Anya's Garden Perfumes + The Natural Perfumery Institute

I'll be in and out of the studio today, but don't hesitate to leave your questions, I'll get to all of them.  I love checking the stats for this feature, and seeing all the hits from all over the world. Some check back over and over in the course of a day, so it's obvious this feature really interests you!  If there are 700 hits, maybe I only get five questions, but everyone is sharing in the answers.  Don't be afraid to post, because those of you who do post to me via email know I point you right back here ;-)

Ah, Bob Marley's birthday!  Any hemp oil related questions? Maybe pimento oil (the best is from Jamaica)? I'll be in and out throughout the day, enjoying the highest temps in the nation right now.  Miami rocks in February!

This happy little bee was working away on my pink lemon tree yesterday I had a lot of fun putting this newsletter together, and for the first time ever, I got emails from readers telling me they loved it. Wow, what a nice Valentine to me! There's a typo in the link to the store where 25% off is the lover's gift.  Here's the correct link: http://anyasgarden.com/store.htm The newsletter can be read at http://anyasgarden.com/newsfeb1-2001.htm

The theme and details of the next Guild project will be revealed to the Guild perfumers on Tuesday, Feb. 1st. They will release the perfumes and the project will be launched on the Internet Oct. 1st, 2011.  I can say this much: it's an extension of the Outlaw Perfume project, although the words outlaw and perfume don't appear in the slogan ;-)

It's a beautiful day for perfume talk. I'll be gardening outside today, and thinking up new ways to extract scent from the lovely aromatic plants. What's your perfume question?

It's chilly here in Miami, only up to 70F today!  Still, the aglaia is blooming, some jasmines are blooming, and so the perfume making obsession is still fueled by nature.  Are you frozen in somewhere? Want to talk about the beautiful aromatics that make our life better? Ask your questions until 10PM EST USA today.

Admin Announcement from Anya McCoy, Guild President: The Natural Perfumers Guild Wekcines Elise Pearlstine as Administrative Manager.  Elise, the nose of Bellyflowers Perfumes , is taking on several projects as part of her duties for the Guild. First, Elise has inventoried and categorized all of the items in the Guild Scent Library.   As Perfumers and Associates join the Guild, they are requested to submit, according to their category, perhaps one full size bottle of perfume, and samples of their perfume line, or perhaps soaps, body lotions and other fragrant products.  It is important that we keep a reference library of the Perfumers products first and foremost, for historical purposes and also for PR and communication purposes.  Elise will contact Guild members who may need to send products to fill in the gaps of their materials in the Scent Library.  Second, Elis

Lazy Sunday!  Still, I will persevere to answer your perfumery questions. 

You need to leave a comment to be in the running for the drawing to win perfumes. Light and Amberess are among a number of beautiful perfumes offered in a giveaway on Cafleurebon . Draw ends Thursday January 13, 2011 at 1 am and 11 seconds EST.

It's the first Ask the Perfumer Sunday of the new year, and the new decade.  Happy New Year to everyone!  Got any perfumery questions? I'll be here unti l10 PM tonight.

I must admit I have never seen an article like this before.  The writer obviously knows the basics of perfume making, and compares it to what is needed to, well, for want of a better phrase, government making.  http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/history/american/5711-what-is-the-essence-of-american-liberty My goodness: What are the head chords, heart chords, and base chords of the American republic? Which of all the fragrances did our Founding Fathers mix to concoct the sweetest, most aromatic bouquet ever devised by the political perfumers of history? The evidence is in the product itself, and the various component spices are readily recognizable by one with a trained and discriminating nose. What do you think about this article?

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.

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 Roudnitska, who entrusted me wit

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 more re

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 evaluation session noted

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 access to the

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.