Absinthe Dragonfly

This is not something I normally do for another perfumer, or at least have not done recently. Usually I redirect as in "Go here! Here is a good perfumer!" *pointing someplace else*, but not today. Today I'm going to dig in, do a little review.

Let me start this by saying I'm very busy right now. This is my "season", so to speak. From mid-July until January 31st the following year (which, btw, is "Inspire Your Heart With Art Day"), I'm busier than a cat covering a month's worth of sh*t! February brings on the slower months and goes on until, again, mid-July when the whirlwind of insanity strikes again. So, as I should be working on the new perfume book, separating out all the worksheets to create a proper workbook companion to the actual perfume teaching book, rebatching perfumes, writing up the soap menu for the upcoming Intermountain Nursery show, writing two important articles for LPR, I'm here. Doing this. Procrastinating those projects so as not to procrastinate on this one any longer. These are the endnotes to a consultation/evaluation. Oh, man! I'm doing it again! Procrastinating getting on with it! Yeah! Yeah! -- I'm gettin' on!

"Oh, what a noble mind is here o'erthrown!—

The courtier’s, soldier’s, scholar’s, eye, tongue, sword,

Th' expectancy and rose of the fair state,

The glass of fashion and the mould of form,

Th' observed of all observers, quite, quite down!

And I, of ladies most deject and wretched,

That sucked the honey of his music vows,

Now see that noble and most sovereign reason

Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh;

That unmatched form and feature of blown youth

Blasted with ecstasy. Oh, woe is me,

T' have seen what I have seen, see what I see"

Ophelia opens with with notes of chamomile, kewda and wormwood like bitterness poured into a cup of sorrow and tears, the notes evoking the anguish of a girl in love being encouraged to "get thee to a nunnery!" These notes persist throughout the entire life of the perfume, which is about 6 hours, and are accompanied by shadows of oakmoss and helichrysm which float in and out like waves. This is a forest and field scent. A scent in which all aspects of a spring born day are represented ~ icy water melting from snow in rivulets that wash over moss covered rocks just come to life through warmer days, fields of wildflowers awakening and scenting the air with their myriad butterfly enticing aromas. A scent in which the danger of a sudden late spring frost looms darkly.

Ophelia at Absinthe Dragonfly. *oops!* I'd previously written "Absinthe Butterfly" -- so not right! So sorry Amanda. Got it straightened out now.