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"The Perfume Collector" was one of the books I could not put down. Set in London in the 1950's, it tells the story of Grace Monroe who receives a mysterious letter saying she was bestowed a generous inheritance from Eva D' Orsay, a woman she has never met. Grace flies to Paris to find clues about Eva and if they are at all related. Her answers come from an abandoned perfume shop. Three specific perfumes, La Premiere, Aureole Noire, and Choses Perdus, reveal Eva's story.
The book's author, Kathleen Tessaro, vividly takes the reader on a journey to a bygone era. Her flawed heroines are very relatable, I was cheering for them to succeed. She also describes "scents" in a manner I've not read before:
"Perfume should tell a story -- the story of who you are, who you might be, perhaps even of who you fear becoming...all of these things are possible. It's a very intimate element of a woman, just like her signature or the sound of her voice."
*****
"You can't go to school to learn the art of the perfumer. You have to possess a natural, God-given talent and then the secrets of the profession must be passed on by the master."
*****
"The effect was beyond what he could have imagined. His perfume highlighted her youthful freshness and yet blended naturally with her rich, musky undertones. It 'finished' her, gave her a polished elegance, joining the fractured sides of her together."
*****
"You see, nothing is more immediate, more complete than the sense of smell. In an instant, it has the power to transport you. Your olfactory sense connects not to the memory itself, but to the emotion you felt when that memory was made. To recreate a scent memory is one of the most challenging, eloquent pursuits possible. It's poetry, in its most immediate form."
*****
"Once upon a time, I was a perfumer. Now I'm reduced to a custodian, a collector of the past. I can't write or paint or compose...my language is scent -- the vocabulary of feeling and memory."
*****
"Because this is the root of all perfume creation. To change to way we smell. It could be argued that all perfume is born out of shame; a self-consciousness of our natural odor. We want to hide it."
*****
"Fragrance is an aspiration. A goal. Not just a tool of seduction but of power and status. Do you realize how much the ancients used to pay for frankincense and myrrh? Whole empires were built on the trade of these commodities. You see, even then, when life was short and cruel, people wanted to smell differently. To be transported."
*****
"This is floral, earthy, and there's the clean overlay of aldehydic waxiness and soft flowers. And then, underneath, a whiff of more feral, impolite essences. Under the clean, innocent exterior there's a carnal presence. It's not without ulterior motive. This is the scent of intoxication and desire. The perfume of seduction."
After reading this book, I was inspired to mix some scents.
The kits also came with these little fragrances. It was fun to play around with different concoctions -- a drop of the floral, two drops of the woody, a drop of the musk; or a drop of the white flowers, a drop of the floral, a drop of the fruits, and a drop of the rose accord.
I used strips of paper, the kind that you would find when trying perfume at the beauty counter. When I was pleased with a combination, here's what I did:
I used strips of paper, the kind that you would find when trying perfume at the beauty counter. When I was pleased with a combination, here's what I did:
I repeated the scent combination and added them to the pendants I made last week.
The pendant is handmade from salt dough and can absorb the fragrance oils. It's attached to beads strung on stretchy cord.
Aromatherapy oil can also be used on the pendant. So if you want to feel calm (ex. chamomile) or invigorated (ex. peppermint) you're just a whiff away...TADA!
You make me want to read the book. Fun idea for a scented pendant!
ReplyDeleteThank you Priscilla! I hope you are enjoying lots of books these days!
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