My First Love...

June 1, 2012 – Sixth Anniversary Blog Event

My very first natural aromatic that I fell head over heels in love with was….drum roll please…Sandalwood..We are not talking just any steam distilled sandalwood here either.  We are talking the cream of the crop…Mysore Sandalwood essential oil from India.

It has a most sensuous, creamy wood chip fragrance that wafts around my nose…and makes me smile. It is nothing like cedarwood, or fir or any of the usual suspects.

My favorite tree was always pine trees..and at the holiday times I love the beautiful Noble fir.  Having a Christmas tree in the house changes the atmosphere and brings in a pleasant pine odor…totally unlike pine sol.  The cedar wood closets and the cedar wood storage chests have a pleasant sharp wood aroma.  These are smells I am familiar with.

Sandalwood Tree in India

Ok so back to my first love…Many years ago..I found a bottle of sandalwood in a “new age” store…wow…I thought I was in heaven….this little brown bottle was a breath of fresh air..Now mind you I grew up with hard wood trees..oaks, elms, maples, olives, pines, walnuts, apple,  and more grew on our farm…My uncle even had a machine that sawed lumber..fresh logs that were turned into planks, shingles,and piles of saw dust.  I will never forget the smell of fresh sawed logs. I have smelled many types of wood..it is very grounding.

This little vial of essential oil took me on a journey of discovery…I put some on my wrist and waited for the dry down…sweet, soft, powder..oh my…

Fast forward to the year 2000 and I went to India on a fragrant journey for 3 weeks.  I was there for the Ganesha festival and I was able to purchase a small Ganesha (elephant) created from sandalwood.  I was so amazed.  It was very auspicious with the trunk going in the opposite direction…It smelled softly of the wood…imagine my surprise to find out there are temples built from sandalwood…Heaven on earth…No wonder I bought 5 kilos of this precious oil from sacred India.  This stock is now 12 years old…smooth as silk and dwindling.  The vintage Sandalwood is so superior to what they now call Indian sandalwood.

I could not imagine that there would be a shortage of Indian sandalwood.  The other varieties of sandalwood oil on the market now do not please me as much as the real thing…kind of like that first kiss…you never forget it.

There is one way you can experience for yourself my vintage 2000 Mysore Sandalwood essential oil from India.  I use it as a base in some of my Limited Edition Collection Parfums.

You can find them here: Limited Edition Collection Parfums

Be sure and read my other fragrant blog: http://www.joannebassett.com/natural_perfumes


Please read the first aromatic loves of the other Guild Bloggers:

Ambrosia Jones
Charna Ethier
Christi Meshell
Elise Pearlstine
Emily Pienaar
Isabelle Gellè
JoAnne Bassett
Liz Cook
Noelle Smith
Sophia Shuttleworth

JoAnne Bassett - Outlaw Perfume Project - Natural Perfumers Guild

 

The IFRA - International Fragrance Association, and the EU - European Union have proposed a list of restricted or prohibited natural oils and ingredients for the perfume industry. This is because of possible skin sensitization for some people when using these ingredients.  These possible ingredient restrictions are threatening the life blood of natural and botanical perfumers like myself.

Ridiculous lists of essential oils and absolutes would eliminate natural and botanical perfumery as we know it.

In response to this outrage, the Natural Perfumers Guild have created the Outlaw Perfume project where we create fragrances using oils from this proposed list.  The list can be found at http://indieperfumes.blogspot.com/


Some of the ingredients I am very fond of and use regularly would be prohibited.  Here is a very short list of those natural oils: cistus oil, geranium oil, ginger oil, citrus oils of grapefruit peel, lime, mandarin, lemon peel, orange,  and  jasmine sambac absolute, jasmine grandiflorum absolute, lemon verbena, orange blossom oil and absolute, rose absolute, rose oil, tuberose absolute, violet leaf absolute, and ylang ylang oil.  I do not know how anyone is expected to create a wonderful perfume if they take away rose, jasmine, and most of the citrus top notes....Go Figure!

So the Natural Perfumers Guild decided to create some beautiful "outlaw" perfumes using the proposed banned ingredients...we suggest you do a patch test on your skin before using these fragrances.
 
Participating Perfumers:

http://lordsjester.com/
http://www.bioscent.info/
http://anyasgarden.com/
http://www.providenceperfume.com/
http://www.dshperfumes.com/
http://tambela.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/wingandprayerperfume
http://www.joannebassett.com/
http://artemisiaperfume.com/

Participating Bloggers:

http://waftbycarol.blogspot.com/ http://www.examiner.com/x-4780-Portland-Fragrance-Examiner http://fragrancebelleslettres.blogspot.com/ http://thenonblonde.blogspot.com/ http://indieperfumes.blogspot.com/ http://cafleurebon.com/ http://olfactarama.blogspot.com/ http://perfumeshrine.blogspot.com/ http://perfumesmellingthings.blogspot.com/ Guild Perfumer's Blogs: http://providenceperfume.blogspot.com/ http://dshnotebook.wordpress.com/ http://lordsjester.wordpress.com/ http://aromaticjourneys.blogspot.com/

#outlawperfume

MY OUTLAW PERFUME - AMAZING

Amazing eau de parfum 

  

Amazing eau de parfum started out with oakmoss absolute and then proceeded to go off in all directions...what an outlaw!  It contains jasmine grandiflorum, cassie absolute, centifolia rose absolute, rose damask otto, lemon verbena, galbanum, muhuhu, bergamot, rhododendron, cinnamon leaf, ginger, more citrus, and spice and all things outrageous...out of control. 

Amazing contains 32 “outlaw” essential oils and absolutes. When I finished the formula I said...Truly Amazing.  Hence the name. It was one afternoon of blending...and no tweaks since.  It was too much fun. It is a citrus, floral chypre and is resting in organic grape alcohol.

 

JoAnne Bassett, Couture Perfumer - Fragrance Therapist

My website: http://www.joannebassett.com/

A website where I offer other items: http://www.joannebassett.etsy.com/
  
#outlawperfume