Perfume deliveries at my house having morphed for the most part into deliveries of essential oils, absolutes and such---here's a pic of what's becoming my perfume organ, (or what's left of my initial purchases). Into the trash went my unwary acquisitions of what turned out to be fragrance oils, usually noxious imitations of the real thing. Next I gathered together the real but inferior essentials, usually...

day I asked my husband if he was enjoying the soap I'd made. (I'd noticed a bar stayed untouched on his bathroom counter.) Quickly he confirmed it felt great on his skin then mumbled something about the smell. Apparently, though he liked it on me, "Scentfan by Appointment" (inspired by Shalimar/Roja's Haute Luxe), wasn't manly enough for him. A revelation. How could I have left my poor...

less than 10 years apart in age. I'd like one more comet, too. So if they aren't beautiful, I will not post this blog. We will remain as we are in my imagination. He, the great perfumer. I, his adoring perfumista fan.All right, let's get on with it. Darn, I am crying. Can't help it. Stop, ScentFan because tears interfere with smelling, you know. The Yellow One - AcapulcoMy goodness,...

was the day I cut my Castile-Avocado soap into bars and bottled my first perfume, ScentFan by Appointment, which I'd also used to scent the soap.Previously I've shared my perfume motto, "I seek the glorious reek." Well, fellow parfumo.com subscribers, I think I may actually have, honest-to-goodness, created what I seek!Before I get ahead of myself, let me tell you about the soap. Made... beautiful...

temperatures must have been perfect. Seven. Almost instantly the texture was beautiful as if it knew costly scents were about to be stirred in and it couldn't wait. I barely had time to scent it and pour it in the mold before hardening began. IOW, this one was easy as pie.I used a full oz of my ScentFan by Appointment (Thank you, Mia), so named because like its inspiration, Roja by Appointment...

suet bought from ladies who produce it on their farm.Who puts raw Oak moss, Labdanum, Jasmine Grandiflorum, etc., in soap anymore, I ask you? Nobody. Who uses suet anymore or extra virgin olive oil? Nobody. Is there a chance this could be one of the greatest soaps ever created on this earth, ScentFan? (Who is trying not to go unconscious at the thought) Well, heck yeah. Fingers crossed....

THE TFM OF SOAP - WHO KNEW?Did you know soaps were once graded for quality and, in India still are? The decisive measure is called TFM - Total Fatty Matter. It describes the percentage of fat in the soap which equates to how well it cleans and how good it is for skin. Once upon a time, "toilet "soaps were graded as follows:Grade 1 - min 75%Grade 2 - min 65%Grade 3 - min 60%Grade 1 is a very high quality...

use a regular Damascene rose oil instead, rather than Rosa Damascena trigintipetala, or 30-petal Damask Rose. I do long for it—the scent of a Bulgarian Damascene with a hint of tea, however, I am NOT going to spend £136.99, currently $180.69 for 3 ml of it and that's that. (Are you listening, ScentFan?)Using a 20-50-30% formula for base, heart and top, I mixed the following essential oils. Apparently it's...

At last I made soap. Here's an updated version of this blog.The HistoryYears ago. No, years and year ago, I now and then paused and made soap. Was I a factory worker? No. Normally my life involved travel, meetings, negotiations and such. I noticed that almost anywhere I went if I used the hotel soap to bathe, it dried my skin. Trust me when I tell you that for me, just moi, dry skin is a barrier to negotiation.At...

This is a comparison of three perfumes I recently tried that smelled similar to me. First I'll list them and their notes which are often not complete because perfumers don't like to show all their cards.RAINFLOWER by Neil MorrisFreesia, Night-blooming jasmine, Lilac, Gardenia, Pink hyacinth, Tulip, MuskJAPANESE SPRING woman by NadiaZAfrican myrrh, Gardenia, Hyacinth, HyraceumKAIGardenia,...

I suppose that if a person gets it into her head to go on a 10-day (really 11-day) Meditation Retreat, but can't go, and decides to turn off the cell and do it at home--if same person picks out 11 days of clothes, she certainly needs 11 days of scent. Yes?But which are most apropos for om? Being an addict (i.e., a perfumista), I've got a heck of a lot to choose from -- soliflores and solicitruses, soliboises, orientals,...

The other day I made my first trip to a Sephora perfume room and, sniffing randomly, realized my nose was rapidly closing. Most were new or current offerings from well known houses. I left, not buying anything or even requesting samples (didn't know I was capable of that).There's something new afoot in perfumery, folks. Perhaps you already know, but my mind just identified what...