SCENT SOMMELIER by Salud

Sure, the desert is gorgeous, especially with all the wildflowers. But I am a water rat and I’m missing my beach.

Somehow, all this time, I’ve missed Bobbi Brown’s BEACH fragrance. It’s been around for several years now and in my dehydrated state, I stumbled upon it this week and upon one whiff I was instantly taken to the Strand in Hermosa Beach.   Sand, wet salty sidewalks, surfboard wax and damp wetsuits…

I snatched some of the Beach Sunscreen Lotion and can’t stop slathering on the coppertone scent.  I even wore it to bed and swear I had a dream I was catching SoCal waves on my old Becker surfboard.

This morning I went on the hunt for desert wildflowers at Saguaro National Park.  It’s springtime in the desert, and wherever I go, the air is filled with a fresh, slightly musky and orange-blossomy sweet perfume.

Salud’s Desert Bloom Perfume perfectly captures the soothing sweet essence of spring in the Sonoran Desert, and is one of our most popular scents.  Visit the FLORAL category on the Scent Menu at SaludSpaBar.com to learn more about our best-selling desert essence.

Here are some of the breathtaking blooms I found at Saguaro - flowers that inspired our popular Desert Bloom perfume.  Stay tuned, too - in a few weeks we’ll see the incredible white blooms crowning the famous Saguaro Cacti.

Spreading Fleabane

Santa Catalina Mountain Phlox

Ocotillo

A tiny rose blooms in the desert. I believe it's a Desert Rosemallow.

Caliche Globemallow

Pinkflower Hedgehog Cactus. Brilliant color! It's attached to a prickly cactus, though - so I didn't try to smell this one.

Tall Mountain Larkspur - don't smell this one, either, it's poisonous!

I'll have to research this one - some sort of desert dandelion! Isn't it gorgeous?

Here in remote Tucson with nary a Neiman Marcus, I’ve had a long drought of getting my fragrance fix at the luxury department store perfume counter.  So while out-of-town this week I had the chance to spend some time at the fragrance counter, smelling cult and limited edition perfumes at Saks. To me, this sensory activity is topped only by a day of wine tasting tours in Sonoma…

I’ve wanted to experience David Yurman’s new perfume ever since I read about it last year in W Magazine, and was thrilled to find it on the Saks counter. Instantly, Yurman’s bottle made me feel like putting on an evening gown and draping myself in gold (not something that happens often, er-well, ever).  His talent for designing gorgeous, modern, iconic (and incredibly expensive) jewelry of course led to the bottle’s luxurious look. The faceted gold cable band cap carries a signature Yurman design.

David Yurman perfume

 At first spray, the scent did not wow me as I wanted it to. It’s a modern, floral chypre and I tend to prefer sweeter floral scents.  But as the top notes began to fade, I realized that I had liquid gold on my skin.  I couldn’t really even identify the notes beyond the exotic woods, as the essence is quite complex with water lily, peony, mandarin and cassis on a base of rose otto, patchouli, and soft musk. 

I started to feel a little like Veruca Salt, “I WANT THAT!” and realized my wallet could be entering the danger zone. Luckily, I scored a sample. My antidote to recession-related news? Just a tiny splash of David Yurman, and I can turn anything to gold.

A baby is brewing for my little sister, so I hopped on a plane this week to go to Michigan and celebrate with friends and family.  My mom & I hosted a tea-themed shower at a sweet little tea house in quaint downtown Rochester.  Teas have the most herbally exquisite aromas and always inspire me to enjoy their timeless scents.  A tea-tasting can be as complex to the palette as a fine wine, cheese or coffee, with the added benefit of antioxidants!

The Favors: Salud Tea Perfume

1 oz Rollette Perfumes in Green, White, Red Rooibos & Black Tea Scents

Salud’s tea-inspired perfumes served as delicate, darling favors for the guests. Presented in 1-ounce glass bottles with a silver cap and rollerball, the tea perfume oils added to the aromas of our tea party as we sipped hot tea and ate the most mouth-watering  cranberry scones and lemon raspberry tortes…

Rooibos Red Tea Perfume Blend

I created my tea-inspired fragrances after getting hooked on the amazing tea collection from Teavana.   I love my daily ritual of a cup of loose-leaf tea brewed in my little glass teapot. 

My tea perfumes are available at SaludSpaBar.com, and include:

GREEN TEA: notes of White Peach + Fresh Cut Grass + Jasmine + Bergamot

WHITE TEA: notes of Rice Flower + Freesia + Rose Petals + Precious Woods

RED ROOIBOS TEA: notes of Cardamom + Raw Ginger + Tonka Bean + Cinnamon

BLACK TEA: notes of Cypress + Sundried Fig + Bergamot + Vanilla

Salud custom scents make memorable and unique favors for showers and weddings.  Please contact us if you are interested in Salud favors for your special event!

Shower Games: pick a teabag from the jar and if the mom-to-be announces your "tea", you've won a Salud Organic Lotion

Personalized Perfumes, Haut Tonics & Everyday Essences

I’m Kelly, Chief Perfumer and Scent Sommelier at Salud Scent Studio.  I’ve created this blog to celebrate everyday essences.  I recently read that Leonardo da Vinci quoted that the average person “looks without seeing, listens without hearing, touches without feeling, eats without tasting, … and inhales without awareness of odor or fragrance.”   I hope my blog inspires you to enjoy the scents in our everyday lives. 

My online scent studio, Salud, has over 100 essences to mix and match and offers the opportunity to create a signature fragrance. Visit us at SaludSpaBar.com.  Salud… Spanish for “cheers!”… is our name because we celebrate a lighthearted, creative and fun approach to the concept of scents.  I have also spent extensive time doing business in Mexico (from my previous life in corporate America), and Salud carries a meaning for me that takes me back to the friendships and business partners made there over wafting scents of sangria, fresh guacamole mixed in molcajetes, the salty sea air in the Yucatan, and spicy chocolate mole sauces offered in every consistency and earthy, nutty color.

Join me as I blog about my scent creations and the evolution of the Salud brand. What are your own everyday essences?

…Let’s blend some bliss!

kelly podorsek