The perfume caters to our smell - olfactory sense. Our five senses are - touch, hearing, seeing, tasting and smelling. Corresponding to these are the five sense organs - the skin, the ears, the eyes, the tongue and the nostrils. Over and above these gross physical senses is another - the sixth sense that is something intangible which, leads to a feeling of wellbeing upon inhaling a delicate perfume.
In animals smell is very strong. The predators mark their territory with urine, which by the way each one has a distinctive odour. The pet in the house knows about our individual perfume more than we know ourselves. Perfumes have two functions, negative and positive. It covers up stale smell of sweat and on the other hand it exudes intoxicating fragrance.
Perfume is from Latin `per fume` meaning `through smoke`. It goes back 4000 years to Mesopotamia and Egypt before being improved upon by Romans and Arabs. In Europe it came in the 14th century. Hungary produced the first modern perfume in 1371. Renaissance Italy saw a burst of activity in perfume making. France became the centre of perfumes made from aromatic plants being grown from the 18th century in Grasse.
Man wants to pocket everything - from the diamond in dark caverns to pearls in ocean depths. The perfume is the victory of man over Nature - capturing the cream of her scent spread all around. The perfume is a mixture of oils, aroma and fixatives blended with solvents. The industry is shrouded in secrecy. Not everybody can understand the language of perfume making. Each perfume belongs to a family.
Perfume making starts with dilution of the oil with a solvent. Ethanol mixed with water is the most common solvent. Others are coconut oil, wax and jojoba. The increase or decrease of aromatic compounds relates to scent`s intensity and longevity. The amount of oil used varies from one perfume family to another.
From 1900 perfumes were categorized in groups - single floral, floral bouquet, ambery (admixture of scents from animals, flowers and woods), woody (mainly sandalwood and cedar), leather (honey, tobacco, wood and wood tars), chypre (cyprus) and fougere (fern).
Since 1945 perfumes have been divided into bright floral, green, oceanic, citrus and gourmand. From 1983 the fragrance-wheel is being used to simplify classification - floral, oriental, woody, fougere and fresh. Each are divided into subgroups.
Perfumes are metaphorically said to contain three musical notes - top, middle and base. Top notes are the scents that are immediately perceptible. Middle notes emerge after the first effect dissipates. The base note persists in combination with the middle after the top goes. Perfumes can be dissipated due to exposure to heat, light, oxygen etc.
The sources from which perfume is drawn are plants, animals and synthetic bases. Plants are the largest sources - its bark, fruits, flowers, leaves, twigs, roots, seeds and bulbs. In the animal world perfumes are extracted from whales, beavers, civets, honeybee and musk deer. Synthetic perfumes are cheaper but not quite so fine and delicate. In the case of the latter there are health risks connected to rashes, asthma and even cancer.
Perfume is extracted by soaking the raw material in a solvent for any length of time from few hours to months. In distillation the process of condensation is used, while in destructive-distillation method the raw stuff is heated directly. Squeezing and pressing are also common methods. Another method is absorbing the aroma in wax. Perfumes are part of industry and used for the food and chemical business.
The person who makes perfumes is known affectionately as The Nose. Next time you go to buy a bottle of perfume give a thought to the efforts that go behind creating that exquisite bottle for you!
Curiosity is how we all learn as we grow up. Do you remember how you acted as a child when you desperately wanted to know something? If you were anything like me, you probably pestered your parents, siblings, other relatives, neighbours, or anybody else that would listen with hundreds of questions. When you wanted to know how something worked did you pull your toys apart, or even things that belonged to other? You probably ruined some things along the way and got into some trouble, but I'll bet you learnt a lot and had great fun as well.
But curiosity is also one of the greatest teachers for adults as well as children. If you want to set up a new business, it's generally a good idea to try to find out the approach and methods of someone who is already successfully operating a similar business. Maybe that's more research than curiosity, but a boy who takes a toy car apart and puts it back together could be said to be doing research into becoming an engineer.
Excitement and enthusiasm are characteristics that most children have in abundance. Can you remember how excited you used to get leading up to your birthday, or Christmas or any other big event? I can remember being too excited to go to bed, or go to sleep, or waking up every hour until it was an acceptable time to get up. Do you remember times you were so excited you were sure you were about to explode? That type of excitement is infectious and irresistible, but we can become too mature and grown up or 'cool' to get this excited and enthusiastic, which is sad.
However, even as adults, most of us are attracted to and like to spend time with people that have those very characteristics. They are also very often the most successful people in their careers.
Children also have faith, belief and trust. They believe in Santa Claus, the Easter bunny and the tooth fairy. They usually believe that anything is possible. As we grow older and 'wiser' we may no longer believe in Santa and co, and we've no doubt all suffered our disappointments along the way. But that doesn't mean that we should become so cynical and sceptical that we lose the powers of belief, faith and trust, and we certainly must ensure we maintain our own self belief.
How much time do you take out for play? Adult leisure pursuits are generally different from things we enjoyed as children, but there is power in playing and doing things you did as a child. It can help you to rediscover your dreams and your 'inner you' and the person you wanted to be before you were perhaps told you 'couldn't do that' or 'weren't smart enough' or 'to be realistic'.
You may like to try making a list of some of the things you loved doing as a child and then take time out to work you way through them. This should be an enlightening and mentally invigorating experience. You may be amazed how much pleasure you can still get from watching classic cartoons or reruns of Get Smart or the Beverley Hillbillies, or riding a bike, or going skating, or making models, or doing whatever things you loved a child. It certainly works for me!
As we grow from children to adults we inevitably take on more responsibilities and leave behind many things that were important to us as children. It can be easy to become cynical, jaded and even disillusioned by our life experiences. But we don't have to be so grown up that we forget some of the simple pleasures life has to offer. We can still be curious, playful, and optimistic and have belief and faith, and let ourselves get excited and experience joy. Our lives will certainly be richer as a result.
Both Roberto Sedycias & Garry Zancanaro are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Roberto Sedycias has sinced written about articles on various topics from GPS Cell Phones, Writing and Movie Reviews. This article can also be accessed in portuguese language from the Article section of page Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant. Roberto Sedycias's top article generates over 1500000 views. to your Favourites.
Garry Zancanaro has sinced written about articles on various topics from Real Estate, Self Esteem and Self Confidence. Garry Zancanaro is founder of > SelfImprovementDirectory.com visit to claim a FREE Think and Grow Rich, a. Garry Zancanaro's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.