Woman in Real Life: Grasse Roots Perfumery (Giveaway

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Grasse Roots Perfumery (Giveaway - CLOSED)

I stopped wearing perfumes a long time ago. While I wore them with abandon when I was younger, I find I have developed a sensitivity to scents and chemicals. They make my eyes itchy and sometimes I even feel dizzy around too much scent (like in the aisle of cleaning products at the grocery store). When I became pregnant with my son over 11 years ago, I didn't want to expose him to toxic scents, so I gave up perfumes entirely.

That is, until recently, when I received a lovely package in the mail from Grasse Roots Perfumery. Grasse Roots perfume oils are vegan and created with 100% natural essences and fine perfumery botanicals. They are made from rare and precious substances derived from flowers, leaves, roots, grasses, barks, mosses, resins, woods, seeds and earth. Certified organic essences are used when possible.

The first perfume oil I tried was Delicacy, because the name sounded appropriate for my reintroduction to perfumes. The 5 ML bottles have a convenient roll-on top, which prevents you from spraying on too much perfume. Don't you hate it when people overwhelm your personal space with their scent?

I confess I found it odd to be wearing a scent after so much time, but I grew to enjoy the gentle, reassuring scent of Delicacy over time. It's a lovely perfume and I don't think I can do it justice with my description, so here's the official description. "A soft, mellow chypre with subtle notes of moss, rich, ambrosial rockrose and patchouli; sandalwood is featured, lifted with sweet geranium petals and notes of tea and conifer." Doesn't it sound delicious?

Next up was Geisha, which is a little bit bolder and spicier, as the name suggests. "Narcotic flowers of jasmine, ylang ylang, seductive neroli and dusky rose swirl through sensual notes of earth, wood and spice in this exotic, heady oriental." Geisha is truly beautiful too and neither of the perfumes bothered my eyes or my skin in any way.

I also tried Sleep Balm Solid Perfume, which is scented with lavender, bergamot, chamomile and marjoram to soothe and relax you. It has a pleasant, light, uplifting scent. It is made with solid beeswax, so it's not entirely vegan. The label suggests applying it to the ends of your hair, cleavage and pulse points. I love the idea of having a gentle scent waft through the air as you toss your hair! And the solid perfume format makes this perfect for tucking in your purse to pamper yourself with throughout the day.

Coffee lovers (and those who just love the smell of coffee) will enjoy Revolution Lip Smack, a lip balm (containing beeswax) made with Revolution Blend fair trade coffee beans from Revel Caffe in Stratford, Ontario. This delicious balm contains entirely natural and organic ingredients, including essential oils of vanilla and cocoa. It has a nice, moist consistency and it tastes delicious!

The Woman Behind the Perfumes

The woman behind Grasse Roots, Claire Lautier, has family roots in the South of France, quite close to Grasse, the centre of the perfume world from the 19th Century to today. Claire, a classically trained actor of stage and screen, says she developed "an emotional library of natural scent associations" when she spent her summers in the South of France growing up. Anybody else jealous?

What motivated you to start Grasse Roots?

I have found, since this all began, that the true purpose of Grasse Roots Perfumery is to empower women all over the world with the knowledge that our true beauty, true power and the true nature of womanhood itself (you could call it our Goddess Nature) is to be found in a dynamic connection with our spirituality. When we're connected to the truth of who we are, we can fulfill our soul's purpose and fill the world with light. And the world very much needs women to connect with our true nature and with each other at this time.

What is the relationship of scent to spiritual beauty?

For me, beauty is not just another layer of artifice, covering ourselves up in the hope of appearing somehow 'better' (more desirable, more successful, fill in the blank, ladies!). Rather, Beauty is a revelation, an unfolding, peeling away layers and simplifying, until we arrive at our essence, which is infinitely beautiful, powerful and has the capacity to heal on a vast scale; this is our gift to the world. Natural perfume speaks to that desire in women.

Enter to Win Grasse Roots Perfumes!

One lucky Woman in Real Life reader will win a sample set of Grasse Roots liquid perfumes (seven in all, in a black velvet bag). This retails for $32. You are sure to fall in love with one (or all) of them! Claire is also providing the winner with a Revolution Lip Smack. Enter to win using the rafflecopter widget below. Contest is open to residents of North America.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I was provided with products for review purposes. The opinions are my own.