Skinny Sexy Food

Skinny

A state of mind having nothing to do with size but everything to do with health!

Sexy

A juicily passionate and sensuously rich state of being that leaves you completely alive and ready for anything!

Food

Sustenance for your body, nurturing for your soul and a wonderful way to connect deeply with your family and friends!

Well, here it is, the ripe old age of 50! So far,it feels better than all of of my other years put together, somethings changed and I'm liking it! I'm feeling more comfortable in my skin than I ever have and somehow even the inevitable wrinkles and bumps and spots don't seem quite as bad as I thought that they would. That being said, I've also decided that this is the year for a creative lifestyle change, one that will propel me into the next 50 with alot of energy. Years of competitive horseback riding have taken their toll on my joints and I'm bound and determined to learn to surf again and I'm definitely going to wear a really sexy bathing suit again....because I want to.

My adorable husband Jim and I have embarked on a quest to grow very old , gray and wise together. God love the man, he loves me just the way that I am , 25 extra pounds and all. Truth be told, neither of us are worried about the extra weight so much, but we'd love to feel spectacular at 50 and way beyond what we did at 20. Shooting hoops in California last week with our 22 year old son brought the truth home....we've both been taking our good health for granted. Our son yelled at us about our lack of commitment to ourselves and our not yet even a "twinkle in the eye" grandchildren. I understand how he feels...he watched his grandmother die last year of a stroke caused by her heart issues, diabetes and all of the complications that go along with that. I took that as a huge sign of love from my kid and decided to listen. So Jim and I have decided to embark on this creative journey together and we've enlisted the toughest coach we could find.

Cassie is our son's adorably tiny yet totally curvy, vegan , yoga instructress girlfriend who's getting her masters in nutrition. She's pretty tough with with us, but she's helping us to design a lifestyle around food and health that we love. We don't have to give up meat, although that's a choice that's easy for me to make. I have to drink a ton of water (ugh) but even that's getting easier. Cass knows me well enough to understand that the food has to be incredible and the exercise sensual, otherwise we'll never stick with the program. I've done the vegetarian thing on and off for awhile but without much success in terms of my weight loss and my congestion. Eliminating animal flesh and fat plus dairy and eggs from my diet is finally doing the trick! My belly fat is leaving me yet my curves are not abandoning ship! The best news...I'm not hungry!

In return for her undying devotion and doggedness, I'm teaching Cass how to cook and create delicious vegetarian/Vegan food that is satisfying and gorgeous with minimal fat. She's cracking the whip and holding me accountable to myself and my unborn grandkids:)

The two of us are creating a tasty project around the whole thing that I'm calling "Skinny Sexy Food!" which is my quest to bring to you some damn good recipes and ideas for creating a lifestyle change that's really healthy as well as seductively wonderful.

I use the term "seductively" because I want to entice you into trying something new, no matter what that looks like for you. For example, I truly never felt that I would love Yoga. I wasn't sure that I could be still enough, let alone not worry about looking like a fool or completely fat in my clothes when I did the poses. What I've discovered is that Yoga challenges and relaxes me on all levels (body , mind and spirit) in the same way that riding my horse does and that a treadmill never has. As cliche as it sounds ,when I'm in the middle of a Hot Yoga class sweating myself silly I fall quickly into my "zone". The first few times I did the class in baggy sport pants and a t shirt. After a couple of classes I ventured out and bought myself some really cute yoga clothes in my size. They're tight yet fluid and very body conscious, but I love them because I can really notice my body in them and that feels very good! I'm not on a quest to be "skinny", I'm on a mission to be healthy and fit for the rest of my life. If I can be a toned and healthy size 10/12 for the rest of my life that will be fine with me!

Food and our relationship with it is a very tricky thing. We adore it and there's no getting around that. There's nothing that I love more than cooking for my family and friends. I love eating almost as much as I love sex and I've always had large appetites for life and that spills right over into my eating habits. So I figure that if I can keep my appetites and use that emotional passion to create fabulous food that's going to keep me happy and healthy that I owe it to myself and my future grandkids to do so!

I'm not saying that this is easy......actually transforming these years of built in eating habits is pretty tough for a foodie like me. I allow myself to enjoy one day a week where I can eat reasonable portions of what I like so I don't feel too deprived. Trust me though, there are days when I want to chuck the whole thing into the nearest saute' pan full of filet. But the benefits are seeming to far outweigh the upsets. Eliminating cheese from my diet has my joints feeling fluid and my sinuses clear. My sleep apnea is GONE! Pain and Inflammation...fading fast! My husband is experiencing the same things as well as incredibly renewed energy without Starbucks and all of the added sugar that he relies on to stay awake! We've eliminated most processed sugar products and are experimenting with wonderful substitutes like Maple and Agave, however I've recently been given some research that suggests that refined Agave Nectar may not be as safe as once thought. I'm sad about that, but really committed to finding safe and delicious alternatives for the foods that I love. Thankfully, I've fallen back in love with white raw honey which I've discovered is a incredible substitute for marshmallow cream during a weak moment! The world of fabulous food is a far sexier place than Kraft and co. would have us believing and I'm going to enjoy all of it!

Please feel free to write and share recipes and thoughts! This journey wouldn't be nearly as much fun without some good companions and yes, that is a glorious pink FROSTING in the picture! I said MOST processed sugar products, but an occasional fingerful of homemade frosting? Who could possibly resist?

Chocolate Body Paint

This is a reprint from another of my blogs....but I think that everyone should be reminded to make it at least once every other month. It's that delicious and best enjoyed with someone special......

Hah! I knew the title would get your attention! However, I must say that this is a thoroughly good use for this recipe which is really more of a vegan ganache. But because the primary ingredients are coconut oil, cocoa powder and carob, it melts down to the loveliest consistency and would be wonderful drawn all over your sweetie! Come on, don't be shy! All of the ingredients are very nourishing for your skin and the taste is divine!

I created this recipe one evening about a month ago in San Diego when an old friend of mine from high school and his wife were coming over for dinner. My sons girlfriend and I had been at Whole Foods that afternoon and decided to create a wonderful vegan meal starting with watermelon and jalapeno soup and ending with rolls of rice paper that we stuffed with plum and basil and strawberries, banana and mint. Of course they wouldn't have been complete without a sauce but we couldn't use the traditional butter and heavy cream to make one. What I did use was carob, coconut oil, cocoa powder, coconut milk and some agave nectar all blended in my VitaMix. The result was a delightful accident, a byproduct of experimentation plus a certain amount of crazy creativity. It was absolutely delicious and a perfect foil for the luscious fruit wraps that we had prepared.

I have since taken this recipe and modified it a bit adding toasted hazelnuts to make a vegan nutella and at Cassie's suggestion , silken tofu to make a filling for a tart that we poured into a raw nut crust. It is really a wonderful base for so many things. For the record, if you don't already own a VitaMix, this recipe is a very good excuse to buy one and it will pay for itself time and time again. The VitaMix is a very high powered blender and it can take cubes of ice and whole fruits , skin seeds and all and pulverize them into the most amazing smoothies in no time flat! I have created soups in mine that were wonderful and in about 1/4 of the time that I would normally spend. Fresh nut butters and homemade nut milks are easy to make and only take about 5 minutes of preparation! I knew that I could probably make this ganache in my regular blender , but I would have had to waste too much time pulverizing the ingredients first. It can be done and the results should be excellent, but the VitaMix is so strong that it melted everything for me in no time flat, creating a sauce that was as velvety as any ganache that I've enjoyed and without any of the dairy to mask the pure flavors!

To make about 2 cups of delectable "Body Paint" you will need:

I bag of sweetened organic carob chips

3 tablespoons of good cocoa powder- I love the Green and Black brand

A liberal dash of cinnamon

1 cup of coconut oil - The Whole Foods 365 brand is very good

Agave nectar to taste

Coconut milk to thin as needed -about 1/2 cup

The formula is simple! Just put all of the ingredients into your blender or VitaMix and move it through the settings until you are rewarded with a melting and creamy sauce! If I were doing this in the blender I would probably warm the ingredients first over a double boiler and then put them into the pitcher. You really do need the emulsifying effect of the blender though because as the mixture whips it will thicken a bit like mayonnaise. Add the agave to taste and coconut milk to create a smoother consistency and then pour into a sauce boat to serve! Because of the coconut oil and carob chips the sauce with begin to solidify but it will still be silky and wonderful. At room temperature it's definitely a sauce but once you put it into the refrigerator it will solidify a bit and turn into a creamy ganache. Either way it's wonderful! I hope that you'll enjoy experimenting with this recipe, I haven't tried it yet but I'm pretty sure that a bit of espresso powder would be a lively addition! Heat it up a bit and you have a fondue to be served with bananas and pound cake! How about marshmallows! The possibilities are endless, but I think that I like it best served up with a silken sable paint brush!

I do hope that you will light some candles, make some of this delectable finger paint and spend some quality time with the one that you love......

image from www.festivacancun.com

This is Crystal Renn! For those of you who've never met her, she'a plus sized model who for years starved herself skinny to become the size 0 in her quest to become the next great supermodel. She became anorexic to the point where she was existing on sticks of gum everyday supplemented by lettuce and diet coke.

Fortunately for her and all of us, Crystal's body had other plans.

She realized one day during a particularly traumatic casting call that she could no longer maintain the horrible cycle she was in without dying. So she gave in an ate and allowed herself to break the cycle of denial that she'd been in for so long. She's now the highest paid plus sized model in the world and she'd only 23! She loves being a model, the whole playing with makeup thing and the gorgeous clothes that come with the deal. The difference is that now she's doing it her way and I think that she looks fabulous! The before skinny pictures of her are scary and should be a wakeup call for any of us fighting to make sense of our bodies. The photo shown her is the cover of her book. I bought it and have devoured it. Having been a fairly voluptuous woman for my entire adult life and having fought against my own body for decades, her story is incredibly validating for me.

I'd never been aware of her at all until my husband pointed out an article that he'd been shown at work. It seems that V Magazine (the totally glam fashion magazine that I think personally bests W on a regular basis) is putting out a "Size" issue to show that plus size women are utterly gorgeous and to address the problems of eating disorders that are affecting so many today , both young and old. Heres the link: http://www.vmagazine.com/

The first thing you'll be greeted by is a pop-up window featuring another plus sized model named Tara Lynn......You'll immediately notice that she's completely naked and totally gorgeous and when my husband showed her to me I was blown away. Here's a very fulled figured woman, not much smaller than me , but with all of her voluptuous curves on display for the world to see. His response to her beauty told me more about how he'd seem me in all of our years of marriage then words ever could. I'd always been ashamed of my very curvy body and here was the guy that I loved telling me that he found it really sensual and beautiful and that he wanted me to feel as confident as she did.

It's started me on a quest that I will be sharing with all of you here. Perfumerotica was supposed to be about to be sex , food, fashion, passion and perfume and it still is, but I've decided to add a topic. I'm a very confident woman, but I've spent my life worrying about every bite that I've taken and the constant stress of trying to diet and not diet definitely hampers this particular foodie.

I'm now spending my time enjoying my food in a way that I haven't. I'm giving myself permission to eat as if I were starving, because even though I'm not even remotely thin, emotionally the effect has been the same on me as if I've been denying myself forever. As a result I'm eating less. It's very strange but not unexpected. I already eat very well but I'm going to tone up what I have and no longer worry about every squeezing this size14 body into a 10.

I'm going to let my body decide once and for all what it wants to look like and then I'm going to give it the gift of full exposure. No more hiding my arms, no more looking for clothes to disguise my fuller curves. I'm aware that my struggle with body acceptance is not unique at all which is why I'm going to bring it here into the forefront instead of the acceptable (to me) head only profile pics that I've got posted all over the blogosphere. You'll still see wonderful fragrance reviews here on Perfumerotica and stories and recipes. What you'll see even more of though are my appetites and I'm warning you now, like my curvy body they are huge! Whether you're large or small, thin or zaftig we all deserve a chance to create the voice that is as expressive, big and bold as we are. This is my no holds barred attempt to create a place for us all to enjoy ourselves and get better acquainted with all of our appetites! If it provokes you good...if it inspires you even better. We are all hungry for authenticity and what better place to start than with our bodies. Passion doesn't have a size and neither does beauty. You'll definitely see more delicious recipes and you'll probably see a vibrator or two. What you might see from time to time are articles about the safest cosmetics to use and probably because I'm about 90% veggie at this point an article or two about our relationship to animal testing and the makeup products that we use. That being said there's room for us all here and that's the way that I like it. I hope that you enjoy reading this as much as I'm going to enjoy creating it for us all.

Introducing Perfume Illuminated

Introducing "Perfume Illuminated" by Beth Schreibman Gehring & Roxana Villa

I am honored to introduce a collaboration that I am truly very excited about! Many of you have read the articles that I've written about Roxana Villa, of Roxana Illuminated Perfume who is in my mind the undisputed queen of the art of Botanical Fragrance! Her perfumes are lovely on all levels , good for the earth and fruitful for all things mind, body and spirit.

After watching the movie Quantum Activist with her family on New Years Eve, she was hit with the question, "What are you doing to participate in the creation of the reality that we all share?" Well, the answer is going to be alot of things given that she has more creative energy than almost anyone that I've ever known , but luckily for me, this new project that she's invited me to be a part of is one of them!

Perfume Illuminated is our effort together to bring you fragrance and flavor from a new perspective; at the same time earthy and ethereal, practical as well as spiritual. Every Friday we will be addressing a different scent and because she is a botanical perfumer her scents easily translate into my language which is the language of food as well as perfume.

http://journal.illuminatedperfume.com/

Roxana's no stranger to lovely things to eat though...upon our first meeting I was offered homemade Macorons and a glass of fresh spring water which had been exquisitely laced with Jasmine. I was instantly tranfixed and became her willing participant in almost any project that she throws at me. In this first edition of Perfume Illuminated you will discover recipes for tincture of Orris and Violets, Violet ice cream as well as a few stories and other such things to help thaw your toes on this chilly midwestern morning!

Both of us truly hope that it will inspire you and bring you abundant enjoyment!

Impressions of Peace

“We all live together
We belong together
This Mother Earth and I

All this song will always be
Better by reason
God's clear light
Make sure you feel this life
Flow all inside of you now

All this song will always be
Better by children
Let them sing
For always be the Light

It's another day
It's another way
It's another feeling in my heart

So if ever there's a question
So in part there is an answer
Remember that it's always in the heart of you

To begin this conversation
So intent to get the level
In everything your sacred life is going through”

Lyrics by Jon Anderson - Earth Mother Earth

I love the autumn months and for me there is no more beautiful time to be alive in northeast Ohio. I spend my days picking apples, walking in beautiful places, smelling the windfall apples and the fresh grapes that are everywhere this time of the year. I ride a most beautiful horse and we take to the trails on wings jumping the logs in our path, greedily eating the last of the precious berries that are clinging to the vines. The trees are resplendent with their cloaks of plum, rose and gold while acorns bounce playfully from the great oaks that have been my companions for my entire entire life. Fresh pumpkins are everywhere and the harvest is full, rich and abundant. This I take for granted as if it will always be here and yet this year I am brutally aware that time is passing quickly, that every moment is precious.

This is the beginning of my 50th year. For the first time in my life I haven’t known where the path is. I am no longer a child and I don’t remember when that happened. My body is changing, my son is grown, my own mother is recently gone. My world is changing and I feel it in my bones in a such a way that it that I am completely unsettled and yet my life is good, very very good. However there is a lingering question in my heart as to what’s next and sometimes I have felt very very afraid. I have been much quieter than usual, trying to still the cacophony of thoughts banging against the walls of my brain.

Yesterday, I received a package from Roxana Villa of Roxana Illuminated Perfumes. I knew that it would contain a sample of her newest perfume to be released on September the 21st in honor of The United Nations International Day of Peace. I was thrilled to receive it but only later did I really find out why.

I opened the bottle and took a very deep sniff. It was beautiful and very sweet with a tinge of something toasty and satisfying like the fragrance of rich earth , freshly mown hay and tobacco drying in the sun. There was an element of fire woven through it , yet I also sensed notes that were cooling and luscious, full of the dancing energies that only a true botanical perfume can possess. I put some on and drove out to the barn as it was turning towards dusk and I just had the sense of something big, but I didn’t know what. Maybe it's silly, but I do believe in magic, truly I do.

I saddled my horse and as we headed into the woods I felt a shiver run down my spine amazed as I looked up to see a very large bird flying low and fast through the trees. I was intrigued, we kept moving forward as he flew in front of us and yet I couldn’t truly see him. There is only one bird that flies through the forest without a sound and I longed to see him. We continued cantering down the trail but then I stopped and looked directly up and to the right of me. There high in the tree sat a barred owl, eyes unblinking and round with a chest full of the most beautiful feathers that I have ever seen.... a being of absolute and profound power. Suddenly I began to cry and I told him silently of everything , I shared my pain utterly and completely. We stared at each other for quite some time and then something told me that it was time to move on, but as I trotted away I heard the gift in his call...”Remember... Remember ... Remember”.

Suddenly I was filled with laughter recalling the wonder of my life and all of it’s sweetness. Suddenly the pain became part of it all and something to be cherished, just another simple part of the continuing circle of my life. Life is meant to be lived in every moment and by always letting those that you love know exactly how you feel about them.

We speak of peace on earth, we speak of peace between men. I believe that the word means something different and precious to everyone of us and I wonder, how can there be peace between us all if we have not found it in ourselves , if we’re not willing to go into our own dark places to fight long and hard for it? How can we cherish the lives of others if we don’t do the same for our own lives ? How can we possibly save our planet if we're too afraid to save ourselves? I want to believe with my whole being that peace truly does begin deep from within and then spirals outward touching everyone that you meet. I truly believe that we can be our own miracles.

All of Roxana’s perfumes are beautiful, but this precious expression of peace is particularly powerful and utterly lovely. I do not know the individual notes of this perfume and my heart prefers it this way. She has given it no name, focusing instead on the universal symbol of peace, preferring for each of us to be personally inspired without the preconception that a name could bring.

There is something in the alchemy of this perfume that is a shamanic template for personal power, a prayer for the fullest flowering of human expression and a wish for peace between us all. It is my fondest hope that you will feel moved to experience it's magic for yourself.

Roxana will be giving a portion of the proceeds from each of the 7 gram liquid perfume flacons and solid compacts to the POE (Project Peace on Earth) organization to facilitate their vision of a global prayer concert for Peace.Please be sure to visit Roxana's Journal for a chance to win a sample of the glorious new liquid perfume or one of the adorable mini solids in the new fragrance.

For more information:
Roxana Illuminated Perfume
http://www.illuminatedperfume.etsy.com
http://journal.illuminatedperfume.com


Project Peace on Earth
http://www.project-peaceonearth.org

http://www.internationaldayofpeace.org

Please enjoy the beautiful words of others who are writing today to honor this lovely expression of peace:

Bitter Grace Notes: http://bittergracenotes.blogspot.com
Cleveland Fragrance Examiner: http://www.examiner.com/x-5804-Cleveland-Fragrance-Examiner
Portland Fragrance Examiner: http://www.examiner.com/x-4780-Portland-Fragrance-Examiner
Roxana Illuminated Perfume: http://journal.illuminatedperfume.com
Indie Perfume: http://indieperfumes.blogspot.com
Memory and Desire: http://memoryanddesire.typepad.com
Perfume Shrine: http://www.perfumeshrine.com
Perfume Smellin' Things: http://perfumesmellinthings.blogspot.com
Scent hive: http://scenthive.wordpress.com
The Non-Blonde: http://thenonblonde.blogspot.com

Perfume Image courtesy of Roxana Villa

"Peace Has Begun" by Greg Spalenka

Bee Here Now- Diving deep into the hive

"I dedicate these erotic meanderings to playful lovers and, why not?

also to frightened men and melancholy women"

Isabel Allende

 

Warning to all , but no surprise to most who know me well. I am not shy. What I've written here is very intimate, so if you're not ready, turn back now. After that, I'm not responsible......

I love honey......I love to eat it, bathe in it and  make love with it. There is almost nothing as satisfying to me as the smell of  raw honey, not even chocolate, which I adore but only in small quantities these days. I love to break a fresh honeycomb apart with with my fingers and lick the sweetness that drips from it and the beeswax and the pollen that clings to it are ambrosia for my tastebuds.  Honey perfumes are to me among the most coveted of fragrances because of their ability to send my imagination wandering into thoroughly exquisite places.

 Honey has some very practical qualities too, such as it's ability to become an proven antibacterial when mixed with fresh garlic. The next time that you get a cut try a salve of crushed garlic and raw honey . You will be amazed at the swiftness with which it can heal and you can feel good knowing that you've treated yourself and your skin very well! In fact Lush, that fabulously fun company based in the UK that makes the most wonderful vegan products recently had a call from several nurse's in England to make a soap that could naturally kill the MRSA virus. the result was "13- Unlucky for dirt!" and you can find it on their website. Created from essential oils of oregano, rose and filled with honey, it  has been used successfully to fight the spread of this dangerous virus much more successfully then the antibiotics that contributed to creating it.

But all of this practicality is beginning to bore me!

Like Cleopatra and so many of the other wild women before me , I love to warm a potion of fresh honey ,  heavy cream, organic rose petals and drops of ylang ylang oil for my bath.  Raw honey mixed with brown sugar, rose absolute and a bit of olive oil makes a wonderful scrub for the skin, imparting a softness and a beautiful fragrance guaranteed to arouse. Honey in a squeeze bottle  gently  warmed and mixed with a bit of organic vanilla extract and a touch of rose water quite simply becomes dessert for two drizzled in all of the right places. If you're really earthy, mix in a bit of truffle oil in place of the vanilla and rose water. It is a truly ambrosial combination that's sweetly animalistic, dripping with sensuality and infinitely lickable! 

 

For totally unabashed sweetness , apples dipped in  honey are an ancient recipe that you can have fun  feeding to one another and sliced juicy melons drizzled with honey are the ultimate sticky and slippery play toy. To quench my thirst I love to make a simple homemade wine by decanting a bottle of  riesling  and infusing it with sliced meyer lemons, fresh rosemary and a tablespoon or two of a finely spiced honey. Served well chilled on a summers eve it's a delicious accompaniment to the effervescent fireflies and the moonlight. Served with a platter of handpicked grapes, a softly yielding pear , ripe figs and a wedge of Manchego cheese that has a bit of fresh honey comb broken over the top ,  it's a very rich feast indeed. Fed to each other by firelight it's practically Bacchanalian and I dare you to try to stay untangled........

 

There are many exquisite honey fragrances but the solid perfumes created by botanical perfumer Roxana Villa are like dripping butter, so rich are they with beeswax and other sensuous oils. When you open one of them and run your fingers over the surface, the beeswax  instantly melts into your fingertips, sliding down your skin like a precious unguent. I am begging her to make me a body butter that I can use after a warm evening bath or during a massage scented with honey and other wonderful things. I cannot even imagine how good it would feel to be caressed everywhere by such an exquisite potion. If she is good enough to make me one I will let you know and maybe,  just maybe I'll share......

One of my other pleasures is a delicious product made by Kama Sutra called "Honey Dust". Kama Sutra for those of you who haven't made its acquaintance is a wonderful product line that's been around for quite some time now. Kama Sutra uses excellent ingredients and they do not animal test. They are devoted to making the art of lovemaking delicious! They have created delicious warming gels and yummy body souffles, but the Honey Dust made with real powdered honey is just incredible. It comes in 4 flavors, but being a bit of a purist I love the traditional Sweet Honeysuckle flavor the most! Honey Dust is a simple and easy to use product. Entice your lover into bed and open the container. Take the feather brush provided, dip it into the tin and lightly stroke it over any and every place that you want to kiss and be kissed. No further instructions required! You can make your own "Honey Dust" as powdered honey is readily available but I think that you should splurge and buy the real thing. The containers are beautiful and totally enticing and just feel like a very special occasion. They make a little "Weekender Kit" that's filled with delicious things to play with. Go to their site, blush a bit and then order something for the two of you. Trust me, you'll be very glad that you did!

Why you may wonder, all of this rhapsodizing tonight about honey? It's because my adored honeybees are in grave danger from Colony Collapse Disorder. It is a sad sad state of affairs for them and a dismal omen for our very survival on this gorgeous planet that we call home. It's a very simple truth, no bees.... no food, no flowers, no bees, no food.   We cannot live without the pollinators because we've yet to figure out how to pollinate without them on such a scale that would feed us all. The stunning stark truth of what this means is that every time a hive dies from CCD, we lose a bit more of the fight to sustain ourselves on this planet and we tread much closer to famine on a global level. The realities of this are truly frightening.

Many of us in the perfume community are very concerned about Colony Collapse Disorder, so much so that quite a few of us have devoted our columns today to our beloved honeybees and the joys that they bring into our lives. Please take the time to go to their "Hives" and read the delightful prose of my fellow bloggers. It's our first  "Bee Here Now" event and I know that you will love their Bee-utiful words. Take the time to learn about Colony Collapse Disorder and what it means. It's not to late, but we need to act now. 

 

 

www.perfumeshrine.com 

scenthive.wordpress.com 

 
thenonblonde.blogspot.com 

 
www.examiner.com/x-5804- 

www.examiner.com/x-4780-  

journal.illuminatedperfume.com

Bee Illustration ©Roxana Villa

For Kama Sutra Products- http://www.kamasutra.com/

For 13- Unlucky for Dirt soap - http://www.lushusa.com/shop

To learn more about Colony Collapse Disorder- http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/animals/bees.asp

The Elegant and Mysterious Botanical World of Roxana Illuminated Perfumes

I first became acquainted with Roxana Villa last year when I fell madly in love with her gorgeous Illuminated Journal,  incredibly beautiful botanical perfumes and her delightfully elfin soul. What I didn't realize then was that behind the laughter that floats through the air like the tinkling of the loveliest bell, beat the leonine heart of a fierce environmental artist and activist who was willing to devote her very life and craft to protecting the plants who provide her with such gorgeous tinctures and aromatics. Indeed Roxana's perfumes are of such  an extraordinary quality that you know  with one heavenly sniff that the lady is indeed an alchemist of the rarest sort.

 
                   
The perfumes that Roxana Villa creates are  unusual in the world of fine fragrances because they are completely plant based and without created without the use of any synthetic substances whatsoever. Although the term "Natural Perfumer' is becoming much more common in the marketplace today, a perfume created by Roxana Villa is completely set apart from that pack because she is a Botanical perfumer, in other words, she uses absolutely no synthetics or animal products whatsoever with the exception of beeswax and  some lovingly handcrafted tinctures from the sea. She creates beautiful liquid and solid fragrances that have the longevity of any of the finest perfumes found in the mainstream marketplace but  nothing is ever harmed to create them. The difference between a botanical perfumer and a natural perfumer lies within the ingredients that are used. A natural perfumer will often use an animal ingredients such as civet or a musk (which can still be found in other countries) to create their perfumes. Although  those ingredients are interesting from an historical point of view, this presents a quandary for anyone wanting to wear a fragrance that is cruelty free. A botanical perfumer will not use these products and from my experience a beautifully crafted botanical perfume is absolutely as long lasting and gorgeous as anything traditionally available. To wear a perfume created by Roxana Villa is to wear a fragrance that you can feel wonderful about on so many levels, because she has put her money where her mouth is, donating her time and a portion of her profits to protecting so many of the  strange and wonderful plant species that she loves.  Currently, she gives some of the profit from her  wonderful perfume "Q"  to the  California Oaks Foundation www.californiaoaks.org/   which is  dedicated to teaching about, protecting and preserving the beautiful California Coastal Oaks that she loves.  "Q" , has many wonderful ingredients, but the essence of its magic can truly be found in the tincture of oak leaves that Roxana lovingly gathers and makes herself.

 
 Roxana's perfumes are of the highest quality and  a gift for anyone who has been disappointed by the lack of a natural alternative to the mass marketed perfumes available in any Sephora or Ulta near you. Most people buy a perfume without ever realizing the enormous amount of synthetic ingredients that go into the production of a mass marketed fragrance and then wonder why they are suddenly afflicted with environmental sensitivities or allergies. Many don't realize this, but the skin is the largest organ on our bodies and absorbs with lightening speed anything that you rub into it. Consequently, it's every bit as important to pay attention to the ingredients that you use for the care of your body as with the food that you eat. Also, from a sensual point of view, it's really interesting to observe how you emotionally react to a fragrance.  Our senses don't identify synthetic aromas in the same way that we do a fine botanical. A fine botanical fragrance possesses an  aromatherapeutic potential that is obvious the moment that you put it on. As soon as I started wearing Roxana's perfumes I realized that I love to wear them because they possess the authentic and luxurious quality of  a historical fragrance created long ago, yet are thoroughly modern in their current interpretations. Her solid perfumes are like a precious unguent are instantly absorbed into the skin, leaving only their fragrance and a smooth silky touch.

Not only are Roxana's fragrances beautiful to wear, but when a parcel from her arrives, it is immediately apparent that as much thought and care went into the packaging as into the perfume itself. I have even been known to wait for a day or two to open a package from her until I am in just the right state of mind! Everything that she touches is precious from her boxes to the labels and the sealing wax that she uses to close the beautiful envelopes that she provides along with her product information. Her bottles are beautiful, Baccarat style flacons that are chosen specifically to present the inherent color and beauty that each fragrance possesses. Roxana's luscious solid perfumes ( the large size ) come enrobed in a beautiful pouch that has been created by her mother, who at one time was the artist responsible for the creation of actress Ali Mcgraw's crocheted caps!  Each perfume is clothed in a different color pouch chosen especially for the fragrance. With Roxana Villa, everything that she does is bathed in her extraordinary creativity.   I've tried many of her perfumes and they are all gorgeous. Go to her website and  see for yourself. One of her lovely perfumes will become your signature and you will have left the earth a healthier and greener place as a result of your choice. Roxana was an artist before she became a perfumer so with anything that she touches, life becomes art and scent becomes passion. Her world is a beautiful one filled with lots of magic and full throttle self expression and to play in it for even a moment will captivate you and thoroughly your experience of fine fragrance forever.



For more info:  
http://www.illuminatedperfume.com/
http://perfumesmellinthings.blogspot.com/2009/05/roxana-illuminated-perfume-q.html