, "Some of the ingredients I use are unexpected, some are classics of the art, some combinations are a surprise, and some are new twists on old favorites. As you may have suspected, I adore creativity and I bet you will, too."

It was that creativity that made me take notice of Silver Roses, the sister to Silver Violets. With rose notes of course, there's spun sugar, vanilla, musk and magic. Magic? Is that magic really something more like rose oxide? Fabienne says she once got a bottle of rose oxide and it smelled metallic and wooly. "There's no way this smells like a rose!"

One day, during her ritual morning walk, she notices a rose bush that caught her attention. Bending down to smell the fragrance, she was amazed to discover...what else... rose oxide. Eureka! Silver Roses was born.

"In general, Possets is my perfume company. All of my fragrances are original, hand blended by me, Fabienne Christenson. One of my most profound joys in life is to invent superbly imaginative gorgeous scents. My second most thrilling activity is to revisit ancient recipes and bring them up to 21st century tastes."

Fabienne makes two different kinds of perfume: perfume made with modern ingredients, which are referred to as Possets and 'Possets' 100% Naturals. She is totally strict about the Naturals and they cannot have so much as one drop of anything which is artificial, 'nature identical', man-made from a lab, or a blend of natural and man-made. If she designs a fragrance that has to have anything non-natural in it, it becomes a regular Posset. No ifs, ands or buts about it! At Possets it's either natural or it isn't. Simple. Fabienne wouldn't want it any other way and neither would we.

Try a sample pack and see for yourself what Possets is all about.

I'll leave you with a true temptation that sounds hard to resist. Hearts and Flowers. The 'lovey' perfume for lovers! Real cocoa and real Bulgarian rose make love to each other with the intervention of several other angelic ingredients...just like true love! Everything you could want, and more. Oh Fabienne, have you no shame?
To contact Possets: info@possets.com

Multi-tasking at Eie Flud
is an art form!

Nestled among trees and streams is the Eie Flud dynasty of handmade toiletries, natural perfumes and noteworthy shaving items for the gentleman.

Heathers' custom products use all natural ingredients, with home grown botanicals, their own honey and beeswax and contain absolutely no chemical additives. Heather Platts, owner of Eie Flud in Leicestershire, England is about as busy as the bees she lovingly accommodates on her rural property. Natural perfumes, handmade soaps, toiletries and custom shaving supplies for men of distinction are just a part of what keeps Heather busy. In addition, Heather has a flock of egg laying (well some of the time) chickens she lovingly refers to as The Girls and how could we not mention Harry and Howie, the sheepish version of the Odd Couple who provide Heather with wool she will eventually spin for her apparel art and hand blended soaps and balms.

AND, there's more.

She is a superb blogger whose witty journal entries take you to 'life on the Eid Flud farm' much like Garrison Keillor and his Prairie Home Companion. You can stop reading this blog entry and check it out now...it's okay! Just come back.

"Made completely from scratch and clinically tested for safety, we don't let anyone else to make them for us- you can be sure of the very best - our products make wonderful gifts or simply that little bit of luxury just for you and your family. Each of our perfumes is made by hand in the classical traditional way using only pure essential oils and absolutes - we do not use synthetic fragrances - this offers you a unique and exclusive product that is a joy to wear."

Creating a bespoke rose perfume for the UK based Peter Beales Rose Nursery, has been one of the greatest highlights of her perfume designing legacy. The Mysterious Rose first entered the world as the 'unknown rose' while it was tweaked and polished for its debut! Some of the guidelines from Beales was that they wanted it to be an obvious rose, natural but not too heavy.

A red and full bodied Bulgarian centifolia absolute and a French musk rose absolute were blended along with a centifolia hydrosol. Heather then created a tincture of real roses from her abundant rose gardens which were originally bought from the Beales nursery. After much serious and careful thought the rose that had the purest and most beautiful scent for tincturing was Ispahan rose. This rose tincture would assure a delicate, light aroma without being cloying and too heady as the preponderance of the aroma of this rose is in the 'threads' of the flower and not the petals. So at last... roses that grace the gardens of Eie Flud have become memorialized in a perfume offered as an exclusive fragrance ultimately named by Amanda Beales.

You know that I am a 'lover of roses' and I could hardly wait to get my hands on a sample of Mysterious Rose. The initial blooming of this perfume was indeed a complex authentic rose. Whispers of buttery smooth orris and nasturtium debuted next in a quiet melody which makes the name of this rose fragrance credible. It is at once familiar and unknown, but it grows on you and I will have to have more. Often designers 'name' a rose fragrance with an exotic title and there are the initial "Oh I got to have that." But the disappointment comes crashing in when you discover it is simply a single noted, linear scent that doesn't even beg a second sniff. Not so with Mysterious Rose. She lives up to her name and almost defies description. Therein lies the mystery of personal skin chemistry and the mystery of a well blended perfume. A+ Heather Platts!

Incredible samples of all the Eie Flud fragrances are available from the website.

Who wants samples?

The picture of the Ispahan rose is from the Beales Rose Nursery website.