YOSH: Your genre is natural botanical perfumes ? made with organic, wild crafted plant based materials ? completely animal and synthetic free. Would you compare this style to being a vegan in the culinary world?

JoAnne: No. There are many reasons people eat the diets they have. Some are purists.

YOSH: Are you also a vegan?

JoAnne: No. Later in life I started a vegetarian lifestlye. It did not last that many years as my body required other nutrients.

YOSH: How much do you think diet effects the way perfumes act on the skin?

JoAnne: I think it has an effect just like if your skin is dry or moist. If your skin has more moisture the scent may last longer. Your personal chemistry is the factor regarding how a perfume will smell on you.

YOSH: I once had a customer who ate a bison burger and I couldn?t get the smell out of my nose for several days. It kind of grossed me out. Has that happened to you before?

JoAnne: I have smelled garlic and other spices that exude from the body. When I had LeBijou, my perfume boutique in La Jolla, CA I had people coming into my store reeking of synthetic scents. I could hardly stand it.

YOSH: Many perfume lovers who have not quite embraced the world of naturals often complain that natural perfumes lack consistency or tenacity or that they smell too raw. Would you say that those qualities are in fact part of the beauty? Or how do you over come those challenges without it turning into a brown mess or base notes?

JoAnne: Tenacity would be an issue I have heard regarding natural perfumes and even some synthetic fragrances. On the facebook groups there are people complaining of the synths being short lived. Some of my fragrances range from 2 hours and on up to 5 hours or more. Fragrance bloggers who have reviewed my perfumes have spoken of longevity of the fragrance. I am inclined to prefer the fragrance not being so in your face. There are fragrances people wear like a cloud around them. They spray on too much.

I think a fragrance does not need to last all day and the beauty of natural fragrances is they are complex and change. Naturals develop on your skin and you can smell the florals develop, and then the wood. Synthetic fragrances and mixed media are more inclined to be linear and smell the same from the first spray to an hour later on your skin.

When formulating my couture natural perfumes I do not go heavy on the base notes. A fragrance can be reapplied. My Timeless Limited Edition parfum is an annointing oil and has a lot of resins and woody notes. That is not my usual style of perfume.

YOSH: Your perfumes also have deep healing energies. You obviously use intuition in blending your products. You encourage people to be prepared to transform their lives when they sign up to do a custom session with you. I too find that most people who create custom perfumes with me are often in a transitional place in their spiritual lives ? marriage, divorce, birthday, graduation or some other milestone. Why do you think that is?

JoAnne: Yes my perfumes certainly have deep healing energies. Yes intuition plays a large part in my creations especially my Custom Couture parfums. Being an aromatherapist I take into consideration the healing benefits of the essential oils. That is why I love using only natural ingredients. The essential oils are alive and the life force enhances our bodies and we receive healing on many levels.

I have noticed people come to me for custom perfumes when they are needing support in making a change. We often go to a coach or counselor to help us make transitions in our lives. I have observed the transformations that take place after a person has worn my one of a kind custom perfume I have made for them.

YOSH: I personally use both manmade and natural essences because I prefer a hybrid style of creating perfumes. I find that it gives me a broader palette. In your 20 years in the business, have you always been a natural perfumer?

JoAnne: Yes. My nose is very sensitive and I am allergic to the chemicals of synthetic fragrances. In the 1980’s I had to stop wearing the synth’s as I got headaches, eyes watering, coughing, etc.

YOSH: Did that come from being an aromatherapist?

JoAnne: Yes and no. I also made natural perfumes in the 1970’s from the cheap essential oils you would find in the small stores. Ylang ylang, patchouli, citrus, sandalwood, etc. became aromatherapy perfumes.

YOSH: Do you have an opinion about natural perfumes being made with less focus on the healing aspects and more focus on just the olfactive components?

JoAnne: When I formulate at my perfume organ my focus is creating a great scent…how it will smell on the skin. I want my fragrances to be complex, distinguished, and classic for the most part. The ingredients are often more rare and the perfumes become luxury items. The healing aspects are just a part of the package. Some of the classic formulas have rose, jasmine, and sandalwood. These materials open the chakras and help balance our bodies.

YOSH: You?ve got the French Collection and Royal Collection (and the Limited) but they all seem Frenchie to me? Are you a Francophile or do you have some French ancestry? Do you find that Americans and French customers have the same or different tastes in perfumery?

JoAnne: I am of Royal heritage on both sides of my family. My Father’s family was from Paris, France and my Mother’s family was from Germany. My French roots trace back to Charlemagne. I relate a great deal to all things French. It is in my blood. I love Paris.

I sat down and created the French Collection of four in one afternoon. The same thing happened with the Royal Collection of eight. They were all created in one afternoon. People have remarked that my perfumes smell like French perfumes. The original ones before all of the synthetic chemicals were used. My formulas are all my own original couture creations. I have a style that some people call French sensibility. There are projects that I have participated in where I created something totally different from the rest of my perfumes.

All people have their own tastes in perfume. I would not categorize that. At age five I wore my Mother’s Midnight in Paris and her other strong perfumes. I loved them. Go figure.

YOSH: Congrats on the PLAP ? Patchouli Summer of Love project. Do you hope to do something like that again in the future?

JoAnne: Thank you. I have participated in the Natural Perfumers Guild projects and other perfume blogger projects. If there is time for me to create them. I launched nine perfumes last year. I create perfume by hand. It takes a lot of energy creating artisanal, niche perfumes. Everything is done by hand. I do not use any machines.

YOSH: Do you have more space in your upcoming natural perfumery workshop?

JoAnne: Yes I do. It is Saturday, May 12. I enjoy teaching but don’t do it very often.

Natural Perfumes by Joanne Bassett joannebassett.com At JoAnne Bassett, we create all natural eau de perfumes and botanical perfumes. We hope you take a …

I just created a benefits page for the website.? The benefits of natural perfumes are derived from the 100%?pure essential oils that are used in the natural perfume formulas.? The research from scientific studies show us the real aromatherapy benefits from using essential oils.? What better way to receive aromatherapy benefits than to just spray a natural perfume on your body and smell good besides.? Here is the link to the page.

http://joannebassett.com/benefits

If you want to purchase Bassett essential oils go to this page:

http://joannebassett.com/kits-essences/essential-oils

If you would like to make your own perfumes using essential oils you can purchase a perfume kit here:

http://joannebassett.com/kits-essences/kits

Flowers and butterflies adorn these lovely perfume boxes with gold foil. My idea for you is to fill this lovely box with an eau de parfum from my Natural Perfume Collections. The Royal and French Collection are perfect for your own personal Queen.

Please visit our perfume collections. http://joannebassett.com/collections

Make your Mother feel like a Queen on Mother’s Day and?every day…wearing Natural Perfume created with?authentic Bulgarian?rose otto, jasmine, tuberose, Mysore sandalwood, and more.

For more ideas please visit : http://joannebassett.com/natural_perfumes/collection/natural-parfums-and-eau-de-toilettes

In honor of Earth Day I am asking my readers to become more aware of how you reuse, recycle, and conserve our resources.

When I look at the packaging in a perfume business I cringe.? There are double boxes, the outer box which is the mailer and the inner box which is the beautiful one we throw away, the paper liners, the cellophane overwraps, the tissue, the bows, etc.

We hear over and over how packaging sells the perfume. When we buy the perfume the first thing we do is throw away the layers of packaging and usually just put the pretty bottle on our dresser. Some people save the box if it can be repurposed or if they prefer to have their fragrances all in boxes in a cabinet as a collection.

When I was looking to create more boxes for my collections I thought about my choices. I created a beautiful expensive gift box for my Le Voyage eau de toilette.

As I researched other brands I noticed that they are really almost all the same with different colors and logos. To set my line apart I chose boxes that could be reused.

My perfume boxes are gift boxes in the shape of books.? They are deep enough to store trinkets or other items.? They have a magnetic flap so the box will stay closed.? They are three sizes and house my?parfums, eau de parfums, and Limited Edition parfums.? These beautiful boxes have gold foil and beautiful flower patterns with butterflies.? They are unique and also can be stacked or placed on a shelf like a book.? How original!

You can view my collections at this link: ?http://joannebassett.com/collections

I also grow flowers and harvest blossoms, and create tinctures of roses, gardenia, citrus blossoms and others for my Custom Perfumes.? These special tinctures and macerations are only used in my bespoke fragrances.? This is a way to use our bounty and share it with others.

?NATURAL PERFUME WORKSHOP??

Saturday, May 12 in San Diego, CA

Are you ready for a new natural fragrance without all of the toxic synthetic chemicals?? Join me for a Natural Perfume workshop that will change the way you look at fragrance.

During this class we will explore the essential oils and absolutes on a blotter paper and discuss the scent classification, the attributes of each essence, and the benefits of the oils.

We will build accords, discuss blending a scent for a purpose or a themed essence, etc. We will discuss creating the scent drop by drop and the bases that can be used.

There will be question and answers throughout the process.

Includes: Scent Classification sheet, Oil Classification Guide, and Fragrance Family Classification sheet. A 1/8 oz – 3.75 mls of perfume you create in class to be taken home.

3 hour Workshop $300.00 Prepaid. I accept charge cards by phone, paypal, and checks. Please email and prepay to hold your space.

This Natural Perfume Workshop will be held May 12 in the San Diego area from 9 am to noon.

?I do not offer workshops very often and I do not have any scheduled after this.

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?ACCORD WORKSHOP

To be eligible to take the Accord workshop you must first take the Natural Perfume? Workshop.

In this fun workshop we will delve deeper into making accords.? Top note, heart? note, and base accords and all accord combinations will be created.

1 hour accord?workshop $100.00

The Accord workshop is from 1 pm to 2 pm.

I offer a Perfume Kit that contains essential oils and absolutes, supplies, and instructions.

My students often purchase the kit to familiarize themselves before the workshop.

Here is a link to purchase it:

http://joannebassett.com/kits-essences/kits/

I sell essential oils and absolutes at this link:

http://joannebassett.com/kits-essences/essential-oils/

Please call 760.309.2571 for more information or to hold your place.

This will be a small class size so it will fill up quickly.

At the beginning of a new season I often change my fragrance.? I put? away the more amber heavier fragrances and choose a lighter, citrus floral and other lovely florals.? When everything? is blooming I feel like blooming myself.

My fragrances come in many sizes for your enjoyment.? I love my travel sprayers that can go in your purse or briefcase.? They also fit in my pocket to take with me.

To receive the special pricing please sign up for my newsletter.? You will also be kept abreast of all that is new at JoAnne Bassett.

http://joannebassett.com/natural_perfumes/newsletter/

Happy Spring!!!

I love Spring…the flower bulbs in bloom, the flowering trees with new leaves, the flowers everywhere…

New energy, new beginnings, new intentions, new shades of green ….

This is my favorite time of year…deep breaths…