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I know it probably seems like I say this about everything I make, but Nectar truly is my favorite.
This single note scent is a white floral accord comprised of two different varieties of jasmine, with champaca and plumeria, and it smells like... well, like the sweetest flower nectar!
It is sunny, bright, and warm, and to me, it's fresh - because it smells like garden-fresh flowers.
To be honest - I tend to get confused when we qualify scents as either "earthy" or "fresh." Most natural fragrance ingredients are both! Yes, they are all undeniably earthy, because they come from the earth. But that doesn't mean they don't have fresh qualities. I mean, no one walks by a blooming wall of honeysuckle and says, "mmm... yes, very earthy." Right? So why do we use that term for a fragrance in a bottle? I don't have the answer here, it's just something I've wondered about over the years, whenever I get feedback that my natural fragrances are "too earthy."
Our culture's obsession with "freshness" is a bit absurd considering that we live on a rock covered in dirt. I like to think that my job as a natural perfumer is not merely to provide you with products that cover up stink, but rather to help us all cultivate an appreciation for the raw kind of beauty that can only come from the chaos and mess and sometimes dirty, stinky parts of life! Everything is connected. Just step outside and notice what you smell. The fresh quality of our air comes from the grass and the trees and the flowers that are growing out of the earth. You can't have fresh without earthy. I mean, unless you make it in a lab!
But I'll pass on "fresh" according to the people who make Tide laundry detergent and Axe body spray. Give me a sweet, rich bouquet of real flowers. To me, that's freshness. It's also pure joy, and the only kind of scent that I want to carry with me throughout my day.
I offer fragrances like nectar as single-notes because I love the idea of being able to keep it simple or layer on other complimentary fragrances throughout the day, or even through the seasons. Nectar layers well with so many of my other single-note scents - some of my favorites are cream, zest, and sandalwood - but I encourage you to bring it into your world and find your own ways to wear it!
Click here to order a $5 sample.
And if you love nectar but would prefer to wear it in a stand-alone scent, I'd be more than happy to make one for you with my Build Your Own Scent listing.
Here are some ideas to get your wheels turning:
But again, don't let my suggestions limit you! I suggest trying samples of whatever strikes your fancy and experimenting with how they play together at home. You may find that you want a full size bottle of each to wear independently, or, you may decide that you'd rather have them all together in one bottle as your own signature scent.
Either way, you're going to smell completely lovely, and like no one else.
Which is so much cooler than buying whatever $400 perfume is trending on TikTok, don't you think?
Yes, it is.
Don't let algorithms decide everything for you. Be an independent thinker who supports independent brands. (If you're reading this, you already are!)
And if you've been curious about nectar, I hope I've inspired you to give it a try - I think it's the perfect, sunny, happy scent to match the mood of late spring and early summer.
Enjoy!
Stefanie
