BEESWAX. BEES BEES BEES PLEASE..X

One of the key ingredients in all of my solid perfumes is BEESWAX. Bee's are the reason that I can make the balms I do, and they are amazing little creatures. I found a film that shares about the importance of them, and what is happening to our bees.
Honeybees have been mysteriously disappearing across the planet, literally vanishing from their hives.




Known as Colony Collapse Disorder, this phenomenon has brought beekeepers to crisis in an industry responsible for producing apples, broccoli, watermelon, onions, cherries and a hundred other fruits and vegetables. Commercial honeybee operations pollinate crops that make up one out of every three bites of food on our tables.





Vanishing of the Bees follows commercial beekeepers David Hackenberg and Dave Mendes as they strive to keep their bees healthy and fulfill pollination contracts across the U.S. The film explores the struggles they face as the two friends plead their case on Capital Hill and travel across the Pacific Ocean in the quest to protect their honeybees.
Filming across the US, in Europe, Australia and Asia, this documentary examines the alarming disappearance of honeybees and the greater meaning it holds about the relationship between mankind and mother earth.





As scientists puzzle over the cause, organic beekeepers indicate alternative reasons for this tragic loss. Conflicting options abound and after years of research, a definitive answer has not been found to this harrowing mystery.

Here is a link to the website to host your own screening and get the word out.
http://www.vanishingbees.com

OTHER PERFUME BLOGS THAT SMELL GREAT!!

These are my Favorite Perfume Blogs and assorted interesting articles ~ you can check them out simply by clicking the below links:

Now Smell This
Listed Fragrance Notes: Why They Matter & Why They Don't
Fantastic article about fragrance “notes” and how you might best interpret them. This is well-written, interesting, insightful and helpful reading.
Becoming a Perfumista ~ article from Now Smell This archives
Article written by Angela at Now Smell This blog which outlines the steps or stages in the process of becoming a full blown "perfumista." The piece is both funny and eerily true to my own experience (so eerie, it's as if she was following me around for a few years).
Perfume Shrine ~ fabulous perfume blog located in Europe
New York Times: Everyone's A Critic
Power to the Perfumistas! A New York Times article about the influence of bloggers on the perfume industry.
A Perfumista Lexicon
A very funny and enlightening guide to the acronyms, abbreviations and oddball lingo used by people obsessed with perfume!
We are Sensualist Geeks ~ Written by Angela at NST
A fascinating piece that aims to explain the difference between those who simply like and those who LOVE perfume.
Perfume Posse
Perfume Smellin' Things
Scentzilla
The Scented Salamander
Bois de Jasmin
Chandler Burr
New York Times article about Aedes de Venustas
another New York Times article about Aedes de Venustas
Sniffapalooza
1000 Fragrances
Anya’s Garden
Blogdorf Goodman
Indie Perfumes
For the Love of Perfume
Legerdenez (I love the description of her blog:“Legerdenez is the magic, the prestidigitation, the sleight of nose that is perfume”)
Perfume & Tea Make Me Happy
The Moment – Daily Blog by Chandler Burr
Scented Pages
Notes on Shoes Cake & Perfume
Fragrance Bouquet
Memory and Desire
Glass Petal Smoke
Sweet Diva
Ava Luxe Blog
Perfume Da Rosa Negra (Portuguese)

Recommended books for perfume lovers

Some days it's better just to curl up on a bed and read a good book. Here are a few that are great for perfume lovers. ...they came highly recommended...



Perfumes: The Guide by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez
This is a fantastic book, worth purchasing for everyone interested in perfume.
Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
The Perfect Scent by Chandler Burr
The Emperor of Scent: A Story of Perfume, Obsession and Last Mystery of the Senses by Chandler Burr
The Secret of Scent: Adventures in Perfume and the Science of Smell by Luca Turin

Cherokee and Perfume/Traditions and benefits

Hippie perfume ... smells like forest, pot and snuggling according to the Urban Dictionary. Then there are those who think Patchouli is a smell to cover up old clothes or ahem...mary jane. Today, at Abovo laboratories (aka my kitchen) I added different combinations to absolute pure Patchouli oil to find the right mix. There are two new recipes, one light, and one heavy that are going to be headlining the Patchouli line. One has hints of Pepper, and the other has notes of Lavender for a light airy clean bohemian scent. There are so many scents to choose from and each one of them are distinct. There are different Fragrant smells in different frangrant families. We are focused on these:

Earthy,
Herbal
Floral
Fruity, Citrus
Gourmand
Masculine, Unisex
Woodsy
Animalistic




Scent is something that is a personal experience for everyone, choose the scent that perfectly matches your personality..For our brand we are focused on Tribal scents and traditions with a modern flare for ingredients. The Cherokee Tribe is one of many American Indian Tribes. Not the only one we focus on at Abovo Perfume, but as a study of many tribes, we take amazing beliefs, and adopt them as our own. The traditions of the past lay the groundwork for a simpler, more green future.

In a search for order and sustaining that order, the olden Cherokee devised a simple, yet seemingly complex belief system. Many of the elements of the original system remain today. Although some have evolved or otherwise been modified, the traditional Cherokee of today recognize the belief system as an integral part of day-to-day life.

Certain numbers play an important role in the ceremonies of the Cherokee. The numbers four and seven repeatedly occur in myths, stories and ceremonies. Four represents all the familiar forces, also represented in the four cardinal directions. We use different amounts of notes in our perfumes...and the oil combinations are sacred to number rituals while measuring.

These cardinal directions are east, west, north and south. Certain colors are also associated with these directions. The number seven represents the seven clans of the Cherokee, and are also associated with directions. In addition to the four cardinal directions, three others exist. Up (the Upper World), down (the Lower World) and center (where we live, and where you always are).

The number seven also represents the height of purity and sacredness, a difficult level to attain.

In olden times, it was believed that only the owl and cougar had attained this level, and since then, they have always had a special meaning to the Cherokee. The pine, cedar, spruce, holly and laurel also attained this level. They play a very important role in Cherokee ceremonies. Cedar is the most sacred of all, and the distinguishing colors of red and white set it off from all others.

The wood from the tree is considered very sacred, and in ancient days, was used to carry the honored dead. The oil from many tree plants and flowers is used in many Abovo Oils.

Because of these early beliefs, the traditional Cherokee have a special regard for the owl and cougar. They are the honored ones in some versions of the Creation story. They were the only two who were able to stay awake for the seven nights of Creation. The others fell asleep. Today, because of this, they are nocturnal in their habits and both have night vision. The owl is seemingly different from other birds, and he resembles an old man as he walks. Sometimes, the owl can be mistaken for a cat with his feather tufts and silhouette of his head. This resemblance honors his nocturnal brother, the cougar.

The owls eyes are quite large and set directly in front like a persons, and he can close one independent of the other. The cougar is an animal whose has screams which resemble those of a woman. He is an animal who has habits that are very secret and unpredictable.

The cedar, pine, spruce, laurel and holly trees have leaves all year long. These plants, too, stayed awake seven nights during the Creation. Because of this, they were given special power, and they are among the most important plants in Cherokee medicine and ceremonies. The medicinal effects of the oils are more than just having an amazing wood and floral scent, but many of our solid perfumes have medicinal benefits. We don't put that on our labels, because we aren't a pharmacy. The benefits are an added luxury of our products.






The war against ourselves and nature must stop; It's time to become a "peacemaker" and start changing our way of living so it doesn't support the destructive systems that are in place right now so much.
We are the ones that must bring about the much needed change that must occur for the security and survival of our species.....and the Great Mother.
SilentFeathers 3-12-2011

Some of my favorite Perfume balms

NATIVE GREEN TEA
During courtship an Indian man would use a flute to play a special song outside the tepee of the Indian woman he wished to marry. Each brave had a song he would play that was special for that one woman. If the woman liked the young man, she would prepare a special blend of tea, then come out of her tepee to the sound of the music and offer the young brave a sip of green tea, a sign of special admiration. This unique Green tea blended perfume has notes of lemon citrus, rhubarb, peppermint, oakmoss, musk, and Amber and Beeswax.
* This unique Green tea blended perfume has notes of lemon citrus, rhubarb, peppermint, oakmoss, musk, and Amber and Beeswax.





YLANG YLANG SMUDGE
Floral petals off the Cananga tree harness scent by soaking in the warm sun until cultivated. Native Americans have used these petals for centuries as an aphrodisiac and medicine. Ylang Ylang is used to heal the body, awaken the mind, and pleasure your spirit. Rich Deep notes of Floral smudged Custard, with bright hints of Jasmine and Neroli. Native Americans use plants to rub and brush over the body (Smudging) as healing and ordering away negativity.
* Rich Deep notes of exotic Floral smudged with bright hints of Jasmine and Neroli.

*****

SANDALWOOD SPIRIT
Sandalwood is one of the oldest and most precious heartwood from the Santalum tree. It’s considered sacred and prized and Sandalwood trade dates back to the beginning of trading.The Sultan of Mysore declared it a royal tree in 1792. The scent is thick, woodsy timber and a soothing grove of strong base notes.
* The scent is thick, woodsy timber

AVASA LONE WOLF (374)
A fiercely independently scented balm of fresh spicy Amber, fresh tree thicket, and with an alluring poignant note of Vanilla. This Native scent is one of a kind. Avasa, meaning Independent is a lone wolf scent, with combinations that make it one of a kind. Amber, Vanilla and Wood notes form an herbaceous and zippy scent unlike any other.
* fresh spicy Amber, fresh tree thicket, and with an alluring poignant note of Vanilla.

BHAVYA BERGAMOT BALM (FK)
Grand and splendid with top notes of bergamot Orange, muguet, iris water flowers, jasmine, peony, violet, sandalwood, golden amber, and a dab of musk oil.





MOUNTAIN AWANITA MUSK
Emulate the exotic scent of Deer musk without taking from a Deer Musk pod.This modern animal and cruelty free musk has substances from plants to emit the natural ragrance. Musk Flower, musk wood, and West Indie seeds are also known to create the musky fragrance as well as Blackberry, Ambrette, and Ambergris.



CHUMANI PEAR TANGERINE (BETSEY)
Like a playful dew-drop this is a blooming bright fun scent. Colorful, pleasant and upbeat. Pear, Tangerine, Grapefruit, Blackcurrant, praline, sandalwood, Lily of the valley, Freesia, red-apple, and a dabble of amber and musk.



DONOMA SUN LAUNDERED LINEN
This clean fresh balm smells like a milled soap on sun dried linen. The linen textile made from flax plant fibers combined with simple soapy clean note gives a laundered linen clean smell. With additional notes of Lavender and Lemon, this clear crisp creation is flawless.

Animal Notes.

Animal extracts are always used in minute concentrations because of their overpowering odor. When they are diluted to the right proportion, they give a glorious effect. They give the scent a richness and warmth that only an animal note can give. They are chemically very close to our own sexual aromas. Animal extracts are an essential part of many commercial fragrances. Most animal notes today are synthetically produced to decrease cost and increase supplies.




Ambergris is found in oily gray lumps primarily in the Indian Ocean. There has been much speculation as to the origin of this material. It is found in the ocean in one to seventy pound lumps. The lumps have strong odor that is very unpleasant in its raw state. It must be dissolved in alcohol. After it is processed, the fragrance is very persistent. It was used in scented gloves because the odor would last several years. Today synthetic ambergris is primarily used in replacement of genuine ambergris.




Castoreum is a secretion from the preputial follicles of both male and female castor beavers. It has a strong, disagreeable odor until it is considerably diluted. It then becomes highly fragrant. It is an excellent fixative and gives perfumes a spicy or oriental note. It is very commonly used in men's fragrances due to the sultry, leathery, smoky note. It is also used in oriental women's fragrances. Synthetic castoreums are now available, and can be as good as the real thing.






Civet
Civet is one of the most important animal materials used for perfume. It is taken from a pouch under the tails of male and female civet cats. Civet has a very strong smell, but is diluted and used in minute quantities. The scent is similar to musk, but has a more smoky, sweaty aroma. It is an excellent fixative, and used in many top-quality perfumes today. Civet is available in artificial substitutes.





Musk
Musk is perhaps the most powerful of all perfume fragrances, and the most expensive. Musk comes from the male musk deer. It is extracted from the deer in the form of grains. Musk has been a key constituent in very many perfumes since its discovery. It is currently found in 35% of all men's perfumes and fragrances. It is a very good fixative, and is exceptionally long lasting. There are many synthetic musks, and musk is one of the most important ingredients in perfumes. Musk in its natural or synthetic form can be found in 90% of all fine fragrances.



I don't use any real animal oils in my perfumes for the ethics of Animal.

Abovo The Original Perfume Notes

A few things about notes....and what the hell a "note" has to do with perfuming. Notes in perfumery are descriptors of scents that can be sensed upon the application of a perfume. Notes are separated into three classes; top/head notes, middle/heart notes, and base notes; which denote groups of smells that can be sensed with respect to the time after the application of a perfume. These notes are created carefully with knowledge of the evaporation process and intended use of the perfume. However, each class of notes is not as easily sensed at a certain time they can alter the smells of another note class.[clarification needed] For instance, the presence of a certain base or heart notes will alter the scent perceived when the top notes are strongest, and likewise the scent of base notes in the dry-down will be often be altered depending on the smells of the heart notes. With my perfumes I blend more top notes in the lighter blends, and more base notes in the stronger blends. I almost always blend (at the very least) one top, middle (heart) and bottom note. Some of my solids have many notes to give a specific scent, others have less. I have had many failures in blending...but when I find a winner, It's got to be even better than good.