Grief

The Fragrance That Helped Me During The Cremation Of An Old Friend – Maria Candida Gentile Exultat

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Not too long ago I attended the ceremony before the cremation of an old friend and colleague. We had shared very good and really bad times together. My friend and I were the same age of fifty which made his death extra confronting and painful.

When you turn fifty and look at your life not all of us are where we had dreamed we would be. It can be disappointing. I know from personal experience although life has given me very unexpected gifts. In his life my friend had chosen to follow a bumpy uneven and at times difficult path to walk.

While dressing for the cremation it felt a bit frivolous to think about what scent to wear. I did not feel like wearing a fragrance. My lost friend was not interested in scent and I did not want to impose my fragrance on other people. But as perfume is not only an adornment to me, I decided to wear a calming, quiet and serene scent, Maria Candida Gentile Exultat. There was not a church mass but it felt like the right scent to wear due to its connection with the Church of San Lorenzo in Rome.  A visit to the Church of San Lorenzo during the hour of vespers inspired Maria Candida Gentile to create Exultat according to the official website.

Incense plays an important part in Exultat. As incense is used in mass to purify and sanctify, it felt like the right thing to wear. The combination of violet, woods and frankincense makes it both a spiritual and calming scent. It helps you stay in the moment and close to yourself. Scent can help us a little in coping with difficult times and Exultat helped me a bit on that particular day because of it’s calming qualities.

Losing a loved one can be devastating I know from experience as I have lost my mother not very long ago. I can only imagine what it must feel like for his family and other loved ones he has left behind. He and his laugh stay with us in our memory.

(Notes: Top Note: Frankincense, Orange, Bitter Orange, Lime
Heart Note: Violet, Violet Leaves Base Note: Woods, Vetiver, Texas Cedar wood)

A beautiful In Memoriam was written in Dutch by Peter Mabelus.

How perfume has helped me get through hard times

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Last year has been quite challenging for me as my mother quite unexpectedly passed away. As perfume was a subject we liked to discuss together it has been hard to test new fragrances or buy new scents. It was something very dear to her heart. The last subject we discussed together was perfume as I had just given her a small bottle of Cacharel Eden which she loved. I used to give her all kinds of perfumes which she really enjoyed wearing, some of her favorites being Estée Lauder Beautiful and the original Miss Dior.

I have used many rose centered perfumes last year to bring me some solace and help me with my grief. Guerlain Nahema extrait has been one of the scents I have used most. I found the discontinued Nahema pure perfume in a spray tester bottle fortunately for a reasonable price. One of the fragrances I bought last year was Paul Smith Rose, a very natural smelling and inexpensive tea rose. I like to spray it around me lavishly from time to time.

Apart from bringing some comfort, perfumes have brought me joy as well last year. Especially new scents created by independent perfumers like Envoyage Perfumes Rainmaker made by Shelley Waddington which introduced me to her new hometown Portland. Or the very original Zoologist Bat made by perfumer Ellen Covey and Sultan Pasha’s beautiful classic creations. Scenting these original and well made perfumes introduced me to new worlds and have broadened my olfactory horizons at moments when I needed it most and they still do. I look forward to trying their and many other scented creations this year.

The new year started quite well with Andy Tauers beautiful perfume in a soap smelling of green tuberose and testing many of the latest Italian niche creations at The Scent Company as can been seen on the photograph.

Has perfume helped you get through difficult times? If so which ones helped you most?

Photograph made by Chester.