time flies….it’s november?

It’s November already, people!  I can hardly believe how fast this year has flown by and it’s getting to be time for the Holidays.  One thing that I look forward to now, though, is 7th of November; the ESSENSE STUDIO’s anniversary date and something to celebrate.  And so we are: Tomorrow (aka Friday, November 5).  (AD): So please come down to the studio to take a sneak peek at our latest art show, new jewelry pieces, NEWEST fragrance launches, Cuir et Champignon, Sampsuchinon and Holiday Solid perfumes, plus have a little treat, some wine from Augustina’s (after 5pm) and enter to win a prize, too!

There’s even more happening at the studio these days as well.  I just got back (well almost two weeks ago now – see: re-read title…) from Sniffapalooza Fall Ball in NYC (which was an absolute blast) and the first unveiling of Cuir et Champignon and I am thrilled to say that so far, the response has been incredible for Cuir et Champignon!  Yeah – let’s here it for that mushroom thang, right?  🙂  It did get me thinking though.  So, I’m heading back in to see what other tricks I can coax out of that crazy Cepes absolute.  Will it do any other thing than earthy, brown, mushroom?  I’m going to see.  After this weekend’s festivities and the launch of the next Natural Perfumers Guild project on the 15th (you’re going to LOVE this one, but that’s for another post), I’m going to sit down and get busy sketching some concepts for exploration. This is going to be fun, too.  I’ve gotten my hands on some wonderful new materials in the past few months and haven’t had a single free moment to explore and get my ‘hands wet’ (well, “feet” doesn’t work…).   The time has almost come and I’m really excited.

Sampsuchinon 'stone' perfume solid and mini perfume

For now, I’ll leave you with this little picture of the new Sampsuchinon perfumes that are the latest release in the Secrets of Egypt Collection.  (Boy oh boy, do I have a lot to write about…)

I am wishing you a lovely Thursday~

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the mystery of musk project – part 1

Hello and welcome to my world!  This is an entirely new experience for me and it’s really exciting!  I am still on an extreme learning curve with wordpress, so I hope you will bear with me as I go.  Nevertheless, I thought that I would just jump right in with the announcement of “The Mystery of Musk” project that has just begun at the Natural Perfumer’s Guild.

I’ve had the good fortune to take part in a few collaborations before; some visual art interpretations through perfume design and even poetic concerns & imagery interpreted through perfume design.  But this project is something a bit different.  It’s a fascinating ‘brief’, if you will, to explore and construct a musk (animal in nature) built out of all botanical offerings.  (Well, there are actually a few animal based notes allowed: ambergris, beeswax, horax and goat’s hair.  Since I generally don’t use animal based products except for beeswax absolute, this is the only technically non-botanical note I have chosen to work with).  I also love this kind of challenge; it’s what many visual artists call a ‘limited palette’ work.  So, if this were a painting, I would choose, say, one black (there are many), one white (there are many)  and one other color with which to create my work.  All of the nuance and dynamics are suggested by juxtaposition; of which parts of the work intersect and connect and how those relationships tie the image together.  The same is true for a limited palette perfume.  You must make your design based solely on the prescribed ingredient list.

At first, I took the challenge quite literally: construct a musk.  OK.  let’s go.  Oh, wait, not so fast.  Did I mention the ingredient list?  Here goes: Ambrette seed and Angelica Root (Ambrette seed and angelica root are the only botanicals that contain macrocyclic musk, like the musk deer.) Also, Sandalwood, Labdanum, Vetiver, Spikenard, Oud, Vanilla, Musk Rose, Black Currant, Jasmine Sambac, Patchouli, Cumin, Black Pepper, Costus, Seaweed and Carrot Seed.  It’s a little like Iron Chef : ” Please make your gourmet menu entirely out of turnips”.  I am not saying that this wonderful palette of exotic notes are like turnips but what I am saying is that to the novice, creating a perfume, let alone a musk with these notes would make some pretty serious, yet fragrant, mud.  And, I can cook but I would not be able to make a gourmet meal out of turnips.  No way.

Happily, I am pretty familiar with historical musk perfumes as well as synthetic musks and how they tend to work in a perfume so it’s off to work to construct a botanical musk from the ingredients above that in as many ways as I can conceive of will smell like, feel like and maybe even act a little like the musks we all know.  So ends part 1.

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