Like any other woman out there, I like my perfumes. Ok, as you well know, there was a time before my green life and a time after. Before, I loved Bulgari, Guerlain, Lancome and Chanel. But after I realize they all use synthetic fragrances. Yes, those expensive, amazing perfumes, that used to make my birthdays and Christmases, are not natural at all. Sad news for my husband who just lost his foolproof, all-occasion gifting strategy.
As I had no desire of slabbing chemicals on my skin, I had kind of stopped using perfumes for a while. As you know, many of the natural body care products are fragrace-free. That means without chemical fragrances. But most of the time it also means without any smell whatsoever. I like nice scents. They help lifting my moods. They help with my concentration. They help with my sense of well-being. Blame it on my being european (my husband does) but I couldn’t get used to living in a fragrance-free world. So, first place one natural inclined person turns for fragrance are the essential oils, right?
I have been addicted to essential oils for a very long time (Mountain Rose Herbs is a good source for these, although I buy many of mine from Romania). It must be at least ten years since I left the house without a small bottle of spearmint oil in my bag. I use it against headaches and for concentration help. I used it in college and at work. In my bathroom I always have orange essential oil (or any citrus fruit, for that matter), which I put in the bath water. It makes me happy, I swear. Since birth the eucalyptus oil has helped my daughter deal with colds. These are the three oil that I always have around. But you see, I have never used them as perfume. That was a new concept to me. But I tried. I mixed a carrier oil (almond) with a few drops of essential oils and applied it on my skin, before leaving home. I have to report that unfortunately my mixtures would never be too sophisticated or even moderately satisfying. Essential oils have a strong smell and when I go to buy them, I can never decide which would go well with what. Most seem to smell too unpleasant on their own. I ended up using my homemade tangerine perfume for a while, until I could find a better alternative.
Sure, I did read in magazines about natural perfumes, that cost even more that the ones made by the famous French perfumeries. I didn’t really want to go there (not before my next birthday at least, which anyway involves a lot of hard work toward husband training).
Well, this weekend I made a great discovery in an unusual place: Borders. The book store. As a matter of fact, I shouldn’t be that surprised because at Borders I was also introduced to Burt’s Bees, a few years ago, when it was not available everywhere. My new discovery is Pacifica perfumes. How did I live without these until now?
These perfumes are made using safe and sustainable raw materials, including natural ingredients and essential oils. They are vegan, free of parabens, propylene glycol, phthalates, lead, and the packaging is recyclable.
I love all that. And something I love even more: they smell like nothing else on the face of earth. Honestly. They smell divine. I bought two solid perfumes for $9 each. They are called Tahitian Gardenia (I picked it up from the shelf and kept it to my nose for an hour. I could not put it back down) and Tuscan Blood Orange (told you about that citrus smell). Sure, there is also a Tibetan Mountain Temple, which I must have. Don’t even care how it smells, although I’m sure it will make me happy.
I finally have a perfume! It doesn’t last very long, but well, one cannot have everything, right? I’m happy. My fragrance-free life is over.
