Back to blending
I’m putting this break from orders to good use and am working on Gardenia Musk and also the oakmoss substitutions in four scents. I tried the new moss in Winter Woods and the difference is not noticeable, partly because the moss note is light in that scent and partly because the new moss isn’t much different from the old. I’m also trying the new labdanum in WW and that does make a more noticeable difference; the new one is less sweet than the one I’d been using and may be an improvement. My supplier for the original labdanum says it may not be carried long-term whereas the new labdanum with another supplier will be a long term stable product, so I’d like to switch if the scent is as good or better with the new one. I’m testing to see, but so far I think the new labdanum is a change for the better. Once I finalize the formula I can restock WW and move on to the next scent with moss and labdanum to incorporate the new products.
I worked on Gardenia Musk yesterday. I’ve been discovering over the last year that it is quite common for people not to smell musk very well, and sometimes the musks even seem to block parts of the rest of the scent for some people. I’m trying to formulate Gardenia Musk with as little musk as possible, and instead I’m building a musk-like accord from the soft woods and creamy elements in the base. I don’t want to use much vanilla, but I’m getting a very nice creamy floral sandalwood musk base without much musk or vanilla. I’m testing and tweaking the balance of things but this is promising (I took out most of the musk yesterday just to see it if would work and I think it might).
I also posted an ad for part-time help at the nearby college and I’m going through the incoming resumes to set up some interviews. This is something I’ve needed to do, so it’s great to have this break to give me time to interview candidates.
….sigh…..I’m really gonna have to try that Gardenia Musk sometime. From the name, it doesn’t really sound like my cup of tea, but your descriptions are really getting to me!!
Good luck with the interviews, I hope you can find someone good to take care of some of the drudgework for you.
Hi Gail! I’m actually worried about the name Gardenia Musk if I keep going this direction. I have several options for the formula and once I decide I may need to revisit the name.
Thanks on interview wishes! I have some set up for the next couple days and am very hopeful.
i cannot wait to smell the new ‘gardenia’ ‘musk’. however, it’s going to be hard to name it gardenia musk when there is no gardenia to speak of and very little musk………. 😉 plus, i believe that i am one of those folks anosmic to a lot of musks…
i hope the interviews go well. and, yes, their enthusiasm makes a lot of difference, a pleasant difference at that!
good luck.
Hi Jo! Well, none of the scents called gardenia this or that have gardenia in them since it’s not been available, so I wouldn’t be the first, lol. But since very few perfumes actually smell like gardenia, the naming is not always the best match and I may be in that camp too. Musk scents are made with blends of musks with other things like soft florals and woods, so that’s not unusual either; in fact, natural perfumers can’t use any synth musks but still come up with musk-like blends for base notes, though these accords don’t have the same character as synths (which is to some people’s preference). Maybe I can think of a more appropriate name, but I need to get the final version first. You’re not alone in being anosmic to some musks; I’ve been surprised how very common it is and I want to be more accommodating to that need.