" Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentarily and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in mountains. "
Without even realising, this post came just in the right time for Easter. Even though we are not going to have the traditional Easter family gathering, some traditions are important.
Light plays such an important role in Christianity so most probably our house will have at least one sparkle glowing somewhere to get us in the Easter mood.
Regardless of the religion or the spiritual approach of this subject - candles and different fragrances are used by so many nations for centuries. Each has it's own meaning and benefits. We are going to dive deeper into this subject and find a bit more on how we can use different candles, smells and incense in our house to lift up our mood and achieve the things that we want to.
To me, scent is such a peculiar part of experiencing a place, is most probably, the thing that once you will feel it, it can bring back a memory of a person, a space or tell a whole story, so vividly.
When it comes to home decoration, we're so glad to have this as an 'enhancement' that does double duty. A home it's empty without the 'lively' elements. Usually, the light, the fragrance and the flowers can bring alive almost any space.
Depending on your style, your own preferences and your own needs, there are so many options to chose from. In this case, it happens to be delightfully scented oil diffusers or candles in the form of gorgeous glass, ceramic, and textured vessels, which add instant charm and an element of design to any space.
These are some ways of using candles that match perfectly each room and style. Have a look and get inspired for your own interior design narrative.
As a lover of aromatherapy and interior design and architecture, Francesca Gotti has taken this to another level and has hidden fragrances within seemingly impenetrable concrete-like blocks for Italian perfumer 'One Of Those'.
The Inaccessible Perfume project – exhibited at Design Miami – encloses the perfume within a recycled fibreglass material named Glebanite. "With a simultaneous air of mystique and irreverent playfulness, it represents the pleasure of this entirely new perfume experience – the wonder of discovery," said Gotti.
There are a few ways around it. Candles, oil diffuser, tea light holders, incenses... it all depends on your preferences, taste and the design that you want to achieve. As for the fragrance, there are many options and. blends that you can create, depending on the mood and the 'story' that you want to create. Here are some options and ideas that can help you get your brain around it.
Candles are one of life’s simple luxuries that most of us just love to indulge in. The soft glow of the flickering light sets from candles the mood like no other, and the fragrance fills the room for a memorable, delicious aroma.
While many of us are drawn to specific scents because of our individual preferences, there are other things you should consider before investing in a new candle—like your mood.
Fragrance is scientifically proven to have a psychological influence on you, so the scent that you choose to use could help make or break your mental state.
If you want to take your relaxation, best are suggests floral notes If you want to relax deep enough to fall asleep, go for the heavier florals like white lotus, genet flower, sage, chamomile and lavender.
Sometimes we all need a little mental boost to get our productivity on. Look for something that will heighten your attention and make your thoughts laser focused. The smell of coffee, citrusy fruits, eucaliptus and sandalwood are some great options for alertness.
If you feel like life is starting to infringe on your happiness and your mood begins slipping in a downward spiral, try something more floral like magnolia blossom, tuberose, gardenia, basil and frankinsence, to help uplift depressive tendencies.
For a more calmer, more love devoting mood, try a classic rose with soft, powdery florals with a violet note, like mimosa, violet leaf, roses and even lavender, which is also so calming and smoothing.
Scent families are broken up into four main groups: Woody, Fresh, Oriental and Floral.
Earthy & Deep: Some earthy scents have that classic, fresh-cut grass smell while others are heavier, featuring dewy, damp, mossy notes.Â
Juicy & Light: As an expansive category, fruity scents range from wintery and spicy to more tropical and playful blends.
Woody perfumes are usually warm and opulent, mixing incense-like fragrances like sandalwood and patchouli with drier notes like cedar. To tone down the warmth of these notes, fragrances will sometimes incorporate some fresh notes like citrus or floral. Notes in this family can be described as coniferous or woody and bitter.
Subfamilies:
Woods: Aromatic scents like cedarwood, sandalwood and vetiver.
Mossy woods: Sweet, smooth and earthy scents like oakmoss and amber.
Dry woods: Smouldering and smoky mixed with leather aromas.
Common Woody Family Notes:
Patchouli
Vetiver
Sandalwood
Crisp & Clean: Inspired by rainfall, an ocean breeze, a blanket of fog, crisp mountain air, freshly laundered linens, or a day at the beach, aquatic fragrances tend to be more abstract and evocative. They can encompass anything characterised by marine notes.Â
Refreshing & Aromatic: Citrus fragrances are marked by their fresh, uplifting scents. These scents often smells herbaceous, and feel rejuvenating, reminiscent of summer sunshine or a satisfying morning yoga class.Â
The fresh scent family encompasses clean bright scents. Herby, citrusy and oceanic scents all fall into this category. More often used in men’s fragrances than women’s fragrances, fresh scents are paired with spicy notes to create a more robust fragrance. Aromatic, tart notes can also be found mixed with zesty or fruity scents.
Subfamilies:
Aromatic: Clean and fresh herbs mixed with lavender or woody scents.
Citrus: Zesty or tangy notes like mandarins or bergamot.
Water: Aquatic scents that smell of sea spray or rain mixed with or oceanic notes.
Green: Smells of freshly mowed lawns and crushed green leaves.
Common Fresh Family Notes:
Sage
Bergamot
Grapefruit
Bold and Mysterious: Spicy fragrances are marked by sultry, warm, flirty notes. They can be bold, mysterious, and intriguing, and soothing and comforting. Spicy scents also tend to overlap with other fragrance families, including gourmand, woody, and floral scents (more on that to come.)
Sweet and Warm: This fragrance family refers to anything that smells like a fresh batch of baked goods—think vanilla, chocolate, coffee.
The oriental fragrance family consists of rich exotic scents. When you think of oriental scents think herbs and spices or dry, powdery, resin notes. Opulent and heady, these notes are often times softened with amber or sweet notes. It’s common to describe this family as exotic and seductive.
Subfamilies:
Soft oriental: Soft, floral notes mix with incense and warm spices.
Oriental: Sweet, warm notes like cinnamon, vanilla and musk.
Woody oriental: Earthy notes like patchouli and sandalwood mixed with spicy and sweet notes.
Common Oriental Family Notes:
Vanilla
Myrrh
Anise
Fresh and Powdery: Floral perfumes are probably the most traditional and popular scents.
The floral scent family is one of the most common families and are used in many well-known perfumes. Floral scents are most often used in women’s fragrances, although they are occasionally used in men’s as well. They usually smell like fresh-cut flowers or have a powdery note to them.
Subfamilies:
Fruity: Sweet, edible and tropical like peach, pear and apple.
Floral: Smells like fresh-cut flowers — imagine rose and lily.
Soft floral: Soft, powdery and sweet with a hint of creamy.
Floral oriental: Florals with subtle spice notes.
Common Floral Family Notes:
Rose
Jasmine
Orange blossom
Oil diffusers function more like a long-wearing perfume, dispersing fragrance throughout a room. Room sprays also disperse fragrance similar to a perfume, meaning the scent won't last as long.
When you pick the right one, it can have even more transformative power to elevate a room, the aroma is more consistently distributed, and it's more low-maintenance than a candle.
Essential oils are often used in aromatherapy, a form of alternative medicine that employs plant extracts to support health and well-being.
Aromatherapy is a holistic healing treatment that uses natural plant extracts to promote health and well-being. Sometimes it’s called essential oil therapy. Aromatherapy uses aromatic essential oils medicinally to improve the health of the body, mind, and spirit. It enhances both physical and emotional health.
Inhaling the aromas from essential oils can stimulate areas of your limbic system, which is a part of your brain that plays a role in emotions, behaviours, sense of smell, and long-term memory.
Interestingly, the limbic system is heavily involved in forming memories. This can partly explain why familiar smells can trigger memories or emotions .
The limbic system also plays a role in controlling several unconscious physiological functions, such as breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure. As such, some people claim that essential oils can exert a physical effect on your body.
Here's a list of 10 popular essential oils and the health claims associated with them:
Peppermint: used to boost energy and aid digestion
Lavender: used to relieve stress
Sandalwood: used to calm nerves and help with focus
Bergamot: used to reduce stress and improve skin conditions like eczema
Rose: used to improve mood and reduce anxiety
Chamomile: used to improve mood and relaxation
Ylang-Ylang: used to treat headaches, nausea, and skin conditions
Tea Tree: used to fight infections and boost immunity
Lemon: used to aid digestion, mood, headaches, and more
Hundreds of years ago, the aromatic resins of myrrh and frankincense were considered far more valuable than gold or silver, and they were precious currency, even gifted to newborn baby Jesus. In ancient Egyptian culture, frankincense was regarded as a perfume, a bug repellent, a remedy to heal wounds, and most importantly, a spiritual offering for the gods.
For thousands of years, Zen Buddhists and monks, alongside Hindus and other religions across Asia regarded incense burning an essential ritual for meditation, spiritual ascension and healing. When ancient Roman and Greek civilisations discovered the Silk trade route, they began importing incense to burn during their religious ceremonies, cremation events, and worshipping rituals.
Native Americans also celebrated the benefits of burning herbs and incense, particularly sage, to cleanse their souls free of impurities, along with driving away impurities from their house and worship places. Burning incense with essential oils has been an ancient therapeutic ritual that has been revived by Buddhists, yogis and other spiritual traditions around the world in modern times.
Personally, for me, my favourite scents are a combination between oud, coffee and tobacco. It's a certain scent to it that brings back so vividly memories from my childhood, when I was a kid and my dad came to me every morning to kiss me good bye. It was a combination from the strong oud of his perfume that was just sprayed, the stove turkish coffee that my parents used to drink every morning and scented the whole house and the smell of tobacco that I was so strong it used to linger on my forehead. That scent it's definitely something that I will always remember and have such a wonderful feeling every time I sense it again.
