I renewed my membership with Co-op America this morning. Mostly to not lose my momentum with them. Secondarily because they do good work and have the best of intentions and I want to see them continue to grow; I originally joined them when they were still a good bit smaller and were just [...]
what do you seek in a professional org?
July 8th, 2008 — , Perfume Bloggers from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
not perfuming, painting!
July 6th, 2008 — , Art, News, painting from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
Gah, the painting bug has caught me but good. I wasn’t supposed to, but I pulled out a 16×20 inch canvas yesterday and set to it, in the kitchen. I wasn’t going to do this for another two or three weeks.
While cooking a pot of chicken soup with sweet onions and garlic, and [...]
can you sign the petition, please?
June 26th, 2008 — , FDA, FDA Globalization Act, News, Perfume Bloggers from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
If you haven’t already.
I posted about the FDA Globalization Act of 2008 previously.
Here’s your chance to get active, eh.
In a nutshell, the current draft of the Act spells business closures for most small businesses who move under a certain volume, annually. It is in essence an income stream for an agency that has proven time [...]
okay, so it’s not 33 1/3, it’s turned up to 78 speed
June 25th, 2008 — , Life, Perfume Bloggers, busy, overbearing cats, records, whinging from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
That overused phrase about being as busy as a one-legged man at an ass-kicking contest kind of landed on my head like a piano falling out of the sky, yesterday.
Busy much?
Everything was at standard 33 1/3 rpm during the Mercury retrograde, I felt kind of like some strange slow motion thing happening in the external [...]
Continue reading → okay, so it’s not 33 1/3, it’s turned up to 78 speed
rosemary revisited
June 15th, 2008 — , Chocolate, Natural Aromatics, lavender, mandrake apothecary, rosemary from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
I had to decant sample vials of Rosemary today and something about its greenish brown gummy character (the absolute is like a olive green hunk of herbaceous fudge) made me wonder how it would behave with chocolate, to sort of play up the fudgy weirdness, and would a particularly dusty and greenish-smell patchouli be an [...]
degrees of coffee
June 11th, 2008 — , Natural Aromatics, cacao, cocoa nibs, coffee, tincturing from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
I have a row of bottles at my work bench, filled with freshly roasted coffee beans of various origin, and biodynamic grape alcohol. They’ve been there since I moved, following a crazed trip to Peet’s for a half pound of decaf that quickly became a quest to try coffees from all producing continents.
What is surprising [...]
so, because the FDA isn’t stretched enough already
June 9th, 2008 — , FDA, Globalization Act of 2008, Regulations, business, costs of doing business, regulatory agencies, small business from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
There’s word on the wind about the Food and Drug Administration Globalization Act of 2008.
A lot of us small businesses are quaking in our boots abut it. With good reason, because many won’t be able to afford the reg fees that’ll be required for us to remain in business.
And, you can tell in spades [...]
Continue reading → so, because the FDA isn’t stretched enough already
the power of copal and myrrh
June 9th, 2008 — , Myrrh, Natural Aromatics, Ofrenda, Perfume, abies grandis, copal, frankincense, mandrake apothecary from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
I poured and packed three bottles of Ofrenda this morning, for an order. This is one that I had to make an emergency batch of a couple months ago, because it looked like I’d be running out in June (and lo… it happened).
It’s a bit strange to describe, but I feel like I’m working in [...]
appreciating roses right now
June 6th, 2008 — , Medea, Natural Aromatics, Natural Perfumery, Rose, mandrake apothecary from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
I had to make up another batch of Medea some weeks ago, and finally filtered it yesterday afternoon, after work. There is something very guttural and yet refined about how the damask rose plays off of pink lotus, ginger lily, and carnation. The touch of ambrette in the base (not a predominant note, so I [...]
timing belts and removing grime
May 31st, 2008 — , Natural Aromatics, mechanics, sugar scrubs from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
This has absolutely nothing to do with perfume, but aromatics play into it, so I’ll forge along and just post anyway.
We’re trying to get the Buttless Wonder Car to pass smog, which in CA can be quite difficult to do unless you have a brand new vehicle, and it means having to adjust the timing [...]
antiquated-book-smell, and other things
May 30th, 2008 — , Books, Leather, Natural Aromatics, Patchouli, formulation from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
It’s been done, maybe to death; I’m not sure because I’ve not looked for others doing this for a couple years, but I’m thinking about recreating the smell of antiquated books. Down to the old leather binding.
I know to start with some antique terpeneless patchouli I managed to source a long time ago, and [...]
explorations of Pogostemon cablin
May 29th, 2008 — , Natural Aromatics, Patchouli, mandrake apothecary from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
I have a 16 oz bottle of dark patchouli from India that I’ve been hoarding for about six years. Aside from it making the opening of the bottle a bit tarry over time, it has aged into something really special. Golden, fruity, contemplative, green, herbaceous, dusty, sweet freshly-turned soil. All at once.
So [...]
I don’t agree, but it is interesting.
May 25th, 2008 — , Fragrance, Perfume, Vanilla from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
Your Fragrance Profile
The best calming fragrance: vanilla
The best fragrance for everyday wear: orange
The best fragrance to boost your sex appeal: lavender
The best fragrance for energy: pine
What’s Your Fragrance Profile?
When a review is not a review?
May 21st, 2008 — , Perfume, Reviews, luca turin, perfumes the guide, tania sanchez from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
I’ve been trying to work my way through ‘Perfumes: The Guide’ by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez. This is happening in fits and starts, because the obvious glee with which the two of them render their opinions is thick enough to slice up like polenta, fry, and serve alongside a wilted spinach salad with [...]
co-distills and attars rock
May 21st, 2008 — , Natural Aromatics, Natural Perfumery, attar, co-distillation, mandrake apothecary, rosa bourbonia, ruh khus, vetiver from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
I’ve been playing with attars in a very limited fashion for some years now. There are the obvious tonalities like mitti (baked earth distilled into sandalwood), gulhina (henna into same), motia (jasmine sambac into same), et al.
But you can get attars (I think these are technically co-distills) in vetiver as well. My current favorite is [...]
co-distills and attars rock
May 21st, 2008 — , Natural Aromatics, Natural Perfumery, attar, co-distillation, mandrake apothecary, rosa bourbonia, ruh khus, vetiver from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
I’ve been playing with attars in a very limited fashion for some years now. There are the obvious tonalities like mitti (baked earth distilled into sandalwood), gulhina (henna into same), motia (jasmine sambac into same), et al.
But you can get attars (I think these are technically co-distills) in vetiver as well. My current favorite is [...]
eau de cologne, again
May 20th, 2008 — , Natural Aromatics, Natural Perfumery, eau de cologne, water from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
Jiminy crickets. This addition of water stuff really gives me fits.
I managed to add a few milliliters of filtered water to one blend, minimal clouding. The trick is to either work with one of those magnetic stirrer jobbies, or to be really thorough and swift with your stirring rod as you add drop by drop.
The [...]
Saffron
May 20th, 2008 — , Manniche, Natural Aromatics, Natural Perfumery, Saffron, arctander, mandrake apothecary from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
From Lise Manniche (Sacred Luxuries), “…The well-known flower pistils of Crocus sativus relate to Egypt only as far as saffron is an ingredient in the kyphi recipe provided by Galen. This presumably occurred because saffron was much loved in the classical world for its scent as well as its colour. It was known in the [...]
eau de cologne
May 19th, 2008 — , Natural Aromatics, eau de cologne from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
Hungary Water, Koelnische Wasser, 4711, the stuff that Napoleon Drenched Himself In By the Quart…
I did two standard recipes for this today. Both of them have thyme as an herbaceous element. Both of them have rosemary. I really do not like the effect the rosemary has on the lemony elements; it turns them into a [...]
bread and baked goods
May 18th, 2008 — , Gourmand, Natural Aromatics, aromachology, butter, cacao, coffee, wheat from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
I was too beat to post last night, but it was on the tip of my brain to think a bit about foodie scents and their place in perfume. Some folks call them ‘gourmand’.
Generally speaking, these are not odors I seek out, at all. The idea of smelling like my aunt’s kitchen the after she’s [...]
Arctander is good for the imagination…
May 16th, 2008 — , Natural Aromatics, arctander from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
…I managed to get a copy of Arctander from Amazon awhile ago for substantially less than any of the other outlets claiming to offer a discount (I think it’s quite ballsy to call it a discount when you’re working your angle as the only gig in town for a reprint), and just wanted to note [...]
I miss my Cistus purpurea
May 14th, 2008 — , Labdanum, Natural Aromatics, cistus from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
When I moved in February, I left behind a huge shrub that’d started out as a wee 4-inch pot from a local nursery. It bloomed like crazy all year, save the rainy season and when it got seriously cold. And the cuttings were nice.
The BF gave it a haircut every year, sometimes twice a year, [...]
ginger on my mind
May 12th, 2008 — , Ginger, Ignis, Natural Perfumery, Perfume, mandrake apothecary, paracelsus from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
When I picture a fire-breathing dragon, I tend to think of ginger from several angles. Ginger is sweetness, spice, sharp edges that dull into almost cool surfaces, warmth, and fire in the belly. And it’s one of those aromatics that is unmistakeable, much like cinnamon cannot be mistaken for any other essence.
And I worked with [...]
mother’s day, and remembering
May 11th, 2008 — , Perfume Bloggers from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
Mom’s been gone for 20 years.
There were a few things she liked, that still make me nostalgic when I smell them. Windsong eau de toilette. Devon Violets (this was something she started wearing when my great grandma was on the decline). Plain lavender. I remember her wearing patchouli when I was just a little [...]
Musk rose (hard to find, but worth it)
May 11th, 2008 — , Circe, Natural Aromatics, Natural Perfumery, mandrake apothecary, musk rose, phytol from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
I was talking about using blue lotus phytol, a few posts down…
I also happen to have a small (okay, hoarded) quantity of musk rose phytol. Rosa moschatus.
Because Circe is almost running low, I broke it out today to use in that perfume. Musk rose is like rose petal preserves. But it’s not marmalade like a [...]
Orris, sweet and dusty orris
May 10th, 2008 — , Lise Manniche, Natural Aromatics, Natural Perfumery, Orris, iris, violet from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
I went to Lise Manniche for an entry on iris this morning, because I felt like I was missing something in my appreciation.
“Varieties of iris grow wild in Egypt today; Dioscorides gave nar as its Egyptian name. Petals of Iris albicans Lange or I. florentina have been identified in an Egyptian burial of Graeco-Roman [...]
Gulhina, better with age
May 9th, 2008 — , Perfume Bloggers from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
I’ve had about an ounce of gulhina attar for 4 years, and check in on it infrequently. I had to uncap and use a faint smidge when I made up another batch of Hekate recently, and it has really improved since I first got it. Maybe it was a relatively fresh attar in 2004?
Gulhina is [...]
aromachology in action
May 8th, 2008 — , Perfume Bloggers from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
I live near a steel mill. For years, I had no idea one was located in town, because I’d never lived in the neighborhood near it.
It was the smell that I noticed, after some years. And that’s another topic entirely, but the neighborhood associations are in a lawsuit w/ the mill because of the fumes, [...]
Nelumbo nucifera, the blue one
May 8th, 2008 — , Perfume Bloggers from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
I’m working on expanding my palette of heart notes, and am starting to work, slowly, with a phytonic extraction of blue lotus.
When I first began working with the lotus flower absolutes, I was reminded of really dense and sticky confections, that had a hit of floral to them. And then I managed to procure some [...]
Hekate is back!
May 8th, 2008 — , Perfume Bloggers, blue lotus, botanical perfumery, mandrake apothecary from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
It’s been on the list of ‘things to do’ for a couple months, but Hekate is finally back in the lineup alongside Demeter.
I’m hoping to add an additional unguent or eau de parfum with blue lotus as a primary note in coming months. I particularly like what it does with rose and spikenard in [...]
not an allergy, eh?
May 5th, 2008 — , Perfume Bloggers from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
I got a copy of the book Luca Turin authored with Tania Sanchez, Perfumes: The Guide, and I was reading it on the train last week and happened upon a passage about sensitivities and allergies versus just disliking something.
Apparently a headache does not an allergy or sensitivity make. I am not sure I can believe [...]
woohoo! new site and logo…
May 4th, 2008 — , Perfume Bloggers from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
I had to learn DreamWeaver by the seat of my pants last week, and managed to completely rebuild my site. It is in some semblance of ‘final’ right now.
And I redid my logo; it actually has a mandrake root in it now
Mandrake Apothecary is carbon-balanced!
May 3rd, 2008 — , Perfume Bloggers, Solar, carbon balanced, carbon neutral from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
A couple weeks ago, I signed on with Terrapass in order to balance out the carbon ye olde Mandrake generates. It was not easy figuring out how much we generate, and I think this is something that makes it hard to take people seriously when they say they’re carbon-balanced or carbon neutral, or whatever.
In the [...]
technical difficulties
April 17th, 2008 — , Perfume Bloggers from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
Sometimes I wonder if I was born under a bad sign or something.
My page is temporarily down. The webhost has been contacted. I haven’t threatened anyone yet, but who knows what the day will bring.
What is really stupid about the whole thing, is I was updating the blankety blank page and ftp overwrote [...]
chocolate season is upon us!
November 9th, 2007 — , Perfume Bloggers from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
Well, very nearly.
I visited the Global Exchange website to see what sorts of Theobroma cacao goodies they’d be offering up this holiday season, and it looks like truffles thus far.
You might say I have chocolate on the brain.
Holiday soaps are currently in production at some stage, being it firming up for unmolding, curing, waiting to [...]
Hemera, the last of the summer flowers
October 10th, 2007 — , Natural Perfumery, News, Perfume, mandrake apothecary from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
Hemera is the primordial goddess of the day, and Nyx (primordial goddess of night) is her mother.
Her perfume is built around a heart accord of tuberose and violet leaf, bolstered by ambrette seed, and exalted by neroli and petitgrain. This scent is reminiscent of the sensory overload that is the overgrown and wild summer flower [...]
alcohol, the perfect medium
July 11th, 2007 — , Alchemy, Natural Aromatics, Natural Perfumery, spagyrics from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
Alcohol-based perfumes have this reputation preceding them, which I’d never quite realized the scope of until I started creating eau de parfum, experimenting ever more with high-proof grain and grape alcohols.
For some reason, alcohol is almost universally viewed as a diluent rather than as a carrier for aromatics, or a blending medium, or, how to [...]
spikenard, Nardostachys jatamansi
June 26th, 2007 — , Natural Aromatics, Perfume from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
There are multiple forms of this available, but I favor the amber. Spikenard is the renowned ‘nard’ that the woman (one of the women to form the Mary Magdalene composite character in the Bible) anointed Jesus’ feet with.
So, it has religiously symbolic trappings, which appeal. A nose-governed friend of mine asked if Mary Magdalene could [...]
Damascena, Centifolia, Bourbonia, Moschatus, and how!
June 25th, 2007 — , Natural Aromatics, Natural Perfumery, Perfume, mandrake apothecary from scentedwench @ The Scented Wench
May had me in the planning stages of a project based around roses, and June has seen that to completion, sort of. We’re still blending and reblending and aging and tweaking, but I think that the rosy end of the tunnel is approaching!
The rose is one of the longest-cultivated flowers. It is traditionally [...]
Continue reading → Damascena, Centifolia, Bourbonia, Moschatus, and how!