Choosing Scents


Description of each perfume

Here is a simple, one line description of each fragrance: 

AUMBRE: Warm botanical amber with sweet + spice notes.
AURORA: An amber, floral spice, reminiscent of carnation.
CHAPARRAL®: Herbaceous California woodland + a bit of wild fire.
CHIAROSCURO: Jasmine, spice, vanilla and patchouli.
CIMBALOM: Incense, patchouli and sensuous jasmine.
Figure 10: BLANC: The vanilla orchid bean weaved with driftwood.
Figure 5: BOIS: Wood heated by peat moss fires.
Figure 1: NOIR: Feral, animalic, earthy and dark, an ode to patchouli.
FLEURISH: Fresh jasmine bouquet.
GREEN WITCH: Chypre, notes of seaweed, wood, jasmine + rose.
GRACING the DAWN: Subtle & ethereal classic chypre, soft floral.
HEDERA HELIX: Inspired by Ivy. Forest green on a bed of moss..
IMPROMPTU: Warm leatherette. Lemongrass, spice, balsam + herb.
La Dame Blanche: Voluptuous green floral with wood+citrus.
LYRA: Jasmine and ylang ylang in an amber base, very feminine.
MELLIFERA: Sun drenched meadows buzzing with honey bees.
"Q": A warm, sweet amber-wood with incense and a hint of smoke.
PAGE 47: An earthy, nectarous jasmine with vanilla and driftwood.
ROSA: Earthy wild rose, this includes authentic precious agarwood.
SIERRA: The vertical Eden of the Redwood forest.
TERRESTRE: Melody to earth, amber, patchouli + a bit of cacao.
TO BEE: An ode to the honey bee. Warm spice, beeswax + amber
VERA: Lavender, sage, orange blossom + salty sun-kissed skin.
VESPERTINA: Romantic floral, incense, wood, spice + citrus.

~ OR ~

Choose a scent based on Fragrance Families

Begin the process of selecting a perfume by conjuring what scent family/families you are in search of or most fond of. Keep in mind the fragrances from Roxana Illuminated Perfume are authentic botanical perfumes and thus notes may vary compared to synthetics. The main scent families are: 


FRESH

Sierra

Gracing the Dawn

Lyra

Vera

Blossom 

FLORAL

Aurora

Cimbalom

Chiaroscuro

Rosa

Vespertina

Gracing the Dawn

Fleurish

               JASMINE

                      Cimbalom

                      Chiaroscuro

                      Page 47

                      Blossom

                      Fleurish

              ROSE

                      Rosa

                      Vespertina 

SPICE

Sierra

To Bee

Aumbre

Aurora 

BALSAMIC

                AMBER

                        Aumbre

                        Cimbalom

                        Lyra

                        Page 47

                        Q

                VANILLA

                         Figure 10: Blanc

                         Aumbre

                         Page 47

                         Q 

SWEET

Sierra

Lyra

To Bee

Page 47

Aurora 

GREEN

GreenWitch Dedicated Page

Hedera helix 

WOOD

Q

Chaparral®

Page 47 

EARTHY

Figure 1: Noir Dedicated Page

Terrestre

Rose

 

MUSK

Figure 1: Noir

 

OUD

Rosa

Terrestre

Figure1: Noir

Chaparral®

 

VIOLET

Gracing the Dawn

 

HONEY

To Bee

 

LAVENDER

Vera

 

 

Questions & Answers

QUESTION: I like white flowers, white musk, nothing too cloying, and hints of jasmine and rose. Another type of scent is fresh and clean.

ANSWER:
Vespertina, Vera, GreenWitch, Hedera helix or Aurora. Page 47 has a fresh, laundry + beach note.

QUESTION: How long do they last?

ANSWER:
That all depends on skin chemistry. A true natural perfume will not last like a synthetic. It's like the difference between a fresh bouquet of flowers and plastic flowers...both metaphorically and actual since synthetics are made with petro-chemicals. Another major factor in longevity is dependent on skin chemistry and hydration. For those who are not successful with longevity I suggest beginning with the solid version of the fragrance to hydrate the skin followed by the liquid or Eau de Pafum layered on top.

Here are two posts from my journal where I tackled this question:
journal.illuminatedperfume.com/2012/08/questions-answers-and-greenwitch....
The longest lasting fragrance I have is Impromptu, second would be GreenWitch others: Aumbre and Hedera helix.


QUESTION: 
I live in a tropical country, so i'd like to know too if there is an expiry date? 

ANSWER:
Solid natural perfume does not need an expiry date because the materials are in themselves natural preservatives. In general if the fragrance is kept away from heat, light and oxygen the scent will be preserved for a very long time. I suggest using a solid perfume within one year, the liquid will last indefinitely if stored away from heat, light and oxygen. Oxygen refers to oxidation due to a poorly sealed perfume bottle.


QUESTION: 
Could you recommend anything? I like white flowers and white musk.

ANSWER:
The terms white flowers and musk generally refer to synthetic perfumes. White flowers in nature include: tuberose, jasmine, neroli/orange blossoms, frangipani/pikake and gardena. The synthetic aroma molecules of white flowers is much more sweet and heady than the botanical counterpart. In authentic botanical perfume we only use a musk note when it is derived from nature, such as ambrette seed, the creation of a botanical, musk chod/accord or africa stone.
The fragrance in my line that contains white floral notes are: Blossom and Page47. The fragrance that is the most musky is Figure 1: Noir.


QUESTION: "I like rich sweet scents, what do you recommend?"

ANSWER:
I have noticed that not everyone perceives "sweet" or "rich" the same, this is even more complicated by the difference in botanical, natural, mixed media and synthetic palettes.

Amber is a very rich note, thus if you like woody notes combined with amber than Q might be a good bet. Chiaroscuro is very beautiful, Figure 1: Noir is rich but it is very dark, earthy and rooty. To Bee is rich but not sure if you would think it was sweet. Sierra Solid Gold has been referred to as "rich and sweet."
These queries are finished with...."Thanks so much for your note. I highly recommend getting a sample set before ordering a compact, locket or flacon so that you can be clear on whether you like authentic botanical perfume and which scent would be a great introduction to this landscape of natural wonders.

 

Getting to the nitty gritty


The question that is asked most often is a version of "Please help me choose a scent, they all sound so good. What would you recommend for a person that prefers...."  This  sentence is ended with a perfume name or a string of words such as: "rich but not sweet scents?"

The answer to this simple question is rather complex due to our own individual experience with scent. One persons lavender may be based on a memory of an aunt or grandmother from when they were five years old, which includes emotional associations. Another individual may attribute lavender to a synthetic perfume while a gardener may conjure the scent of a plant in the garden which may be lavandin and not lavender.

Thus the conundrum in recommending scents. In general, when someone asks for a lavender scent I recommend Vera, our lavender perfume. However, if the query is from someone whose scent palette is attuned to synthetic aromas, Vera may be perceived as too earthy.

To make the process a bit easier below is an assembled set of "fragrance family" words to facilitate some ease with choosing a scent, scroll to the bottom to find this list.

Now back to frequently asked questions, the string of questions such as: "Are you aware of the difference between botanical, natural, and synthetic perfume?" Since these illuminated fragrances are categorized as authentic botanical perfume this fundamental element is crucial. The best place to find this answer is at the page "What is a Botanical Perfume?"

The next question asked is "What scents from nature do you enjoy?" NATURE being the operate word.The second part of this question gets a bit more specific about which fragrance families: "Floral, woody, earthy, fruity, vegetative, spicy, etc."

The term "musk" will reference either vintage perfumes with animal products such as civet, castoreum of musk pods or modern synthetic perfume with the infamous synthetic musk keytone. In authentic botanical perfume we only use a musk note when it is derived from nature or africa stone.