Scentzilla!

I think with natural perfumery there are some misconceptions floating around out there. Some consumers fear they will smell like cheesy neohippies, and consequently they dismiss the entire “genre” as the work of perfume enviro-do-gooders. While to a certain degree there exist those who fit this stereotype, it is not one that is true of the whole body of natural perfumery. (Or for that matter, all consumers who buy these fragrances.) More importantly, those dismissive sorts sadly exclude themselves from asking fundamental questions all consumers should ask of any perfume, natural or otherwise: “How does it smell? And how does that affect me?”

There exists an entire class of woodwrights that exclusively uses nothing but hand tools. Not because they’re, like, Amish or Luddites, but because working unplugged and intimately with the wood gives them a sense of joy and accomplishment they cannot find using modern methods. As an aside? Not me. Put a cordless Makita driver/drill in one hand and a Senco pneumatic nailer in the other and I feel so powerful that I just know I could rebuild the entire universe if need be. But these hand tool woodwrights see the tools they use much in the way I imagine a perfumer might view their natural ingredients. Something simple and basic, but equally as capable of accomplishing tasks small and large.

A visual contrast, perhaps?

Here is a modern planing machine:

Here is an exceptionally ornate antique plane:

The modern equiptment is certainly more efficient, but even I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to work with the older yet elegant tool. And to me, that’s what appeals about wearing natural perfumes. Who could pass up at least trying them? (As another aside, I do find the big machine appealing, too. Whir! Vrooom! Bzzzzzt!)

Thus, I found myself drawn to Artemisia Natural Perfumes. I thought last week I’d go on to review a couple, but instead I think I shall just run down some short impressions of all of them.

Gingivera: Alas, the name is one that immediately causes me to play the word association game. Gingivera = Gingivitis. But onto the juice itself. Citrus burns very fast into a dried powdered ginger scent. I smell slight floral trills that don’t quite match the tenacity of the ginger. The fragrance dries down into a scent that I find appealingly straw-like, but I should note the ginger is not entirely shaken loose from my skin even towards the end.

Jasmine Tea: This is the scent I was most looking forward to. It begins as a nearly too sweet floral creation for me, but that evaporates reeeeeally quickly to display a scent that smells very much like a sachet of jasmine green tea. Lovely, really. Unfortunately for me, this also quickly fades into only floral sweetness. I wish the green tea had lingered much longer on my skin.

Lavender & Clove: There is an initial jump of lavender only on me, but soon enough the full fragrance takes effect. I think this is my favorite of the ones I tried, though it’s not as “me” as the Saffron. What I find from this scent is primarily its eponymous notes, and oh! how moist and dewy they smell. While the fragrance is aromatic, it is not sharp or medicinal as I feared it might be. I wish I could write about it a bit more, but I am a genius, and while applying the fragrance to test again, I dropped the vial onto the floor. Yeah, I do want to kick myself over that. I found this scent clung the longest onto my skin. And the carpet. Sigh.

Saffron: Saffron does open with a strong suggestion of spruce-ish elements, but they burned off within a minute. Then I delightedly found what is more or less a linear fragrance of warm woody spiciness. There is perhaps a touch of earthiness in it, but that is minimal and fleeting. The warm glow I read into this is strangely similiar to one I get from first walking into a McDonald’s at lunch hour. I’m a vegetarian, but all that heat and fried goodness gives me a deep fat joy. I would think this eau de parfum would most appeal to saffron enthusiasts who would enjoy a scent that jumps right to the punch. I think Saffron is a fragrance to be enjoyed for the simple pleasure of it.

Yuzu Citrus: There is again a very fast opening, a quick tartness that strays nearly towards sour but not quite. This is followed by a rounder piquant orangey smell, with a floral quality that seems to bear traces of slight grassiness. The florals do not overwhelm the citrus in my opinion. This seems to all be built upon a base that seems vaguely golden and sweet, and I presume this is the honey that Artemesia describes in their listing. Pretty, but not quite me. I think this fragrance would best suit those who prefer unabashedly citrus focused scents.

Artemisia Natural Perfumes is currently running a special for all five samples of eau de parfums for $1.00 for the rest of the year, which made sampling the offerings irresistable. I do hope others will feel the same way.

First image of a jointer from http://en.wikipedia.org.wiki.jointer/. Second image of plane from http://www.mwtca.org/.

Speaking of hand crafting, I would encourage you to read the latest entry on The Soap Blog. I don’t whether to be embarrased or amused that Great Britain is able to witness American dorkiness at an extreme via “reality TV.” And to extend on yet another tangent, if you happen to watch The Apprentice, I think you will really enjoy my e-migo Jacob’s recaps for Television Without Pity. He is one of my favorite writers I know, and he’s so immensely talented. Even when he’s writing about Donald Trump and his corporate weasels I admire his abilities tremendously.