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Showing posts from December, 2012

Ask the Perfumer - Dec. 16, 2012 - the blog has moved

Hi Everyone: I want to be able to email winners of my giveaways, so I switched to Wordpress and installed it on my website.  That way, I can directly email winners to let them know of their wins .   http://AnyasGarden.com/blog See y'all over on my own blog site!

Ask the Perfumer - Sunday Dec. 9, 2012

It's hot and steamy in Miami today!  This is our dry season, so it's odd to have to go out into the garden and water plants while the humidity makes sweat form on your skin, even if you're not moving or working.  Whew!  I share this hot moment with you in the frozen north, hoping you can vicariously warm up a bit, dreaming of next summer in your region.  Not too much blooming here, just the reliable jasmine grandi, aglaia odorata and various veggies, like tomatoes, peppers and peas. The question I want to ask you this week is do you grow fragrant plants inside when it's cold outside?  I'm thinking of jasmines, aglaia, herbs like basil, rosemary and thyme.  Some lucky folks with green thumbs grow citrus indoors, even in Jersey, like my cousin.  Now, if you have any questions, I'm here to answer your queries until 10 tonight ET.

Citrus names can be confusing to a perfumer - here's some information about the fragrant fruits

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A student wrote me privately last week, and I told her I was going to post her question and my answer in the student forum since it's good information for all . Question: I loved the red mandarin (citrus nobilis) in our kit so much that I decided to order some to add to my collection of essential oils. I got a small bottle from Eden Botanicals but it smelled different from the one in our kit - then I checked the label and realized it was Citrus reticulata not Citrus nobilis. I had not noticed this when I placed my order. I checked on the White Lotus Aromatics website and they also had Red mandarin with botanical name Citrus reticulata. However the white lotus description of the aroma was more in line which what I experienced when I did the OE for red mandarin. The red mandarin in the kit had this gorgeous smell like it was already a complete perfume and I could also sme

Ask the Perfumer Sunday Dec. 2, 2012

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As we move into the month of December, often the most rushed, hectic month of the year, filled with holiday preparations and everything associated with that, sometimes something presents itself as a chance to slow down, think of earlier times, and rare, fragrant things.  I have had such a slow down, due in part to my own chosing to relax, but also caused by a new item I'll soon have in my Vintage Vault: the rare, legendary Abishag perfume from Israel.  I'll perhaps relate the Old Testament story of Abishag at a later date, but the most succinct description of her is that she was a beautiful girl chosen to lay in bed next to the elderly King David because he was always cold.  Here is one depiction of the story: by Pedro Amerigo Well, if you're lying around this cold December day, and want some perfumery questions answered, I'll be the virtual Abishag to warm your brain with shared experience and help. One photo of the vintage Abishag perfume that is on its way