Autumn Lists

Dan za paprike tj. Tamara pomaze Petru, originally uploaded by DuchessTara.

Autumn is a time of transition between abundance and light to restriction and darkness. The change in light and warmth sets at atmosphere of contemplation. A sense of wanting to find the essence of life and a place where one can feel content or safe before entering this darker phase. If life does pass before one's eyes before death, than this is perhaps like a little death, where I examine my mundane routines and how they represent my view on life and reflect bigger truths. As the previous year dies (the Jewish one, of course), a new year emerges, with possibilities of the unknown.

For a blog about perfume, this is the time of year where I would typically come up with a list of perfumes I like to wear this season or just general ideas. Although I like making lists (as I already mentioned many times before), I would like to include here a few other lists that are perhaps more serious and have more to do with the future of my little perfumery, this blog, my art and life. This will also give you a glimpse into what have been brewing in my many cauldrons this summer.

Give Me Something New
Despite the fact that the market is over-flooded with new fragrances on an average of more than one-per-day, every season I get requests from old and new customers alike asking me what's my newest fragrance and if there is anything new brewing for the new season.

With 47 existing fragrances (not including any discontinued perfumes), I honestly don't think I need to come up with a new fragrance. There is so much to choose from as it is that really want is for people to feel encouraged to find a true love among my existing collection.

As far as "news" go, I have decided to focus more on expansion of the collection horizontally rather than vertically, meaning: develop new and innovative products that will carry the existing fragrances. This allows for new and exciting collaborations with other like minded artisans, while offering new and exciting ways in which fragrance can be enjoyed: in a tea, in a candle or in a sachet.

At the same time, to satisfy my ever olfactory-starved fans, I am going to release exclusive limited editions of perfumes that are truly unusual and in many cases made of rare materials that I may not be able to re-stock on or that are simply so cost prohibitive that I can only afford to have very little in my organ and produce only limited quantity of the perfume. You could read more about that below and also as the fall exclusive get released (SmellyBlog would be the first one to know, promise!).

New Candles:
Two new candles are in the making as we speak, another joint collaboration with Gabriel's Aunt. I tired hard to keep it a surprise till now what are the exact scents but I can't keep the secret any longer: the first is White Potion - tuberose in a candle form (thanks to the existence of tuberose floral wax this is made slightly closer to the price range of an "affordable" candle). The other is Bois d'Hiver, which Nikki and I have been working on over a year to perfect and really wish my dream will finally come true this winter and I could bring the forest back home with my very own candle.

Exclusive Limited Editions:
This winter, I am finally releasing the much-talked-about Sahleb, a buttery orris perfume inspired by the Middle Eastern beverage of that name. Sahleb is a cozy warm pudding drink sprinkled with rosewater, pistachio and cardamom that is served only at winter time. It is made of the starchy rhizomes of the Early Red Orchid. It is just delicious.
The reason Sahleb is launched as an exclusive limited edition is because unfortunately I'm nearly out of the key ingnredient in it, a very high quality Florentine orris butter with 15% irone, with a creaminess that I have never encountered in any other orris butter, and cannot for the life of me restock it. I have only 100ml of this precious perfume, and for all I know that's all I'm going to have for a while. So 11 bottles is all I'm going to have for now and there will be absolutely no samples.

To-Do List for Fall:
With all the new products - Roses et Chocolat tea, the two new candles - obviously there is some work to be done, including:

• Packaging (labeling, etc.)
• Marketing and promotion (newsletters, press releases...)
• Re-working my display at Portobello West so that the new products are featured yet without taking away from the perfume-focus of my company. I really need to make my display more 3-D and I am picking my brains trying to figure out how to do it without needing to carry too much to the market and still have a simple and clean display.
• Making sure I have time for this blog (I've been very neglectful, I know)
• And many more things that I simply won't bore you with here or else you'll stop reading my blog...

Now, to much lighter and fun lists:

What I'm wearing this fall:
The days of wearing Le Parfum de Therese and Un Jardin Apres la Mousson day after day after day are over pretty much since I got off the airplane at YVR.
Now I'm mostly getting back into Chypres again, a fragrance family that I have neglected for nearly a year. Last year, if you can recall, I haven't had a single Chypre on my fall list, even though it's the classic season for this family.

• No. 19
• Vetiver Tonka
• Ginger & Amber (a very temporary name for a warm ginger and amber and orange perfume, which reminds me of a cashmir sweater)
• Mitsouko
• Chinatown
• Burnt Amber
• Immortelle l'Amour
• Ayalitta - my newly re-found love which I have neglected for so long. Perfume, like faithful dogs, may be sad when you are gone but don't show it when you are back. I was wearing the solid mostly, and thinking to myself after 12 hours of wearing and still going strong: "hmm, perhaps I should only make Chypres from now on and this way no one will ever be able to say my perfumes don't last long".