Roxana Villa To Bee

by that  Beeyouteeful HoneypieTOM

 

 

 

 

High in the hills above Malibu, Roxana Villa has been blending her wonderful botanical scents.  My favorites of hers evoke California, and her new scent in a way does as well.  A Beekeeper, she was inspired by what she calls “the warm, musky scent of the bee hive”.  I can’t say that I would know what that is precisely, but her scent is a winner.  I get the honey in the opening, not as sweet as say Botrytis, not in-your-face like Miel de Bois.  It’s soft and lovely and joined by spices, amber and a delightful woody musk.

 

To Bee is available as a perfume or as one of her wonderful solids at her etsy shop, see her blog for the address: http://journal.illuminatedperfume.com/2011/06/here-we-bee.html

 

Roxana has also generously offered to send a sample to a reader.  Please let us know in the comments if you would like to be included (US only, sorry)

 

  • Judy says:

    I actually love honey bees and am sorry they seem to be in trouble. Would LOVE a sample of To Bee, please!

  • Peg says:

    I would love a sample. It sounds inviting. The smell of beeswax is one of the best smells in the world to me.

    Thank you!
    Peg

  • Crystal says:

    I just tried Roxana’a Vera and really enjoy it,now i’m on a mission to sample more of her lovely scents.
    Thanks!!

  • Denise says:

    I just found Roxana’s fragrances on Etsy and am blown away by her intriguing marketing of the scents. I am an encaustic artist, using molten beeswax paints in my creations, so To Bee holds a special allure! I would love to be included in the drawing.

  • Heather says:

    This fragrance sounds marvelous. I’d love to be entered in the drawing.

  • Jessica says:

    Oh! I would just love to smell a sample of this:)

  • Andrea says:

    I’m late to the party… again. But if it’s not too late I’d love to be entered!

  • Amy H says:

    Would love to try Roxana’s new scent. I like the muskiness of honey also, and not too sweet sounds great.

  • LindaB says:

    Sounds interesting! Please include me in the draw…thanks!

  • Dana says:

    I love putting honey on my tea and yogurt and this scent sounds wonderful. Please include me in the draw.

  • Gina Thompson says:

    This sounds so soft and lovely. I love honey scents and have a couple: Honey and the Moon, Africanimal, but neither feels comfortable on my skin. I would love to try this; please enter me in the drawing.

  • Cynthia says:

    I’m a huge fan of Illuminated Perfumes by Roxana, and I’ve been wanting to try this one!

  • hongkongmom says:

    Yay, finally …I would love to try this and…. I will be in USA, so I have a mailing address!!!

  • Angela says:

    The perfume sounds heavenly… I’d love to be included in the drawing!

  • Nancy says:

    I have had so many honey bees in my garden this year….
    Please enter me in the draw…memories of honey as a girl and savoring the honeycomb too.

  • dee says:

    I would love to try this! Please enter me in the draw :)

  • Lavanya says:

    I’d love to be entered in the draw! This sounds beautiful..

  • Valentine says:

    I’d love to be included. I’ve never smelled a beehive either, but I LOVE honey notes in my fragrances!

  • Susan says:

    I would LOVE a smell! I applaud small individual creators of scent (of anything actually). Thanks if it’s me!

  • Claudia says:

    I would love to be included in the draw. Many thanks! :-)

  • Lisa S. says:

    I love honey based scents. so I would love a sample of this.

  • Julie says:

    I would love to try this!

  • maggiecat says:

    I’d love a sample of To Bee! I’ve not yet found a honey-based scent that works for me, but one with spices and musk sounds heavenly. Thanks for the review, Tom, and the reminder to go check out Roxana’s website again.

  • I would love to get a sample, sounds heavenly!

  • ElizabethC says:

    Please enter me in the drawing! I love perfumes with a honey scent!

  • Holly F. says:

    I love honey! One of my favorite notes. Please include me in the draw, this sounds wonderful!

  • dremybluz says:

    the scent sounds fantastic–please enter me in the draw

  • dleep says:

    I love honey in perfume and would love to try this! Thanks.

  • KirstenMarie says:

    I watch the beeds outside my kichen window buzz all around my cherry tree. They’re my friendly summer visitors. Please enter me in the drawing!

  • Lisa D says:

    I haven’t ever smelled any of Roxana Villa’s perfumes; would love to give this one a try. Please enter me in the draw.

  • Tina says:

    I’d love to try it! Please enter me. Thanks.

  • Ann says:

    Ooh, Tom, this sounds delightful. I fear I’m a honey virgin (hangs head in shame :”>) but this looks like it would be a lovely entry point. Thanks!!

  • Barbara says:

    The only honey scent I have is Naked Honey by MAC. Would love to try this, please enter me!!

  • bookhouseshell says:

    Sounds wonderful! Please add me to the draw.

  • Kristin says:

    Clover in the backyard sounds wonderful :) Please keep us updated on the hives and resulting honey.

    I would love to be entered in the draw :)

  • margaret says:

    Roxana creates the most sublime scents ever. i am now enjoying her “Cimbalom”, and would love to sample “To Bee”. Thanks for the chance!

  • carlene says:

    That sounds beautiful, please enter my name in the drawing.

  • Maureen says:

    I have never tried a honey fragrance before. I would love to try this. Please enter me in the draw. Thanks.

  • Debbie R. says:

    I would love to be entered in the draw for this sample! I adore honey fragrances. Botrytis, Miel de Bois, Honey and the Moon…I love them all. Roxana’s To Bee sounds really delightful, what with the muskiness of the hive. As far as I can tell from DSH fragrances that have beeswax in them, it’s a fragrance I love.

  • karin says:

    Cool!!! This reminds me of a really cool exhibit we saw recently at the Confederation Centre of the Arts gallery in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island by artist Aganetha Dyck. A live, active bee hive is part of it. Plus she has some amazing photos that she somehow captured with a flatbed scanner inside a hive. Here’s a link to those pics:

    http://members.shaw.ca/aga5/hivescans/index.html

    Would love to try Roxana’s bee scent – thanks for the draw!!!

    • Musette says:

      Karin,

      Those photos are incredible!!! I wonder if she built the scanner into the hive – looks like it. We are structuring our kitchen garden (and the back part of the yard) specifically for bees – El O and I just visited a set of working hives in a clover field…so lovely.

      xo >-)

  • Marla says:

    Roxana’s newest? Of course, count me in. I particularly love her solid perfumes.

  • TaffyJ says:

    I’d love to bee in the drawing. Just picked up a paperback that looks like interesting reading: “The Beekeeper’s Lament”

  • K.R. says:

    We designed this yard for bees. I love them and would appreciate being included in The Bee’s drawing.

    • Musette says:

      We are in the midst of designing the rear of our yard, where the kitchen garden is, for bees, too! The front plantings is for hummingbirds (as you probably know, honeybees prefer yellow/blue/white whilst hummingbirds prefer red – that’s too much of a color freakout for me so I split it up

      we’ve seeded our lawn with clover and are installing hives in the spring – wish us luck!

      xo >-)

      • jirish says:

        I didn’t know this, how interesting! No wonder I never get hummingbirds (no reds at all) and tons of bees (blue and white only). The bees especially love the lavender bushes we have lining both sides of the walkway to our front door. Good luck with your hive. I’ve thought about having one on the flat roof over our sunporch, but I’m not sure our neighbors here in the city would appreciate that.

        • Musette says:

          Check your ordinances – if they are allowed you should put one in. They are pretty innocuous – the bees don’t rush all over the place so it’s not like they are going to run over to the neighbors and sting them – and if you live in a hipster neighborhood you are likely to be lauded, rather than criticised. A lot of restaurants are now keeping bees on their roof. I know of one in SF and here’s another interesting link http://www.unlimitedmagazine.com/blog/?p=391

          xo >-)

  • Joanna says:

    Honey let it bee me! Would love a sample. :)

  • Kym says:

    I adore honey notes and would love to explore this one — please enter me in the draw. Thanks

  • faylene505 says:

    By coincidence, I spent some time on this website recently and was quite impressed. I’m sure To Bee is lovely so please enter my name in the drawing. Thanks.