BUTTERFLY NECTAR & HONEY:
The fragrances that “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”.
This famous quote is representative of the style of boxing by Muhammad Ali whose unorthodox style won him many championships and fans worldwide but it adequately describes two gorgeous fragrances composed by two natural perfumers who continue to put nature at the center of their fragrance collections.
Butterflies and Honey bees are synonymous to the summer season. It’s the first signs that indicate the weather is warm and the flowers have bloomed.
Butterflies and Honey bees go together because they both seek and eat nectar. Honey Bees eat nectar which is a sweet liquid made by flowers that then it turns into honey. Butterflies respond to sweet smells such as in certain plants and flowers. The flower secretes nectar by attracting the butterfly that is a pure nectar feeder.
Honey bees and butterflies are pollinators of crops and wild flora but there is a shortage of honey bees and also a shortage of butterflies disappearing without a trace.
So far, scientist cannot find the problem but if nothing is done about the problem there will be no bees or butterflies in the next century.
I am so proud to find two highly talented perfumers who are representing butterflies and honey bees with perfume creations that are divine and with these creations, these perfumers are making a statement on how important it is to preserve our insects.
NECTAR BUTTERFLY by DSH is a newer fragrance composed by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz who let the flowers speaks for themselves. It is a ravishing sweet honeyed scent that is perfect for walks in grand gardens filled with lush grass and freshly painted gazebos.
It is a light citrus and floral fusion with a woody base that can take you into the later afternoon horizons under a white tent for supper.
I love how this scent lingers with its clean and refreshing haze of honey subdued by its fruits and flowers that describe the butterfly’s attraction to sweet smells.
Butterfly Nectar is a lovely introduction for a young girl who wants to experience her first fragrance of the summer.
Top Notes: Apricot, Bergamot Green, Mandarin, Meyer Lemon, Verbena, White Peach
Middle Notes: Bulgarian Rose Absolute, Grandiflorum Jasmine, Green Clover Blossoms, Honey, Honey Beeswax, Orris Concrete
Base Notes: Australian Sandalwood, Benzoin, Civet, East Indian Patchouli, Musk, Tonka Bean, Vanilla Absolute
My other fragrance discovery is dedicated to the occupation of beekeeping. It focuses on the lives of honeybees and it is the bees that reign in this fragrance that is simply named, HONEY.
HONEY is created by Laurie Stern, perfumer and owner of VELVET & SWEET PEA’S PURRFUMERY in El Cerrito, California.
Laurie is dedicated and passionate about the lives of bees and has a beekeeper; she uses the honey from the bees in her garden in her solid perfumes. In the book “BACKYARD BEEKEEPERS OF THE BAY” written by Judith Adamson, there is a section in the book focusing on Laurie entitled ‘Perfumer & Beekeeper’ where Laurie uses the dried, crusty propolis which is the substance honeybees make or better known as bee-glue.
Laurie uses the scrapings of propolis in organic grape alcohol, the bases for many of the fragrances in the collection.
HONEY is as pure as you can get. It is dripping in the highest grade of honey and its natural sweetness is soft and cascading like the chiffon of melted butter on toast.
It last for several hours and with the addition of other notes, HONEY is in a class all by itself. It is a wonderful fragrance not just for its scent but to remind us that it is our duty to help preserve the life of bees and support our beekeepers worldwide.
French orange blossom, Moroccan and Bulgarian roses, vetiver, Madagascar vanilla, honey, beeswax, propolis of bees, antique clove, pomegranate and pink grapefruit
PURCHASE: dshperfumes.com purrfumery.com
INFORMATION:
Book: BACKYARD BEEKEEPERS OF THE BAY AREA by Judith Adamson/Paperback ISBN-13:978-0-9762362-3-8 by Slanted Light Press
http://www.backyardbeekeepersbayarea.com/
*******************GIVEAWAY**************
Due to the generosity of Laurie Stern who will provide just for FRAGRANCE BELLES-LETTRES: THE MAGAZINE, one 6 ml bottle of HONEY PERFUME. This exquisite fragrance is in a pretty FRENCH BROSSE bottle that will come in a velvet pansy pouch.
To enter, please make a comment after the article indicating, WHAT FOOD(S) DO YOU USE WITH HONEY?
Thank you very much and Good Luck!
****************UPDATE***********************
***********************************************
There is a winner for the 6ml HONEY PERFUME! The winner is...Michael S. Congratulations! Michael and Thank You to everyone who participated. Please come again!!
NOTE: If you get a chance, please make a donation in whatever amount that is put upon your heart to JUSTGIVING.COM/Felicia-Hazzard
It is my fundraising project for BEES FOR DEVELOPMENT TRUST.
BEES FOR DEVELOPMENT USES THE MONEY FOR RESEARCH AND INSURING THE LIVES OF BEEKEEPERS IN THE MOST REMOTE AND POOREST AREAS WORLDWIDE.
beesfordevelopment.org
A good friend keeps bees and sells the honey...and my favorite use for it is as a sweetener in smoothies...better than anything you'll ever get in a cafe, etc...Just pour milk, plain yogurt, a little OJ, throw in some bananas and your choice of berries, plus a generous helping of honey and maybe even some bee pollen and you've got what's practically a meal...soooo good!!!
Makes me swoon just reading! I want to try both! I have yet to try any of Velvet & Sweet Pea's perfumes. Have wanted to for a long time. Sadly, my fiance is allergic to raw honey, but when I am alone I like to drizzle it on top of toasted bread and brie with a a few pecans on top. It is divine! Thank you for the review!!!!
Both scents sound wonderful!
My favorite use for honey is in peanut butter and honey sandwiches that were a part of my youth. I also enjoy honey chicken, another recipe I grew up with that bakes chicken breasts in a sauce of honey, butter, mustard, and a pinch of curry powder. Needless to saw, there was always a jar of honey on hand in our house.
Thanks!
Michael
I only use honey on toast or to sweeten my tea but my mother does this wonderful honey pie that both smells great and tastes great. :)
Laurie Stern is such a wonderful person. She makes gorgeous perfumes. I love Honey the perfume and love to eat honey too and usually try to subsitute it for sugar when ever possible. I enjoy making my own peanut butter which is so simple to make and super yummy too. It is just peanuts, peanut oil and local honey with a little bit of seasoning of your choice ie, sea salt, cinnamon, garam masala, vanilla, or what ever your heart desires. Blend in food processor and presto you have PB.