It's going to be a "cool" day in Miami now that the cold front has moved through - high only up to 85F! That means I'll be in the garden a lot, starting seeds for the veggie garden. Most of my aromatics are in bloom, so it's going to be a fragrant day, too. Feel free to ask any of your perfume-creation related questions until 10 PM.
If you'd like a chance to win a 15ml spray bottle of my latest release, Royal Lotus, please visit Cafleurebon before Oct. 4th and leave a comment to be in the draw. There are nine other Guild perfumers in the Brave New Scent project that are reviewed on Cafleurebon and other websites, and you'll have a lot of chances to win one of these beautiful perfumes. Good luck!
Ask the Perfumer – Sunday, October 2, 2011 – until 10 PM EST
by Anya | Oct 2, 2011 | Anya's Garden Perfumes, Ask the Perfumer | 10 comments
Dear Anya:
I’m very excited to read about Royal Lotus because it sounds intriguing and lush. I am working with concretes now, and find them difficult because of their consistency. Do you filter them at the beginning of the aging process, or at the end?
Your newsletter just came in as I was writing this and I see you have free samples of Royal Lotus with your sample set!!!!! I’m going to spring for one because I need to revisit all of your perfumes, and I can’t wait to try Royal Lotus. Thank you, thank you.
Hugs,
Margaret
Anya,
Sounds beautiful in Miami especially in your Garden!
When you are working on a dilution of expensive and hard to work with notes what safe ratio do you usually use? I know there would be various factors involved. Thanks.
Hi
What is in your opinion, but biggest mistake beginning perfumers make? All my blends are flat and murky, and I can’t figure out why.
Thanks from Oz
Lily
Hi Margaret:
I thoroughly mash up and dissolve concretes with a bit of a secret method (sorry!) to aid in extracting all of the fragrant essences before mixing in the compound. At that point, careful use of the proper essential oils and absolutes will further draw out and release the aromatics. I then mix them all with lab equipment for part of the aging process, and don’t filter until the end.
Yes, the newsletter is one of several I’ll be sending out this week. Today’s will tell everyone about the free sample with the sample set, and discounts on the perfume and EdP. I’m also sending out a newsletter to loyal customers with special discounts, and one on my birthday, ’cause you know a girl’s gotta celebrate. I haven’t sent any for two months, so I’m just catching up 🙂
xoxo
anya
Hi Sandy:
Thanks for dropping by. Is it cold in Utah yet? Dilution savvy comes with experience. The more you sniff and make notes, the better. When something new comes on the market, like the gardenia concrete and absolute a few years ago, or blue lotus or night queen, I immediately do an organoleptic study using the form I provide for my students. I can rate the intensity and drydown of the aromatic.
Then I perform some basic accord studies ala Carles to confirm my hunches on what they will combine well with, at what dilution level. It does get a bit complicated. Most times, however, 10-20% dilution is fine for creating mods. This dilution is used for my perfume organ, of course, and converted into grams with my Excel blending program when used in a perfume compound.
Did that answer your question?
xoxo
Anya
PS I’m trying to change my profile picture but keep coming up with an exclamation point. It’s pretty funny, since I tend to use them a lot!
Oh, there, my picture came up, an older picture with my sweet kitty Lulu.
Hello Lily:
This is a frequent dilemma for beginners. You see in a previous post I speak about the intensity of the aromatics. Imagine the intense aromatics are bass trombones. They’re beautiful when just a little deep music escapes from them as an interlude in the music, but if a number of them are playing all at once, you get murky, of muffled, or muddy. Or as I call it, dampened. They’re so strong, they obscure the light bright notes of the violins and flutes (lighter, brighter aromatics). Learning to use a deft hand with one note accenting or somehow “accessorizing” the others is the key. I’ll bet you love base notes: vetiver, labdanum and the like. They’re definite dampeners. Even strong heart notes can dampen others, and the poor, light topnotes are in danger of being dampened by all the others!
Try building an accord from the bottom up, keeping precise notes. Let me know how you progress.
xoxo
Anya
Hi Anya! I wanted to know if it is possible to make a perfume with the flower Bells of Ireland? (Molucella laevis) I have looked without luck to find it as an ingredient. This flower is my favorite floral scent. Thank you.
Gabrielle, I’m happy your found your way from Facebook and was able to post.
I’m sorry I can’t help you. First, I’m unfamiliar with this flower, and second, I have never seen an essential oil or absolute of it offered to the trade, and I have been buying oils since 1974. Do you grow it? Is it possible you could tincture or enfleurage the flowers? Come back next week and we can talk about that.
xoxo
Anya
🙂 late at night, noun/verb agreement in the wind. “Were able to post.”