Melissa Randhawa stores her perfumes in a compact refrigerator to retain their freshness and she believes that wearable fragrances have a powerful effect on you and those around you.
To give you a gist of the power of a potent aroma, an ancient Japanese poet wrote, “One breath of her perfume and your city is lost. Another and you forfeit a kingdom”.
While history is rich with people who are born with an alluring, odorless natural body scent that is known to alter the course of many dynasties, the indulgent world of bottled perfumes is known to stand a distant second. Note that I said, a D-I-S-T-A-N-T second.
Olfaction and perfume
Often enhanced by flowers, the benevolent world of fragrances has shaped many lives from the first seeds of humanity.
Aromatic fragrances are known to romance the brain and set a tone for human interaction. Some scents can mingle well with your own body’s distinct scent, and this olfaction will devise a distinct and unforgettable aura.
The challenge is to find perfumes that you like and that like you in return so that they suit your body chemistry. But before we delve into that, let’s conduct an exercise in selecting perfume.
Ambergris, Myrrh, and other riches
In its original state, Ambergris is transformed from grey fatty blobs that are washed up on beaches, originally a substance secreted from a male whale’s stomach. If that isn’t alarming enough, myrrh is the gum that has latched itself on the beards of most Middle Eastern goats after they’ve grubbed on the foliage of bushes. The sticky myrrh plays well as it retains its original fragrance under pressure, is light enough to be carried very easily by breezes and is highly aromatic.
La Vie en Rose
We just couldn’t resist telling you that half a tonne of Bulgarian rose petals yield a gram of the essence, while six kilograms of jasmine petals yield about a gram of the oil. While there are variations to the jasmine flower grown worldwide, it proudly accounts for almost 90% of all perfumes. Fixatives are a costly affair.
Gathering insights
Now that you have a gist of these tedious concoctions that have somewhat ridiculous origins, cast your thoughts onto the four versions of perfumes available which vary in concentration. The variations in volatility pose as a thumb rule for the price you’re likely to pay.
Briefly stated, an extrait ranks as the best version of any perfume containing up to a third of the concentrate diluted in 90% proof alcohol.
Between the extrait and toilette water ranks the Eau de parfum. It has a comparatively reduced concentration that is most popular with stores and reaps generous rewards for the money invested. Stores enjoy selling these as eau de parfum sprays in order to evenly spread its essence.
Eau de toilette creates a lighter impact which can be worn to maintain subtlety. Spraying it lavishly coupled with regular touch ups should keep it as smoldering as its ascending counterparts. The lightest of them all is the eau de cologne which behaves like a brief saunter in a small garden laden with citrus smelling trees, luscious flowers and a lining of spices.
Closing notes for our upbeat readers of Followd ~
Opt for fragrances with notes of citrus, flowers and wood. They will lift your spirits and encourage positivism all around. Qui vivra verra!
Written by: Melissa Randhawa