EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH KEDRA HART THE GENIUS BEHIND **PLAP #13** & OPUS OILS PERFUMES by Felicia Hazzard
Re-post of original interview that appeared on PERFUME PHARMER
Kedra Hart, perfumer and owner of OPUS OILS JITTERBUG PERFUME PARLOUR in Hollywood, California is a perfumer with a unique style but with a simple approach to perfumery that has made her a household name around the globe.
The OPUS OILS collection include an eclectic of fragrances and themes to suit everyone such as The Absinthe Collection, The Afraid of the Dark Collection, Burlesque Collection, Dirty Sexy Wilde, The Divine Collection, The Fetish Collection, Island Girl Collection, Jitterbug, Les Bohemes, Roller Girl and introducing as of July 2011, Wild Child#13 Collection.
My discussion with Ms. Hart is about THE DIVINE COLLECTION. This is due to its historical and mythical aromas around deities that surround beliefs from around the world and for the summer Scent Event, SUMMER OF PATCHOULI LOVE 2011 where the main theme is peace-love and “patchouli “scent.
THE INTERVIEW:
Kedra, I think THE DIVINE COLLECTION is just wonderful and it is 100% ALL NATURAL. Why is it important to have THE DIVINE COLLECTION an all natural perfume?
It felt like the best choice for the subject matter… With this Perfume Collection I wanted to tap into the concept of “Magical Perfumery,” the practice of using the energy in Aromatic essences for the purpose of stimulating and affecting one’s conscious states. While Aroma Chemicals may be pleasing to our noses, there is no power in them whatsoever, “energetically” speaking. Natural Aromatics have often been referred to as the “SOUL” of the plant, and these concentrated essences are capable of having a considerable effect on our physical and mental bodies.
Kedra, what is it that you like best about THE DIVINE COLLECTION?
While I was working on this collection I used lots of rare and unusual essences to create the scents. Several of them were a bit challenging (Seaweed Absolute, Choya Nakh) and so it was especially rewarding to be able to find a harmonious balance within these blends.
ISIS perfume is a representation of the GODDESS ISIS. How did you determine what notes to use to describe “mystical enchanting blend”?
For each perfume in the Divine Collection I incorporated notes that were somehow linked to the Deity that was the theme of the scent… The Blue Lotus flower is considered sacred to Isis, and Frankincense & Myrrh are two of the most ancient aromatics in existence, and they were used heavily in Egypt for Religious & ceremonial practices to produce a heightened awareness of the spiritual realms.
Kedra for PAN perfume, how did you come up with the name for it?
The Goat God Pan has long been one of my all time favorite God archetypes… What’s not to love about a musky, earthy Goat-Man/God who “rocks” his Nymphs with his pipes, whilst celebrating nature by “stinking up” the place?… Of course his association with the world of fragrance was cemented in Tom Robbins’ “Jitterbug Perfume,” a treasure of a novel that blew my mind wide open when I was a youth, and continues to blow my mind every time I visit it again… I always felt especially kindred to this book as “KUDRA” is only one letter off from my name, after all…
PAN has a note of PATCHOULI and I know the ‘Summer of Love PATCHOULI 2011′ Scent Event created by Perfume Pharmer’s Monica Miller favors PAN perfume. Kedra, what does it mean to be apart of this unique event dedicated to PATCHOULI?
Participating in Monica’s Summer of Patchouli Love 2011 Event has been an absolute blast!!!… I am really enjoying the community spirit that it is inspiring, and not to mention some very DEEP experiences, as far as Scent Memories and all the deep dark secrets that Patchouli has unearthed for me personally…
Kedra, I love the notes you chose in Venus! It is an array of rich notes with highlights of floral. Kedra, what did you want to capture in this fragrance that gives a unique and edgy scent?
What I wanted to capture in this scent was the “Birth from the Sea,” aspect of the Venus Mythology… This led me to include several unusual Natural Marine-type notes such as Seaweed Absolute, Choya Nakh (burned crushed Seashells), and Beach Found Ambergris. I chose to create a heart of floral notes with a chorus line of Rose, Jasmine, & Ylang Ylang (the notes most traditionally associated with Venus), in support of the “Leading Lady” Pink Lotus, an aquatic perennial.
I have noticed more and more creations of “green” fragrances on the market. Eros has the right balance of notes with a citrus flavor. How important is it to have a “green” fragrance in a perfume collection?
Thank you for the compliment! I am so very pleased to hear this :~)…
Yes, I definitely know what you mean about the “GREEN” Trend… And it is most definitely one of “THE” most important Categories of Fragrance to have in a Perfume Collection at the moment. I first noticed this trend stirring last February 2010, when I was working with The Four Seasons in Beverly Hills on a Valentines Day Custom Blend Perfume Event. It was sort of a phenomenon actually – every single client that I worked with (from the Tourists, to the Producer & His Wife) requested a “Green Scent.” Some of them wanted a “Gourmand Green,” some wanted an ‘Earthy Green,” and some wanted “A Green Green,” but it was across the board “GREEN” with a capitol G, literally EVERY time!
There was a really special moment at Twilight on Valentine’s Day/Eve (I was totally saturated, covered in GREEN Bases with Orange Blossom Hearts, at this point) when the husband of one of my “Couples” was out on the wrap-a-round balcony (on the 16th Floor) and he called to his wife and I to…, “Come out her right now!” because there was a “Hummingbird going crazy!!!”… When we went out to join him, the Hummingbird flew up to me at eye level moving in to my Personal Space and started “buzzing” around me, circling like a Dervish as he proceeded to “Check Me Out,” at close range… Let’s just say, it was clearly very erotic on His part, and I’m quite certain that he was responding to my green scent… So, I would have to say that even as far as “Nature” is concerned, “GREEN” is very alive as a premiere choice on our Aromatic Palates right now.
Thank you Kedra so much. I truly appreciate getting to know more about THE DIVINE COLLECTION.
Thank You, Felicia! I really enjoyed your very thoughtful and interesting questions!
Interview by Felicia Hazzard, Fragrance Belles-Lettres
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