Archive category from earlier years; perfumery topics, awards, reviews, regulations, events.
Here’s an interesting interview Nathan did with Franco Wright of Luckyscent and Indie Scents. Nathan has been doing a series on artisan perfumers, and this installment looks at the market from the niche retail side. I found it interesting that they’ve seen growth in gourmand and unisex scents but a decline in interest in big…
I put the four Boutique scents back up in bottle sizes, but I’m holding off a bit longer on the Exclusives. I sent out a few testers for Reves2 and the untitled new scent. I’m hoping they are very close now. I’ll try to stick to the dream theme on Reves2 for a new name,…
I posted a link to this wonderful French pronunciation resource many months ago, but now it has an easy-to-use index that makes it even better so I’ll post a reminder link about it. New entries are added almost daily and you can submit requests. They will have a game coming up soon with a prize…
Lieu de Reves got a mention today on the top 10 fall favorites list on NST. Thanks Jessica! It’s really tough for me to pick a top 10 fall list because so many of my favorites are fall/winter (and many overlap both seasons). Here are some of my fall faves though: Annick Goutal Heure Exquise…
I sent out a few Reves2 samples to testers and have had good feedback so far. I want to send out some more soon, and I’m just wearing it more myself after taking a few days off from it. I’m hoping testers will have some name ideas. I’m working again on the winter scent and…
Here’s the first review I’ve seen of the new Frederic Malle rose scent called Portrait of a Lady. It’s by Dominique Ropion and the listed notes are Turkish rose, cassis, raspberry, cinnamon, clove, patchouli, sandalwood, incense, Ambroxan, and white musks. Sounds interesting! The last rose/patch scent I fell in love with was Francis Kurkdjian’s Lumiere…
We’re working down the 34 ml bottle list and sending out the link to people as we go. If you think I missed you feel free to holler, but I’ll be sure to take care of everyone before we’re done. There’s a nice review of Champagne de Bois today on the blog Muse in Wooden…
My SIL went to an estate sale with a friend and found this vintage Piguet sample set dated 1964, practically free. I’ve always loved Fracas parfum (but not the edt). I’ve tried the remakes of Visa and Baghari and didn’t fall for either one, but I’ll enjoy trying the originals. I tried the Calypso vintage…
You can enter a drawing for ten samples from Indie Scents today on the PerfumeSmellinthings blog; three winners will each receive ten samples. The blog also has quick sniff reviews of seven perfumes sold at Indie Scents, and SSS Rose Musc got a nice little mention. The topic for the day on their blog is…
This review of Boxeuses sounds good! A new Lutens in the older style. And another reminder about Robert Tisserand’s blog with info on why so many small companies oppose the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010. My wrists have made good progress but still have more to go. l’ve been working on a strategy for selling…
 Thank you to Elena of Perfume Shrine and Ines of All I Am — A Redhead for organizing this blog post! I’ve never been to the Mediterranean, but the scents I associate with it include lavender, herbs, the ocean and the beach, orange blossom, tomato leaf, olive, and fig. I have only tried a…
I’v been skin testing my last Bouquet Blanc mod and am pleased with it. I think I can send some testers out soon. I’m trying a couple little variatons but the overall balance seems good. Maybe it’ll come out in time for Australian spring, lol. I tried a sample of the new Tauer LOTV and like…
There’s a review of Vintage Rose along with reviews of fourteen other rose scents in the most recent On the Scent column, titled A-Dozen + Roses, by Elisa Gabbert. Thanks Elisa! Blog readers know I have a soft spot for rose scents. There’s also a review of Champagne de Bois on the Il Mondo de…
Most of my scents have always been parfum concentration even though they come in spray form. Some other brands offer this option and label them as “spray parfum” or “extrait spray” or something along those lines. You’ll sometimes see Chanel spray parfums on ebay in containers that look a bit like lipstick tubes, so you…
New bottle update: I’m going ahead with the gold foil labels even though they are a little more involved to produce. They do look nice. As shown in the photo, I’m making the border a tad narrower than the previous picture I posted a week ago. I have the first small test batch of labels…
I’ve been busy with all kinds of things the last few days — my brother and family visited over the weekend (fun to see them!), I’m working on label files for the printer, I shipped lots of international orders yesterday, and I’m still working on a number of new scents. The label files for the…
Tabac Aurea was named in yesterday’s list of top 10 tobacco/smoky scents on the blog Perfume da Rosa Negra. It’s wonderful to have TA included with classic greats like Caron Tabac Blond as well as popular niche scents like Serge Lutens Chergui, Serge Lutens Fumerie Turque, and Tauer Lonestar Memories. The post has lots of ideas…
I’ve been testing two new frangipani absolutes and the differences between them are interesting. One is plumaria rubra that is likely the type called Celadine, and another is plumaria alba that is made mostly from the type called Singapore. Both are strong and heady, but the rubra is sweeter and more floral. The alba has…
Dr Weil’s newsletter today reports on a study by Greek researchers that tested the antimicrobial activity of eight essential oils and found thyme to be most effective. Weil’s letter says it “almost completely eliminated the bacteria it was pitted against within an hour” and it was even effective against the so called superbug methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus…
Just wanted to say Happy Mother’s Day! A favorite topic on this day is what perfume your Mom wore and how that influenced your fragrance preferences and memories. My Mom didn’t wear fragrance when I was growing up so I really had no influence from her in that area, but my grandmother (my Mom’s mother)…