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Historical Background of Perfume & Perfume Manufacturing in IranThe following excerpt is from the website, Pars Times Iranians are regarded as the first manufacturers of perfume and discoverers of decorative and cosmetic powders and sweet smelling oils or beauty creams. Plants and flowers, perfumes and aromas always attracted the attention of Iranian since the most remote times. In ancient sources, including the stone inscriptions of Achaemenian periods, as well as the Greek and Roman sources and Pahlavi texts, clear indications can be found about the Iranian's attention to, and interest in, various kinds of perfumes, incenses and sweet aromas. In stone images of Persepolis Darius is shown while sitting on a nice chair with two scent bottles or incense bones in front of him, and Xerxes is standing behind him while holding the same kind of flowers in the left hand. These flowers are probably Lily of the Valley or narcissus which were peculiar to the Fars province, and which were mentioned in Islamic sources. In another image the Iranian monarch is shown holding a beautiful flower in his left hand (and a protruded umbrella is kept over his head). In another image an Iranian lady is holding a sweet smelling blower or apple in front of her face or nose. Without any doubt, these flowers had beautiful colors and aroma which attracted the attention of Iranian men and women. In addition to that, there is a wealth of sources and documentary evidence in support of Iranians' deep attachment to various kinds of plants, sweet smelling flowers, preparation of perfumes, fragrant materials and a variety of incenses. According to Will Durant and some western sources, Iranians were the first manufacturers of various kinds of perfumes, discoverers of decorative and cosmetic powders. Invention of sweet smelling essences or cosmetic creams is also attributed to Iranians. The entire article, Historical Background of Perfume & Perfume Manufacturing in Iran, can be viewed at the Pars Times site. Dental hygiene and mouthwash productsThis website by Jennifer A. Heise references information from a variety of medieval and Renaissance sources and includes the following recipes:
Jennifer Heise makes notes that: To emphasize that many medieval health care prescriptions are not harmful, the selection has been limited to largely non-toxic products. Also, only one mild abrasive has been included, and only one caustic, the alum combination, is included. Beauty, Desire & AnxietyA few excerpts from an Genders Online Journal article, Beauty, Desire, and Anxiety; The Economy of Sameness in ABC's Extreme Makeover: Let me begin by saying that Extreme Makeover is a show very easy to dislike (and thus to dismiss). With its rigidly formulaic structure, its heavy-handed and melodramatic male voiceover, its insistence on physical beauty as the only standard for self worth, its deification of plastic surgery and surgeons, its encouragement of voyeuristic indulgence, its almost exclusive fixation on female bodies, its perpetual overwriting of race and class signifiers, and its relentless endorsement of heterosexual relationships, Extreme Makeover seems like just another one of television-land's productions that pander to the latest fad. And make no mistake, it is. Extreme Makeover is also a resonant text that speaks volumes about media culture, the signification of beauty, desire, social power, modes of gender, and pleasurable narratives. The story it tells — one of suffering and transformation, of desperation and joy — is as old as narrative itself. We can see elements of Extreme Makeover's story played out in myth cycles of death and renewal, in fairytales that depict the heart's desire and the body's change, in operas, novels, films, and television where suffering is interrupted by a benevolent spirit (be it fairy godmother, good witch, or plastic surgeon) who brings hope, revitalization, and opportunity for a newly lived life. In terms of provenance, we might as easily point to Dracula as to Now Voyager! (two very different sorts of makeover narratives) to understand the fascination of the changing and changeable body's relation to the psyche. The fact that Extreme Makeover is a televised text, of course, links it to important forbears, such as Queen for a Day, which searched for sad stories, put them on display and rewarded each Queen's long-suffering. Yet, there is a significant difference between a new washing machine and a new nose, and if we are to look to television antecedents to better understand Extreme Makeover, I believe we'd be more likely to find them in an amalgam of soap opera and game show, say General Hospital and The Price is Right, where sad stories are the only sorts of stories worth telling, where consumer knowledge is assessed and rewarded, where benevolent hosts select from a pool of candidates to "come on down," and where audiences vicariously participate in the tension and celebrate the outcome — be it love in the afternoon or winning the grand showcase. Read the rest of Brenda Weber's article at Genders Online. Weber is an assistant professor of Gender Studies and adjunct assistant professor of English at Indiana University.
Ta Moko: A History On Skin & The Eternal ThreadTraditional Maori tattooing is on display at a San Francisco exhibit, Toi Maori, Art From the Maori People of New Zealand. The Eternal Thread, the other section of the exhibit, highlights Maori weaving skills that creates cloaks and other practical objects such as kete (baskets). Ta Moko is worn as a symbol of identity and origin. With lines, shapes and patterns, it tells the story of the person within the skin. "Before the arrival of European settlers, the complex designs of ta moko were literally carved into the skin. A rake-like instrument (uhi matarau), usually made of teeth or bone, was used to break the skin; then a flat edged blade (uhi) was used to tap in the dye, creating a tattoo with a scarred, chiselled appearance." "The modern tool of ta moko is the tattoo machine, (mihini moko), although some ta moko artists alternate between traditional and modern methods. While the needle is faster and more precise, hand tools bring the ritual more in line with how it was done traditionally." "As New Zealand's Maori people are rediscovering their heritage, many are turning towards the art of moko. Ta moko continues to mean what it has always meant; it is a symbol of integrity, Maori identity and prestige, as well as a reflection of Whakapapa (ancestry) and personal history. "A national collective of ta moko artists — Te Uhi a Mataora — was formed in 2000 to preserve, enhance and develop ta moko as a living art form. Many of these highly skilled artists come from a carving background; others specialise in design. All of them share a deep understanding of traditional forms and designs. The collective strives to uphold ancient traditions while also looking to the future, as the art of ta moko continues to evolve. " A gallery of images demonstrate the art of tattooing. The Eternal Thread represents the weaving portion of the exhibit: "The most widely used weaving material for cloaks was (and still is) harakeke - otherwise known as New Zealand flax. Rituals were associated with the sourcing and preparation of the harakeke, from the planting of bushes through to harvesting and stripping of the fibre to create muka. Other materials, including feathers and dog skin, were added for warmth and ornamentation. "Traditionally, cloaks were created without a loom. The work was suspended between two upright weaving pegs and woven by hand. Feathers or decorative threads were integrated into the fabric of the garment as the weaving progressed. Natural dyes were used to achieve a variety of colours; paru (swamp mud) was used to achieve a black tone and tanekaha (bark) produced brown. "The earliest style of cloak was the rain cape. This cloak was primarily for protection from the elements and was relatively quick to produce. More decorative cloaks, made for leaders and chiefs, incorporated fine muka surfaces, taniko borders and feathers." Images from the weaving exhibit are available at the site. New LinkInternational Perfume Museum - The museum is located in three sites which symbolize Grasse's history : the entry pavilion of the former Hugues-Aîné perfumery built in the 19th century, as well as the vestiges of the Dominicans' convent, built in the 14th century, backing the city walls dating from the end of the 16th century. Some of the sections of the site include perfume creation and an extensive history covering antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance as well as 18th, 19th and 20th centuries: The development of aromacologie and perfumes exalting positives, soothing, invigorating, and bracing mind and body while maintaining the power of seduction. Some examples are Green Tea by Elisabeth Arden, Aromatic Tonic by Lancôme, Energizing Fragrance by Shisheido ... Today more than ever, perfume is a luxury item subject to economic concerns. However, its magical power remains intact: it beckons the imagination, invites escape reverie. From one shore to another, it has adapted itself throughout the 20th century to the cultures, traditions, and olfactory sensibilities of every continent, all the while transmitting its typically French heritage, and its undisputed savoir-faire the world over. Odoriferous molecules are breathed in and dissolve on the mucus-lined walls of the nose. Sensory cells located in the nasal cavities pick up from there and transmit the information to the brain's olfactory bulbs by way of the sensory nerves. The whole process takes place in one/thousandth of a second. Excerpt "In Europe, Diaghilev's London ballet production of Shéhérazade in 1909 sent sales of mascara and eye shadow rocketing upward. The Russian dancers' dramatic eye makeup stepped up the demand for kohl — at least for the privileged classes — and also started the fad of colored and gilded eye shadows that color-coordinated with daring evening dresses designed by the likes of Paul Poiret, an eccentric French dressmaker who, according to beauty entrepreneur Helena Rubinstein in her autobiography, used to receive his guests with 'live panthers chained in the entrance hall, each one attended by a six-foot Negro stripped to the waist, a bejeweled turban wound around his head, and his bare torso oiled and gleaming to resemble statuary.' " From an excerpt from Inventing Beauty by Teresa Riordan, published by Random House MuseumsThe Barcelona Perfume Museum which began in 1963 traces the evolution of perfumes through a selection of some nine thousand pieces: perfume bottles, advertising documents and boxes. One of the unusual items in the collection is a pair of perfume earrings consisting of two filigree silver pendent arcs. Small pigeons hang from the lower spheres and these earrings were considered to be effective against spells or maladies which could penetrate through the ears. Another type of container is a blown glass almorratxa with four spouts in a floral and fish decoration. A history traces the contributions of various countries and civilizations to perfume lore. One custom "introduced by the women of the high society of Egypt, to put underneath the wigs that habitually they carry, called 'cones,' made of fat mixed with perfumes, which they were fused with the corporal heat and with the atmosphere, at the same time that they perfumed the body that took them." (As you might have gathered, the translation from the Spanish is a bit odd at times.) The advent of commercial perfumes is outlined on the site with emphasis on the contributions of the European countries. Ten Things You Didn't Know About Blonde HairAphrodite was the original model of the blonde beauty, her hair symbolic of her sexual attractions. She set the tone for blondes, providing the role model for Venus and for many subsequent blonde sex goddesses. Eve and Mary Magdalene were the two bad girl blondes of the Middle Ages. Their blonde hair (as seen in paintings and other images of the medieval period) was singled out as a sign of dangerous sexual allure, evidence of their appetites for pleasure and their lascivious designs on innocent men. Preachers of the period tried to suppress the popularity of blonde hair, threatening hell fire and damnation on those who dyed their hair, and encouraging bonfires of blonde wigs. In Renaissance Italy, blonde hair became the unquestioned symbol of feminine beauty, openly celebrated in the paintings and poems of the period. Courtesans and wealthy women used to dye their hair using dyes made from vine ashes, chopped liquorice, lime juice and even horse urine. Only 0.001% of adults are naturally blonde. By the 1970s, with L’Oreal’s “Because I’m Worth It” campaign, blonde hair had become a symbol of woman’s independence. Victims of the famous Clairol 1960s ad campaign for a blonde rinse included Betty Friedan and David Hockney, who allegedly rushed out of his apartment in the middle of the night to buy a bottle after seeing the ad on TV. True Blue, Madonna’s first album as a blonde, sold twenty million copies worldwide. Her previous albums, for which she’d been a brunette, sold five million.
Marilyn Monroe refused to allow other actresses with blonde hair on the same film set with her. Princess Diana spent almost £4000 a year having her hair bleached. From the book, On Blondes by Johanna Pitman, published by Bloomsbury. Allison Pearson's article in the London Telegraph reveals this about Pitman herself: "Fifteen years ago, working in Africa, Pitman felt the primal charge of being blonde for herself. Exposed to the sun all day, her brownish hair turned bright gold. Mistaken for a saint, she was asked to heal a man with a snake bite. After a dash to hospital, the grateful patient shyly tried to touch his saviour's golden halo. A brunette in the same circumstances might have earned profuse thanks, but it is unlikely she would have commanded the 28 goats offered to the blonde. On Blondes shows how every age has restyled blonde hair in its own image, investing it with its particular dreams and anxieties. The subject has taken Joanna Pitman down some unlikely paths ... for purposes of research, Joanna Pitman herself went electric Andy Warhol white at colossal expense and is horrified to report that it was money well spent. She was served first in shops and people smiled at her for no reason at all. 'After a while I wondered whether I could afford not to be blonde.' " Distance learning and perfumeryThe older I become, the more I seem to need my favorite perfume, applied several times a day, in fact. It's a reassuring imprint of my taste and a comfort in itself. If you'd like to start a new career, why not the art of perfumery? Versailles University in France offers a program entirely delivered in English. The first year, held in Versailles is essentially technical and scientific (perfumery, cosmetic and chemistry), with the second year being spent either to Plymouth (UK) or Padova (Italy) for business administration and marketing applied to the perfumery and cosmetic sector. Hair"I'm having a Bad Hair Day. Well, to be honest, I'm having a Bad Hair Week. I'm due for a haircut and my hair has reached that stage where charmingly tousled becomes downright unkempt. Fortunately, I am not without resources in this battle with my unruly locks. Science is on my side. About a year ago (about the same time I became a blonde), I started doing a little research into hair and makeup for a book that I planned to write. Along the way — through hair color changes and research — I realized that a little bit of understanding could reduce the number of Bad Hair Days I experience. Scientific knowledge and a few chemical concoctions will get me through the week and a half until I get my hair back into acceptable shape... " In a week and a half, I'll take my unkempt mop of hair to my trustworthy hairdresser and do a little experimenting. I know that blondes have fun, but I've started wondering about redheads, and how much fun they have. I'm still in the research phase on this. I'll get back to you in a few years with definitive results. But I have decided that there's nothing like a little color to improve a Bad Hair situation." Read Better Hair Through Chemistry by Pat Murphy at the Exploratorium Magazine Fresh.com carries products that sound good enough to eat: Fleurs de Chocolat with three eau de parfum in the collection named after female opera heroines. Manon is a dreamy, soft fragrance, accented by succulent pear, gentle linden and fig, centered on airy freesia, wild rose and jasmine, balanced on bitter chocolate, rosewood and cloves. Mikado is a rich, exotic fragrance balanced by bergamot, dreamy vanilla and mint leaf, heartened with Darjeeling tea, Moroccan pomegranate and amber, resting on vetiver, bitter chocolate and Tonka bean. Forget the face, get out the spoon. |
