[Steppes] OT - Carthusia Perfumes of Capri 1380

[Brent Ryder]

>I have one period perfume recipe that supposedly belonged to an empress.  I 
>made it using >essential oils, and it smells awful!!!!!!  LOL!  Of course, 
>we must remember that during that time >period bathes were not all that 
>frequent, so I'm sure the perfumes had to be strong to cover the >body 
>odors.

Part of the research I have been doing involves distillation which is how 
these essential oils were first concentrated in Egypt. The art of perfume 
making is a very subtle art and any reproduction of a recipe from period 
would have to take into account the relative strengths of the essential oils 
used, the specific varieties of flower herb and spice used in their making, 
very careful proportioning and then the proper method of use (whether 
atomized or directly applied). I think Atomization of perfume is much later 
in period, but I am unsure exactly when.

A good example of this is to go home and mix two different perfumes together 
and see what it smells like. It will not be a combination of the two 
perfumes, but something altogether different and most lilkely unpleasent as 
the ingredients will react with each other chemically and with the 
atmosphere which will almost invariably get into the mixture under such 
conditions.

Borek