Tag Archives: Lemon

A first perfume and a decade of firsts

Posted in Chanel, Perfume, Scent by

Chanel & Sony WalkmanIt was on the first holiday abroad, that I discovered what I consider my first perfume. Until that moment, fragrances were the sort that you wore because your friends at school wore them, like Le Jardin by Max Factor or the Avon perfumes that one of my friends who was an Avon rep sold to some of us at school.

As we looked around the duty free shop, I was drawn to the simple yet elegant bottle square bottle shape of Chanel No 5. As I sampled the scents however, it was Cristalle that I liked most.

It reminded me of the strong scent of Jasmine that grew at the front of the house that I lived in briefly as a young child.

Cristalle is a light floral fragrance, delicate and powdery fresh. I wasn’t sure I could describe it well enough to bring the scent to life, so I got in touch with Chanel’s PR department and they very kindly provided me with a description of the perfume. As I read the words, I was overwhelmed by their significance. The Perfume was created over 40 years ago in 1974 by Henri Robert, which means it has stood the test of time.

Then, it struck me how similar the description of a perfume is to the way I used to write essays around music. Perhaps this would be a good way to explain how the combination ingredients combine to create it’s distinct character and personality and why it’s a personal favourite.

So here goes:

The melody in any music composition is instantly recognisable, you can hum a tune and recognise it immediately. Cristalle’s tune is delicate, the lemon’s citrusy scent acts as the top notes, honeysuckle acts as the harmony, the sweetness and fresh outdoor nature it invokes is at the perfume’s heart. Finally, the bass and accompanying rhythm is integral to the completion of any piece of music.

Scented Jasmine

I think the bass in music is so important that sometimes it defines whether it is a hit or not, like the bass in U2’s song “With our Without You”. It is the same with Cristalle, the base of Jasmine is the scent that hits me the moment I spray the perfume on.

I think of Cristalle’s personality like a music composition by Mozart. At the time that Mozart was composing, symphonies had yet to fully defined. His influence on Beethoven can be heard. I think Cristalle’s influence is evident in a number of perfumes.

There is a crystal like transparent quality, there is also hidden depth, like a diamond with many facets to make it sparkle. When you hear a piece by Mozart, it has that same quality, the melodies are easy to recognise, but they have depth and complexity that manages to capture a range of emotions. I think of Cristalle in a similar way.Music Score of Don Giovani by Mozart

Through the years, I have tried many perfumes, but there is always a bottle of Cristalle in my small collection. I cannot part with it. It reminds me of so many firsts, a time when everything lay ahead, career, experiences, travel, love, marriage, kids, making a home.

If you were a child of the 80’s, you’ll remember some of these things. We were righteous; causes were our thing – Live Aid, Comic Relief, lots of demonstrations against the establishment.

Chanel Cristalle, Eau de ToiletteIt was the first time I felt independence, living away from my parents.

Music of the time was both bright and shiny as well as a commentary of the political times we lived in.

Before U2 became the global brand they are now, their songs were of urban unrest in Ireland. Madonna blazed the trail for future female singers. There are so many tracks from the 80’s and there were so many music genres.

I’ve made a play list, chosen for a variety of reasons – some just because, others well, lets’ just say they meant something deep at the time, but now no longer represent the youthful angst that I felt.

If I’m wearing Cristalle and listening to these songs, I am transported back to a time when I think I was the most optimistic.

The tracks are in a playlist on spotify and is included in this post if you have time to listen. You’ll find a Classical selection to listen to as well.

There’s a phrase in one of the lyrics by Black, that I think we’d all like our experiences to feel like:

Becuase Life Should Never Feel Small - Black

Please come and share your memories of your favourite scent, by adding a comment, or you can create a new playlist or follow the account here:

https://play.spotify.com/user/birdonthehill

(NB – At the time of writing, Prince has withdrawn his music from a number of music sharing sites, so I have removed the following from the playlist – Mountains, Kiss and Starfish & Coffee)

I’ve included a listing of the music selection on a Pinterest board if you’d like to download it here

photo credit: One of the Jasmine Family via photopin (license)
photo credit: Composer’s score for Don Giovanni via photopin (license)

English Garden Mint and Iced Tea

Posted in At home, Drink, Food, Home, Uncategorized by
Iced Tea with mint and fruit

Iced Tea with mint and fruit

For a lovely summer drink, I can think of nothing else than iced tea that instantly hits the spot in terms of quenching thirst.

It has to be icy cold of course.

To make it up fresh is much better than the type you can get pre-made. At any rate I think they are too sweet to taste. I prefer the sharpness of fresh lemon and lime to cut through the taste of the tannin in the dark tea.

The version shown is simple to make.

In a jug, pour hot water, about 90c (not boiling), into this add two tea bags. this can be green tea or any blend you prefer. For a more traditional taste, I’ve used an English Breakfast blend which is great as it is refreshing without being too strong or smoky dark.

Add slices of lemon and lime and let them steep in the hot water with the tea bags. I like to leave the lemon and lime peel on the slices so that the scent of the peel infuses with the juice and tea. You can of course experiment with any citrus fruits, oranges or grapefruit works well too.

When the jug has cooled, remove the tea bags, you can remove the lemon and lime slices too, but I think they look lovely in the jug and when they slip into the glass tumblers.

English mint and Strawberries

English Mint and Strawberries

English mint is at their best in summer, you can of course get mint ready cut and trimmed from most supermarkets at any time of the year, but I think they are best when in season, cut fresh from the garden.

I’ve bruised the leaves to release their lovely scent. You can add this to the drink, just before serving, I think the scent of the mint really lifts the drink.

As we had a bottle of vanilla syrup in the cupboard, I added just a splash of this to the cups along with some slices of fruit. You can add sugar or honey to sweeten the drink as well.

Vanilla monin Syrup

Vanilla monin syrup

I think Vanilla and Strawberries work great together, so in they went into the cups along with lots of ice cubes to make the drink icy cold.

To vary this, you can add different pieces of fruit when serving.

I hope everyone in the U.S. is having a great time celebrating the 4th of July.

Please let us know by dropping a comment on what’s your favourite drink for summer.

 

Lavender, lemon and Rosemary foot scrub and soak in one

Posted in beauty, Scent, Skincare by
Lavender and Lemon essential oil, with Dead Sea salt foot scrub

Lavender and Lemon foot scrub and soak in one.

Summer has finally and at last arrived. As I was sitting outside on the terrace at work, I thought how lovely everyone looked in their sandals walking about on the lawn.

My feet though felt hot and uncomfortable in the shoes I had been wearing, by the time I got home they were puffy and sore and all I wanted to do was plunge them in cold water.

So yesterday evening, I made this quick no fuss foot scrub and soak in one, which was inspired by a blog post by Emily Jefford about a sugar and coconut oil scrub she uses to clean her hands with after painting with oils, you can read it by visiting here.

I have major art envy, her paintings are exquisite and I have fallen in love with her summer collection, so am figuring out what I can do to save up for the set.

If you’d like to try out this version, which uses just coarse salt, so that you can use it as a soak for tired feet. (I wasn’t sure what soaking with sugar might do) The foot scrub couldn’t be easier to make. All of it is made with ingredients which most people should have in their cupboards:

Coarse salt

Essential oils

Fresh or dried herbs

Oil – either sweet almond or coconut

Lavender and Lemon essential oil with Rosemary and Dead Sea Salt foot scrub

Dead Sea Salt foot scrub

The one I made is with Dead Sea salt which you can get in a chemist or online. As I wanted it to be refreshing with the scent and a pick me up for hot tired feet after work, I used Lavender and Lemon essential oil. To exfoliate the skin, I mixed the Dead Sea Salt roughly with some dried Rosemary and a dash of sweet almond oil, along with a squirt of lemon juice (don’t use this if you have broken skin as it might sting).

Once all the ingredients have been combined, I sat down and rubbed my feet over a bowl of warm water. The coarseness of the Dead Sea Salt acted like a pumice and took the dry skin off.

Any flakes of salt or dried herbs that fell went into the bowl of warm water beneath. I poured the remaining salt mix into the bowl and let my feet soak for about 10-15 minutes.

Dead Sea Salt has many therapeutic benefits. In fact, I managed to snag a bargain as the bag I purchased had a big sign with an extra 25 percent included.

Here’s what it said on the back of the pack: Dead Sea Salt have a unique ability to attract and retain moisture. For dry skin conditions and aching joints, Soak for 20 minutes. This reminds me, I  will need to find an air tight container for the salt as it has a habit of turning to liquid though it’s still good to use in this state.

Bliss. My feet are literally tingling and feel like new. I think I’ll be wearing sandals tomorrow now that they have had a bit of TLC. My kids were a bit sceptical, they took one look at the mix and left me to it.  Just wait, once they’re older they will appreciate this recipe and I’ll be gloating with the Mum knows best smile!

Friday’s organic vegetable box

Posted in Family, Food, Home by
Organic Vegetables

Organic Vegetables

We’ve been getting a box of organic vegetables delivered since we started our eldest started weaning.

Now that the girls are older, we’re a little more price conscious about food and don’t always buy organic produce anymore. But the organic vegetable box is staying.

Every fortnight, the yellow van arrives early, and I am usually the first to see it pull up in front of the house. It is always a surprise to see what’s inside, the seasonal food that comes has been sourced carefully and I love the fact that we’re trying out vegetables that we wouldn’t usually buy in the supermarket.

As it’s summer, most of the box is salad. So here’s a few things that we’ve done with this lovely box of veg this weekend:

Cucumber, tomato, lettuce leaf and yellow pepper salad

Summer salad with Red Salanova lettuce

1) Summer Salad with Basil and lemon dressing.

For the salad we used the Red Salanova Lettuce, some of the tomatoes, spring onions and the rest of the ingredients in the salad were the Yellow Peppers and yellow cherry tomatoes that were in the fridge.

For the dressing, we used fresh basil which was growing on our kitchen window sill, the juice of half a lemon, a small dollop of whole grain mustard, extra virgin olive oil. Since we had a small jar of mini baby capers in brine, I used this as well, plus salt for seasoning.

Chopped basil infused in olive oil and lemon

Chopped basil infused in olive oil and lemon

To get the Mediterranean aroma of basil to infuse into olive oil, I roughly chopped up a small handful of basil and added the olive oil and the juice of the lemon. I used honey, but if you don’t have this to hand, something sweet such as syrup or even marmalade is a great alternative. Using the pestle, this was roughly blended together with the whole grain mustard, mixed again until it was combined into a lovely mixture. I added some salt for seasoning, tasting it with my finger until it was right. The final ingredient added was the mini baby capers, which my eldest suggested as she liked them in salads.

Peppermint & Citrus room spray

Posted in At home, Scent by
Peppermint & Citrus room spray

Peppermint & Citrus essential oil room deodoriser

A few years ago, we had a downstairs cloakroom installed. It has been essential, in a house with young children. However, whilst useful, it does not have any windows, as it’s located beneath the stairs, a tiny room that was created from the broom/meter cupboard.

At times the air as you can imagine gets a little stale, even with the extractor fan on full!

There are a great many room scents available, but in a small enclosed space, I find the scent can be a little cloying, especially ones that are commercially made and created with synthetic fragrance.

If you have a spare 10 minutes and want to make your own, this is a very simple, but effective room scent receipe I have made from essential oils. It freshens without being overpowering.

Mitcham Peppermint oil is becoming a real favourite, the minty smell is both sweet and sharp. It really is like inhaling a peppermint sweet.

Mixing this with the citrusy scents of Bergamot and Lemon creates a refreshing scent that combats any whiffiness.

Ingredients:

100ml spray bottle – either new or one that has been cleaned out.

20ml vodka (used for dispersing/mixing the oils)

10ml vegetable glycerine (optional) used to help the oils disperse in water

70ml of distiller water

20 drops of Peppermint essential oil

20 drops of Lemon essential oil

10 drops of Bergamot essential oil

Put all the ingredients into the spray bottle, put the lid on and shake vigorously. That’s it.

The scent takes a couple of days to mature, if you think it isn’t strong enough or think it’s too peppermint or citrus, you can adjust it by adding in a few more drops of oil, whichever you want to get the scent you are after.