Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume: Gillian

The Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume collection would not be complete without two particular blends named after my favorite fictional herbal witches – Sally and Gillian Owens, the protagonists of Alice Hoffman’s beautiful novel, Practical Magic (and from the movie of the same name).

Both blends are strikingly unique and really stand out in the Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume collection. Gillian is a mixture of dangerously sweet floral tones and mysterious, deep woodsy notes. Davana oil lends a feeling of the exotic to this blend and has the “magical” property of altering its scent based on the chemistry of the person wearing it.

Like Gillian, though, there’s an edge of adventure and a touch of danger beneath all that fragrant, floral sweetness. The Australian sandalwood (more eco-friendly than the over-harvested, at-risk Indian sandalwood) and cedar oils lend a deep, rich, musky scent perfect for sensuous Gillian. These are exactly the scents that would have surrounded Gillian on that dark June night when she showed up at her sister Sally’s door, fresh from Tucson with a bit of a problem in the backseat of her car. Appropriately, the label of the Gillian blend features a rustic rendering of deadly nightshade. (If you’ve read the book or seen the movie, you’ll understand why.)

Gillian was also developed for those of you needing to let loose and enjoy yourselves. This blend fuels passion and will help you get in touch with your wild side. Just beware…you may find yourself attracting sinisterly handsome, ever-so-slightly dangerous men when you wear Gillian. Enjoy the attention, but keep your wits about you.

“During the summer when Gillian was sixteen, the entire varsity football team spent every single Saturday in the aunts’ garden. There they could be found, all in a row, hulking and silent and madly in love, pulling weeds between the rows of nightshade and verbena, careful to avoid the scallions, which were so scorchingly potent they burned the skin right off any boy’s fingers if he wasn’t paying attention.”
–Alice Hoffman

Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume: Sally

The Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume collection would not be complete without two particular blends named after my favorite fictional herbal witches – Sally and Gillian Owens, the protagonists of Alice Hoffman’s beautiful novel, Practical Magic (and from the movie of the same name).

Both blends are strikingly unique and really stand out in the Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume collection. Sally is an enticing, soothing, magnetic blend of herbal and floral essential oils. It smells the way I imagine Sally to smell – as if she just finished working in her magical herb garden, with her little cat, Magpie, by her side, creeping through the rosemary, mint and geraniums. You’ll likely find that children, sweet-natured men and stray cats won’t be able to stay away from you when you wear this blend.

The Sally blend was also created for those of you who want to draw more energy, love, attention and focus into your home life. Sally represents Hearth & Stability. If you need a little assistance in this area (finding a new place of residence, making your home more cozy, building a nest for your new baby, transitioning into marriage, etc.), Sally is the perfect blend for you.

“There are some things…that Sally Owens knows for certain: Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder. Keep rosemary by your garden gate. Add pepper to your mashed potatoes. Plant roses and lavender for luck. Fall in love whenever you can.”
–Alice Hoffman

Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume: Sveva

Each Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume is named after an earth-lovin’ lady. This one is named after Sveva Gallmann, daughter to philanthropist and conservationist, Kuki Gallmann. Thirty-year-old Sveva is no stranger to hardship. Growing up in Kenya, she lost her father before she was born, and her brother when she was three. As an adult, she started Four Generations, a program that helps African schoolchildren preserve their tribal history. She is also involved in her mother’s organization, the Gallmann Africa Conservancy.

A few years ago, in Marie Claire, Sveva said something that has stuck with me: “Coming back to the U.S., I am often shocked at the misery that Westerners feel sometimes. I have friends buckling under pressure and taking Prozac, feeling trapped by their jobs . . . depression, insecurity, anorexia. What strikes me about Africa is the resilience that keeps people moving forward even after the most brutal experiences. Look at Rwanda, and how they’ve rebuilt. People are ingenious in how they cope with life’s shortcomings.” This really puts life into perspective.

Sveva & Kuki Gallmann

Our Sveva blend contains the organic essential oils of patchouli, and sweet orange, and organic vanilla absolute oil. The blend of the scents is earthy, feminine, sweet, and vital. Patchouli oil is a balancing oil. In aromatherapy, it is sometimes used to repel negative emotions. Sweet orange oil is uplifting, and clears the mind. Vanilla oil is soothing and calming. This relaxing oil is the perfect complement to two oils that sweep the dust out of the mind, clarify thoughts, and dispel depression, anxiety, and negativity.

Don’t forget to read this important information about essential oils before making a purchase.

Picture of Gallman by Nell Freeman.

Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume: Butterfly

I’m so excited about this fragrance. It is my absolute favorite. A mix of ylang ylang and vanilla – perfect scent mates.

This Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume (formerly known as Sankalpa Scents) is named after Julia Butterfly Hill, who, in the late nineties, spent 738 days living in a 180-foot tall, 1,500-year-old California Redwood tree in order to save it from being cut down. Hill has become an environmental icon since then, inspiring others to stand up for what they believe in with compassion and gentle fortitude.

Butterfly contains organic ylang ylang essential oil and organic vanilla absolute oil. These two scents blend seamlessly into the most delicate, feminine fragrance. Not surprisingly, both these oils have similar aromatherapy properties. They are extremely soothing, allowing you to breathe deeply and relax. They are even used to help people fall asleep. Additionally, both are prized for their aphrodisiacal properties, and their ability to make people feel buoyant and cheerful.

The beauty of this blend is that each scent completely merges into the other. You can’t tell where one ends and one begins. And as the hours pass, the scent transforms, with the ylang ylang fading ever so slightly to let the vanilla take center stage. It is one of the best fragrance blends I have ever experienced.

Check out this wonderful, short clip of Hill from the Omega Institute.

Don’t forget to read this important information about essential oils before making a purchase.

Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume: Anne

This perfume blend is named after writer Anne Lamott. She writes with bald honesty about life’s struggles, has a deep faith in God, and describes the Northern coast of California in her books so beautifully that you can tell she has a great respect for Mother Nature. She believes “joy is the best makeup” – and I couldn’t agree more.

Lamott describes her struggles with self-esteem in many of her books. In one, she talks about her unruly, super curly hair, and how she finally made peace with it when she decided to turn the curls into dreadlocks. My personal favorite story about beauty is one that involves her late best friend, Pammy, described here:

…I got obsessed with something my best friend had said right before she died, when she was in a wheelchair, wearing a wig to cover her baldness, weighing almost no pounds, but very serene, very alive. We were at Macy’s. I was modeling a short dress for her that I thought my boyfriend would like. But then I asked whether it made me look big in the hips, and Pammy said, as clear and kind as a woman can be, “Annie? You really don’t have that kind of time.” I just got it. I got it deep in my being. And all of a sudden, two years ago, it began ringing through the chambers of my head again: You don’t have that kind of time.

Nothing puts beauty into perspective like that. And that’s why I love Anne Lamott so much.

The Anne blend is crisp, earthy, and pure sunshine. Both lemon and grapefruit oils are used to uplift the spirits in aromatherapy. Grapefruit also improves concentration and self-confidence. Ginger, a warming spice, fires up your inner heat, and gets you motivated!

Please remember that essential oils are potent plant substances. Please click here to read important information.

*Pictures above: Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume: Anne by Five Seed, Anne Lamott (AP Photos), Bird by Bird (Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group)

Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume: Amelie

(Formerly known as Sankalpa Scents: Amelie.)

Imagination. Creativity.

This Herbal Aromatherapy Perfume is named after the fictional heroine of the French blockbuster Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amelie Poulain. This has always been a favorite movie of mine, as the director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, infuses beautiful scenes of nature into a film that takes place in one of the biggest cities in the world.

The heroine, Amelie, is a young woman with an incredibly vivid imagination. On the surface, she is simply a shy waitress in Montmartre, but behind the scenes, she helps her friends find love, aids strangers in unusual ways, and even extracts revenge on behalf of the simple-minded delivery boy who is tormented by his cruel boss. She never fails to take indulge in the smallest of life’s pleasures, like dipping her hand into a sack of grain, cracking the top of crème brûlée with a spoon, and skipping stones along St. Martin’s Canal. She is vibrant, creative, and lets herself fully connect to the present moment.

Our Amelie blend contains the organic essential oils of tangerine and lavender. Like the character Amelie, this blend is simple, happy, and down-to-earth. It is perfect for encouraging a calm state of mind, as well as a state of heightened creativity. Both tangerine and lavender are calming oils, and tangerine has the additional benefit of uplifting the senses and creating a feeling of inner buoyancy.

Please remember that essential oils are potent plant substances. Please click here to read important information.

*Picture above from Miramax Films