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Ancient Inspiration

Shisha, Sahleb and Rose Incense
My visit to Ancient Jerusalem on Christmas Eve was an inspiring olfactory whirlwind: thick smoke of rose incense at the Church of Holy Sepulchre filled the air with an unusual festive sweetness. In the shaded, arched under-covered narrow streets, vendors sold hot mint tea and Arab coffee and warm sahleb, sprinkled with cinnamon, coconut and crushed roasted peanuts. Under my feet, the smooth and cold cobblestones polished by millions of pilgrims over the course of well over 2,000 years and emitting a damp, dusty coolness that is unique to this particular rock. And sweet shisha smoke wanders among the narrow paths, inviting us to sit among shesh-besh (backgammon) players for a little tobacco and tea break at mid-day.

This could the beginning, or the end, of my perfume.

Lighten Up! Winter 2012 Favourites

With all the end-of-the-world talk this Winter Solstice, I figured we could all use some lightening up. Who says that winter scents need to be all dark and mysterious? Sometimes, it is actually the during the cold and dark winter months when we need a bright, cheerful scent.

There is no better note that embodies both light and warmth than ancient frankincense. One of the first perfume materials ever used in the form of incense, frankincense is simultaneously fresh and dusky, citrusy and incensey, current yet redolent of times past.

For this winter list edition, I bring you some of my favourite scents that bring an uplifting feeling during the darkest days - one for each hour of darkness in Vancouver, where our night is 16 hours long at this time of the year. So here is something fragrant for each and every dark hour. And you might just notice that many of the items on this list are incense themed. That is because I'm on a bit of a frankincense roll, and also because I will be visiting Jerusalem on Christmas eve and I intend to savour every incense encounter I find in the ancient city while I'm there and soak up some smoky inspiration!

1. Bois d'Encens
One of the most realistic frankincense scents ever. Rather than smelling like the oil, it brings to mind the burst of citrus and dust that occurs when you place a pellet of frankincense resin on a hot charcoal, followed by an explosion of essential oils released in thick smoke. So far, the only Armani that ever spoke to me.

2. Diamond Incense Sticks
From Shoyeido's Jeweld Series, this is frankincense incense ready to be burnt in sticks, and also accented with ginger lily and hints of cinnamon.

3. Encense Blanc
Smoky yet delicate, from Rebel & Mercury. Burning wands of white sage (aka artemisia) and white florals. 

4. Etrog
With a hint of frankincense, and an ample dosage of citrus to chase away whichever quantities of winter gloom that might have built up since the fall. Etrog's lemony floral burst is balanced with the warmth of frankincense and balsam poplar buds.

5. Fête d'Hiver
Way back when in 2001, I designed this little number to celebrate precisely this time of the year. Incense laden with bitter orange, roses, tropical gardenia notes and a hint of spice (nutmeg and allspice, to be exact).

6. Fig Leaf & Sage
Shiny and new from Kiehl's, this is a very approachable yet surprisingly fascinating cross between a scented ancillary product (body spray) and perfume.Simultaneously fruity yet not exactly sweet, with herbaceous-dry sage notes and a certain tart, almost green undertones.

7. Fleur d'Oranger
Serge Lutens' interpretation of this otherwise very spring-like citrus blossom renders it a very dusky, with an air of evening extravagance.


8. Gourmet Frankincense
Soft, soothing frankincense with hints of ambrette seed's muskiness. It's not so much edible as it is addictive. 

9. Incense Pure
Incense, musk and ambery labdanum with a resinous, slightly woodsy presence are the core of this balanced, well-made perfume from Sonoma Scent Studio.

10. Incensi
Labdanum and galbanum resins are at the core of Lorenzo Villoresi's incense fest. Rather than smoldering church incense, it's more so resinous and thick, syrupy amber with hints of green sweetness.

11. Parfum Sacré
Winter classic that won't leave my boudoir anytime soon if I can help it. There is enough pepper in it to keep one awake during Midnight Mass!

12. Prada Amber Intense Pour Homme
Beautifully balances between warmth and freshness with amber and patchouli and a crisp veil of bergamot. 

 13. Oud Abu Dabi
Perfume oil that I found at the Muslim quarter in Jerusalem many years ago and am really enjoying this winter. It's not so much a single note oud, and more of a chypre-rose with oud, and feels more perfumey as it wears on.

14. Poivre Samarcand
Pepper madness is one of the ways I can describe this scent. And I'm talking black pepper, of course (I felt that the green bell pepper notes in Paprika Brazil were befittin the role of a nightmarish smell track for the film Brazil). But I digress: Poivre Samarcand is arguably one of the best Hermessences, and is particularly appealing thanks to the dry mossy base notes and bold, hot nature.

15. Rose Chai 
Tea bags by Wisotzky that smell and taste like perfume, and I say this fondly. Assam tea scented with roses, almonds and chai spices. You should also check out this Rose Chai Malabi recipe.

16. Rosewater & Vanilla 
Jo Malone dives into a Middle Eastern dessert full of rosewater, orange flower water, vanilla and powdery musk. A little over the top but sometimes that's precisely what you want.

What are your favourite scents, teas, incense and spices this winter? Post a comment and enter to win a care package with some of the perfumes, incense and teas mentioned in above!

Happy Winter Solstice!

The longest night of the year is always a challenging one - though it's nothing at all comparing to what they get in the Arctic Circle. Compared to the 16 hours long Vancouver night, the slightly over 12 hour long night in Tel Aviv is just an excuse for more partying in a city that does it so well anyway... 

Just a couple of weeks ago, a young man from the Yukon who works for one of the world's leading gelaterias, shared with me the experience of life in the grace of nature's forces, when there are only 4 hours of daylight. And this past week I went back to my home village and lived off-the grid for a while, including an incidental day long water outage due to some maintenance in the water reservoir (accompanied by a very poorly managed notice as to when the outage will commence, so we didn't really have enough time to stock up or prepare mentally for the occasion). It wasn't in the least convenient but it reminded us all how important water is and how much of our modern human dignity depends on it being so readily available.

We might be fortunate to have all the conveniences of running water, light and heat whenever we feel like it. But we don't have the immense satisfaction at the end of the day - knowing that we worked honestly for every bit of these comforts. There are so many things that have been compromised on the way simply because we have lost our trust in nature to provide us with what we need, when we need it. The caribou herds live off lichen they dig off under the snow and wander south, and the salmon jump up the waterfalls and swim against the streams to feed us. Yet this is not enough and in our greed and hunger for power we are rapidly killing our very own sources of food, and poisoning our water wells.

What if the sun won't come back tomorrow? Some think it won't, and tonight is the end of the world. I heard that many times and I am still here, as you are, my dear readers. I believe the end of the world won't arrive suddenly in one day of crumbling skies or monsters who'll consume our only real light source; rather, it will gradually arrive by the destruction that our very hands bring to our own species and whomever happens upon our path.

But, if we managed to destroy so much - we surely should be able to heal and repair what damage we have caused. And rather than worry, weep and mourn what's gone or broken - let's do whatever little things we can to turn the wheel on its back and change things around. Acts of kindness to the earth which we inhabit, our neighbouring plants, species and fellow humanoids.

I'm now in the big, modern city, the stagnant, rotting monster that we call civilization and think is better than being wild and free and transient like the nomads. But I'm with the sweet and comforting company of my closest family - 4 generations of powerful women who can survive anything and everything. And we have everything we need - heat, water, light, food and each other's company. We even got the luxury of tea and television, incense and perfume. Add a little peace on earth and we might just reach perfection. 

Tonight I'm celebrating the shrinking of the day and the ruling of the night. But even in a dark room, one candle is enough to light the space; so even in the darkest day of the year, there still is some light. And that's what counts.
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