Virtuessence of Esther Perfume Oil by Virtue & Valor

Queen Esther said when she must save her people and went to Great Persian King Ahasuerus, without his summons, which meant death for her, “….And so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.”

To be frank, I almost cry smelling this perfume oil. Never in my life, I found a scent so beautiful, richly complex, deeply motivating. A fragrance that transform me into another dimension when women are praised high, not only for mere beauty nor sensuality - but for her good attitude, her courage to stand for the poor and her good deed.

Like a symphony, each aroma sings in harmony. First, the freshness of ylang-ylang burst open with zest of orange screaming. Too rare I found – or fall in love with – an opening consisting of ylang-ylang, which known for its strong aroma.

Not for long the aroma stayed, as sweet cinnamon smell – spiced with cloves - overpowered its predecessor. Recollecting my bad habit of putting much cinnamon powder on top of my Starbucks milky-coffee froth, I smiled instantly.

Gently, jasmine – soft, blooming – enveloped me like an intoxicating cloud, like a spellbinding mist. Feeling cleansed and relaxed, a true woman in me awoke. Talk about a lady’s inner beauty; I felt like a princess running in my English garden, wearing my stunning ball gown, full of spirit of life.

Trapped in beauty, eventually I smelled the long-awaiting frankincense blended in my favorite wood of all time: sandalwood. I was thrown back to a quiet afternoon in a small church near my dorm when an Easter mass (in Latin) was held. The lingering odor of burning incense left a trace in mind.

As a whole, this is a complex perfume. Hours after first spritz, when the substances mixed well with my body, a totally different smell in each body part came out. I could smell amber with frankincense out of my middle body part. On the back of my hand, jasmine and cinnamon. And, all of them mixed together on my wrist, layered with musk and vanilla.

Suitable for religious / school / family event, this fragrance can be used for some indoor-shopping, too. Strangely, somehow the sophisticated smell inspires you and uplifts your spirit. I have tried it twice: once when there was a need to read a boring legal document and second time when facing a manangement-meeting as scary as an ‘unsummoned-plea-meeting’ between Queen Esther and King Ahasuerus.

Perfume oil can be bought online at Virtue & Valor, Inc, a niche perfumery, www.virtueandvalor.com. Payment can be done thru Paypal. Shipping took one week (and, yes, they did arrive safe and sound :-))  

PS: Isn’t the bottle (and the applicator!) looks nice ?

Top Notes : Lily, Orange, Ylang

Middle Notes : Cinnamon, Ginger, Jasmine, Clove

Base Notes : Vanilla, Amber, Musk, Patchouli, Frankincense, Sandalwood

Image : taken from www.virtueandvalor.com