Hello Readers,
Many of us give and receive the gift of Perfume for special occasions and sometimes we buy it for ourselves as a special treat, but how many people know of its magical history?
The Ancient Egyptians used many fragranced preparation in their daily life. Flowers, woods and plants including Frankincense, myrrh, bitter almond and Saffron was blended with fat and left to infuse in pots and vases. These perfumed oils were then burned as incense during religious worship and also used for animal sacrifice and embalming the dead. The most exquisite perfumed oils were used by Egyptian royalty and they bathed and nourished their sun burnt skin in expensive oils. The famous queen Cleopatra not only used these oils for bathing but for seduction of Mark Anthony. Her ships were covered in garlands of sweet smelling flowers and perfumes, meaning the sea breeze would leave a trail of arousing scent that attracted admirers towards her, including mesmerizing her enemies into submission. The first ever perfumers and aromatherapists were the priests of the temples followed closely by doctors and medics. Perfume was used to heal the sick and not just to only to fragrance the body. Lighter perfumes gave way to heavier ones used in later centuries because personal hygiene and cleanliness was almost none existent. The Tudors believed that all disease was airborne as so they refused to wash frequently, yet would go to great lengths to launder their clothes.
One of the earliest well known scents was called Eau de Cologne. This was made from an Italian recipe and manufactured in Cologne, Germany, and changed the fashion of perfumes. In the seventeenth century perfumed leather gloves became all the rage and these were made in a tanning area of France called, Grasse. Nevertheless when the fashion for these gloves finished due to heavy taxes being enforced, the birth of the perfume industry took off, with Grasse being the capital of the perfumed industry to this day.
The beautiful language of perfume will always be alive and full of mystery. If you are looking for love wear, Rose or Ylang Ylang, dominated perfumes. If a lover gives you a Sandalwood based fragrance he is giving you an aphrodisiac, even if they don’t realise this at the time.
The Lulas and I feel undressed without our perfume on each morning because wearing a lovely scent is part of our daily routine. Perfume is the most intense form of memory and nothing brings to life again a forgotten memory like a fragrance that reminds you of someone or something.
Until next week,
Love and Light,
Linda and The Lulas xxx
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