14 Monday Nov 2011
Posted in Aroma & Aromatherapy, Fragrance & Perfume, Musings
Ok, probably not. The Egyptians definitely hold that crown, however God did show some talent in the area of perfumery.
As part of the Alternative MBA suggested by Chris Gillebeau in his book The Art of Non-Conformity
Now, before you say: “What the….!!!”, wait just a minute!
It’s brilliant.
I’m only two books in, having finished Exodus late last night, and am drinking in every word. It’s filled with drama: sex, incest, husband sharing and, of course, lots of sin. Continue reading »
10 Thursday Nov 2011
Posted in Aroma & Aromatherapy, Fragrance & Perfume, Musings
Photo by blogis.dvd.lc
Developing your “nose” for perfumery takes some some time, practice and dedication.
It may also involve flipping any previous knowledge of how to smell on its head; studying perfumery as an aromatherapist is changing my “smelling” perspective!
As an aromatherapist vetiver smells like “vetiver” and orange smells like “orange”.
As a perfumer vetiver smells like grass and wood, and orange smells like sunshine and happiness.
This is no wonder, as in aromatherapy, the aroma is secondary to the therapeutic benefits. We create a blend with a specific goal in mind: to heal or soothe body, mind or soul.
In perfumery we might be trying to create the smell of the ocean in The Bahamas, or the forest in South Carolina. We are seduced by the scent itself. Continue reading »
04 Sunday Sep 2011
Tags
civet, fecal notes in perfumery, musk, Natural Scent, The Forty Rules of Love, the role of aroma in wellbeing, the role of pheromones in scent
Snowflakes skittered in the wind, and Shams leaned forward to pull my shawl tighter. For a passing moment, I stood frozen, inhaling his smell. It was a mixture of sandalwood and soft amber with a faint, crisp tang underneath, like the smell of earth under the rain.
-Excerpt from The Forty Rules of Love: A Novel of Rumi
by Elif Shafak, Penguin Books
What a marvellous description of Sham’s smell! This book is a feast in itself, and as I savoured these words this morning, I began thinking about our natural scent and how rare it is to both reveal it, and smell it on others.
We spend a great deal of time and money masking our natural odours, often considering them antisocial, with mouthwash, deodorants, perfumes, and scented creams etc. Even the hormones in our foods and the contraceptive pill may have a hand in obscuring our natural smell. Aristotle himself said that pleasant odours contribute to the well-being of mankind, but if you consider that our natural scent is important for primal things such as sussing people out and finding a mate, could we be inadvertently paralysing one of our key senses?
In The Scented Ape: The Biology and Culture of Human Odour
01 Thursday Sep 2011
Posted in Aroma & Aromatherapy, Fragrance & Perfume, Musings
Tags
Cacao absolute, cacao harvesting, conscious consumerism, origin of Cacao, Theobroma Cacao, where is Cacao harvested
Cacao Tree: "Theobroma Cacao"
Like you, I am seduced by the aroma, flavour and endorphins of any form off cacao: the purest of delights and the simplest of pleasures. In researching the country of origin I came across a shocking fact that sobered my aromatic reverie: child slaves are used to harvest the cacao beans in Cote D’Ivoire in Africa. For 3 years I’ve been unaware that one of my favourite aromas comes with a dark side.
My cacao odyssey started a while back when I was living on Venice Beach, CA, when I wrote An Ode to Cacao Absolute. My friend, Fran, had just introduced me to the dark, viscous liquid and I was in awe as to how much it smelled and felt like pure liquid chocolate. Now I’m revisiting Cacao absolute in a different capacity; as a perfumer. And I have to say, falling in love again has never felt so good. I have to admit, though, that when I’m closing my eyes and trying to *feel* the fragrance note, all I come up with is “chocolate”; I’m well aware that my nose needs a little training when it comes to smelling outside of the proverbial fragrance box! What really caught my eye is the origin of my particular sample: France. Thinking that a little strange for this tropical bean, I did a little online research to discover the countries that produce both Cacao absolute, and grow the cacao beans themselves.
