Persephenie ~ Formerly Blunda Aromatics

Persephenie
by Tonie Silver

At the behest of my esteemed, whip cracking Editor in Chief, I schlepped my happy butt an hour's drive away to Persephenie's. Justine said "you have to go- you'll really dig it." Does Justine know Tonie, or does Justine know Tonie? I got there just as they were opening, and was greeted warmly by owner Persephenie's assistant Maribel. I had to catch my breath and focus, because I immediately went into truffle rooting pig mode: I was supposed to be there to profile the place for LPR, not to shop for myself. Yeah right!

This place is straight up Hogwarts, I'll tell ya. I felt like I was in Snape's Potions class. Jars containing botanicals such as oakmoss, labdanum, frankincense, and ambergris line the walls. There are glass cases filled with incense and perfumes, and I was shown a really cool silver necklace that Persephenie made.

Maribel kindly showed me the back room atelier, whereby she announced to me "You smell amazing! What are you wearing?" (FYI: seven plus years old patchouli topped with petigrain) I was like a kid in a dime store having to keep my hands in my pockets; rows upon rows of shelves crammed chockablock with oils and absolutes A to Z. I wanted to smell each and every one, but of course out of respect, and due to the big ol' PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH THE OILS sign, I refrained. They even had tobacco flower~ dang! A worktable evidenced works in progress, and there was even a lit tank full of little fishies back there. The real piece de resistance was five or six big glass potion bottles under a glass case, each hand painted by Persephenie and containing her own perfumes. Dang! Couldn't I get just a teensy, tiny sniff? Nope!

A perfumer very near and dear to LPR occupied featured space at Persephenie's- Laurie Stern's Velvet & Sweetpea's. There are several other natural botanical ranges as well, but you know me, always on to the next smelly thing! Lemme at those essential oils!

There were bottles of five or six different eucalypti to sniff- oh joy!I snagged me some rockin' essentials: Persephenie's own Kore range, and the exceedingly lovely Floracopeia. I came home with a rose eucalyptus, a vetiver, a white ginger lily (!) blend, and some of the hard to find Japanese charcoal that I adore. Oh yay!

Another plus is that this shop is located just a stone's throw from Farmer's Market, so a good nosh is just a couple of blocks' walk away.

I'm reviewing Persephenie's range, so look for that- she even does an incense! I know, I know~ someone's gotta do it!:)

Persephenie, formerly Blunda Aromatics
304 South Edinburgh Ave.
Los Angeles, Calif.  90048
(323)658-7507
www.blundaaromatics.com

Q & A

Q ~ When creating a perfume, do you feel you really have to love the scent in all stages of creation to be motivated to finish?

A~ For me, that's a definitive no, because as you gain experience, you know what scents blend well together even if you think they stink on their own. Also, scents need time to "become" and while they may not smell the way you want them to at first, again, with experience, you get to know what the final outcome will be. (DM)

Q ~What do you think is the single most important factor in educating oneself in Natural Botanical Perfumery?

A ~ Spending time getting to know the raw materials (LC)

A ~ Maybe smelling a lot of botanicals? EO's? (TS)

A ~ Get a least samples to know what the real deal is like, and many of them from different regions is also helpful so you can experience the nuances of each, and time time, time to play with them and how they play together, also read!!! A lot! (ML)

A ~ Experience and true love of oils, always the oils! (AA)