Anya's Garden Perfumes + The Natural Perfumery Institute

Well, you know how some (me!) natural perfumers love to grow and tincture/infuse/extract the scent from plants in our gardens.  I can't grow lilac here in Miami, but this new plant looks to be a winner for those in more northern climates.  Syringa Bloomerang!    What a name ;-) NPers tincture lilac blooms, but have to devote several years to getting a well-scented alcohol, because of the short blooming season.  Several changes of blooms are needed to reach that well-scented goal, and perhaps Bloomerang can solve that.

Well, maybe Gaia of The Non Blonde blog goes a step further - she notes that Kewdra is " An all-natural and botanical dirty musk, as carnal as it gets and then some"  My online store is closed until Jan. 5, 2011, but you can place an order now and it'll be shipped Jan 6th or so.  Use the code "holiday" (without the quote marks) for 10% off. 

This is a wonderful article, from a Dragoco Report circa 1986.  Some of the parts of the article are a bit dated, yet much of it still has a lot of relevance to perfumers in 2010.  The title is The World of French Perfume. How did we get where we are? Where do we go from here? The link will take you to a page where other, previous articles are available for download, along with this latest one. I had a bit of trouble scanning this article.  If I scanned it in color, to capture the beautiful illustrations, the text suffered.  I'm not an Adobe expert, and if anyone would like to help me rescan this, please contact me.  In color, it was 116MB, and in black and white, under 3MB.  The only problem is that the photos are very distracting in black and white, and will use a lot of black ink. The article is scanned in landscape format, due to the size and orientation of the pages.  It will print out very nicely in portrait format. Many thanks to Michel Ro...

Anya's Garden Natural Perfumery Institute is the only perfumery course that allows offline students the chance to take part in daily chats with other students and the Instructor!  Anya has many years experience hosting lively perfumery chat groups and has extended this to her offline students. Nobody left out in the cold! Earning a living as a perfume artist is the goal of every hobbyist, and it must start with well-made perfumes! This year has been a very rewarding one for me, and I have a higher income now than when I was working at a very well-paying corporate job.  It may take years to build up your hobby into a real career, but it can be done. Several of the perfumers who were in the two Guild projects this year have reported to me that they have had great sales as a result. The economy is definitely improving, and you may wish to gift yourself with an investment in your future as a perfumer by studying with me. I have spent years mentoring folks in this group, and mo...

Bulgarian Aromatics Supplier Ecomaat Joins the Natural Perfumers Guild Certified Organic products that include those used in perfumery, aromatherapy, medicine, and the flavorings industries. In early summer, 2009, I contacted a Bulgarian aromatics supplier , asking for samples of some of their very exotic raw materials.  I was particularly interested in the lilac CO2, and some SCO2 extracts of rose alba, linden blossom and others.  I blogged about the lilac here .  I gave them feedback, and started a correspondence with them, as they were astounded they had gotten feedback - they say people either buy or they never hear from them again.  I felt they were innovative and taking chances, and I support any supplier in the industry who does that.  I do believe the lilac CO2 has a place in aromatherapy - the fleeting nature of the top note wouldn't matter too much if the psychological effect for a jolt of scent memory was all that was needed. During the evalu...

Earning a living as a perfume artist is the goal of every hobbyist, and it must start with well-made perfumes! http://PerfumeClasses.com Be sure to check out the entire site to fully appreciate what is offered. I can share my skills of perfume creation with you with in perfumery course I offer.  So far, just the basic course is offered, but next year the Intermediate course, which delves into refining your blending knowledge, along with scientific approaches, will be held at my studio, and also perhaps online. Then there will be a Graduate level that will also address the details of marketing and sales. You can sign up now and start your studies immediately.  In February, there will be another semester sign-up for students who wish to study in a group, and any student can enter that group and move through the study modules with them. I am available to the online students at any time to help with their studies. The basic course online enrollment includes lifetime acces...

I am posting this ad for Stratus Insurance. I was in negotiations with them for both the Natural Perfumers Guild and the Yahoo Natural Perfumery group and the natural perfumery community at large. They're offering great rates to the Guild, and some folks might want to join to save over non-Guild rates. Coverage: For Guild members $1/M/$475 non-Guild: $1M/$525   BTW, if you have a business that is not 100% natural perfumery, you can still join in the Stratus deal. I did negotiate on behalf of the NP community, but I realize many here may use fragrance oils or aromachemicals. You can still get this insurance. Just make sure you use this page to apply: http://www.stratusins.info/perfumers_app.php At the bottom of the page, if you're not a member of the Guild, check off if you are a member of the Yahoo NP group. I will work with Natasaha Gray to confirm Guild members at this time, since we've had about a dozen new members in the past week and they're not liste...

Got the blending blues?  Can't figure out what the filter is going on? Ask away.  I'll see if I can be of assistance with your perfumery questions.

Avery Gilbert, Guild Associate and general raconteur on all things olfactory, finds a book that confirms his theory that the hoo-ha over human pheromones is just bunk. 

I'm a little late getting this started today, but I will be here the rest of the day.  Post away!

I'm going to try to find a fragrance-related image for each night.  This dreidel-shaped perfume bottle surely fits the bill, and is a lot of fun, to boot. To be in the running to win a 3.5ml mini of any of my perfumes, or the 10-sample set, please visit my Facebook fanpage and use the "suggest to friends" option.  That is, if you are already a member yourself.  If not, please join - and still use the "suggest to friends" option.  The drawings will be held on Dec. 9th and announced here and on the Facebook fanpage.

Victoria of Bois de Jasmin blog honored me with a surprise review of Temple, a perfume I launched in 2007.  Lovely review, thoughtful and touching on spiritual and timeless threads.  Temple was meant to be a limited edition, due to the cost and rarity of the aromatics, but so many crave it, I decided to keep it in stock.  It's wonderful when a few years later, a review pops up that was expected, and validates my dedication to producing quality, timeless perfumes.

Anya's Garden Perfumes Celebrates the Festival of Lights with an eight-day perfume giveaway. The Jewish tribe of the Macabees regained control of their temple in 167 B.C., and celebrated the event by lighting an oil lamp.  Despite the fact that there was only enough oil for one day, the lamp burned brightly for eight days.  This is the birth of the miracle of the Festival of Lights, known as Hanukkah, or Chanukah, and is commemorated each year.  Typically, foods such as latkes, a potato pancake, are fried in oil in remembrance of the long-lasting oil of the Macabees. I was raised in a "mixed" household, where I was made to attend Catholic school, but where I was allowed to light the Hanukkah candles by my Jewish relatives, while often still wearing the Catholic school uniform, having rushed over after classes to attend the sundown ritual. I'd like to up the ante on Hanukkah gifts, which are often responsible, everyday items like socks and sweaters, by hosting a ...

Please post your questions, and forgive my slight delay in answering during the morning hours.  I will be available on a timely basis the rest of the day.