fragrantgrasse

I disagree with a few points mentioned...just as it's my opinion that labelling everything 'synthetic' or 'chemical' as 'bad' is not a good idea, doing the same thing with 'natural' products is a big overstatement. I don't think all production of essential oils is 'very unfriendly' to the environment. It's all about the way they are produced, grown etc. I see it as like agriculture for food etc, though one could argue that food is essential and cosmetics are a luxury, but that's another topic...but I think it's all about how sustainable the production of essential oils/natural products is. If plants for use in the cosmetics industry are grown sustainably (ie they do not endanger the plant species, or destroy ecosystems) and maybe are fair trade and are grown in a way that benefits the environment/communities, surely that's not a bad thing? Now with some other essential oils like sandalwood and rosewood-yes, they have been overharvested, sandalwood is becoming endangered. But I've heard that there are now sustainable rosewood oils, and there are sandalwoods from other sources than the endangered Indian variety, I think some of those may be more sustainable-or at least trying to be? But I'm sure that Beth's sources for oils are very ethical and not destructive to the environment, even for things like rosewood and sandalwood.

 

(I know this sounds really bad, but I don't like to get too deeply attached to all the ethics of cosmetics (though I have been trying to get stuff that isn't animal tested) mainly because it would make it difficult to shop for things, and there are so, so many complications and contradictions and I don't want to feel guilty about it all...plus I'm a student and in most cases all the really environmentally and ethically conscious products are too pricey for me!)

 

But an interesting point has been raised-where do you draw the line between what is 'natural' and 'synthetic'. Is a substance only truly synthetic if it is created from scratch in the lab? Is a fragrance chemical manufactured from coal tar compounds just as synthetic (remember that coal is natural too) as a fragrance chemical extracted by various complex extraction and distillation processes from the essential oil of a plant? Are essential oils/absolutes/scent chemicals really 'synthetics' because despite the plant containing and producing them, they can't be extracted by non-human-manufactured processes? Makes you think...

 

 

I respectfully disagree with Martin Watt's opinion on many issues related to essential oil usage. I will also suggest that there are sites that contain updated information about the fact that there are, indeed, sources of rosewood (also known as Aniba rosaeodora or bois de rose) that are now ethically harvested from sustainable sources.

 

I also think it's probably an oversimplification (and possibly incorrect) to state that 'naturals' (aromatic molecules) are environmentally unfriendly. It is also not accurate to infer that it takes a high volume of plant/leaf/roots needed to procure tiny amounts of EOs! It is certainly true of the more precious fragrance materials such as jasmine, rose or osmanthus for instance, but others such as the citrus oils (expressed or distilled), leaf (such as patchouli) or needles oils are readily available.

BTW, linalool occurs naturally (rosewood is rich in it) and while, yes, a synthetic linalool may be a "perfectly suitable and convincing synthetic", you may not want to apply it to you body. A synthetic linalool is also dihydro linalool, not the same molecule at all.

 

I've applied several perfumes with linalool and had no problems whatsoever. It's quite a common ingredient in many modern perfumes so I'm not sure why you wouldn't want to apply it?

 

While it's true not all naturals are environmentally harsh, it seems somewhat arrogant to adamantly insist on soley using EOs based on principle alone. Luckily, with exception of some Chinese perfumers, people have become wise to the ways of authentic deer musk. Hopefully, eventually, people will also become wise to the ways of other life forms which, while not having a heartbeat, are still crucial and important aspects to the ecology of our planet.

 

Also, I'm going to respectfully disagree with your opinion that rosewood oil is now ethically harvested from sustainable sources. Granted, many who harvest and trade the oil will say such a thing, but evidence shows to the contrary. This link (http://www.mongabay.com/external/pau_rosa.html) has some good information on the dominance of illegal rosewood suppliers, their product trickles through the hands of countless EO dealers until they end up in the hands of most mom & pop EO suppliers on the internet who have been told the product was ethically harvested and, thus, advertise it as so. Very few EO suppliers/perfumers can trace their ingredients all the way back to the Brazilian harvesters themselves, so these people have to rely on what the seller tells them, and the seller is going to tell them what they want to hear. When the Brazilian EPA put the Rosewood on its endangered species list which didn't help, it just sent the rosewood trade underground.

 

Granted, there are true sustainable harvesters in Brazil but the quantity of their oil production in comparison with what the estimated illegal Rosewood trade produces each year is so off balance that one can clearly infer that every website out there claiming they're selling truly sustainable Rosewood oil results in numbers that don't add up. Maybe that's why Ananda Apothecary removed the "sustainable source" mention from their rosewood oil page. I wish others would as well.

 

All I'm saying is, insisting on using natural -everything- just to say you're using all natural seems irresponsible. Not every EO is harmful to the environment, but few perfumes can be made with all natural ingredients without several (if not many) of the EO's being derived by means of environmentally unfriendly methods.

edited because it's wiser to keep my 2 cents to myself!

I disagree with a few points mentioned...just as it's my opinion that labelling everything 'synthetic' or 'chemical' as 'bad' is not a good idea, doing the same thing with 'natural' products is a big overstatement. I don't think all production of essential oils is 'very unfriendly' to the environment. It's all about the way they are produced, grown etc. I see it as like agriculture for food etc, though one could argue that food is essential and cosmetics are a luxury, but that's another topic...but I think it's all about how sustainable the production of essential oils/natural products is. If plants for use in the cosmetics industry are grown sustainably (ie they do not endanger the plant species, or destroy ecosystems) and maybe are fair trade and are grown in a way that benefits the environment/communities, surely that's not a bad thing? Now with some other essential oils like sandalwood and rosewood-yes, they have been overharvested, sandalwood is becoming endangered. But I've heard that there are now sustainable rosewood oils, and there are sandalwoods from other sources than the endangered Indian variety, I think some of those may be more sustainable-or at least trying to be? But I'm sure that Beth's sources for oils are very ethical and not destructive to the environment, even for things like rosewood and sandalwood.

 

(I know this sounds really bad, but I don't like to get too deeply attached to all the ethics of cosmetics (though I have been trying to get stuff that isn't animal tested) mainly because it would make it difficult to shop for things, and there are so, so many complications and contradictions and I don't want to feel guilty about it all...plus I'm a student and in most cases all the really environmentally and ethically conscious products are too pricey for me!)

 

But an interesting point has been raised-where do you draw the line between what is 'natural' and 'synthetic'. Is a substance only truly synthetic if it is created from scratch in the lab? Is a fragrance chemical manufactured from coal tar compounds just as synthetic (remember that coal is natural too) as a fragrance chemical extracted by various complex extraction and distillation processes from the essential oil of a plant? Are essential oils/absolutes/scent chemicals really 'synthetics' because despite the plant containing and producing them, they can't be extracted by non-human-manufactured processes? Makes you think...

I respectfully disagree with Martin Watt's opinion on many issues related to essential oil usage. I will also suggest that there are sites that contain updated information about the fact that there are, indeed, sources of rosewood (also known as Aniba rosaeodora or bois de rose) that are now ethically harvested from sustainable sources.

I also think it's probably an oversimplification (and possibly incorrect) to state that 'naturals' (aromatic molecules) are environmentally unfriendly. It is also not accurate to infer that it takes a high volume of plant/leaf/roots needed to procure tiny amounts of EOs! It is certainly true of the more precious fragrance materials such as jasmine, rose or osmanthus for instance, but others such as the citrus oils (expressed or distilled), leaf (such as patchouli) or needles oils are readily available.

BTW, linalool occurs naturally (rosewood is rich in it) and while, yes, a synthetic linalool may be a "perfectly suitable and convincing synthetic", you may not want to apply it to you body. A synthetic linalool is also dihydro linalool, not the same molecule at all.

Sniffing out of the bottle Samhain 05 doesn't have the depth of Samhain 04. That could be because O4 has mellowed over the past year getting richer, rounder and more soulful. Samhain 04 also has more of a reddish color than 05.

I am not getting the pine smell that has been noticed by many but I certainly do get smoke-apples-pumpkin. I don't notice the glorious leafy smell that 04 had either.

On my skin it needs time to breathe and open up and, like a wine with a high alcohol content, there is more character over time and as it warms to skin temperature. It is lovely for awhile but then on my skin chemistry, it goes off and begins to become sour. Maybe I need to eat more apples and pumpkin to sweeten it up!

So, here's my summation: I like 04 better now. But it would not surprise me if 05 gets better and better over time and by next year I'll be whining because 06 isn't what good old 05 was....

Good News!

Arctander's book was out of print and then Allured Publishers re-issued it about 10 years ago or so and you can get it through them...The stumbling block is you will have to dip into your life savings to purchase it....the price was at least 300 dollars when I got it.

I don't remember *exactly* how much it was because I blocked the price right out of my mind. It's a technique I use, much to my husband's chagrin, when I buy something waaaay out of my price range...

ISBN O-931710-36-7

Allured Publishers

362 South Schmale Rd.

Carol Stream, IL. 60188

708-653-2155

I have been involved in aromatherapy and education of AT since 1989 and some of the information sited here is accurate and some is not entirely accurate. I have also utilized various essential oils both in product development and in my skincare practice for over 18 years and I can say from experience that a terpene alcohol such as melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) can be applied neat to the skin with no adverse effects. I won't comment on applying to animals or cats in particular - that is not my area of expertise.

Aromatherapy philosophy is still a hot potato in many circles - when & how one uses essential oils vary immensely from country to country.

Because it is also equally important that you know who you are buying from, I add that a responsible company selling essential oils to the public should give you the botanical name and chemotype of the eo you are purchasing. Knowledge is power.

Essential oil research is varied and continues to draw inconclusive results....Kurt Schnaubelt, Ph.D. has written some intruguing and challenging books on aromatherapy and essential oil application....one is Medical Aromatherapy - Healing with Essential Oils. Daniel Penoel, MD is also well known in the AT circles for utilizing eo's in his practice with remarkbale results and has written a book detailing his experience.

If you are curious a good reference book is Essential Oil Safety - A Guide for Health Care Professionals, by Tony Balzacs and Robert Tisserand. However, in my experience, one of the best reference books on eo usage (although it is specifically medical AND in French) is entitled l'aromatherapie exactement by Pierre Franchomme and Daniel Penoel, MD.

Fragrance is a whole other topic when using essential oils primarily because eo's are not the only material you use. The palette broadens to include such exotics as attars (where sandalwood oil becomes the carrier), concretes, absolutes, extracts, resins, infusions, isolates and CO2 extractions.... There are many great sites for researching fragrance materials but the best book for description of fragrances is: Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin by Steffen Arctander.....oy.

edited for spelling - i am a total idiot when i t comes to spelling

Wow that is pretty sensitive! My business is skin care and that is a severe reaction.

Yes, you certainly could try that - dilute the fragrance waaay down. As you adjust to the intensity of the perfume (samhain may not be the best to start with, it has a very strong character, throw and lasts for hours on many people) you may add more fragrance.

Hang in there!

HELP!

 

I got 3 different orders yesterday - all from Bpal Members and ebay. My 1st BPAL ever!! Of course I couldn't help myself and I used about 12 to test in different areas.

Just a touch of the wand of ANY imp I tried (I am not talking a drop - just a touch) was

1) way overpowering

2) left red welts

I could count the places I touched with the oils because of the welts- and that was even after about 5 hours and trying to wash in some places.

This morning I was getting an imp out for a trial and just touching the imp around the cap was too much for me. I didn't even put it on - went to the bathroom, washed my hands several times and I am sitting here with itchy eyes and a headache.

Has anyone ever had this strong of reaction? I am devastated! My DH of 23yrs was even frustrated for me because I have done nothing but talk about my excitement since I discovered Black Phoenix.

So, my question is - would carrier oils work to lighten the scent? How do you use carrier oils? and if not carrier oils what about making it in to a spray perfume using alcohol? I know absolultely NOTHING when it comes to oils and mixing so if any one could help me .... I love some of the scents I got too much to just give up!

Try using jojoba oil to dilute your imps with - it has no odor, does not go rancid and is the best carrier oil for perfumery. Using a perfumers alcohol with your level of sensitivity may just inflame your reaction.

Swipe a teeny tiny amount from the imp wand into your palm and then dribble a tiny bit of jojoba over that right away and blend together with your finger. That may do the trick - which is allow you to smell the fragrance without the nasty reaction.

Good luck!

Eclipse, to me at first is sharp, edgy and bitter. But I waited for the mellowing out and drying down period and now I love it! I compare it to Queen of Sheba: which is one of my favorites - I am reordering it, and Bastet, which I don't love as much but almost.

However the back of my hand is a wee bit red from applying it 3 times. I swipe the wand back and forth.... I am an enthusiastic wand-swiper, perhaps it is the cinnamon that is sensitizing or it could just be my skin.

Nevertheless, I do love the scent of Eclipse which mellows and warms over a short period of time and wears well. Nice for autumn: spicy, ambery with bitter almonds.

Being a big coconut fan how could I not love Black Pearl? This is so light and and lovely, I can imagine standing outside the airport in Honolulu with the trade winds blowing and the wiki wikis trundling around and the air sweet and heavy.

Ah what a vision.

The iris is lying low in the background, and over time it steps forward but just a bit. It is a rhizome with significant scent characteristics, but I can't quite make it out here and I have to stretch a bit to reach for it's earthy scent.

All in all Black Pearl is very wearable for me everyday and makes me happy!

A 5 ml. for sure.

I received Wolf's Heart as a freebie from the lab (thank you!) and have been trying the Voo Doo blends over the past few weeks. I didn't expect to see this so it has been a nice surpirse....and no surprise, timely too .....the lab always seems to "know".

From the imp it is hard to get a real grip on what I am smelling. Once it is on wrists I detect jasmine or a jasmine-like boquet. Also resiny notes, and yes, hello dragon's blood! Wolf's Heart is also deep, rich red.

I get a better sense of the fragrance when I put some in a candle burner....this diffuses the notes into the waves of air currents - like letting wine breathe.

The scent is sweet and deep - I can also smell what I think are the voodoo notes. I am so amazed with the nuances of fragrance that seem to be evolving out of this scent: herbs, resins, flowers, maybe musk.....and of course a large dottle of Dragon's Blood.

I could use the courage bestowed by this warm scent - lots of huge life changes going on for me, which will be incrementally building day-to-day. They will require courage, fortitude....and a resourceful and creative spirit

I think I better lay in a store of this for the next few weeks.....

Today is the day to test Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo - the name itself makes me smile And I could use a good dose of it's bottled happiness!

When I first tested ACJMojo, about a year ago, I didn't like it, thought it was too sweet but also realized it would be a good idea to put it aside and let both time & water pass under that Mojo Joy bridge.

A few weeks ago, acting on sheer impulse, I fossicked around in my BPAL basket and found my imp of Joy Mojo.

I opened it up put some in my candle burner and just for good measure around my neck and have been basking in the sunny embrace of Aunt Caroline's Joy ever since!

It has become a staple in my scent diet these days and obvioulsy my little imp just isn't going to make it - so a 10 ml bottle is being added to my next order

What changed? Well for starters my whole awareness of fragrance for one, I like to think I evolved! BPAL has been a real education for me and I have loved every experimental minute of it.

Aunt Caroline has the sweetness of berries and cherries, it's color seems very happy-go-lucky cherry red to me (even though it isn't) with an amber-like base note under it that may be common to the voo doo catagory.

It lasts all day and things seem bright and cheery!

Normally I love patchouli [especially the BPAL East African Patchouli, ] and would welcome it in one of Beth's blends, but for some weird reason I am not getting patchouli from Obeah at all.

Although I do detect what I think might be jasmine sambac mixed with "voodoo-ness".

That's really helpful, I know, but I am at a loss to describe another single note here.

It must be my skin, it's doing it's absorbing and neutralizing thing.

Overall I really like Obeah, and it smells quietly powerful.

:D

I was looking forward to my 5 ml of Bastet - ordered without imp-ing it first. I love Queen of Sheba absolutely so almonds and Middle Eastern spices are all ok on my skin, as are all the other notes in Bastet.

Initially myrrh turns out to be the dominant note on my skin and it turns the scent slightly astringent and verrry dry. As it warms it goes through a stage that reminds me alot of O - which I also love....but at this stage all I smell vinegar.

But hang on - all is not lost!

Give Bastet time to breathe, now I smell the warm, sunlit amber, and all golden warm notes come to the forefront and take over mellowing the sharpness of myrrh.

Velvet...... well, maybe I didn't put enough on, so I am adding a dottle more on each wrist from the 5 ml. bottle I ordered.... without imp-testing first.

Over-all I smell chocolate-scented pencil shavings. The myrrh adds a tinge of astringency which is not really helpful on my skin chemistry and the sandalwood, which I had high hopes for has gone AWOL.

This is the third time I have tried Velvet and I kept hoping it would warm and soften on my skin but so far it is still too harsh, despite it's evocative name. Nutz.

Off to the Swamp pile!

gaaah.....i love this!

i would be hard pressed to add anything more articulate to what most have said about Elegba. Coconut is one of my favorite notes these days, and with tobacco and sweet rum i am ready to upend this little imp and drink.

i will be ordering a 10ml in my next order

On me, Gypsy Queen is much lighter than I expected. I read the lab's description of: "Romany incense and candle smoke" and somehow my mind conjured up a deeper, darker fragrance.

Instead it is sweet, light and very sheer on my skin and doesn't have much longevity but I like reapplying fragrance and there's always my scent locket!

As it dries down I do finally get a sense of the incense note as well as candle smoke which adds depth, dimension and complexity to the floral notes.

I have another bottle coming and may use it for an up coming birthday....I love sharing my stash!

edited because i am an obsessive-compulsive fixer-uper.

I love Geek. My husband is a geek! Or, geek-like. I ordered this scent primarily for myself but after it arrived and I slathered it on - I decided I would rather smell it on him than on me.

On him it is sublime! Leather - needle oil & cedar - patchouli - cinnamon, opopanax - all my favorites! yum

It smells great on him too. Warm, earthy yet sheer, like a second skin. He likes it too, and of course......it takes one to know one!

With Snake Charmer on one arm and Snake Oil on the other I can tell the difference and I really love both these scents!

Snake Oil is deeper, richer and fuller than Snake Charmer & maybe it is all the vanilla (at one point I was convinced there was dribble of Dragon's Blood somewhere in Snake Oil!) which as other reviewers have mentioned is more like Snake Oil's little sister....or that's my interpretation.

Snake Charmer has a deep fruity note and I smell the plum and lots of lovely light spices mixing with coconut and labdanum giving it substance & weight...and i love the soulful ambrette which to my nose lends a sweet grounded-ness.....

I am so happy I ordered this one - it is a keeper and I am looking forward to wearing it as the days grow cooler and more autumnal.....yum.

I love Midway!

A Butter-base perfume scent was not something on my radar screen - I ordered Midway based on other reviewers and I am so glad I did. This changes and softens overtime, almost ambery at one point. The salty-sweetness emerges on my skin but the odd comfort this butter scent bestows never wanders far.

It is evocative of all my childhood midway expereinces, and being that I always lived either on one coast or the other, that salty, sweet note makes it even more memorable.

What fun this fragrance is!

Eden.

Well, hello FIG.... and GREEN! yikes....

This is the first bottle I have ever ordered (and I have done my fair share of ordering, I can tell you) that I did not sniff first.

I'm not even sure why, I like fig, but am not a huge fan...But I am glad I did.

This is the greenest - figgiest scent I have ever experienced, and it is definitely rich & full bodied (someone else mentioned full bodied and they were right on). Somehow I did not expect such a green scent to be so intense but Eden is, at least on my wrist. The coconut and sandalwood emerge from the forest after a long while and the green-ness settles down and all the notes soften and last through out the day. This is an exquisite melding of color and fragrance, a must to experience.....

I have been looking forward to smelling Bordello, and today....shazam! In my order came a frimp!

Immediately and fleetingly, I smell an almost indole note....rich and fetid, fecal. But thank god that swiftly softens, sweetens and slides...bam! into a bright sparkling berry/plummy realm and becomes fun and yes, RED!

Bordello is a cheerful playful mood elevating scent and I think I will certianly try it in a candle burner tonight....it's Friday night

I'm on a voodoo oil kick and intent on trying them all!

Also, I have received two freebie imps of HoP in my orders and if that ain't a sign I don't know what is.

Okay. Today it is Horn of Plenty - I could certainly use good voodoo in that direction! I am wearing it on my wrist and scent-wise on skin, I agree with previous posts - definitely cherry cola with a wedge of lime.

However, yesterday I decided in the morning to try to overcome poverty and want and attract some prosperity and earthly bounty - a dottle of prestige can't hurt either.....So I put a few drops in my candle burner (has a resevoir of water to drop oil in and sits over a candle tealite) and after a few minutes my office smelled, well, FULL - that is the only word I can think of at the moment that describes what it smelled like.

But later in the day, after going out and coming back in again (by now the candle burner had gone out) I stood in the middle of my office thinking "what is that wonderful smell?" totally forgetting my intent that morning to overcome poverty....My office smelled sweet, comforting, luscious, happy, even bountiful......there was even a bright cheerful buttery rosey color to the scent if you can believe that....it was just so very pleasant in my office that day.

I also find that I like reading and rereading the descriptions of the Voodoo scents while I am wearing or breathing them in and believe in the power of suggestion. The combined effects create powerful olfactory affirmations!

So while I might want to wear some of the more wearable voodoo scents - I would like to find out more about how to employ their power in uses other than wearing because I feel that is where they will manifest their magic and power......eh?

I read some of the previous reviews and I, too, also notice what I imagine is sweetgrass as well as citrus-grassy-type notes......The five grasses Macha mentioned in her review: "Lemongrass, Citronella, Palmarosa, Vetivert (Khus Khus), and Gingergrass. And honestly, I think that may be very close to what I smell with this oil"

Ditto with me.

At first I didn't think I could detect the vetiver - but as it dries on my wrist I note that very familiar sweet, rosey-ness note that a diluted vetiver has. So I am going with the five grasses. To me this is a green scent and ultimately, on my skin, very light and pleasant. I am not noticing any heaviness of vanilla, amber or patchouli either. Van Van stays light on me and I really like it.

As far as the voodoo aspect of it - well, I know absolutely zip about voodoo (altho I would like to know more), but I am "sensitive" and aware of energy changes. Van Van feels "good" to me, I have only had it on for about 20 minutes but I feel positive!

Here's my two cents:

My particualr business depends on successful cross-border mailing, too. My primary area of commerce is between US and Canada - but we have Far East accounts, too. The packages we ship out to our *retail* (not wholesale) customers is approximately an average size BPAL package. A box is consideralbly safer and more reliable than a padded envelope when sending long distances.

In my experience that size box costs an *average* of USD $9.00 to ship just from Canada to the US (!) and is equivalent to the size of a BPAL package containing 4 or 5 - 5 or 10ml bottles....the size difference between bottles, price-wise, is not really significant.

So IMHO, $14.00 to Chile is a BARGIN.

But then, I am a BPAL 'ho.

I would pay *any* price to get my fix of Beth-Blended Oils!

Chaos Theory XXXVIII - Vintage 2004

Initially I got two bottles, the first was XXVIII (reviewed earlier).

I like this one much better and even though I have had it for months & months am now just getting around to reviewing it.

First off the fragrance is simply yummy and only gets better with time. It is coconut, butterscotch, light, white musk and who-knows-what-all, and certainly sort of foody - but there is something lurking underneath that keeps this scent from going too sweet or too foody.

It is brilliantly blended and balanced. And totally delicious.

This is one of the few scents from BPAL that, on me, doesn't evolve and change.

XXXVIII goes on - stays on - and I keep reapplying all day long. And at this rate the bottle will only last me the week.

I don't know why it took me so long to try this bottle but it is true what they say: good things come in small bottles.

(That what they say, isn't it?)