The Power of Scent

 NEMAT INTERNATIONAL

I cannot overstate the importance of fragrance in my life. It lifts my spirits, fires my imagination and has the power to transport me back in time. The scent of honeysuckle on a hot summer day sends me back to my childhood summers on Long Island. A blast of Aramis deliciously reminds me of high school boyfriends. (Men of a certain age, I suggest you purchase Aramis cologne posthaste if you want to make an entire generation of women sigh.)  And I can easily teleport to the Park Hyatt on the Place Vendome in Paris when I (very judiciously) apply the Blaise Mautin body lotion I glommed during my stay there.

While I love fragrance and have my signature scents and staples, I am open to trying new scents and was delighted when I received an offer to try a free sample of Nemat International’s Amber oil. (Nemat International is a family-owned perfumer with roots in 19th Century India. They’ve created more than 150 fragrances based on traditional Indian attar parfumerie methods. Their best-seller is Amber oil.)

Let me backtrack a bit. I have a particular sensibility when it comes to fragrance. My preferences change with the seasons. In the winter months, I adore spicy, Oriental, sexy, heady fragrances that announce my entrance and linger upon my departure. I reach for my lighter, “greener” and cleaner fragrances in the summer and, at almost any time I’ll wear a powdery, soft and feminine fragrance. Hell, I even wear fragrance to bed. I do. I spritz myself, my pillow and the little section of my blanket that I snuggle close to my face each and every night. Now, back to Nemat International’s Amber oil …

The package arrived and I tore into it to find a beautiful little bottle of the precious stuff. I  sniffed and sniffed again. The scent was soft, perhaps a bit too soft for my tastes, I thought. I applied the Amber oil to my wrists and took in the scent. It warmed on my skin and grew in intensity to a rich and complex combination of sexy, earthy notes. How does one describe scent? It’s like describing color. So personal. So singular. But when I close my eyes and breathe in the scent of Nemat International’s Amber oil, I see color. I see rich burgundies, navy blues and gold. The scent is not overpowering or overwhelming in any way. It’s actually quite personal – as if it’s for the delight of the wearer and those fortunate enough to get close. Amber is a gender neutral fragrance, beloved by men and women alike. I had my husband apply the fragrance and it took on subtle differences with his body chemistry. Nevertheless, it is delicious on both of us.

Most fragrances on the market today contain about 75 to 90% alcohol. Nemat’s perfumes are concentrated and contain no alcohol. These are full strength oils that should be used sparingly. A drop  is all you need. The Amber oil is soft and a little powdery – and the fragrance lingered on my skin for the entire day. I was actually very pleasantly surprised when I sniffed my wrist many hours after I’d applied the scent and was still able to easily discern it. Nice.

Soft, romantic, earthy and subtly sexy, Nemat International’s Amber oil is a fragrance I’d wear all year long. And, oh yes, I’d definitely wear it to bed.

If you want to try Nemat International’s Amber oil, it’s available at Whole Foods markets nationwide and at national food chain stores such as Vitamin Cottage and Central Market. It and the company’s other fragrances can also be purchased on the company website http://www.NematInternational.com. Some EverBeautiful selections are also available right here: