Smelling Like Roses

I've attended several galas and fundraisers in my life that give attendees parting gifts. From more than one event, the gift bag included a trendy (nonetheless synthetic) perfume. For me, getting an expensive perfume is always a disappointment because I don't value or wear it. As I've said in past blogs, I'm an essential oil kind of gal. 

During a discussion with a friend who's trying to cut back on her discretionary spending, I realized that my aversion to perfume has saved me a ton of money over the years ... and perhaps there's a budget-friendly tip here worth sharing!

If you love an expensive perfume, research it and try to determine what floral oils, essential oils, etc. give it its amazing scent. Without paying for the brand name, you can buy the floral oil, a purer ingredient, or a combination of ingredients in the perfume that pleases your nose for a lot less!

Using my current favorite fragrance, rose as an example, for $10 - $15 I get my rose oil, not from Diptyque, Tom Ford, or Miss Dior, but from botanical companies in the form of moisturizing oil, soap, or shampoo. I find my products either at T.J. Maxx or on Amazon for the lowest prices. 

Also, I like how Amazon gives small businesses and small butch personal care manufacturers a platform to sell their products. You can find top quality for less moola while discovering new retailers who aren't mass-produced -- not that mass production is bad, in fact, SheaMoisture is one of my favorite merchants.

It's fine if the product has a carrier oil because pure floral or essential oils are usually too strong to use undiluted on your skin daily, but make sure the rose oil, etc is one of chief ingredients. The FDA requires a product label to list the ingredients in "order of predominance, with the ingredients used in the greatest amount first, followed in descending order by ingredients in smaller amounts."

Also, do a bit of research on your favorite ingredient(s) to learn which methods of production make it top quality so when you read the labels of products you'll know which ones to choose.

The more you know, the more chances you'll have to find value. Lately, I've been smelling like roses without compromise; doing without; or going broke! You can too. 😍😛🌹🌹🌹

Okay Blended Rose Oil

Woolzies Rose Oil Smells Amazing

Going Organic: Face, Body And Hair

Shea Moisture Beauty Is For Everybody

Eau de Cologne 4711

There's only one perfume I associate with my mama ... and it's not actually perfume, but Eau de Cologne 4711. It's the only fragrance she ever buys ... and likely can name. A bottle of it is always on her dresser.

Perfumes and fragrances aren't really my thing. I prefer clean botanical scents, and it's perhaps why I, too, like her cologne. As it turns out, the eau de toilette is German and very old! How old you may ask?

Eau de Cologne was first mixed in 1709 by an Italian perfume maker, Giovanni Maria Farina, who was living in Cologne Germany. Its citrus notes reminded him of "daffodils and orange blossoms in the mountains of Italy on a spring morning after a rain." His recipe was real perfume and, reportedly, became popular throughout the royal houses of Europe. Royalty could afford to buy it. 

Due to legal troubles {Was selling and thus buying the formula valid?}, the Farina name was dropped in the 18th century, and the "perfume" or more accurately the scented toilet water was renamed Eau de Cologne 4711, after the Cologne factory street address at Glockengasse N. 4711 which is still open and also has become a museum. In fact, the original Farina formula was tweaked by Wilhem Mülhens, a later 18th-century Cologne perfumer, and it is he who was responsible for exporting Eau de Cologne 4711 to Paris, France, and Stralsund, Germany eventually creating its worldwide and centuries of commercial success. By this time, non-royals could buy some!

Some of the ways you can wear 4711.

So why do my mother, I, and countless others like it? A splash is clean, refreshing, and invigorating. My Oma (grandma) rubbed it on her temples to ease her headaches. 

Eau de Cologne 4711 is more than 5% pure essential oils. It has top notes of orange oil, peach, basil, bergamot, melon, lemon, and lime. Middle notes include cyclamen, lily, Jasmin, and Bulgarian rose. There's also patchouli, Tahitian vetiver, musk, sandalwood, oakmoss, and cedar in the mix. 

More like a skin freshener, the cologne is distinctive, pleasant, and strong but never, ever overpowering. Also, the scent plays nice after mixing with your own body chemistry, unlike many other famous perfumes. Additionally, the aroma is unisex, worn by men and women.

Wow, both blends of the fragrance, the earlier Farina and later 4711, have endured for over 300 years! Touring the world's oldest still-operating cologne factory (makers of Farina) is the touristy thing to do if ever you are in Cologne, Germany. Here's a blog about the tour.

You may also enjoy:

Woolzies Rose Oil Smells Amazing

Philosophy Fragrance: The Pure Graces

Essential Oils Are A Household ... wait for it ... Essential

Strange Invisible Perfumes: For People Who Don't Wear Perfume

Okay Blended Rose Oil

Photo: shutterstock

Lately I'm obsessed with rose oil. An essential oil extracted from the petals of several types of roses, rose ottos are removed by steam distillation (a separation process), while rose absolutes are drawn out by solvent (liquid-liquid) extraction. It takes about 60,000 roses to produce 1 ounce of rose oil making it one of the more expensive essential oils to buy. But forturnately, we don't need much to reap its benefits. (And naturally I've found an affordable, quality rose oil product for us all!)

Rose oil comes from 2 types of roses: The damask rose (rosa damascena) grows in Bulgaria, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, Syria, Turkey and Uzbekistan, and the cabbage rose (rosa centifolia), which lives in France, Egypt and Morocco.

Frankly, the real reason I rub it on my skin after a shower is I love the scent! It's my latest craze! But others seem to like it too. Whenever I spray on Diptyque Eau Rose Eau de Toilette and the new scent, Eau Capitale Eau Parfum (rose, bergamot and patchouli) at Bloomingdale's fellow shoppers walk up to tell me how good I smell!! Men ask what scent I'm wearing. It has happened several times over. And I know Dr. Hauschka's top-notch skincare line contains rose oil as a main ingredient due to its healing and anti-aging powers. But both luxury brands are expensive, so I had to find a more affordable, high end product to use daily.

Okay Rose Oil, a rose oil blend, has rose oil as its 1st ingredient, and the light oil smells divine! Very floral, pleasant and clean. Never overpowering or artificial like many perfumes. Plus, I desire the anti-aging properties of the rose oil. Heck yeah, I'm not giving that up!

Rose oil contains complex antioxidants and minerals. Not only does it soothe and moisturize dry skin, but it also has antiseptic and astringent components to treat acne, as well as, anti-inflammatory properties to slow down aging and help heal wounds. Some people also use rose oil to lighten skin or prevent scars.

Moreover scientistic studies show that rose oil eases stress, anxiety and depression, as well as, stimulates circulation and is an overall mood booster. Go here to read about several more benefits.

Okay Rose Oil is an excellent choice as you can dub drops directly into your skin and hair (yes, it conditions hair too). Like all essential oils, pure rose oil is too concentrated and should be combined with carrier oils before using. Here the price is right, the smell heavenly, and the high potency blend gentle and effective. Highly recommend!🌹


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The Beauty Of Essential Oils
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Organic And Eco-Friendly Gifts

As the holidays approach I'm starting to think about great gifts to buy for family and friends. I do my best to select special items that are useful and will make relatives and buds happy. This year I'm adding beautifully wrapped gift sets of organic bath and body products to my list.

One reason I like to give organic products is for their purity. All natural soaps and moisturizers, made with essential oils like lavender and jojoba, are good for you and the environment. I look for toiletries with no unnecessary chemicals and artificial emollients to dry out the skin as we move into a colder climate. Another consideration is, they are not gender specific and can be enjoyed by the entire family. Ingredients like olive oil and aloe vera have been used for centuries to care for the skin and scalp. Even people who are allergic to perfume can appreciate the clean scents and soothing properties of herbs and essential oils like eucalyptus, sweet almond or calendula flowers. [Personally, I prefer the scent of botanicals like peppermint oil over a strong perfume.]

The trick is to find organic products, which work as well as and better than conventional goods. I narrow it down to companies who use the finest natural ingredients, whose products are non-greasy and long lasting.

Here are a few of my favorite eco-friendly companies for bath and body products:

Skinnyskinny – Located in Brooklyn, it offers premium ingredients and pretty packaging at reasonable prices. [I want the organic buckwheat hull pillow.]

Aveda – Where you'll find top-notch organic skin care and make-up, knowledgeable sales associates and a spot of herb tea while you shop.

LaLicious – A Los Angeles company selling luxury all natural products. The peppermint body butter is a favorite. I keep it at my desk as a hand cream.

Whole Foods Market – They carry a wide selection of nourishing soaps, lotions, body butters and hair care, all made from botanicals.

And don't forget about the presentation. Look for eye-catching, recycled materials to wrap gifts. Be kind to the environment while making everyone on your list feel pampered and special.