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Monday, June 15, 2015

Isabelle May Botanicals

Before the rain came in last night, I gathered the last peonies from the garden. Their fragrance kept me company all of last night and today. If only I could replicate the sweetness of these beauties in a peony perfume!

I have been working on many custom scents for clients the past few months and making many new discoveries as I blend. I began using Palo Santo in my perfumery, a sacred oil from the rain forest, that in the past I reserved for special occasions in healing sessions. It has such a powerful and grounding scent that opens the heart as it blends with Damask rose, Jasmine or Cistus. 


The more mature my perfume making becomes, the more courageous I have become in making new combinations of scents. I am currently working on a perfume that is built around Apricot and Lemon myrtle. This is a brave experiment as lemon myrtle is very strong and has a very heady and strong lemony scent that reminds me of lemon drops. Every perfume is truly a new adventure.
A package arrived today including White rose absolute, Citron, Osmanthus and Cacao, to name a few. It is hard not to spend every waking moment with these new beauties. 

Every time a new shipment arrives, I know that my grandmother Isabelle May would have loved the experience of carefully opening every new scent and studying the properties of each bottle. I named my perfume line after her as she was such a beautiful and kind mentor to me. She introduced me to the mysterious world of plants in her gardens. While I grew up around many beautiful plants at home, it was through the eyes of my grandmother, a botanist and cultivator, that I truly felt the magic. 
In time, hopefully I will make a perfume that smells like fresh peonies and I will name it Isabelle.


Wishing everyone a beautiful Summer!