Fragrance 101 : Bee Here Now - Craving honey fragrances

   
                          Bee Illustration © Roxana Villa 

I simply love to be in the garden surrounded by busily buzzing honeybees and I absolutely love the nectar of honeyed fragrances. There's something about them that just puts just a bit more spring in my step and lightens my heart , especially during a cold Cleveland winter which is when I enjoy them the most. There are many to try , like Jo Malone's  sprightly "Nectarine Blossom and Honey" or L'Occitanes wonderful "Shimmering Honey and Lemon".  There's Tokyo Milks "Honey and the Moon " and one of my personal favorites, Sisley's Soir de lune which is lasciviously dripping with a unbridled honeyed sensuality.

I am told by my fellow perfumistas that there are many luxurious honey scented perfumes that I've yet to try and I once I'm in NYC next month I will be rolling in them  like a bear diving head first into a sweet and sticky honeypot !

However, buzzing overhead in a category all of it's own comes a funny little perfume, MAC's "Naked Honey" ,  a limited edition entry into their Creations Hue range.  I tried it the other day in my search for something new.  At first I wasn't sure but then it began to to haunt me with a very strange and simple beauty. When I got home my husband took a sniff, practically biting off my wrist and I immediately regretted my choice not to buy. I ran back to Saks Fifth Avenue this morning and am now the proud owner of two bottles because I don't want to ever be without it!  MAC's "Naked Honey" is appropriately named and it's literally dripping with blossoms and a sexy honeyed sweetness that is not overpowering at all. It smells just like the real thing and that's what I crave , a purely naked honey scent without a lot of vanilla, citrus or other distractions! MAC's "Naked Honey " is a limited edition scent so you'll want to grab a bottle or two right away! Don't wait to long because you'll be sorry if you miss this one. It's surprisingly wonderful and at 25.00 dollars a bottle a very affordable luxury!

 When it comes right down to it , the scent of honey is a fragrance that I  associate purely with relaxation, luxury and sensuality.  With that in mind,  I've chosen to focus on a line of toiletries that I absolutely adore, but many of you will not have heard of ,  The Lady Primrose collection out of Dallas, Texas. The Lady Primrose collection is absolutely one of the finest lines that I've ever used.  It is a woman owned company and was  started quite a few years ago by partners Caroline Rose Hunt and Vivian Young, who were commissioned by the Lanesborough Hotel in London to create luxurious hotel bath products to be put into each room for the guests.  Researching archival recipes dating back centuries, the two woman created a  line of  exquisite products that were not just absolutely wonderful to use, but beautifully packaged. Lady Primrose products became so popular with the hotel customers that soon the demand was very high for products to take home. One day a sales representative for Lady Primrose walked into my store and instantly my love affair with these products began.   I immediately noticed the gorgeous packaging,crystal perfume atomizers that really worked, cut crystal jars of luxurious body cremes with beautiful silver plated tops, crystal decanters filled with beautiful bath salts and my particular favorite, a honey pot with a dipper for the fabulous Royal Extract bath gel. There are many wonderful Lady Primrose fragrances, but because we are speaking of honey here I've decided to concentrate on my favorite one of all , Royal Extract.

 
                  Lady Primrose Royal Extract Collection

 Royal Extract  is hands down, one of the prettiest fragrances that I've ever encountered. According to their website the perfume is dripping with honey notes, sweet apple blossoms and soft woods. This is exactly how this fragrance occurs and wearing it feels as if you have just walked into medieval tapestry, one that is laced with unicorns, velvet clad damsels, herbs and flowers. The body products are incredible, laced with honey and Royal Jelly, Vitamins C and E and lots of yummy antioxidants and collagen boosting emollients. The products are all scented with the incredible Royal Extract fragrance and using them makes you feel absolutely gorgeous. They really do leave your skin feeling ultra soft and beautifully scented and the elegance of the packaging makes them a perfect gift for anyone who craves luxury as well as functionality in their beauty products.  I've used them all and every one of them is a truly unusual and deliciously decadent product. You truly haven't lived until you've had your lover give you a foot rub with the Royal Extract body creme after you've taken a bath using the Royal Extract bath gel that you've scooped out of the adorable honey pot. Light  a fragrant candle, pour a cup of tea and just relax. These are totally enjoyable pleasures that you can use to bring warm passions to any chilly night!  

September is National Honey Month and many of us in the perfume community are thinking a lot about bees right now. Colony collapse Disorder is at a frighteningly all time high. It's a pretty simple environmental fact...if we lose our pollinators we are 10 steps  closer to world famine. If we lose our pollinators where will the flowers for our beloved perfumes go? In honor of our adored honeybees several of us have taken this day to devote our columns to them and  the luscious things that they bring to our lives. Please be sure to visit my other blog  http://perfumerotica.blogspot.com/  

for "Diving deep into the hive" ... my ode to the more sensual pleasures  of honey and don't forget to visit the "Hives" of the other incredible bloggers listed below for our first ever "Bee Here Now"   event!

 I am sure that  you will be delighted and enticed  by their incredibly scented and totally bee - utiful prose! 

 http://www.perfumeshrine.com 

http://scenthive.wordpress.com  

http://thenonblonde.blogspot.com

http://www.examiner.com/x-5804-  

 
http://www.examiner.com/x-4780-

  
http://journal.illuminatedperfume.com  

Please visit  http://www.ladyprimrose.com  for more information about these honey drenched products!

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