Gift Idea Series: Scents and Suds
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…
And so the famous song goes. A few days to go and it’s Christmas! While this festive season begs the aroma of flavorful food wafting around, you don’t want to end up smelling like the Christmas feast, right?
Surely, your loved ones wouldn’t want to do so either. This is especially true since our sense of smell is so powerful that it creates and evoke memories that can stay with us forever!
So, why not wrap a fragrant bottle up?
For the second edition of Primer Magazine’s gift idea series, we present something sweet again…only this time, something sweet-smelling from two local/artisan/quirky businesses and providers! For your everyday dose of olfaction satisfaction, Primer Magazine recommends
1. OSCAR MEJIA Artisan Fragrances
for amazing handscrafted scents
His inspiration: Did you know that the Philippines was once considered the Perfume Capital of Asia? The passion to put Filipino fragrances (made of quality local oils and materials) back on the map coupled with his love affair with perfumes early on fuel Oscar to design and craft scents that reflect the the richness and uniqueness of our culture. “So that in each little whiff,” he says. “the Filipino is celebrated and shared to the rest of the world.”
On choosing the right scent: Oscar recommends taking into consideration your loved ones’ personality. “People who are insightful and deep generally prefer scents that are amber or oriental: full of warmth, depth and mystery (Sun Soak and Paradiso). Outgoing people, on the other hand, like fresh citrus scents (Morning Mist and Lemon Meringue). Peaceful and calm people are into gourmand or food scents that denote calm and comfort (Lemon Meringue and Peppermint Cookie),” he claims. “If your loved one is passionate and full of emotions, something floral would be a perfect match (Powder and Petals and Agva Flora). Finally, for someone who seeks for balance, dependability and stability like mixed fragrances like fruity-floral, floriental and chypre, [which is a] combination of citrus floral and musk (Ginger Tea and Berry Medley).”
Year-round bestsellers: Ginger Tea and Powder and Petals from the Kanlungan collection, which leaves you with that homey feeling in every spray, and Sun Soak (inspired by the beaches of Laiya, Batangas) and Morning Mist from the Sinag collection, which is light, citrusy and keeps you feeling fresh and clean.
Holiday hits: The familiar Christmas scents of Lemon Meringue, Berry Medley and Peppermint Cookie from the Aguinaldo collection. Although Western in inspiration, oils and other materials used are authentically local.
Perfect for: Every and any woman or girl in your family, your circle of friends and your community
2. Natural SKin
for fragrant but gentle suds
Her inspiration: The reason behind the birth of Natural Skin is simple, really: SK developed allergies because of her use of commercial soaps and conditioners.
On choosing the right sud: Natural SKin recommends thinking of the person and their needs. “Of course, I would also choose one that I think I would like [in appearance & smell actually],” she claims. “Sometimes, the soap just looks pretty and smells nice. But most of the time, I always think of the benefits that the soap can offer.”
Year-round bestsellers: Organic soaps of different variants, such as Honey, Milk & Oats (a highly nourishing soap with an amazing combination of natural ingredients to help relieve skin irritation and leave the skin highly moisturized), Activated Charcoal (soap that rids your body of toxins, so it reduces instances of acne and other skin impurities by easily drawing out dirt and unwanted oil to help unblock pores), Arbutin Soap (a combination of the whitening effects of glutathione and kojic acid that helps prevent premature aging, freckles, liver spots and protects the skin against damage brought about by free radicals), Barako Coffee Scrub (a powerful exfoliant with the cellulite-fighting properties of coffee, which helps rid the body of old skin while protecting it from the bad effects of the sun’s harmful rays) and the Multicomplex Soap (soap with avocado and bearberry extracts that effectively lighten stretch marks).
Holiday hits: Handcrafted pastry soaps that promise a full moisturizing effect and the Oatmeal Soap that is a gentle exfoliant and moisturizer as well
Perfect for: Kids. “It can even be used on babies’ skin,” she claims. “A friend of mine told me that she used it on her baby and it was effective in removing insect bite scars. I was also told that it is effective in fighting skin asthma.”
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Interested in knowing more about these olfactory artists’ other products? Contact them below:
Oscar Mejia Artisan Fragrances
Oscar C. Mejia III
Mobile: 0928 550 1702
Email: OMArtisanFragrances@gmail.com
Visit his Facebook page here and his Instagram page here.
Natural SKin
SK
Mobile: 0908 953 3036
Visit her Facebook page here.
