Entries from June 2008 ↓

dark fascination

Finally, the eagerly awaited, long promised, finally delivered Sambac Jasmine absolute sample landed on my desk. Or better: On the dining table. Where it sends out immense, unheard of clouds of … white jasmine flowers with a sweet powdery line complementing an indole line that is incredibly present. Greetings from Janus. Where white beauty and [...]

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Humor, Laughter & Jokes

“[P]opular among modern theorists is the “incongruity theory” of joking, which sees humor and laughter stemming from the inappropriate mixing of categories or registers of meaning (”Work is the curse of the drinking classes,” as Oscar Wilde quipped). O…

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Scent of the Day

Paris (1984) Yves Saint LaurentTopnotes: Rose petals, orange blossom, mimosa, cassia, hawthorn, nasturtium, bergamot, greens, hyacinth Heartnotes: Rose, violet leaves, jasmine, orris, ylang-ylang, lily of the valley, lily, linden blossom Basenotes: San…

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Back to work on ambre

I finally got to work a bit on Ambre Noir again today.  I still like the last tester version I did better than the experiments after that, so I retreated to that formula and am taking another path with it.  I like the drydown but not the start, and I’m thinking that instead of adding more [...]

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In the Woods

I’m not dead – just off to Maine. Which some of you would say is the same thing … well, I’m back now, anyway. In my haste to pack the Ship of Fools and prepare for a trip during which I wouldn’t be online — including getting all those lovely folks to cover [...]

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Liv Tyler Presents: Perfection

I’m back from Paris, tired and perfumed. There are many stories to tell, shopping advice and fun discoveries to share, but I’m too jet-lagged to make sense or form full sentences. Instead, I’d rather stare at Liv Tyler at the Christian Dior show of Par…

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All Things Lavender

It is Lavender season, many festivals in honor of this universally healing herb take place at this time of year. The word lavender comes from the Latin “Lavare” meaning to wash. The herb has a very rich presence in literature and is used widely in medi…

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vintage perfume ad of the day: Giorgio Beverly Hills

What can you say about this perfume, application of which was practically mandated by law at one time? You see the packaging and a boat of memories comes floating back. In one of these memories, it’s high school, between classes, and you’re approachin…

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Color, Light, Happiness and Joy

Our bride finally received her photos and LOVED them! Rave reviews. She gave us permission to use any photos we like for our purposes so I thought I’d start to put a few of my favorites up today.Spiritual Counseling, Perfume, Healing and Me
www.healing…

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Scent of the Day

Mitsouko (1919) GuerlainTopnotes: Peach, bergamot, hesperides Heartnotes: Lilac, rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang Basenotes: Vetiver, amber, oakmoss, cinnamon, spicesSurvivor Man, 2006-2007, Jay Davis

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Will Lapaz of Eden Botanicals - Guest Q&A Expert in Anya’s Garden class

On Saturday, June 28th, students in both the Fall 2007 and Spring 2008 online class were able to ask an expert in the field of natural aromatics numerous questions in a “live chat” session. From Australia to Denmark, through numerous time zones, the st…

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Dandy of the Day: Isabella Blow (1958-2007)

Isabella Blow was an English magazine editor and international style icon. The muse of hat designer Phillip Treacy, she is credited with discovering the models Stella Tennant and Sophie Dahl as well as the fashion designer Alexander McQueen (she bought…

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Stir The Pot

It is not surprising to me that Mondays are my day to make up food for the rest of the week, as well as the day that I evaluate (and tweak if need be) my perfume trials in the lab.There is a direct relationship, I think between the way we process food …

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Fragrance Bouquet on Summer Vacation and Draw Winner Announcement

Goodmorning dears! I’ve been impatiently counting down the days left till my vacation and this Wednesday I am finally flying to Greece. It’s going to be Thessaloniki-Syros-Mykonos this time around. I will be taking a much needed rest (no, no, it’s a lie - I will be partying! And shopping. And partying!) until the 26th of July. Expect the Bouquet to be back in full force on Monday the 28th! I am

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Le Petit Prince Moves Into a Crêpe

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } La Petit Prince Crepe, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel. La Bohème travel…

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Pine Oil Tick and Mosquito Repellent

In one of those strange serendipitous moments that can happen with Google Alerts, I visited an article entitled “Tick and Mosquito Repellent Can Be Made Commercially from Pine Oil” which describes “a naturally-occurring compound prepared from pine oil” that deters…

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yellow fairy magic

Highlights this weekend: More samples, football, and….
Reclaiming land in Hoengg, right in front of where my basil gets eaten over night by greedy snails, whereby a Big Thicket feeling with all its sentimental memories pops up. A few meter square that’s all we could successfully get back, out of the claws of ivy and other [...]

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Custom tweaks of nature

I thought this was an interesting blurb in Perfumer and Flavorist about how natural ingredients are being tweaked to de-color them or remove allergens or change the scent profile in some way (such as removing the dirtiest part of patchouli).   Jean Claude Ellena has discussed doing this to design custom natural components in his perfumes; [...]

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Adori Odori

So… continuing on through my neglected sample drawer of new’ish releases, I reached in for the Odoris - with a sigh.  There are six perfumes for this new (to me/us) line.  Created by the same guy that did the Bois 1920s, which haven’t been a huge favorite for me, my thought:  this will likely be [...]

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Guild member Avery Gilbert interviewed on NPR radio

Avery Gilbert, psychologist and scent scientist, was interviewed on NPR radio recently. From the NPR site: How do chemistry, biology and psychology come together to create what people perceive as an aroma? Psychologist, smell scientist and entrepreneu…

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Patou Ma Collection: part 6

“The exotic image of the deepest jungle, lush vegetation, powerful spices borne over amethyst seas and strange girls in distant sun-kissed ports.” Thus is described Colony in the booklet which accompanies Patou’s Ma Collection.

In 1938, amid t…

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Tea, Sympathy, and Perfume 2008-06-29 21:53:00

I saw a photo of myself three weeks ago. I was 22. I’m 5′8″ and I weighed 118 pounds. Alas, the march of time.I’ve been dieting. Quietly and without fanfare. I’ve discovered that I’m just not the type to need support groups or partners or message boar…

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This Week at the Perfume Counter: In which your roving I Smell Therefore I Am reporter makes the marketplace rounds, nostrils flared

Earlier this week, I dropped in at Sephora, which has become something of a pit stop for me, though it’s well out of my way and nothing in the store or about the sales staff bothers to encourage these return visits. I enter eagerly, as ever, defiant…

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The Importance of Hair

“Japanese researchers have found that when economies are doing well, women wear their hair long; when there is a slump, they cut it short. While many may be sceptical of forging a link between the disparate worlds of finance and fashion, that the curre…

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The Importance of Imagination

“Unlike any other creature on this planet, humans can learn and understand, without having experienced. They can think themselves into other people’s minds, imagine themselves into other people’s places. Of course, this is a power, like my brand of…

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Dry Spell: Dreaming Dune

Last night, I dreamed I had a flight to catch—back to America, I think, from England or France or Peoria, Illinois. I was late to the airport, and it looked like I’d gone to the wrong gate, then, when I got to the right gate, the plane was pullin…

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Checking In…

The smokiness in the air was a little better today, though we didn’t have blue sky yet.  We had a bit of a breeze that may have helped reduce the thickness of the smoke, and maybe the fires are getting more under control and that’s contributing to the improvement too.
I worked on orders and gave a quick try to the [...]

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80s Perfume Ad of the Day

I vividly remember this Chantilly ad from when I was a kid in the 80’s. This ad makes me recall coming home from school to find my new Seventeen magazine in the mailbox, which I’d devour cover-to-cover that afternoon. I tore out this ad and put Kim A…

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Teo Cabanel Alahine, A Review

A quick background on Teo Cabanel: Teo Cabanel is a small perfumery originally established in Algiers around 1893. The perfume house moved to Paris in 1908, where it became the preferred perfumery of the Dutchess of Windsor. Today you’ll find that Teo…

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Juliette Has a Gun: A Review

Juliette Has a Gun: Lady Vengeance I love the name. The marketing is brilliant. The box and bottle are tres chic. But the juice is “meh.” Juliette Has a Gun: Miss Charming Same as above review for Lady Vengeance. Their new frag…

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Scent impressions on a hot day The Different Company Part 3

Between L’artisan and Serge Lutens were testers from The Different Company. Since I love Bois d’Iris, I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to at least try one of them.
Bois d’Iris notes
iris (iris pallida aka “the Fastuous” or iris florentina), vetiver, bergamot, cedar wood, narcissus, geranium, musk
I decided to sample Un Parfum [...]

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Scent impressions on a hot day Serge Lutens Part 2

Moving on to Serge Lutens from L’artisan:
Ahhhh… Oh my. This is the first time I’ve seen so many Lutens fragrances in one place since I was in Paris. On that trip I was overwhelmed by the choices, didn’t really know the offerings, and felt confused enough not to make a choice. [...]

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Scent impressions on a hot day L’Artisan Part 1

This week when I headed to a major city a few hours away, I thought I’d check out the perfumes at Neiman Marcus, because I knew they had L’Artisan and also Serge Lutens. The last time I was in a NM closer to home, they had neither.
I planned to treat myself, but ended up [...]

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Scent of the Day

Musc Nomade (2008) Annick Goutal
Notes: musks, rose, agarwood, angelica root, ambrette seed, Bombay wood, Tonka bean
Crow’s Eye View I, 2007, Z.Z. Wei

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Ain’t I a Mommy?

“[I]f black women haven’t beaten down publishers’ doors with manuscripts about mothering or about pulling second shifts, it’s probably because this is what we’ve always done, without fanfare and without the luxury of “what about the children?” pearl-cl…

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Smoke on the Mountains

The Santa Cruz fog is thick with smoke these days. It’s particularly thick in the morning but we didn’t see the sun all day yesterday. It’s not expected to show through today as well.There are hundreds of fires and the biggest one is raging just across…

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Angela nailed it: We’re Sensualist Geeks

Yesterday I read the post by Angela at Now Smell This, shaking my head in agreement and laughing out loud. Almost all the comments that followed her post vibrated like bees in a hive working for the same purpose, having similar motivations and all pu…

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Perfume Memories: Seeing with Scent

First steps, first kiss, first love—memory is especially fond of embracing events that shape fundamental life experience. I’ve often marveled at the life of Louis Braille, who accidentally blinded himself while playing with one of his father’s awls at the age of three. The memory of his childhood accident could have easily remained a haunting vignette, to be played over and over again whenever

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Scent of the Day

Un Lys (1994) Serge Lutens
Notes: lily, vanilla, musk
Remodeled, 2007, Paula Wilson

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The Importance of Story

“Dan Pink, author of A Whole New Mind, believes that the future belongs to those who can tell a story through their art, their work and their lives. He says: The era of “left brain” dominance, and the Information Age that it engendered, are giving way …

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What’s Your Friday Perfume?

Hello all! Sorry to be late again this week! I may have to start asking about your Friday perfume on Thursdays just to keep up! I’m wearing Caron Fleur de Rocaille today, with notes of violet, gardenia, lilac, rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, mimosa, sandal…

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Dressing Up Your Perfume: Ready, Set, Customize… Diesel Fuel For Life!

So, you already know I love Diesel jeans, clothes and accessories, and if you’ve read my reviews of the Fuel for Life fragrances you’ve probably already gathered I find them delightful - in fact, I am wearing the female version today, just as I am getting ready to go and grab a nice cup of coffee in the sun with my best friend. Oh yes, its light patchouli scent is definitely perfect to accompany

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Speaking of libraries

Generally speaking, I don’t buy books, as I absolutely have no place to put even one more — which doesn’t stop me on occasion.
I tend to go to the library and have them order a book for me, even if it is outside our library system.
When we first moved here, the area around us was [...]

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Alice

The patron saint of Strange Girls must be Alice.

I think there are many reasons why she holds a special place in the hearts of women. Her hair is messy. She does things she really shouldn’t do, and goes places she really shouldn’t go. She talks to str…

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Carlin


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Patou Ma Collection: part 5

This painting of Marc Chagall, Lovers in the Lilacs, has always striken me as the quintessential mark of an unanswered question which both love and flowers wear like a corona: how can the ephemeral be coaxed to last?
Lilacs especially live and die for …

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The other side of the moon

OK, the first 320 samples are done and sit for while in the perfume chamber that used to be a guest room years ago.
More samples are to follow before I leave the banks of river Limmat, take the TGV and my bike, and make a small step for mankind but a giant leap for my [...]

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Summer Essentials

Summer calls for light scents, there is nothing new about that. It seems that the most summery scents divide into the following four categories:
Citrus There is something about the rind of citrus fruit makes most people feel rejuvenated and refre…

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Insert Lemon Jokes Here- Lush Lemony Flutter

The best thing about Lush Lemony Flutter is the name. It sounds light and airy, and makes you think about fluffy things, like lemon meringue pie. You’ll need to adjust your expectation before trying it, because this thick buttery cream smells more like…

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Summer Lovin’

I’ll preface today’s post with a thanks to Matt for giving me food for thought on the subject of wearing orientals in summer. Not only do I wholeheartedly agree with him that you should spray on whatever darn pleases you, I’m also a staunch supporter of the idea that oriental, spicy perfumes are made to [...]

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