Floral Mind 01: Carnation

Hello dear readers, so I’ve been away for a while (apologies), and I’ve postponed this for too long. I’m starting this series- Floral Mind where I’d be posting about birth flowers and other related things.

For the month of January, the flower generally associated with this month is Carnation.

MEANING & SIGNIFICANCE
The Carnation comes in several different colors to convey different meanings, much like roses. A pink carnation means affection, while a red means ‘I love you.’ A white means pure love, striped carnations means regret that a love is not shared, and yellow means rejection or disappointment.

ORIGIN
This flower is native to the Mediterranean region and India and it has been at the height of its popularity in France of Louis XIV reign, when it was selected as a flower of the court.

MYTH
According to a Christian legend, the carnation bloomed on the day Jesus was born. This flower symbolized the sufferings of Christ, that’s why the Carnation is often depicted in paintings with a portrait of the Virgin Mary and child, and evidence of this fact lies in the pictures of Leonardo DA Vinci, Raphael and Rembrandt. Its name is also associated with the nails which were used in the crucifixion of Christ.

Another is an ancient story in the Greek mythology. Once, goddess Diana goes through the forest, It was sad because of unsuccessful hunting. By chance, she saw a young cattleman playing the flute. She accused him that he scared all the animals by playing his music and disregarding the young man’s freedom, she pulls out his eyes and throw them on the ground. She soon realized the full horror of her action, but it was too late to change anything. To her surprise, she found two wonderful flowers instead of the eyes of the young man. It was two bright red carnation, which symbolized the innocent shed blood.

PERFUME
Since the popularity of this flower grew, several perfumers have tried their hands on it and the results are incredibly exotic, though some are below expectations. I’ll just list a few popular brands here:

1. L’Air du temps by Nina Ricci

This is wow! This classic was launched after the World War II, in 1948, and the dove on the top is a symbol of peace.

The floral-spicy note of the carnation is in centre of its composition. 

2. Infusion d’Oeillet by Prada

This perfume was designed by Perfumer Daniela (Roche) Andrier who collaborated with Miuccia Prada to create a collection of six elegant and sophisticated unisex fragrances including this d’Oeillet. This fragrance is an ‘infusion’ of natural ingredients and the contrast between traditionalism and modernity.

Infusion d’Oeillet contains carnation, Australian sandalwood, styrax, Indonesian patchouli and mandarin essence.

3. Boudoir by Vivienne Westwood

By looking at the bottle alone, you could tell what this perfume is all about. It screams strength, femininity, confidence, sexuality and dignity. Boudoir is a  chypre-floral fragrance for women (don’t mind the grammar), and has been present since 1998. 

It was designed by Martin Gras with an intention to create a fragrance that will make all men turn their heads after the woman that wears it when the smell wafts past them 😂

So now you know about Carnations, the birthflower of the month of January and it makes it easy to have gift ideas for our loved ones whose birthdays fall in this month, either a bouquet of Carnations or a bottle.
For more information on the history and origin of Carnations, you could check here and here and also for more “Carnationed- perfumes,” you could check here and finally for a detailed review here and here

With Scented Love,
The Perfumier 🌸