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

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.

The aromatherapy benefits of using 100% Natural Perfumes are derived from the 100% 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..

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