Oh the Possibilities

This morning my ethanol arrived, I am going to spend the day creating accords. My pipettes need cleaning, it was so frustrating for me just not being able to blend. You see I can't use water to clean the pipettes, it just doesn't work. And I can't blend with dirty pipettes, that would make my perfumes muddy. I have been using surgical spirits to clean my tools but I didn't like the smell it left behind. It's not that easy to obtain pure undenatured ethanol but I did it.
Now where do I start? My heart is beginning to beat faster at the thought of all the possibilites open to me. While I was waiting for the ethanol to arrive I was doing loads of test strip smelling, here are some accords I would like to try, corriander, rosewood and something else; another one is, immortelle, tarragon and coco absolute; another accord I would like to try is boronia absolute, neroli, and tuberose; oh and I want to blend the three brothers (remember them?) with three sisters, how would that be for a marriage?

For my three sisters, mmmmh it would have to be 3 classics...rose otto, ylang ylang and lavender, but what top notes could I use, I could try corriander, rosewood and maybe bergamot or grapefruit? I would like to choose a fourth essence for each layer also, with the top will try I think a black pepper I have that is lovely to add just a little spice. In the heart I think I would like to try a greener note, perhaps violet leaf or rosemary or tarragon abs. Then with the bases something light to balance the heavy male scents, frankincense or sandalwood perhaps. And then I really want to choose something else, something to marry them all together, like a honeymoon essence, I could use honey abs.....or jasmine?

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Comparing Geraniums

First Whiff 1. Himalayan geranium: initial smell is sweet, light and floral. 2. Atlantic bourbon geranium (certified organic): initial smell is dry, floral and slightly bitter. 3, Anatolian bourbon geranium: initial smell, rounder and also dry. More floral than the Atlantic. After 2 minutes 1. Light and sweet but drying out slightly, not at all bitter. A sweet floral note. 2. Much dryer, becoming more leafy now and a green tinge coming through. 3. Also much dryer but becoming more fruity than leafy, more of a soft fruity floral. After 5 minutes 1. Is still light and now fruity floral, still more sweet than dry. 2. A distinct bitterness which is not present in the Himalayan geranium, a dry floral note. 3. No bitterness, the more fruity of the three. After 10 minutes 1. A definite citrus note coming in from nowhere, lifting this one up again, mmmmh I'm really enjoying the Himalayan geranium. 2. A softer herbal tea type note, less bitter and a little cloying compared to the Himalayan ...

Working on a violet composition

There is something about violets. The little purple gems that to me represent spring. It is difficult to create a natural violet perfume composition because there is no actual violet flower absolute. There is a violet leaf absolute but it's green and dark and not a sweet delicate floral the way violets are. So...what to do? I am getting somewhere. First of all what is the profile of the perfume of violets? The notes of the flower are tender and sweet, with the complexity of the exotics like jasmine or ylang ylang. The perfume of a violet flower sort of draws you in in a beguiling way and before you know it it's imprinted on your memory never to be forgotten. As I say I am really getting somewhere. As usual getting the top notes stumped me. The question was how do I make something delicate and tender come out on top in a way that will lure a person in. Notes of carnation absolute, violet leaf and orris butter are key elements in the composition, using rose, jasmine and yla...

Irises & Sweet Violets

I am having a rest day today, getting ready for blending the White Witch Mystery juice. One of my favourite materials being used in this blend, is that of orris root butter. Orris root is the root of the sweet flag, grown mainly in southern Europe: Iris germanica, Iris florentina, and Iris pallida. Once important in western herbal medicine, it is now used mainly as a fixative and base note in perfumery. Orris root must generally be hung and aged for 5 years before it can be used for perfumery. Oil of Orris is known commercially as Orris Butter and is obtained by distilling powdered Orris root with steam, has an intense and extremely delicate odour of the fresh Violet and commands a high price. Orris has the power of strengthening the odour of other fragrant bodies and is used as a fixative in perfumery. The odorous constituent of oil of Orris is a liquid ketone named Irone, to which the violet-like odour is due. It is the presence of this principle in the rhizome that has long led ...

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