Hello Olfactoria’s Travelers,

Portia from Australian Perfume Junkies and Perfume Posse with you as we rush headlong into holiday/gift giving season.

Even if you are not religious December in the western world, and increasingly in the eastern world too is about big business booming to the sound of gift shopping. If you’re anything like me it works out at a ratio of 3 to 1. For every three gifts I buy for others I see something I MUST HAVE IMMEDIATELY. In the spirit of giving I think I should treat myself for a year well lived, zip goes the credit card and fssst goes my savings. Familiar?

Photo Stolen ShoppingChannel

Right! This year I have done something I think is really special for some of my close girlfriends and a couple of the guys. After being given Barb Stegmann’s book about creating The 7 Virtues Beauty Inc a while back I got in touch to buy some from her. What an incredible woman, took time to respond to my enquiries, let me buy books and asked for names so she could inscribe each gift.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Afghanistan orange blossom, jasmine, freesia

“Each time we purchase essential oils distilled from legal crops, we are doing our part to provide alternatives to the illegal poppy crop”

Barb Stegemann, CEO The 7 Virtues

The story covers her life leading up to the moment she went onto the Dragon’s Den and then onto her work with creating a new set of crops for people who have previously been working for the Taliban cropping heroin poppies. This plucky Canadian woman decided to create a perfume company that sources its ingredients from war torn and poverty stricken countries, give women the knowledge to grow these crops and then help open schools for the girls who in many instances have never had any schooling. Barb is trying to break the world’s current terror by breaking the poverty and ignorance cycle. Economics in action to create positive change. Awe-inspiring on so many levels.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Blood grapefruit, cedar, hibiscus, freesia, patchouli

“Thanks for branding your perfume Patchouli of Rwanda, for honouring our country the widows & orphans who produce the oil.”

Nicholas Hitimana, Ikirezi, Rwanda

The 7 Virtues site has stories, you can purchase the fragrances and see what’s going on in Barb Stegemann’s world.

Yes, $250 looks like a lot of money but you’d probably spend $65 on your family or friends anyway, right? Buy a set and you’ll have 5 of your family covered, a book for yourself and everyone gets to tell a REAL CHRISTMAS STORY of giving and change. Even if you are not religious, this is a story that should be told again and again, every day. How cool to tell this story at the Christmas, or whatever you celebrate, table and have everyone deeply impressed. Who can resist feeling like they are involved in making the world a better place.

Thank everything that there are people like Barb Stegemann.

Make Perfume Not War.

Portia xx