Anya's Garden Perfumes

Ask the Perfumer - Sunday, January 29, 2012 - until 10 PM EST

2012-01-29T09:41:00.000-05:00

A busy Sunday is in store: tying up a zillion loose ends for the Love the Guild project, still thanking all the respondants on Facebook who replied with love and loyalty to the statement below, planting veggies, visiting mother and giving up on my mimosa enfleurage project, going for the tincture instead.

My blooming mimosa tree Acaci farnesiana

I'll be here until 10 PM tonight EST to answer your perfumery questions. Hope you have a great Sunday!
-----------

Here's my FB post:

May I ask a favor of you, and I rarely ask favors, so please bear with me. Would it be possible that you "share" and "like" when I post about the course I teach or the Guild?

Why?

Last year on this date, someone decided to try to harm my businesses, and a lot of behind the scenes maneuvers were done for months to try to make my businesses less competitive. I decided to wait it out, not take any action, and to take the high road.

It took a lot for me to open up like this, to be vulnerable and let people know there was someone conspiring against me out of jealousy/competition. I was controlled for so long by being screamed at over the phone (think a female version of Mel Gibson when he was ranting on the phone), and then seeing that person try to sabotage the Natural Perfumers Guild (starting and supporting a boycott against the Guild), and my educational course, and even my Food & Drink oils launch, that I needed a full year to deal with the fallout.

Now I am out of the year's quiet time, and I really would love to build up my visibility again, and I believe you can help me by taking the actions I've asked. I always "share" and "like" posts by Guild members and FB friends, and for the first time, I'm asking for reciprocity. I would truly appreciate this.

PS: If you're not subscribed to my personal page, you can subscribe so you see my posts in your news feed.

Thanks so much, xoxo,
Anya
--------------

Hundreds replied, or if they didn't reply directly, started sharing and liking. Many knew who I was speaking of, but graciously, none mentioned her name. Many figured out that she used someone as a pawn in August to further her attack against my businesses. The support was touching. Five bloggers want to interview me/promote my business, etc. A blogger surprised me yesterday with a review of Amberess.

It's an evil and heinous thing to try to harm someone's business. This person killed the Guild once, and tried to kill it again last August by starting and supporting a boycott of the Guild perfumers! Can you imagine such a mind? She underestimated how strong a foundation the Guild has now under my leadership, and how loyal my true online friends are. About six of her friends wrote to quit the Guild, all using similar language, which actually made me smile, as she fed them the words. Mandy Aftel.

All's well that ends well, and the Guild, my educational course (the best out there, ask me questions about it, if you like), and my perfumerie are robust and profitable. Thank you, everyone who didn't play politics.

Anya's Garden Perfumes - A Foodie Fragrance Review of Amberess

2012-01-28T16:55:00.000-05:00

It's lovely that Amberess awoke the food and scent awareness of Sigrun, a lovely blogger from Sweden. Check out her review of Amberess and see if you want to duplicate her experience!

Amberess and Light were launched as part of the Natural Perfumers Guild Outlaw Perfume project in 2010

Natural Perfumery Institute - Excerpt on how to make aromatic dilutions for study

2012-01-27T11:50:00.000-05:00

htttp://PerfumeClasses.com

The Natural Perfumery Institute's textbook for the basic course in perfumery was edited so that students who are not native English speakers could easily follow the information and instructions presented. The technical editor I hired previously worked for Microsoft and Boeing, writing manuals for engineers from all over the world. Engineers are known for their ability to pick apart and question what is presented to them, honing the written word down to its most precise and understandable form. As you can see by my writing, I'm not so precise, so I knew I needed Andrine's expertise. She's also a natural perfumer and alchemist, so I had the best of both worlds when rewriting my original textbook into its present form.

Here is an excerpt from the textbook, instructing the student how to make dilutions. The student has already read about the type of bottles, droppers, scale, etc., for this exercise, and now the student has the equipment before them, and will proceed to make 10% dilutions of the aromatics required for the exercises:

Preparing the Equipment and Materials for the Dilution Exercise

1.    Select five dropper bottles and the five diluted aromatics that are in your study kit: jasmine, neroli, rose, vanilla, and oakmoss. Pour each of the aromatics into separate dropper bottles (they’ll fill them more than halfway). Cap and label the bottles. Set them aside.

2.    Determine how many dilutions you are going to create at this time. It is recommended that you not work on more than two or three dilutions at a time until you become comfortable with the exercise.

3.    For the number of your dilutions, take an equal number of dropper bottles and remove their caps, placing each one next to its bottle. Take a corresponding number of the undiluted aromatics from the kit and set the bottles to the left or right, whichever is more comfortable for you.

     Note: Only open one bottle of undiluted aromatic at a time on your pouring tray or table    in order to avoid confusion or mix-ups between caps and bottles.

4.    Place the scale directly in front of you.

     Tip: Always place a pouring tray on your table, and keep your liquids on that while you are working with them. You may have to place your scale near the tray if the tray bottom is uneven, but you should keep the aromatics on the tray as much as possible.

Using the 7 ml (2 dram) dropper bottles, for a 10% dilution that will create 6 grams (to avoid filling the bottle too much), your weight measurements are:

     .6 gram of aromatic
     5.4 grams of alcohol

     Tip: In the future, when you are making dilutions of various amounts, always make a little less dilution than the bottle will hold, because when you place the dropper into it, the dropper will displace some of the liquid, which could cause an overflow if you have too much liquid in it.

----------

Whether you choose the online or offline course, the content is the same in the textbook. Please visit the course website for more information.

What a Student of Perfumery Must Learn Early On - Groups and Families

2012-01-26T11:14:00.002-05:00

http://PerfumeClasses.com

In Module Two of the Natural Perfumery Institute's textbook, I introduce the students to the differences between aromatic groups and fragrance families. It is mandatory that the students understand the characteristics of aromatic groups before they move forward in their studies. Committing the aromatic group's essences to their scent memory allows them to concisely and correctly identify not only the aromatic group oils they study in the course, but to have that knowledge of the characteristics to allow them to independently identify what group an aromatic is placed when they come across a new one in the future.

Once they fully understand this, they move on to what I term a "Certain Perfumer" - one who is certain about their choices and how to defend their naming an aromatic according to the group it belongs in.

After that, fragrance families are a piece of cake! Fragrance families are an invention of the perfume industry. They're a sort of shorthand, easily-understoody way of giving the perfume customer a quick way to sense what a perfume might smell like. Floral-woody, chypre, citrus, etc. I teach several different "schools" of fragrance family naming, and encourage the student to learn how to create their own, if they wish.

Some of the topics in Module Two's Table of Contents:

2.4: Aromatic Groups and Fragrance Families

How Aromatic Groups and Fragrance Families Differ

2.5: Aromatic Groups

The Major Aromatic Groups

The Ongoing Study of Aromatic Groups

The Supplemental Sample Kit – Aromatics Study Kit #2

Completing Your Perfumer’s Palette

The Nuances Within Aromatic Groups

2.6: Fragrance Families

The Fragrance Family as a Descriptive Term in Perfumery

What Makes a Fragrance Family?

Sharing Their Story: Natural Perfumer Guild members, in their own words

2012-01-25T14:24:00.001-05:00

Sharing Their Story - an occasional series hosted by Anya McCoy. Featuring the accomplished and creative members of the Natural Perfumers Guild, the series is debuting with one of the lights of aromatherapy, and a pioneer in natural perfumery, Victoria Edwards of California and France.

Alongside Chrissie Wildwood and Mindy Green, two other accomplished aromatherapists, the three are, to my knowledge, the only aromatherapists who wrote about natural perfumery, and called it natural perfumery, in the 1990s. Visionary and prolific in the art of aromatherapy, please enjoy Victoria Edwards, in her own words:


I love this photo of Victoria, taken in France. Doesn't she look like a good friend, animated and in high spirits, relating a story? Well, this is her story.

Biography of Victoria Edwards

I was born in Chicago, grew up in Louisiana, my mothers family is from New Orleans.
My Father is Swiss and I lived in Germany and Switzerland from 4 to 10 years old. My family moved a lot my father was in the Air Force. My family moved to California when I was 10 years old. At 17 I started attending College. I majored in graphic Art, and Journalism.

I lived in Berkeley during the late 1960s and early 70s. There I became interested in Herbs and medicinal Plants. I discovered Jeanne Rose in her Herbs & Things book.

Victoria has the "Berkeley hippie" look going on, even years later!

In 1974 I moved to Fair Oaks a little village outside Sacramento. I started growing gardens Roses and Lavender and other aromatic plants. I became married to Bill Edwards a musician, singer, composer, and music teacher. I had a beautiful baby girl Cassandra Rose who now lives in Oregon married to a wonderful dentist. They just had twin boys in November, now I am a granny!

Those twin boys are sure to enjoy their fun-loving granny!

I started practicing massage therapy in 1974 and teaching massage and plant ID classes in nature and teaching people how to make plant medicine and herbal products. I produced my first line of massage oils, which grew into my business “Leydet Aromatics” that I officially started in 1984. Ledet is my mother’s maiden name. Ledet Oils was the original name. I started as a mail order company and in the early 1990s blossomed into a viable website business, with 5 employees.

I went to the "wayback" Internet resource to find this screenshot of Victoria's website, circa 2004. I didn't know she had a book on cooking with essential oils! Now I must track this down.

My first book I authored in 1997 after 14 years of work "The Aromatherapy Companion" by Storey publishers. Has 40,000 books in print. It is in the 12th printing now.

This is the book that contains a chapter on natural perfumery! Leave a comment about some aspect of Victoria's career that you find fascinating and you will be in a random drawing to win a copy of the book. Leave a comment by noon, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012.

After 28 years of being CEO I decided to move to France where I had been conducting seminars “AromaCamp” for many years, 1997 –2002 studying French Medical Aromatherapy and distillation and Natural Perfumery. I fell in love with the South of France. My childhood dream had always been to return to Europe.

I lived in France 7 years and returned August 2010 to rescue my parent’s property and home that had been neglected for years. Now I live in Northern California in Oroville in the home my father built 40 years ago by hand of brick and tile. I have beautiful views of the coast range of California, the Sutter Buttes, giant pine trees and Blue Oaks.
I have revived the orchard and garden planting veggies, herbs, flowers and everything aromatic.

Victoria with her beloved roses.

A Mountain village Oroville on the Feather River has the biggest earth filled dam in America visible from my balcony about 5 minutes from where I live.

In the south of France I worked as a Balneotherapy Therapist, Working with healing waters, spas Algae, seaweed for detox and rejuvenation. I continued my work with plants collecting flowers, making custom formulas and writing more books.

I can imagine this image as Victoria welcoming a client for a therapy with balneotherapy, healing waters, etc.

I am also an Artist, Journalist, published author: besides The Aromatherapy Companion, La Vie en France, 25 Aromatherapy Blends for De-stressing, Aromatherapy and La Cuisine Aromatica. I am also a co-author of The Aromatherapy Book of Inhalations & Applications by Jeanne Rose.

My second business for 12 years was A.I.R Aromatherapy Institute & Research developing the "AIR Seminars Certification Course".

Teaching seminars all around the US Canada Japan and France. I was the first elected president of the first American Aromatherapy Association from 1987 to 1990. The work of the ATTA included getting the word Aromatherapy into the dictionary and creating a National Board for testing abilities and knowledge.

I am happy and very excited to be back in California and planting gardens. Hummingbirds visit the honeysuckle bushes and gorgeous red roses are blooming now. I collect Orange blossoms with all the honeybees buzzing around my head to produce Neroli creams, I am making fresh face creams, Rose, Neroli, Artemisia Blue and Sunrose these help moisturize dry and aging skin and sun exposed and more serious skin problems also.

My new web site is Victoria Leydet.com and is still under construction. My email is artemisvert@yahoo.com

ETA: Aromatherapist and Guild Associate Jeanne Rose also wrote about creating perfumes with natural aromatics in two of her books in the 1970s and 90s.

Anya's Garden Natural Perfumery Institute - Basic Natural Perfumery Course

2012-01-24T17:35:00.000-05:00

Is 2012 the year you will take the big step and enroll in natural perfumery studies? Since 2005, I have witnessed the phenomenal growth in the number of natural perfumers and the integration of them into mainstream perfumery. Many reviewers now say that they will judge a perfume on its merits, not whether it's composed of all-natural ingredients or contains synths. This is a huge step for us natural perfumers, because in 2005, the opposite was true. Natural perfumes have come a long way in being accepted on one major criteria: they smell great.

I began teaching basic perfumery in 2007, because members of the natural perfumery group I host on yahoo demanded it of me. It was good they did, because I had not shared 30 years of accumulated knowledge since I started studying the art.

I had started a natural perfumery line in 1991, Anya's Tropical Essences, and in 2006, I launched Anya's Garden Perfumes. The perfumes were lauded for sophistication and professionalism, when many natural perfumes were dismissed as "hippie headshop" poorly-made perfumes. You can read reviews going back to 2006 here. I haven't updated the reviews section since 2009 or so, except for awards my perfumes have garnered, because, frankly, there are just so many! This is not bragging, it's just a statement of fact. Besides running the Natural Perfumers Guild, my perfumerie, the 2200+ member yahoo group and being an always-present instructor for my students, I just haven't had the time. A surfeit or riches, to be sure.

It's been a long time since I've blogged about my course, and this year is a turning point. So many have expressed such regard for my basic course, I put off the Intermediate level course. Many of the certified perfumers have booked time with me for individual lessons at the Intermediate level, and have progressed beautifully in their perfumery skills.

My course has been called the most dynamic, comprehensive perfume study course available online (and also for distance learning.) I will be blogging more often about various aspects of the course as I refine and redefine the next step, the Intermediate level. Eventually, I hope to have most of the information on my course catalogued here for perusal by the prospective student.

This is a portion of the table of contents for Module Two from my Basic Natural Perfumery Course. This is the supplemental portion of the module, meant to give the student a good foundation in topics associated with the art.

The breadth and depth of this information helps the student in many ways, from talking to other perfumers to knowing the sources of the natural aromatics they're studying and all of the issues and opportunities around them.

2.1: Sources of Aromatics
Natural Sources of Aromatics
Botanical
Animal
Soil
Sourcing and Purchasing Aromatics
Aromatics Sold by Weight or Volume
Methods of Aromatics Production
Wildcrafted
Organic
Organic Certification
Conventional
Constraints on Sourcing Aromatics
Threatened or Endangered Crops
Sustainability

http://perfumeclasses.com/1year.htm

Sunny Sunday in a Perfumer's Garden - photos

2012-01-22T14:23:00.000-05:00

Miami gardens have a slow season, too. Still, there is beauty to share. Today I was going to spray my Angel's Trumpet with a pyrethrin spray because I noticed white flies on it. Imagine my surprise when I found ladybugs! I've never "inoculated" the garden with ladybugs, figuring they fly away just as soon as they're released. These dear little things found my organic garden on their own, and I'm blessed. They're having a white fly feast!


One of many ladybugs on the Angel Trumpet leaf. I think the brown marks are made by the ladybugs, but that's OK, they're eating the white flies, so they can do their little bit of damage, it'll be replaced by new leaves.


Here are some of the Angel Trumpets the lady bugs are saving. Pretty for a January day, eh?


First time I've ever noticed a fruit on the Aglaia odorata tree. You can see the tiny flower bods to the left. The tree is ready to burst into bloom!

The HUGE hibiscus/jasmine bush - about 15' x 15'. The opportunistic Jasminium azoricum vine climed up the big variegated hibiscus bush and they've been living in harmony for years. I get a year-round harvest of jasmine blossoms ;-)


Here's a closeup of the spray of jas. azoricum flowers. Look at all those buds! Multiply this by hundreds of sprays on the bush = great fragrant harvest.


Lots and lots of seeds on the golden champaca tree. They'll ripen more, darken and split when the seeds are ready for planting.


The mimosa tree is blooming like this nonstop. I need to wear eye protection to harvest the flowers, because there are some fierce thorns on this tree.

I hope I brought a little Joy into your January with these photos from my fragrant garden.

Ask the Perfumer - Sunday, January 22, 2012 - until 10 PM EST

2012-01-22T10:50:00.000-05:00

I slept in really late today, until 10 a.m. Must be the joy still spilling over into my dreamland that kept me from wanting to wake up, a "hangover" from the wonderful "Joy in January" project. If you missed it, the kickoff was Monday here.

Any questions for me this warm and beautiful day in Miami. I hope to get some gardening in this afternoon, after I bottle up the boronia absolute that arrived last week in the yearly Guild group buy. It's especially gorgeous this year, soft and spicy, sparkling and golden with the freesia-like topnotes. Yummy!

Joy in January - A Natural Perfumers Guild project and Three-day Giveaway - Winners Announced

2012-01-19T20:48:00.000-05:00

I'm so pleased to announce the winners of the three random drawings in the Joy in January blog event of the Natural Perfumers Guild

Day 1 winner of 15mls of Light EdP - HollyF

Day 2 winner of four Food & Drink oils - Dana

Day 3 winner of the complete set of 12 of my perfume samples - Hemla

Please write to me by midnight, June 21st to claim your prize.

Thanks again to everyone for helping the Guild bring a little Joy in January by sharing your storie!

Joy in January - A Natural Perfumers Guild project and Three-day Giveaway - Day 3 of 3

2012-01-18T13:32:00.002-05:00

If you're reading this on the third day of the three-day blog event, you can read my initial post about SAD and natural aromatics on day one here and day two here. There is still time to leave a comment on day one and day two to increase your chances of getting some joy this January with a naturally-fragranced win ;-)

Here's the second story of a move I made to an overcast, cloudy town, and besides some joy, there's some gratitude mixed in with this, a story of small town manners.

Corvallis Oregon was the northern locale my then-husband was relocating to for a post-doctoral position. I knew very little about Oregon, less about Corvallis. In November, 1978, we packed up Roxy the Rastapoodle and Bootsy the cat and drove nonstop to Corvallis. The professor who had hired my husband had rented a townhouse for us and we moved in the night we arrived.

Corvallis Oregon - courtesy of gardengrumblesandcrossstitchfumbles

The next morning we awoke and I was driving him to his job so I could have the car and shop. When we walked outside, what looked like snow was falling, but when I went to clean it off the car, it didn't feel like snow, and there was a smell of smoke in the air, lots of smoke. Rain had fallen, and it was freezing, so we began the drive, and I spun out on some "black" (invisible) ice over a bridge. Luckily, there were no other cars nearby, and I was able to keep driving. We didn't have a TV (hippies!) and so I went back to the townhouse wondering what was going on. Gray, rain, fake snow, smoke. Not a good welcome to this little town.

We found out later in the day that a tire dump had caught on fire, and the "snow" was ash from it, blanketing the region, accompanied by the strong smoke smell. I spent many days indoors through December, until I got a job in January, but I didn't suffer from SAD, which is good, because in a new town, no friends, the holidays, no job, gray skies and rain, I could have been a really bad case.

In January or February, we had made some new friends, so we invited them over for some of my homecooked Chinese food and a "human scent strip" party. I had held many of these in various cities in California, and they were always a lot of fun. I'd dip a toothpick in oils and dab all of the fingers of the friends with 10 different scents, and when the fingers were done, I'd start on the wrists, top side first, then underside, and up the arms I'd go. Everyone was engaged with the oils and chatting about them, and off they'd go, into the night, back to their homes, smelling like a fragrant garden.

Corvallis is a small town, somewhat isolated, and has a down-to-earth vibe. Imagine my surprise when, the next day after the party, four of the six guests called to thank me for the party and talk about the aromatics. Nobody in California had ever called to thank me. I know they enjoyed themselves, but maybe the bigger city folks were lacking in the small town manners.

That always stayed with me. Small town folks may be more appreciative and show gratitude easier than those in fast-paced places.

Nichols' homespun images had me fooled, but they were totally forgiven because...see below..

Oh, one other thing stays with me, off-topic for Joy in January, but interesting about images. For years, I had gotten the Nichols Herb Nursery catalogue. The cover was usually a pen and ink drawing of a little homey cottage, supposedly their shop, set in a bucolic setting. Nichols was located in the next town over from Corvallis, so I made a pilgrimage there soon after I settled in. I remember the day was gray and gloomy, and I *really* remember a stench filing the air as I neared Nichols. They were smack up against a paper pulp mill! No bucolic setting, for sure, and I had to hold my hand over my mouth and nose as I went from my car to the nursery building.

My biggest discovery there, totally unexpected (well, besides the unexpected paper pulp mill) - dill weed oil. I had been collecting essential oils and absolutes for years, but never saw dill weed. I got it, and started cooking with it, making spanakopita and chicken soup and potato salad. Love those essential oils, yum, yum! That's why Nichols' is totally forgiven for the image/reality disconnect - they introduced me to the art of cooking with essential oils! ;-)

Today's giveaway - Samples of all 12 of my perfumes

Showing the Anya's Garden perfume love :-) Next month the Guild will have a "Love" event, so make sure you subscribe to this blog and check back then!

Leave a comment today to be in the drawing for samples for all 12 of my perfumes, and you can make yourself a "human scent strip"! I've actually never done this with perfumes, and I'm going to play with them this way, too! You'll receive a card with instructions on how to sample them, from the lightest to the deepest, much like you would sample wines, light whites to full-bodied reds. Enjoy!

Prizes will be mailed to winners in the USA, Canada and the EU only. You will find bloggers in Australia, Canada, South Africa and Vietnam, so please check their mailing policies.

1. You, the poster can post as anonymous, but that will make you ineligible for the drawing.

2. I'd love it if you sign up for my newsletter, or "like" my page on Facebook, but that isn't a requirement of this blog. Please just leave a comment that shares your difficulty with SAD. We need to get the word out there so others reading this may recognize the disorder has aromatherapy and natural perfumery as an alternative healing modality.

3 I do want you to leave your first name or a nickname, ISP (eg., gmail) and location. That way, when I announce the win, and you reply, I'll be sure I have the right person.

Be sure to check out the other Guild participants that are taking part in the Joy in January project and leave a comment on their blogs to be entered in their giveaway, and leave a comment below to be entered in my Light drawing. Winners of the three-days of drawings will be announced here on Thursday, the 19th. You will have until the 21st to claim your prize, or it will be awarded to the second chosen by random.org.

* DISCLAIMER: The opinions of Anya McCoy and Anya's Garden Perfumes should not be taken as medical advice. SAD can be a precursor or trigger for other, more serious mental illnesses, so severely depressed or suicidal individuals should seek the care of a physician. Never dismiss or self-treat massive depressive disorders yourself or encourage anyone to discontinue medication when being treated by a physician.

Ambrosia Jones http://perfumebynature.blogspot.com
Charna Ethier http://www.providenceperfume.com/blogs/news
Christi Meshell http://www.matriarch.biz/blog.html
Clemence Barbier http://www.dameclemence.blogspot.com
Elise Pearlstine http://bellyflowers.blogspot.com
Emily Pienaar http://www.roseenbos.com/category/blog
JoAnne Bassett http://www.joannebassett.com/natural_perfumes
Joyce Noerr http://sororiaorganics.blogspot.com/
Karen Williams http://www.aromaticsinternational.com/blog/
Liz Cook http://oneseedperfumes.wordpress.com
Noelle Smith http://ellenoire.blogspot.com/
Stephanie Vinson http://www.stephanieknaturals.com/blog/
Susan Stype http://www.aromatherapycontessa.com

Joy in January - A Natural Perfumers Guild project and Three-day Giveaway - Day 2 of 3

2012-01-17T11:46:00.001-05:00

Joy in January - a three-day blogging event to help you deal with your SAD-ness this month.

If you're reading this on the second day of the three-day blog event, you can read my initial post about SAD and scents here.

When I moved to Syracuse, New York in 1980 for grad school, it was a very impulsive move on th part of my (ex) husband and myself. He was offered a great job, and we welcomed a move from a very remote small Florida town where the biggest thrill was guessing how many alligators were in the lake across the road.

I knew Syracuse was super-cold and super-snowy, but I didn't know it held the rather dismal record as having the least amount of days with sunshine in the USA -- only 55 days of sun per year! That's the number I remember reading in the paper there, but some latest data I looked up doesn't support that. Still, it's up there in terms of cloudy, rainy, snowy days. I know that it snowed so much, every day in the winter, that many of us kept brooms and scrapers in our car because we often had to clean the windshield off after a brief visit to a store, restaurant or other stop.

I had lived in several regions of the USA at this point, and I immediately noticed a difference with the residents of Syracuse. They were very bright, talkative, drank a lot and cursed like crazy. "F*** you" was a part of many conversations, light-hearted or angry. This shocked me, and I was known for a salty mouth. There was a real undercurrent of anger, and the alcohol didn't help any. Let's realize that they were often snowed in, isolated and depressed.
There were numerous scented geraniums growing in my house, under grow lights. I remember a particularly dour guy walking into my house one day and exclaiming with a smile on his face "This smells like Hawaii". Scent therapy, aromatherapy does work, folks.

I was going for a quasi-Syracuse mood photo of these lively, sweet-smelling essential oils. However, being in Miami, the sunshine will prevail. Click to enlarge and see the light glinting through the oils. Beautiful.

Today's giveaway - Four cheery essential oils from my Food & Drink line

Leave a comment today to be in the drawing for four of the most uplifting oils from my Food & Drink line. They are of perfume quality, and may be used to make perfume, too. But in the meantime, I suggest you put some in a diffuser, dilute 10 drops in a tablespoon of milk and add to a warm bath, or bring a small pot of water to a simmer on a stove and add some drops after you turn the heat off. Be creative in ways to fragrance your home and body with yellow grapefruit, pink grapefruit, fresh ginger or cassia (cinnamon).

Joy in January - A Natural Perfumers Guild project and Three-day Giveaway - Day 1 of 3

2012-01-16T10:11:00.004-05:00

Joy in January - a three-day blogging event to help you deal with your SAD-ness this month.

The Natural Perfumers Guild is an association of perfumers, suppliers and associates dedicated to the use of 100% natural aromatics. Whether it be a perfume, body spray, soap, candle, lotion or other fragrance product, we concoct them with one goal in mind - to exalt the beauty of the product by adding a gorgeous scent.

The Joy in January project is fourteen of the Guild members blogging about how naturally-scented products may help alleviate the depression and lethargy that often overcomes folks who live in dark, cold northern climates. The lack of sunlight during the short days of autumn and winter is a real problem, and those afflicted with this problem are said to suffer from SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Please read what we share with you about our reaction to the SAD phenemona, and leave comments on our blogs to be entered to win some SAD-alleviating naturally fragrance products from the Guild.

Here's a story about my recollection of what I decided, as a very young child, was a seasonal funk relieved by hoiday lights.

I was about ten years old, and walking up the hill from my aunt's house, where I had just lit the candles on the Hanukkah menorah, on maybe the fifth day of the Festival of Lights. I don't remember exactly, but the lights were enough in number to bring real cheerfulness to the menorah, so let's say about day five. It was very dark and cold, and the streets were empty of cars or people. Many windows had colorful strings of Christmas lights, others had the electric Hanukkah candles. They were the only cheerful bits on that cold December night. I suddenly realized that the Festival of Lights and Christmas came at the time of year that people needed some brightness and a cause to celebrate. Winters in Philadelphia were dismal and boring, and these festive times banished some of the grimness. No recognition of the next month, January, seeped into my thoughts, I was focused on the bright lights and parties of December. I remember that walk up 59th Street like it was yesterday.

I left Philly when I was a teen to live in Berkeley, mostly because I didn't like the gray and cold and dirt of the city. Years later we began to hear about SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder, a real medical condition that brings depression, weight gain, physical inactivity and worse to those deprived of sunlight in the short, winter days, especially in the Northern Hemisphere.

Now here it is January, and the holiday credit card bills are rolling in, and there are no lights, no holiday, nothing to lighten the load of those with SAD - well, the Guild is here to try to help!

In the years since the recognition of SAD as a real malady, thousands of articles have been written on the subject, and an entire industry - the production of SAD-relieving lights, has developed. If you suffer from SAD, you are prescribed to have the light on a certain number of hours a day.

*According to the Mayo Clinic:
Seasonal affective disorder (also called SAD) is a type of depression that occurs at the same time every year. If you're like most people with seasonal affective disorder, your symptoms start in the fall and may continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody.

Treatment for seasonal affective disorder includes light therapy (phototherapy), psychotherapy and medications. Don't brush off that yearly feeling as simply a case of the "winter blues" or a seasonal funk that you have to tough out on your own. Take steps to keep your mood and motivation steady throughout the year.

I'd like to add to those three modalities some beautiful scents in the form or aromatherapy and perfumery. The logo for Joy in January shows our muse, Flora, basking in the radiant light of an arc of suns. The suns have flowers hidden in them, to signify the power of sunlight to make our beloved flowers grow. The sense of smell is the one sense we can't "turn off", as it is always on. Even in deep sleep, a scent can awake us, be it fire or flower.

The flowers and citruses in my most sunny of perfumes, my Light perfume, will bring a smile to the face of any SAD-sufferer. Bright and brilliant, the citron and yellow grapefruit are light and scent captured in an essence. Frankincense is proven to aid in uplifting the mental state, and the lemony beauty of aglaia flower captures the heart of the perfume, and will warm the heart of the lucky winner in the draw on Thursday.

Image courtesy of Fragrantica

Today's giveaway - a 15ml bottle of Light EdP

Some ideas for letting the Light go to work for you: Spray some on a woolen scarf, or spray on your upper body as you dress, and it will softly release it's scent all day. Use a tiny bit in a diffuser, or mix some in a lotion. Don't forget your hair! A spray on your hair will give you a puff of scent each time you move. Or, of course, use it straight sprayed on your skin as an EdP. Maybe spray your hands before you put your gloves on - you'll get a lovely burst of scent when you remove them. Don't forget your pillow at night - sweet dreams.

Prizes will be mailed to winners in the USA, Canada and the EU only. You will find bloggers in Australia, Canada, South Africa and Vietnam, so please check their mailing policies.

1. You, the poster can post as anonymous, but that will make you ineligible for the drawing.

2. I'd love it if you sign up for my newsletter, or "like" my page on Facebook, but that isn't a requirement of this blog. Please just leave a comment that shares your difficulty with SAD. We need to get the word out there so others reading this may recognize the disorder has aromatherapy and natural perfumery as an alternative healing modality.

3 I do want you to leave your first name or a nickname, ISP (eg., gmail) and location. That way, when I announce the win, and you reply, I'll be sure I have the right person.

PS: in full disclosure, I don't suffer from SAD. Tomorrow I'll tell you my story of living for five years in the North American city with the least amount of sun, and what I observed in the residents of that city.

Ask the Perfumer - Sunday, January 15, 2012 - until 10 PM EST

2012-01-15T10:35:00.002-05:00

I'm very excited because tomorrow, Jan. 15, 2012, fourteen of the Guild associates, suppliers and perfumers will launch the Joy in January blog event! Check back here and leave a comment when I post my first blog on Joy in January, and visit all of the other blogs, since we'll all be hosting giveaways of our naturally-scented products for three days. Good luck!

I'll be here through 10 o'clock tonight, EST USA, to answer your questions about perfumery. It's heartwarming each Sunday to see the stats of the loyal 300 or so visitors. Y'all might not be posting, but I'm sure you're enjoying the questions and answers. I've always been about the educational forum in natural perfumery, and this is just another facet of it.

Can I share a bit of fun as I move forward to Jan 28, a day that an "advisor" (read dictator) violated a written agreement? Why a "bit of fun"? Because it feels so good to be out from under the thumb of an ogre. You know that song that is on TV "You don't own me?" I have some fun alternate lyrics that make me smile: "You don't own me, I'm not one of your fawning toys, you don't own me, I'm not one of your bought-off pawns, you can't tell me what to do, you can't tell me what to say, and if my perfume classes site doesn't suit you, please just go away - no more screaming rants to hear, maybe on youtube the taped ones will appear..."

This sidebar appears because someone with the phone skills of Mel Gibson, replete with gasps for breath, guttural utterances and Yeti-like overbearance is now out of my life, and it's bringing me Joy this January. Freedom. Sweet.

Ask the Perfumer - Sunday, January 8, 2012 - until 10 PM EST

2012-01-08T09:39:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone, and welcome to the first Ask the Perfumer forum of 2012. I've been busy over the holiday. Two huge containers full of lemon petitgrain leaves were harvested and dried, and will be distilled soon. Several new fragrant plants were introduced to the garden and are being coddled through the transplant phase. I got lots of writing done, and am mulling over an anniversary post for Jan. 28 regarding the Guild. A number of new students enrolled in the past few weeks, so day-to-day details were addressed to get them settled into the basic perfumery course. We're working behind the scenes for the next Guild Internet project, due to launch next week, and I'm creating a new perfume for the Prima Aroma line.

I hope your holidays were a lot of fun and productive, too!

I'll be here until 10 PM EST, so feel free to submit questions until then.

The Natural Perfumers Guild Welcomes French Natural Perfume House Honoré des Prés and Nose Olivia Giacobetti as Professional Perfumer

2012-01-05T09:45:00.002-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MIAMI, Florida /January 5, 2012

Noted French Natural Perfume Company Honoré des Prés Joins the Natural Perfumers Guild

Honoré des Prés’s perfumer Olivia Giacobetti’s is recognized as attaining Professional Perfumer status in the Guild.

The Natural Perfumers Guild is an international Association dedicated to perfumes and fragrance products made only with natural aromatics. The Guild is pleased to announce that Honoré des Prés, a leading French fine fragrance company, has joined the Guild.

Honoré des Prés was established by Christian David in 2008 with a goal to create 100% natural and artistic perfumes with an urban flair. All Honore des Prés scents are eco-certified and don’t contain any synthetic aromachemicals, colorants or phthalates. The fragrances are composed by renowned perfumer Olivia Giacobetti. Honore des Prés has been widely lauded for its commitment to the global environment and is a favorite among celebrities such as Jessica Alba and Rachel Zoe.

Honoré des Pré has launched two lines since 2008:

- We Love New York collection: Vamp à NY, Love Coconut and Love Les Carottes.

- “Les Verrines d’Honoré”: Sexy Angelic, Honoré’s Trip, Nu Green and Chaman’s Party.

Since re-establishing the Guild in 2006, President Anya McCoy has seen the list of perfumers grow to an international group of highly-skilled and creative force. “With Honoré des Prés and Olivia Giacobetti now joining the Guild, our heightened presence in the international perfume community is obvious. We welcome them not just due to the obvious beauty of their perfumes, but also because of their commitment to using natural aromatics.”

http://naturalperfumers.com
http://www.honoredespres.com/

For more information, contact:

Name: Michelyn and Didier Cholay

Phone: 516 208 2411

Email:

Michelyn@sens-unik.com

Didier@sens-unik.com

Keywords: natural perfumers guild, honoré des prés,
olivia giacobetti, christian david, natural perfume, organic, botanical perfume, natural, sensual, trail, trendy, urban, freshness, chic

Happy New Year and Welcome to New and Renewing Natural Perfumers Guild members!

2011-12-31T19:30:00.000-05:00

I was going to write a year-end roundup, but time constraints and the general holiday duties got in the way - maybe tomorrow or early next week.

I am so happy to share with you that the Natural Perfumers Guild is pleased to announce that noted aromatherapist and author Victoria Edwards has joined us as an Associate. After returning to the USA from seven years in France, Victoria will be relaunching her website VictoriaLeydet.com in the upcoming months. An aromatherapist since the 1970s, Victoria wrote a chapter in her book The Aromatherapy Companion on natural perfumery (available on amazon) waaaay back in the last century :-) Her essential oils and absolutes are stellar, and I have used several of them in my perfumes, so I welcome her reopening her store. She also makes all-natural body creams and balms, and other aromatherapy products. Welcome back, Victoria.

PS: Next week, the Guild website will have a new look, mid-month, the Guild members will have a very joyful blogging and reaching out to the community blog event, and look forward to a few surprise announcements.

In addition to Victoria, the Guild warmly welcomes new members and renewing members in all categories.

Perfumers

new

Opalescent Natural Perfume - Christine

renewing

Maui Perfume - Jackie Cummings

Associates

new

Sororia Organics - Joyce Noerr

renewing

Ellenoire Bath and Body - Noelle Smith
StephanieK Naturals - Stephanie Vinson
Robert Tisserand Aromatherapy - Robert Tisserand
Green Scentsations - Mindy Green
Nothing Perfume – Michael O’Malley
Ingrid K - Ingrid Kutschbach
Fragrance Sciences – Barry Gibson

Suppliers

new

Flora Medica - Valerie Cooksley

renewing

Aromatics International - Karen Williiams
Aqua Oleum - Alec Lawless

Friends

new

Heather Tobin
Pat White
Dr. Peter Stefanides

renewing

Susan Anderson

Fruits of Warm Climates by Julia Morton - An Economic Botanist's Legacy

2011-12-27T18:56:00.002-05:00

Green bananas just two days ago - ripened into the lovely fruits, below

I'd love to share a wonderful resource with you. This is for all who live in warm climates and who love to grow their own. I just harvested some rare small bananas from my garden today (unknown variety) and received an email query from a Guild member, asking for an ID on a sour orange someone had given her. She intends to macerate the skin in some fixed oil. I sent her the link with a joke - more info than you ever need to know!

Yummy hand of organic small bananas harvested
today, Dec. 27, 2011 in Miami
- some missing because the cook had dibs.

In 1977/78, as I was in my senior year at the University of California, Riverside, one of the world's great think tanks, I asked my major professor, Dr. Gene Anderson, if I could obtain a change of major from anthropology (ethnobotany), which I was working on under him, to economic botany, since I felt closely aligned with Julia Morton, who had been named the Society of Economic Botany's first Economic Botanist. Gene helped me navigate the system via an appeal to the University of California Board of Regents, and I was awarded the first-ever degree in economic botany from UCR in 1978.

Imagine my delight, years later, when I got to meet Dr. Morton at several Miami events, and obtained a signed copy of her most well-known work, Fruits of Warm Climates. I've since lost the book, but love that it is available online, free of charge. You can access it here. I hope it is of help to some of you, and that you find the perfect lemon, lime, fig, cherimoya or other fruit here :-)

These bananas will be ripening in a day or two. Banana bread, banana pudding, bananas in the freezer, too!

Ask the Perfumer - Sunday, December 25, 2011 - until 10 PM EST

2011-12-25T10:24:00.000-05:00

There won't be any Ask the Perfumer this week or next, Dec. 25, 2011 or Jan. 1, 2012. Do subscribe to this blog, or check my links from various sites, because I will be blogging about natural isolates, frankincense and some other topics of interest to the perfumery community.

Best Wishes for you and yours in celebrating the holidays this time of year, and the most wonderful wishes for a prosperous and healthy 2012.

Don't Panic About the Frankincense Panic! Let's Make Plans for Plantations, though! A tree grows in Miami!

2011-12-23T18:06:00.006-05:00

!!!Debunking alert!!! - Joking with all the exclamation points, including those in the title of this blog, but c'mon, what an overwrought, slightly incorrect article we're talking about. In case you haven't heard, the perfumery media is buzzing with alarm over the doom and gloom article cited below.

Who doesn't love Scientific American? Well, they posted an "EXTINCTION ALERT" (my caps, as a salute to the tabloid-type hype they incurred a few days before Christmas) on frankincense that has the perfume world alarmed. Repeating some rather scary stats from the Journal of Applied Ecology, everyone is now on edge that frankincense, the Biblical, historical iconic resin tree that has survived for thousands of years in some of the worst growing conditions on the plant, may only last another 50 years.

I say baloney. The headline "Bad News for Christmas: Frankincense Future Uncertain" only adds to the sensationalist nature of this article, in a supposedly well-vetted (peer reviewed, I would think) publication/blog. I do hope a real journalist takes on that Applied Ecology report, but I don't have high hopes, as sensation sells and seduces.

First of all, they looked at one species of frankincense, Boswellia papyrifera, growing in one region - Ethiopia. There are many species of Boswellia, and papyrifera is not a major player in the frankincense resin field, and that's what everyone is interested in, the sweet fragrance of the resin. They say the papyrifera is tapped for resin, but it's not a major crop, and I've been collecting various Boswellia resins for a number of years.

Granted, they also quote: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources includes 10 Boswellia species on the Red List of Threatened Species, eight of which are listed as vulnerable to extinction. I went to the website and couldn't figure out how to use the Red List, and I'm sure that B. sacra/carterii is on there, and that is the frankincense most treasured by us perfumers.

My dear friend, Trygve Harris, who lives in Oman a good part of the year, is, in my opinion, and by the opinion of many others, one of the world's experts on frankincense. A few days ago, upon hearing of my purchase of a tiny B. sacra sapling, Trygve began to send me LOTS of great pictures of frankincense trees in Oman. When they arrived, I urged her to add a SEARCH function to her amazing blog, and she did, and I encourage you to go to AbsoluteTrygve and have a good look at her posts on frankincense. She senses the air and the rain and the soil they grow in like a spiritual earth mother of frankincense, and she balances out the problems and opportunities of this tree like no one I know. Oh, plus, she makes frankincense ice cream and now has a shop opening in Salalah to sell the yummy dessert. Wallah! (I've picked up Trygve's often use of this Arabic word, which basically means "I swear to God".)

So in the past week or so, since the NYT article that sparked a "buy a frankincense tree" (and a run on the book that details growing frankincense) among many I know, and the tabloid-type scare article in SciAmer, I'd like to share some more info and photos. If you'd just landed on this blog post, please search frankincense on this blog, and see the photo of the rather puny sapling I got a few days ago, bareroot and a bit dessicated. I had to hide it in a drawer so my cat Lulu wouldn't run off with it, she was obsessed with it. I just planted it today, and there are two new little leaves bursting forth! This bareroot, scraggly tree is a survivor!

A tree grows in Miami. Light was fading fast - but I needed to document my little tree's first day potted. Notice heritage oak and pineapples in background, along with jasmine fence.

Blurry closeup of one of the two sprouting green leaves. I'll get better pictures soon, as I was in a hurry to get this blog post out and didn't notice it was blurry when I snapped it, and now it's dark outside.

Ok, I couldn't wait - I went outside and got this flash shot - I put the tree under the table's umbrella to protect it.

I researched the climate of Oman, you can read about it here. Water and cold need to be very carefully watched in growing this tree. I'll post images later of the coastal frankincense trees that Trygve sent me, "monsoon" franks, "old lady" franks, and ones that seem to love humidity.

Everyone remember when the vanilla plantations of Madagascar were damaged by hurricanes, a war broke out, and other calamaties affected the stock, and prices soared? Well, entrepreneurs in India and Indonesia and other countries with similar climates stepped in, planted farms of vanilla, and now we're assured of a steady crop of vanilla from various locales. I predict the same thing will happen with frankincense!

I'm going to get seeds and follow the rather discouraging instructions on their low germination rate. I'm sure others will follow.

Here are Trygve's photos of a plantation of sacra trees, and her comment:

"These are the UNESCO trees in Wadi Dowka. This is not considered desert in Oman because there are trees. it's the Nejd, which is the area between the desert and the coast. Although meant to be a gift from God, and therefore not planted, they are.......and a fence erected around to keep out the camels and goats. These giant old friendly trees get no monsoon rains or mists at all, wallah. They might get a little flash flood action. Can't say for sure."

Click to enlarge the photos.

Enjoy!

Please share this blog because not only will it help stop the doom and gloom attitude, but it might actually encourage someone, somewhere in the world, to start growing these gorgeous trees!

Repotting and Growing Instructions for your Frankincense Tree

2011-12-20T10:07:00.002-05:00

Guild Supplier Trygve Harris of Enfleurage with Frankincense Tree in Oman - read more about Frankincense on her blog

EXCITING update! Trygve has sent me about 20 photos of different-looking Boswellia sacra frankincense growing in different regions in Oman. I'll be adding them as I post more about my little tree.

Here's the very informative email I got from Bob at Arid Lands:

Most of our customers are used to dealing with bare root plants and general care of succulent or "special" plants, such as Boswellia, so thank you for reminding us to include care instructions. They are on our website, www.aridlands.com, and I will repeat some of them here.

Boswellia sacra/carteri is considered to be the same species by taxonomists. This hemisucculent plant stores water in its trunk, thus producing the aromatic sap, but that also allows it to be shipped out of a pot. That species is a summer growing one and will go dormant in the winter (now); as well, it tends to shock when bare rooted anyway, so you can expect the leaves to dry and fall off. That is in no way shape or form a bad thing, it is normal but it scares a lot of people not used to this type of plant.

We generally use a soil mix that is roughly 50% pumice, 20% organic material (usually compost), some peat moss, around 10-15% sand, and several additives, such as vermiculite and some pH balancing compounds. You can simply buy what is known as "cactus mix" at most nurseries or home supply stores and use that. You can substitute small gravel or other things, such as perlite, for the pumice. The important thing is to have a fast-draining mix that retains water but does not stay saturated. Good drainage is essential for these plants and other ones that we grow.

We may use fertilizer during the growing season perhaps 3 of every 4 waterings. We always use fertilizer high in potassium as a natural fungicide and aid to growth of strong stems and roots; that is the third number. So while maybe 20-20-20 is the normal fertilizer, we would use something more like 11-17-29 or thereabouts. In Tucson, where it is very hot and dry, our maximum watering frequency is every 3-4 days. During the winter, that grows to every week to every month, depending upon conditions. Boswellia tends to be watered more frequently at our nursery but not much more.

There is a new book out on cultivation of Boswellias, but unfortunately it is rather expensive. Feel free to ask questions if you want to know anything in more depth.

Bob Webb

A Frankincense Tree Arrived in Time for Christmas - Day One

2011-12-19T13:49:00.000-05:00


			Boswellia sacra - first day. Click on image to enlarge

A recent New York Times article on frankincense tree growers provided links, and I ordered one from Arid Lands in Arizona. It was sent priority mail with a heat pack, since it is winter. I paid $40 for a "one gallon" sapling plus $8 shipping and $2 for the heat pack. One gallon is a trade term, and it generally means a pot that meansures about 7" tall by 7" wide. I was a bit surprised when the plant arrived bareroot. It makes sense that it was bareroot, but that information was lacking on the website. (I have received one-gallon potted plants) Also lacking were any repotting instructions. I've ordered from many mail order nurseries in the past, and repotting information, also general care information, was always included, and perhaps duplicated on the website. I've written the Arid Lands people, since there is no phone number contact for them. I'll report back when I've heard from them.

I have a lot of experience growing arid plants, from lithops to peyote to cacti and succulents too numerous to mention. I'll keep posting tips on the frankincense, combining Arid Lands reply and my own observations.

First, buy coarse sand, or if you're lucky enough, dig some from your garden. I would not repot this sampling in a one-gallon pot, I'm going to repot in maybe a four or five-inch pot. The sampling needs to send out new roots, and a tight container helps this process. Do NOT fertilize. For the first month, water every other day, allowing all the water to drain out. Do not let it sit in a pot in a saucer that holds water. Keep it in the sunniest, warmest place in your home. Protect from night chills if you live in a cold climate by moving it at least two feet away from the window when the sun goes down.

That's it for now. Do you have any questions?

Ask the Perfumer - Sunday, December 18, 2011 - until 10 PM EST

2011-12-18T09:11:00.000-05:00

What are your favorite holiday smells? Christmas tree? Brisket? Mulled apples and spices? Well, except for the brisket, the others are easily made from essential oils. You can make a room spray to perfume your nest this time of year. Any perfumery questions today? I'll be here until 10 PM.

Ask the Perfumer - Sunday, December 11, 2011 - until 10 PM EST

2011-12-11T10:04:00.000-05:00

Ask the Perfumer is open for questions this balmy Sunday in December. Feel free to ask perfumery questions until 10 PM tonight EST USA.

When you LOVE a perfume, but your skin hates it

2011-12-06T10:21:00.000-05:00

I wrote an article for CaFleureBon that gives you alternatives. http://www.cafleurebon.com/what-to-do-when-you-love-a-perfume-but-it-doesnt-like-you-unrequited-love-draw/

I adore the scent of my Temple perfume, but it contains Oud, and Oud and my skin don't get along. I use my perfume locket to wear Temple, a peaceful, grounding perfume.

Fragrantica Chooses all 12 of Anya's Garden Perfumes for the Perfumed Horoscope Week Dec 5 - 11, 2011

2011-12-04T13:20:00.000-05:00

I clicked on the link and was truly surprised and delighted - Fragrantica chose my entire line of 12 perfumes to feature this week. Each perfume is linked to an astrological sign, according to the selection by Hieronimuss, the astrologer for Fragrantica. Click here to read his savvy suggestions.

I'm offering all of my perfumes and botanicals for 25% off to celebrate this fun event. Click here and use the code fragrantica for 25% off through Dec. 11th. For 10% off my perfumery course and kits, use the code F73480022F at the Natural Perfumery Institute page by clicking here.