Some Midweek Thoughts and Review of Ambre Noir
A new issue of Sniffapalooza Magazine is out today, and I like this quote by Andy Tauer about what it means to be a niche perfumer:
“True niche is niche because of the quality of the fragrances, the creative energy that resides in it, the scents’ storylines and because of the love and passion of the folks that are behind the fragrances. Nichest niche is bottled passion and joy, soul and spirits.”
i think about this a lot because I make each bottle myself and know that there is a limit to how many bottles I can produce this way, but I’m not sure how much of that I’d want to change. I really like the nature of handing the ingredients myself, processing and filtering the naturals, and putting together packages for people that I hope they’ll enjoy. I don’t have to worry about that issue for now, though I’d love to have a helper before long for a few things like making samples, bottle labels, and shipping labels, things that could save me some time so I could do more blending, which keeps getting put aside to attend to orders. I think the goal would be to lighten my load a bit but do it in a way that still keeps me doing the perfumes themselves while reducing some of the related tasks.
I also agree with the distinction people have made between indie and niche because many brands considered to be niche are owned by large companies and not by indie artists. I value the idea of hand crafted items made by the artisans themselves because so much of the person goes into the work (in addition to fragrance, I love hand crafted jewelry, botanical drawings, photography, and quilts, though I’ve not collected much because my cottage isn’t big enough, lol). Indie perfumers have much more freedom to use the materials they choose and to create what they want rather than what the mass market wants. I’m very appreciative of this freedom.
There was a lovely review of Ambre Noir today on the blog Perfume da Rosa Negra. That was a nice surprise to see today!
Not to worry, I’ll be there to help you just as soon as I can retire, LOL!
Actually, I meant to e-mail you the other day but forgot. I wore Ambre Noir to work on Momday and by the end of the day, three different people had followed me to ask me about the scent I was wearing. Of course, at first I thought I must have sprayed on entirely too much before leaving the house, but as it turns out, each of the people had been leaning in close to me at some time. So I felt pretty good about smelling so good!!! Awesome perfume there 🙂
Hi Gail,
That’s so neat because someone else just told me the exact same thing a week ago — three compliments at work on Ambre Noir. Fun!
Well, hurry up and get out here, lol! I could use your help for sure, and sounds like they have you working too hard! 🙂 I keep thinking things will slow down and I’ll have more time to blend, but if not I should consider getting some part-time help.
Hi Laurie: congrats on a great review! (BTW: loving my Tabac Aurea; the final blend was the best!)
Hi Glenn,
Thanks so much! And I’m really glad to hear you’re enjoying the Tabac! I always worry a bit when someone hasn’t tried the final formula, so I’m glad you liked it best too. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Hi dear, I am Italo Wolff the writer of the review and I am happy for those that read and they liked my opnião on Ambre Noir!
🙂
Hi Italo,
Nice to see you here! Thank you so much for that wonderful review! I’m happy that you enjoyed Ambre Noir — I admire fragrance writers who express so beautifully how a scent feels to them because it’s hard to do!
Laurie