Anya's Garden Perfumes + The Natural Perfumery Institute

I almost missed this mention of "Best Natural Fragrance" on Elena's list on Perfume Shrine! Here's what I wrote on Facebook about the award:  I adore my Light perfume. I was almost afraid to release it, as it went against my typical style, yet I was consumed with creating a modern "cologne" perfume, beautiful and wearable 24/7, year-round. Well, listen to your passion and don't hesitate, because Light was named Natural Fragrance of 2010 by Elena of Perfume Shrine.

I'm just soooo happy that the perfumers from the Guild followed me into Outlaw territory and won this award from Elena of Perfume Shrine: Rising Star of 2010 : "Outlaw" perfumers doing what they darn please irrespective of perfumery restriction, just for the heck of it. It was about time...

BEST BUZZ AWARD   MICHELYN: The Natural Perfumer’s Guild Blogger Events: The Mystery of Musk and Outlaw Perfume As Ida wrote,   “ It seems inconceivable that there can exist so many gifted natural perfumers, of whom one has never heard”.

Monday, December 27, 2010 10 Midwinter Perfumes- Keep Warm Without Getting Bored   6. Anya's Garden: Kewdra - An all-natural and botanical dirty musk, as carnal as it gets and then some.

The perfumers in the Natural Perfumers Guild worked very hard this year to create perfumes to fit themes that are close to our hearts - botanical and cruelty-free musks, and declaring our independence from nonsensical IFRA constraints. Ca Fleure Bon recognized our efforts in their Best of Scent 2010 awards. December 29, 2010 The Fragrant Year In Review: 2010… From Top to Bottom Notes One of my favorite trends of 2010 was the emergence of Natural Perfumery. Under the auspices of The Natural Perfumers Guild I was honored to participate in two projects they held this year; The Mystery of Musk and Outlaw Perfume . These projects exposed me to some very talented perfumers who I think are the rising stars of not just Natural Perfumery but Perfumery. Those names you should be looking for are Charna Ethier, JoAnne Bassett, Alfredo Dupetit , and Jane Cate . This is not to mention the “old hands” like Anya McCoy, Dawn Spencer Hurwitz and Alexandra Balah...

Cafleurebon – Best of 2010 Fragrances http://www.cafleurebon.com/best-of-2010-fragrances-or-my-biscentual-year-a-draw-naturally/ Dec. 30, 2010 Kewdra  by Anya McCoy for Anya’s Garden Perfumes. 100% natural.   Anya McCoy’s scent Kewdra is named after Kudra the heroine of Tom Robbin’s novel Jitterbug Perfume. I have read this novel several times and have to say my little Mona Lisa smile reveals my “hat’s off” agreement with Anya’s interpretation of this classic heroine. Kewdra is a very sexy sultry 1 st -2 nd Chakra perfume concentrating on a “down and dirty” theme with lots of earthy musky mushroom like scents suggesting sexual fluids and golden honeyed florals giving rise to the image of a healthy fertile woman. I heard that Kudra likes to get down with the God Pan. But you didn’t hear it from me… Notes: Kewda flower, Chinese gardenia, golden boronia, musk.

From The Non Blonde's Best Perfumes of 2010: This is a "Best Of" list, so I'll address one of the most important movements of the year- the growing public interest  in independent artisan perfumery, including all natural/botanical scents. The Natural Perfumers Guild and its current president, Anya McCoy, made a huge contribution to educating the public and promoting the cause and concept of natural perfumery as a luxury product made of the finest ingredients by artists committed to creating beauty. Between the Mystery Of Musk project and the Outlaw Perfumes initiative, McCoy and the Guild pushed several very small lines into the limelights and encouraged the creation of some of the most interesting and vibrant perfumes of recent years. Showing the world what a talented perfumer can achieve when freed from bureaucratic restrictions, I hope the Outlaws will forge a new path and inspire others to take a stand against IFRA. How awesome would it be?

I've built up a great library of perfume books by systematically revisiting websites, looking for a good deal.  The latest is David Williams Perfumes of Yesterday.  The image below is from amazon, and it shows I got the one copy that a seller undervalued for $45.  The almost-$200 cost shown for other copies is more in line with all the other websites.  You have to "sniff" out these bargains, perfumers!  Try not to weep! You, too, can be a perfume book collector: it just requires persistence. Click to enlarge.