Yesterday morning,
just after I finished my post 2
, my landlord brought me a
kumquat tree.
This is the
tradition here in Vietnam to offer kumquat or peach trees to wish a prosperous new
lunar Year.
Hanoi is in the mood for celebrations.
 |
| my landlord with the kumquat and osmanthus |
The festive season starts at
the end of this week. Everybody is rushing to prepare. Hundreds of motorbikes
transporting kumquat, orange, pomelo trees to celebrate Tet 2012 : new year of the
water dragon.
Everybody at Dame
Clemence was very excited with that tree and lunch conversation went on
"What is the smell of Joy for Vietnamese" , staff answered : orange, coriander (In
Vietnam they use coriander leaf for purification before tet), smell of banh
chung cooking (another traditonal dish for tet)
The perfume
of Joy linked with happy memories : festivities and celebrations.
I remember a hard time ten years ago, coming back from
Laos. I was in Lyon : it was winter, no job, no money…
With the little money I had, I bought a few
essential oils, beyond them was bergamot, vetiver. I also had a small bottle of
vanilla extract someone gave me for cooking. I blended them.
Bergamote was
definitely uplifting, makes me want to smile, want to laugh. Clearing my mind,
being positive and enthusiast. Vetiver was definitely rooting me, giving
stability and confidence. Vanilla was here for me to feel warm, compassionated,
a bit more sensual and sweet. I loved this combination, it was so good for me.
I always had it in my pocket. Smelling it before interviews, smelling it when
feeling cold, when feeling disheartened.
This combination was
nothing new as it was clearly for me the basis of old Guerlains that I loved like
Jicky, Shalimar or Chamade. I still use this combination in my products, but not
as the main idea.
When my landlord
brought the kumquat tree this morning, she put it on the front of the door,
next to the osmanthus tree, which is blossoming at the moment with its delicate
apricot scent. I love this flower and I promised myself
for a long time to make one day a real exquisite body perfume with it.
Here I am… Bergamot,
kumquat, orange, coriander, osmanthus, jasmine, vanilla, vetiver…
From what I read on my favorite blogs on the subject, notes of frankincense, labdanum, patchouli should help.
Mmmmh, there is a formula to work on…
Definitely!
Waiting for your
comments. The best comment will get a give away... I don't think I will be able to make the Vietnamese perfume of Joy formula before the end of
the Lunar year. So I won’t give away a sample of that perfume which is only in my
head at the moment, but I will definitely prepare for the best comment, a special blend with my
bergamote, vanilla and vetiver. Shipping in Vietnam only.
All the winners of this blogathon will be informed on 29th January on this blog, after the "Tet festivities". So you can write until the 28th to be part of the game. If you want to be elligible for the prize, don't be anonymous, as I will need to contact you.
Wishing you a Happy Tet 2012 !
Don't forget to visit the blogs of my happy community of Natural Perfume bloggers :
Therefore with this
blogathon project in my head, I grabbed 6 different essential oils for them to smell and see their reaction : bergamot,
orange, lavender, pine, jasmine and rose. I could see the kids where reacting strongly to these smells. One kid who was a bit older than the others, (the one the picture) immediately gave his appreciation on the smells. He didn't like any, except the orange one which made him very enthusiast. Some other kids were keen on smelling everything. Some, from their faces, obviously did not like this strange intrusion in their olfactive world.
1- Is the stromg positive reaction about the orange smell due to the inner property of the orange or is it due to the fact that it was the only smell he knew? Oranges are quite common in Vietnam. I bet in his little age and little world, he never smelt bergamot, lavender, rose, pine or jasmine before. 2- In my rush I brought only pure essential oils for them to smell. Next time I will definitely work on lower concentration. 3- There I am back with my first question : Can we make an universal perfume or Joy or the perfume of Joy is a personal thing?
While reflecting on the subject, I had a few ideas : first look at what's happening on the subject in perfumery then blog about my own reflexions and personal experiences.
In natural perfumery, this is what personnally I am trying to do. My scents have an evocative name linked to the smell, linked to a place. "Gourmandise de Can Tho" is a massage oil with ginger , orange, ylang ylang. This is the one I personnally use in wintery time, when I need to cuddle and feel warm inside.