Back in December I did a 3-part blog on the music I play while writing. Last night I entered a new dimension: Fragrance.Scent is a powerful thing. It instantly commands our thoughts, moods, and memories. Aroma inspires, enlivens and transports us as nothing else. And since I’ve always been sensitive to scents, I can’t imagine why I’ve never addressed it before.
It came to a head most unexpectedly. A Facebook friend announced she was having a Scentsy party. A what? As it happened, the scent event was only about 10 minutes away. I went. And I learned a heck of a lot. Let’s start with fragrance oils: (Quoting from the brochure)· Essential oils, which are natural oils extracted from plants and flowers.
· Absolute oils, which are highly aromatic, concentrated, oily mixtures extracted from plants.
· Synthetic oils, which are man-made scents that duplicate a particular fragrance.
Then there’s fragrance structure:
· TOP NOTES are the first thing you smell - fresher and lighter than mid or base notes.
· MID NOTES are the heart - they define the character, or body, of a fragrance.
· BASE NOTES create longevity. They are heavier, sweeter, and more long-lasting.
First I painstakingly chose the right warmers: A full sized one for my computer room, and a pretty little plug-in for the upstairs bathroom. Then I explored the nose-boggling array of aromas. Wow. There must’ve been over a hundred. Most were well-calculated naturals – botanicals, subtle florals, and herbals - that were wonderfully evocative. Some, like Satin Sheets, Snow Berry, and Sunkissed Citrus, were lively and stimulating. Or you can mellow out with the likes of Baked Apple Pie, Sugar Cookie, or Mochadoodle. Some were quite masculine, like My Dear Watson, Embers, and Route 66. And there must’ve been a dozen appetizing takes on vanilla.
Me? I ordered, among other things, Honey Pear Cider, Mums & Marigolds, and Cranberry Mango. I even got scent hangers for the car.
