Having French – Paris?roots on my Father’s side..the Bassett name is a good reason?for me to celebrate.? My heritage is traced all the way?back to Charlemagne.

Bring on the champagne…I remember a wonderful Bastille day in 1991 in Paris.? The pomp and circumstance…troops parading down the Champs-?lys?es.

Lots of wine, aioli and baquettes, and great food was shared that day…

I was standing on the Ponte Neuf (the new bridge) which is now the oldest bridge in Paris on the Seine..watching the Eiffel Tower that evening.? Many people were there for this historic event.? Many languages were wafting?in my ears and French fragrance I will admit.? Clouds of it.? The lights of the tower?had been turned off.? The lights came back on in sections with the lowest one first, the middle, and then the top.? As the top lit?up everyone cheered..There?were fireworks and cheers..I will never forget it..

The next thing I knew everyone was rushing to get on a?Metro…the train stops?running at?midnight..and to catch a taxi would have been a nightmare..

What a beautiful day and ?evening..

For this festive occasion I am wearing my chypre style Camille eau de parfum. The notes are: Osmanthus, Iris Root from Italy, Mimosa, Tuberose, Jasmine sambac, Lavender Seville, Galbanum, Ginger, Bergamot, and others

? Camille is from my French????? Collection of natural perfumes.? How appropriate for today!? You can check out the whole collection here:?French Collection?

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?I also created the Royal Collection ?of natural fragrances that is based on people and places from France.

If you sign up for my newsletter I am having a special Bastille Day sale.

Have a great day!? Vive la France!

Travel

Review by Sheryll Alexander

Absolutely nothing is like real perfume. In fact — now that I am a fragrance connoisseur — I no longer even consider wearing anything less than fine natural perfumes by JoAnne Bassett. Why? Synthetics (and that means all perfumes you buy in drug and department stores) aren?t real and they aren?t good for you either. ?Natural? perfumes are handcrafted from the most exquisite ingredients such as precious botanical essences and high-quality oils.

For the past couple of years, I have been sporting only natural perfumes. Yes, real perfume is expensive and it is a true indulgence. But as someone with an allergic nose and even more sensitive skin, it is a must in my beauty regimen. Plus, all-natural parfums are good for you in other ways.

True floral and earthy essences bring a sense of joy, satisfaction and health to the wearer. Natural fragrances attract positive things and people to your life. Using traditional French methods for creating the finest perfumes, JoAnne only includes the world?s most rare (and in some cases extinct) ingredients such as Bulgarian white rose oil, vintage Mysore sandalwood oil, vintage jasmine sambac, osmanthus, mimosa and tuberose.

So, here?s a review of JoAnne Bassett?s summer-loving Josephine perfume as well as more review notes about her incredible Amazing and Dark Mistress scents, which I believe are perfect to wear as?day-to-night fragrances.

Josephine, Amazing & Dark Mistress

For the warm summer months, I recommend JoAnne Bassett?s light fragrance, Josephine. This all-natural perfume is perfect to spritz on wrists, necks, d?colletage and bellies right before work, before getting on a airplane (or car or train), before dinner and even before bed. Citrus-meets-forest with Josephine?s cooling, yet warming and inviting odors. Just quick spray gives the wearer the irresistible smell of summer?s bounty.

Perhaps my two most favorite JoAnne Bassett perfumes are Amazing and Dark Mistress. I love wearing Amazing for day as this floral spray has a pick-me-up feel with refreshing scents of lemon verbena, rose otto, ginger, yuzu and violet leaf. In fact, Amazing contains more than 32 ?outlaw? essential oils and absolutes.

Just the opposite, Dark Mistress was made for the evening. When sprayed, Dark Mistress fascinates your nose with its mysterious nighttime flower scents and attributes such as night queen, rhododendron, peru balsam, rosewood, damask rose oil, neroli, tuberose, frankinsence, vetiver and vintage jasmine sambac from France. Dark Mistress is formidable!

Don?t forget that all of JoAnne Bassett?s luxurious perfumes can be bought in a travel size spray for around $40 each. JoAnne?s glossy black metal travel container with diamond-like studs are rugged, spray nicely and look lovely sitting in your evening clutch.? We love taking these all-natural exotic parfums in our purse on road trip getaways. Just a little spray or two really makes you smell fresh, clean and pretty in an instant.

Perfume-Making Workshops

Have you ever wanted to learn how to make your own natural perfumes? French-trained parfum couturier JoAnne Bassett, who lives nearby in North San Diego County, also leads perfume-making workshops for groups in San Diego and Orange County.

In these two-hour classes, JoAnne teaches women to create their own personal perfumes from botanical essences and organic jojoba oil. At workshop?s end, each participant goes home their own unique scent, which is beautifully packaged in a perfume bottle with glass dauber! The workshop costs $300 per person (or $2,000 for a group of five or more) including all materials.

JoAnne also teaches classes where you can learn about scent nuances, color energy and aromatherapy properties for body, mind and spirit. Classes start at $50 and include a custom-made bottle of perfume.

To learn more, visit http://www.JoAnneBassett.com or call 760.309.2571.

To buy products on Etsy, visit http://www.joannebassett.etsy.com.

Subscribe to her blog at http://AromaticJourneys.blogspot.com

Follow her on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/joannebassett.perfumer

Sheryll Alexander runs a news media agency based in Costa Mesa, California.

The original article is found here:

http://www.greersoc.com/index.php/blogs/travel/natural_parfums_for_summer_travel

Create Your Own Empowering Essence? – You Are So Worth It!

Are you ready to unleash your most powerful self?? Are you ready to live your most creative path?? You can empower your success with a botanical fragrance.? Using 100% natural essential oils and absolutes such as rose absolute, jasmine absolute, neroli – orange blossom, and others we will create?real perfumes in organic jojoba oil.
Creating your own perfume is a very special gift to yourself.? It really is a lot of fun.

Let your creative juices flow in this workshop for the senses.?? Come and mix your own special perfume, name it, and take it home in a special glass bottle. Use this empowering essence to create what you vision for yourself.

This botanical perfume workshop includes all of the materials you need.

?2 hours??? $200.00? prepaid

Sunday, July 8?? at 2:00 pm in the San Diego area.? Please call me at 760.309.2571 if you have any questions or email me at joanne@joannebassett.com

I can send a paypal invoice for your prepayment.

If you would like to sponsor this workshop at your store or home please inquire.

www.joannebassett.com

I am having a drawing for 5 mls of my latest scent…Venus Amber eau de parfum!? To be elegible you must be signed up on Networked Blogs to receive both of my fragrant blogs –Aromatic Journeys and Natural Perfumes..? You can sign up here:

Natural Perfumes blog on Networked Blogs

Aromatic Journeys blog on Networked Blogs

?Send an email to me joanne@joannebassett.com? subject line Draw and leave me your name… I will take the names and check them with Networked Blogs and then group them for random.org Drawing ends Monday, June 18.?

More on this lovely new creation…

Venus Amber eau de parfum

I created this lovely all natural fragrance on the rare Venus Transit on June 5, 2012. This is a masculine, amber fragrance and is filled with love. Venus energy is love energy.
There are 25 distinctly different essential oils and absolutes that comprise this natural perfume. It has a musky, spicy, amber accord. The soft powdery, drydown of the vanilla and benzoin gives way to the musky, ambrette seed and frankincense, cedarwood, cistus, and labdanum classic goodness.

Bay rum plays with rosewood, sage, cinnamon, and cardamon…to create a spicy melange. The citrus notes of bergamot, blood orange, lemon,and yuzu add that extra lift, zing, and sparkle. The wonderfully sensuous jasmine and rose de mai accord play with your heart. The other special oils form a bond that holds it all together. Be touched by the love of Venus.

Venus Amber is available in these sizes:
1 ml sample size $5.00 5 ml travel sprayer $40.00

1 oz – 30 ml spray bottle $125.00 – Eau de Perfume in a base of organic grape alcohol from wine grapes

1/4 oz Parfum in organic jojoba oil – in a bottle with dauber $150.00

Available at my Etsy store

June 1, 2012 – Sixth Anniversary Blog Event

My very first natural aromatic that?I fell head over heels in love with was….drum roll please…Sandalwood..We are not talking just any steam distilled sandalwood here either.? We are talking the cream of the crop…Mysore Sandalwood essential oil from India.

It has a most sensuous, creamy wood chip fragrance that wafts around my nose…and makes me smile. It is nothing like cedarwood, or fir or any of the usual suspects.

My favorite tree was always pine trees..and at the holiday times I love the beautiful Noble fir.? Having a Christmas tree in the house changes the atmosphere and brings in a pleasant pine odor…totally unlike?pine sol.??The cedar wood closets and the cedar wood storage chests have a pleasant sharp wood?aroma.? These are smells I am familiar with.

Sandalwood Tree in India

?Ok so back to my first love…Many years ago..I found a bottle of sandalwood in a “new age” store…wow…I thought I was in heaven….this little brown bottle was a breath of fresh air..Now mind you I grew up with hard wood trees..oaks, elms, maples, olives,?walnuts, apple, pines,?and more grew on our farm…My uncle even had a machine that sawed lumber..fresh logs that were turned into planks, shingles,and piles of saw dust.? I will never forget the smell of fresh sawed logs. I have smelled many types of wood..it is very grounding.

This little vial of essential oil took me on a journey of discovery…I put some on my wrist and waited for the drydown…sweet, soft, powder..oh my…

Fast forward to the year 2000 and I went to India on a fragrant journey for 3 weeks.? I was there for the Ganesha festival and I was able to purchase a small Ganesha (elephant) created from sandalwood.? I was so amazed.? It was very auspicious with the trunk going in the opposite direction…It smelled softly of the wood…imagine my surprise to find out there are temples built from sandalwood…Heaven on earth…No wonder I bought 5 kilos of this precious oil from sacred India.? This stock is now 12 years old…smooth as silk and dwindling.? The vintage Sandalwood is so superior to what they now call Indian sandalwood.

I could not imagine that there would be a shortage of Indian sandalwood.? The other varieties of sandalwood oil on the market now do not please me as much as the real thing…kind of like that first kiss…you never forget it.

There is one way you can experience for yourself my vintage 2000 Mysore Sandalwood essential oil from India.? I use it as a base in some of my Limited Edition Collection Parfums.? You can find them here: Limited Edition Collection Parfums

Be sure and read my other fragrant?blog: Aromatic Journeys

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More Guild members blogging their first aromatic love!

The aromatherapy benefits of using? Natural Perfumes are derived from?pure essential oils and absolutes they are created with. Many scientific studies show the benefits of using essential oils for well being. Here is an emotion and the corresponding JoAnne Bassett Natural Fragrances to aid this emotion.

Here is a photo taken with a few of the happy natural perfume students…

Making perfume puts a smile on my face too…Maybe next time you will want to join us!

During the break I had a great time swinging….The house is on the top of the hill and overlooks Mission Bay…love the water and the boats..