In the Realm of the Scents

I finally made it to one of the natural perfume salons that Persephenie Snyder has been hosting monthly at her charming apothecary, Blunda Aromatics in West Hollywood. Natural fragrances are nothing like your typical hippie oils; most are exquisitely crafted blends of rare botanical oils and essences that are fixed with organic oils and alcohols. Often made by traditionally (i.e. French) trained noses, they have none of the heavy qualities of so many synthetic perfumes.

Blunda carries all of the most coveted lines - Joanne Bassett, Ayala Moriel, Velvet & Sweetpea, YOSH, Mandy Aftel - as well as Persephenie’s own body care collection (try the rich, yummy body butter!), which debuted earlier this summer. This month Joanne Bassett, who lives and works in Palm Desert, was there premiering two new fragrances, the delicious spicy floral, Indulgence (which Persephenie said smelled “like candy, in a good way” on me) and Memories, a woody citrus. I chatted with Bassett, who is also an aromatherapist and a healer, and she told me that her quartet of female fragrances, Camille, Colette, Chantelle and Contessa, came to her in a vision and she blended these four very different perfumes in one afternoon. “Maybe these are people I was in a past life,” she smiled mysteriously.

These are the kinds of conversations you get into at Blunda, which also carries some incredible crystals and jewelry, addictive Japanese incense, essential oils and attars and other perfume making supplies. If you’re feeling the urge to mix up your own magic potion, Persephenie also teaches perfume classes in her studio/laboratory in back.