fragrance terms and descriptions.

Have you ever passed by someone or something and caught a whiff of their  fragrance and then you go to a perfume store or you try describing the scent to someone and you kept drawing blanks?  It’s happened to me a couple of times. It so frustrating!  I still can’t seem to find the words to best describe what I smell.  

I  know a lot more than I did last week but I figured since we are on this journey together, my little knowledge is worth sharing. Besides, I promised I would do a post on perfumery terms. 

WARNING!

This might get very long and sometimes confusing but if you stick with me just a few more  minutes after you have rolled your eyes into your forehead or involuntarily scratched your head more than once, you’ll see the light at the end of the tunnel…no, you’re not dead, you just became enLIGHTened! Here goes…

Absolute:  Absolute is derived from a solvent extraction process. During this extraction process, plant materials are immersed in solvents like hexane to form a thick substance called concrete. The concrete is then mixed with alcohol to release the oil. The alcohol solvent is then removed by subjecting it to very low temperature distillation, after which remains the Absolute. Solvent extraction is used for plants that are too fragile for distillation or would not yield their essence easily. Delicate flowers like jasmine, narcissus, tuberose, rose and orange blossom are often rendered in absolute form. Absolute is the purest form of an essential oil and is a little closer to the scent you would get from smelling the flower.  

Accord: Accord is a combination of different essences (scents) to create a totally new and unique essence or fragrance, like mixing red and blue to make purple. Each essence loses its unique identity lending it to all others to form the accord which becomes an entity on its own, a base from which many fragrances can be created. For instance a chypre accord which may be used as a base for rich floral perfumes, could be built around bergamot, oakmoss and labdanum.

Aldehyde:  Although there are many aldehydes used in perfumery and they don’t all smell the same, often I hear people describe it as fatty, soapy, fizzy, fruity and sparkly. I'm not quite sure how it all fits since I haven’t had the opportunity to smell all the different types of aldehyde. However, based on my studies, aldehyde is a type of organic chemical, often used in perfumery. The chemical that gives cinnamon its unique smell and vanillin which is a major component in vanilla are both aldehydes. Of course those two smell nothing alike and cannot be describe as soapy or fruity. However, the aliphatic aldehydes would fit those descriptions perfectly. They have this citrusy or floral scent and sometimes, woody or pine scent. Although aldehydes were made popular by the ample amount featured in chanel No. 5, there is hardly any fragrance in existence without some amount of aldehyde in it.

I shall stop here today, one day, we shall get to Z!  Until then, let me know if there is any fragrance term you would like  to add even perfumista slangs!

first drop to genius

I had decided earlier on to do a post on definition of perfumery terms in response to a friend's question on what is fleuressence but that will have to wait because this message is very important; I made my first perfume!

Yes I did!

I  was really nervous after  I had completed the"mix"  I  had wondered if the outcome would smell so bad I'd have to soak my lab in  air freshener to rid it of the stench I would have unleashed. 

I like dark, deep , mysterious  and sensual perfumes  so, that was what I went for.

No,  I didn't get a dark mysterious perfume but I did achieve the sensuous with what I now call musk arrogance .... Yes, I have named my first perfume.

I started with oak moss, added drops of wood, musk, rose fleuressence and completed with  vanilla but the musk in between  has drawn them all in to create this powdery, sweet but strong sensuous scent that has an eternal sillage. It's been on my skin for hours and I can still smell it.

Of course I had to put it on my skin!  For one second, I had this  irrational fear that it would be so corrosive, my skin would burn.

Fortunately, my bravery and curiosity compounded by a tinge of  vain arrogance or call it optimism in my creation quickly dispelled the fear.

Besides who else would be my guinea pig? Definitely not my husband who still can't enjoy the beauty in a musk scent.

The first thing  he said when I put my wrist to his nose was " isn't this that awful perfume your friend gave you?"  I would have bit his  nose off if he didn't quickly add, "it smells better now" just before I told  him I made it.

He has potential, that husband of mine. Musk arrogance does share that sweet powdery scent with Les Nereides'  fleur poudree de musc without the preceding faecal top note.

 Anyway if  I am to judge by the tingly sensation on wrist, I'd say I still have a lot of work to do, no one wants to wear a perfume that lasts forever but burns a hole on the wrist. I'll  let you know  if my wrist survives the day.

 I also have to figure out how to make the juice all bright and shiny like the commercial ones.

 For now,  I am basking   in the warm sensuous glow of musk arrogance. 

Enjoy your week!

Male musk deer secretes a substance called musk which attracts its female. The deer is endangered because humans love that musky scent. I believe animals have the right to life just like we do. Thus no animal was hurt in the production of musk arrogance.