Blossom

Blossom Cologne is an uplifting elixir originally formulated each year in the Spring when the jasmine sambac blossoms began appearing in my woodland garden. The finished fragrance would arrive shortly thereafter during the Summer. Now that the tincture is an abundance from the last few years, I am intending to have the fragrance is available almost year round, and reproduce it also as a solid.

Blossom is inspired by Colonia de Bebe, a Neroli rich fragrance originally produced by my great grandfather’s apothecary Farmacia de la Estrella in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

My parents immigrated to the United States when I was three. We traveled back to Buenos Aires often to spend time with the family. For special occasions, my cousins and I were spritzed with the refreshing citrus splash by my maternal grandmother Ani.

In 2008 I recreated the beloved cologne, titling the fragrance Blossom due to my own artisanal tinctures within the bouquet. The rich floral heart combines with citrus and herbal top notes creating an intoxicating persona like liquid sunshine, while the cistus in the base anchors us to the here and now. Since the cologne is meant to uplift I suggest spritzing often as a refreshing tonic during hot weather or whenever rejuvenation is a necessity. 

A heavenly bouquet of orange and jasmine flowers pulses at the heart of Blossom. Orange blossoms appear in this fragrance in the form of Neroli, an essential oil of the flowers from the bitter orange tree Citrus aurantium var amara and Orange blossom absolute, obtained from the same flowers but using a different method of extraction. Categorized as a top to middle note, Neroli is one of the most beloved of all the raw materials in the perfumer world. This treasure imparts fresh floral and citrus notes to a perfume when mindfully blended. In aromatherapy the scent is often used in formulas for both babies and new mothers due to it's gentle and uplifting properties.

Neroli is like a divine being from the fairy realm whose intoxicating fragrance arrives before her, soothing you like a lullaby into a euphoric dreamy trance. When she blossoms forth into this earthly manifestation she bestows yet more gifts of elixirs for the skin, healing massage oils and tonics for the respiratory system.

There are two versions of the story as to how water distilled orange blossoms received their name. One version says that the word came from the Italian princess Anne-Marie de la Tremoille, the Countess of Nerola, who used it to perfume her gloves and baths. The second story states that the word is derived from the Sanskrit 'nagarana' or Arabic 'naranj'.  It takes 1000 pounds of fresh orange flowers to create 1 pound of the essential oil.

 

The base of Blossom, as with all my fragrances, is 190 proof organic grape from Oregon. There are several of my own artisanal tinctures some of which are created using my garden plants imbued with the energetics of California sunshine and the hum of honey bees. One of the tinctures is Jasmine sambac from my garden. These waxy white flowers have a blooming period from April to October in which I gather the flowers each morning and add them to the alcohol, filtering the spend flowers twice a week. 

We've chosen a peachy hue for the color harmony of Blossom. Perhaps you have noticed that each perfume has a color association as well as an illumination created by Maestro Gregorio. Most of the floral perfume in our collections have the tones ranging from the peach of Blossom to dark burguny and purples. 

 

Blossom is available in glass atomizer bottles here, when in stock.

The illustration we use to illuminate Blossom has been created by Greg Spalenka by starting with a photograph of the model Gwen Cunningham. We art directed the photo together and then Greg embellished it with his artistry. Plant and product photographs by Roxana Villa