Scents of the season

I was out in the snow yesterday, playing with my new best friend - Calum, the snowman. Don’t you love the sound of icy snow crunching underfoot? And the appearance of freshly fallen snow: that strange yellowy blue light from the snowy sky, and the curiously lunar-white landscape. The coldness and soft melting quality of snow to the touch is totally unique – it even feels and tastes rather lovely on the tongue. But there’s one thing that snow doesn’t seem to have… a smell.

I was trying to recall the scents that have stuck in my mind, if that’s where the sense of smell resides? Then I found myself wondering about the first thing I ever smelled. At what age does recognition of smell kick in? Why do young children sniff so many things up their noses (sometimes requiring medical intervention to get them out again)?



I vividly remember my grandmother’s smell. A sort of lavender talcum-powdery, bathroomy sweetness, not unlike the relatively recently created Agent Provocateur fragrance. Then there was my first trip on a school exhange to France, where it wasn’t so much the wafting aroma of fresh croissants and coffee, more the pungent niff of Palmolive soap used by my host family that stuck up my nose – or in my memory at least.







Nowadays I use Burt’s Bees shampoo. Partly because it’s made with natural ingredients and is hypo-allergenic, but also because I love the smell. It reminds me of the bedroom I had as a child. There was a big honeysuckle bush outside, and almost every morning I’d be woken up by the sound of a bumble bee coming in through the open window and getting stuck behind the curtain (ahh, the days of the open window..)



On another trip to France I visited a wonderfully plain and simple white-washed church, where monks sang Gregorian chant in a haze of incense. The sounds and the smells were equally divine, and the essential purity of the whole experience left a lasting impression on me.

If you love naturally beautiful perfumes and ingredients too, I can suggest nothing better for Christmas than the organic scented products from Zarvis London at ShopCurious. From exclusive Patchouli Baby and Lavender Crystal gift sets to home fragrances like the seasonal scents in this Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh tin, which are guaranteed to 'bring forth good cheer.' There’s something for everyone - and every occasion in this range… So long as you have a suitably discerning sense of taste and smell.

Do you?

Incensed or uplifted?

Whatever your views on the Pope and Catholicism, there’s one thing that seems to unite people of all religions. In fact, believers and non-believers alike are joined in their universal love of incense.

Evidence suggests that incense was first used by the Egyptians. According to Wikipedia, “the gums and resins of aromatic trees were imported from the Arabian and Somali coasts to be used in religious ceremonies.”  The resin’s fumes were thought to signify a manifestation of the presence of gods.

Incense subsequently became prevalent in East Asian Buddhist ceremonies, and in Chinese Taoist and Japanese Shinto shrines. In Christian practice, especially in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Christian churches, the smoke from burning incense is a symbol of the prayer of the faithful rising to heaven. The origin of this practice probably comes from earlier Temple traditions in Judaism. Hindus and Muslims also use incense during their worship.

Fragranced incense is employed in Neo-Pagan rituals too, where magical properties are associated with specific botanical extracts.  Frankincense, for instance, is burned for purification, spirituality and is associated with the sun and masculine powers. Myrrh exudes spiritual qualities as well, but is also linked to healing, attraction and has feminine powers.

A couple of years ago, a report by international scientists in the FASEB Journal investigated the resin of the Boswellia tree, commonly known as frankincense, and discovered that it contains incensole acetate. Apparently, this substance lowers anxiety levels and has a naturally anti-depressant effect. The scientists’ work may well help us to understand diseases of the nervous system and to develop a new class of mood-lifting pharmaceuticals.

However, if you prefer to feel good the natural way, we’ve some uniquely aromatic, less overwhelming alternatives to joss-sticks at ShopCurious. From the finest quality Arabian incense to an exotic gold, frankincense and myrrh gift set (great for Christmas), these organic botanical products from Zarvis London will have you oohing and aahing in olfactory ecstasy.

Frankinsence has always been a prized commodity - enough of a curiosity to make an unusual gift for the newborn Messiah. But never mind the symbolic meaning, just inhale the divinely scented fumes and you’ll easily smell why the Pope is such a fan.

Will you?