Checking in…

On Sunday I took a couple hours off work to make my annual pilgrimage to Russian River Roses to sniff the field of Kazanlak perfume roses and to choose a new rose bush to bring home. The owner told me that they imported the original Kazanlak bush from Bulgaria and she has propagated a whole field from cuttings of the Bulgarian stock.  She doesn’t sell Kazanlak now but might in the future, and I’d be very tempted to grow one despite the once-only annual bloom.  They really smell heavenly!

Back on the blending front, I added some rectified cade oil to Fireside Intense for more smoke.   Cade is an oil from Juniperus oxycedrus that is used in perfume for leather and smoky notes, and it’s also used in some skin care products.  It has a very smoky scent and is so strong it’s used in very tiny amounts (well diluted).  I’ll run this by a few testers to see how the smoke level seems with the cade, guaiacwood, nagarmotha, and birch tar blended with cedar, sandal, leather, and incense. 

I’m also working on the new woodsy floral, a tweak of Jour Ensoleille, and I need to get back to the rose scent soon.  I’ll post a list of the new scents and updated scents when I’m done.

And last week we were excited to see Bois Epices reviewed on the Now Smell This blog: Review of Bois Epices

Busy Weekend

Had a great visit with family. Here is the newest member, my older niece’s new dog.  They rescued him from a shelter and think he is a 6-year-old Australian shepherd mix.  He’s a sweetie.  The girls are cuties too, but I don’t want to post pics of them for their privacy.

Worked with labdanum absolute and guaiacwood this weekend; both come in semi-solid form and need to be warmed before mixed with alcohol and then filtered. I had run low on both and needed more.  I’m adding the guaiac back into Fireside Intense and the labdanum is for the amber scents.  Both are yummy ingredients.

Still working on Fireside Intense.   Trying to increase the deeper base notes without losing the lighter smoky notes that float on top.   Made some substitutions yesterday that are getting me closer.

Scent Blending

Wanted to check in.  I finished a little tweak on Gardenia Musk and got it back on the scent list.  Also just finished a tester blend of Fireside Intense; it has cedar, sandal, birch tar, oak moss, musk, frankincense, myrrh, orris, jasmine, tabac, and leather.  I’m evaluating it and will be sending it out to a few testers.  I’m working on Amber now; the Amber scent we’ve had on the site is a rich dark amber, but I’m adding woods, incense, musk, and spice for a more complex blend.   Had to set the rose aside for a week or so to get back to these other scents.   Will also get back to the sandal floral. 

 My brother, SIL, two young nieces, and their new dog will be visiting this weekend for a belated Easter family gathering.  Hope you had a great holiday weekend last week if you celebrate.

 Will check in again soon…