Dear Fragrant Friends,
"MRS. LANDINGHAM: (refering to her car)... And when you get inside,
there's this...
(Mrs. Landingham gestures, trying to find the right word).
BARTLET:
Smell?
MRS. LANDINGHAM:
How did you know?
BARTLET:
It's the smell of freedom...and the chemicals they treat the dashboard with".
(Aaron Sorkin, "The West Wing",
S2 E21 "18th and Potomac")
The season of freedom is here, and with it the celebration of
independence both in Canada (July 1st) and Fourth of July in the United
States. Before you all take off to blow off firecrackers gather for a
neaighbourhood barbecue or canoing expedition - let's take a moment or
two to relish in the smell of freedom. After all, this is what makes the
North American continent so admirable.
And I'd like to wish a peaceful Ramadan and easy fasting to those of among you celebrating this month. Ramadan Mubarak!
To celebrate all these important holidays with you, I'm offering FREE
SHIPPING on all orders through July 7th. Also, early bird registration
for this fall's perfumery courses, and pre-orders for my new book are
extended till then.
1. Smells like Canada Contest
Judging by names alone, you'll find three obvious sources of inspiration
in my perfumes: Israel, Japan, and of course my birth country and where
I've been calling home for some odd fifteen years: Canada.
The great Canadian landscape alone brings to mind freedom and
possibilities. The pure air inspires clear thoughts, and tolerance,
politeness and honesty seems to the trait this nation holds dear and
practices on a daily basis.
As far as smells goes, I can assure you that my perfumes are as polite
as can be! Even though Canada is known for its ongoing policies against
offensive odours, you can be sure your co-workers won't even notice that
you've snicked on some Espionage on your wrists... Unless they decide
to sexually harass you, which is very unlikely in our law-abiding
country (thank goodness to that!).
But office and other politics aside - Canada's natural wild floral an
fauna, while not as diverse as its citezens, is utterly abundant. Here
you'll find more coniferous trees then anywhere in the world. No matter
how hard we try to log them, those trees keep growing back, thankfully!
Canada is coniferous trees and maple syrup from coast to coast,
perhaps with a touch of castoreum... Yet somehow, every year I discover a
new fragrant plant that is inspiring and unique to this continent. You
can read more in the 2014 edition of "
Smells Like Canada"
on SmellyBlog, and also add a comment for a chance to win a Gaucho
mini, and handmade incense cones inspired by the First Nationas smudging
ceremony with sage and tobacco.
2.Fir + Fur = Canada
Smell like Canada while supporting small Canadian businesses - choose from the following Canadian-inspired fragrances:
FUR: You won't find any Canadian beaver secretions (aka castoreum) in any of my perfumes, because they are cruelty free. But
Espionage
comes as close as it gets to good ol' Canadian fur. In this case, I've
used cade oil (destructive distillation of juniper) to create the smoky,
tannin quality of leather, along with tobacco leaf and loads of vanilla
and tonka bean. The result has been compared to single malt whiskey and
pipe tobacco.
Enjoy fir and many other coniferous notes (cedar, pine, spruce, juniper...) both in the sharp, refreshing essential
oil, and the sweeter, almost jam-like and resinous absolute form, where
they add a unique sweetness to these perfumes:
FIR:
Fetish
is that rare thing - an unboring citrus: jasmine green tea, fir
absolute, rhododendron and vanilla give the most popular citrus notes of
lemongrass, lemon verbena, grapefruit and bergamot an unusual twist as
well as lasting power. It's a summery love affair!
PINE:
Rainforest was
ironically my attempt at creating the scent of earh-after-rain in
Israel using spikenard - a rare biblical root that smells like wet earth
. I must have added too much pine and spruce, because it smells exactly
like Stanley Park!
MAPLE:
Immortelle l'Amour
was inspired by the Quebeqoise maple-harvets celebration, and the Tire
sur le Neiges tradition of making taffy on spring's last snow.
Maple-scented helicrysum is paired with notes of cinnamon waffles and
orange juice essence - bringing brunch to a whole new level of seductive
gourmand goodness.
SPRUCE:
Orcas
is not just about sea salt and whales - but also the beatuiful ancient
rainforests that kiss the Pacific oceans. Black Hemlock Spruce absolute plays an
important role here, and thre is even an
Orcas Beard Oil, so that you can untangle your locks after a day at sea. EauMG described it as follows:
"Trying this again, I was reminded of just how much I like the Orcas
fragrance. The Beard Oil is a sharp, green geranium with fresh rosemary.
It’s bitter-green-fresh with salt air".
RED CEDAR:
Blackbeard Oil has become somewhat of a cult fragrance. EauMG recently reviewed it for Father's Day
"Smells
like red cedar at a lumberyard and dries down to a soft sandalwood.
It’s an astringent woodsy-woods lumberjack fragrance". It's also a great way to keep your hipster beard looking and smelling fresh while camping.
3. Whimsical Wintergreen and Sacred Tobacco
There is no other scent more American to me than wintergreen. It’s in
American toothpastes and chewing gums, and also in the ever so popular
and oddly flavoured root beer. I don’t think there is anywhere else in
the world where wintergreen is perceived so fondly (except for Canada,
perhaps, but I suspect we learned that from you...). In Europe,
wintergreen and sweet birch are used only for cleaning purposes, and
Europeans are puzzled by the American fondness for root beer. Because of
the salicylates content, wintergnreen oil is valuable for joint pain
relief and to ease muscle spasms (but must be diluted first to avoid skin irritation). However, true wintergreen is
difficult to come by, as it's usually replaced by pure methy salicylate.
Treazon
is the only perfume I created with wintergreen. This is the real stuff, steam distilled from wild wintergreen leaves
and blossoming tops (
Gaultheria fragrantissima). I used it to
accentuated the bitter, medicinal and slightly grape-like aspects of
tuberose. The wild wintergreen, along with birch, really brings out the
intensity of the flower after dark. Add to that vanilla, a hint of
cinnamon, hyraceum and orange blossom and - voila! A killer tuberose
was born! It was even nominated for the 2013 Indie FiFi Awards.
Tobacco is a
sacred plant
in all Native American tribes. The first to use it were probably the
Mayan Indians, and its use was spread throughout the entire continent.
Tobacco was an essential element in most Native American rituals, and
was used in different ways: placed as an offering to the gods or the
spirits, burnt on the fire, smoked in a pipe or the leaves were rolled
into the ancient forms of cigars in South and Central America (at times
also elaborately decorated). Pipes were smoked to “seal deals” and
agreements between tribes. The pipes themselves have a symbolic meaning:
the “straw” part is considered projective or masculine, and the bowl
where the tobacco is burnt is considered receptive, or feminine. There
is a significance to the materials from which the pipes are made as
well, and cultural messages hidden within the decoration of some pipes
(which has become particularly elaborate in Central and Southern
America).
I love working with tobacco, and have created several perfumes with it, including my best-selling
Espionage, and the whimsical
Rebellius, which has a sweeter, almost chocolatey take on tobacco; the soapy-clean
Sabotage, and the pipe-tobacco scent of Espionage. I would love to hear
from you what scents you think are typically American.
4. Media Clips: Now Smell This, CafleureBon, EauMG
Visit
Now Smell This to read Robin's review of my newest perfume,
Musk Malabi:
"It's bright and cheerful, and perfect for spring. Very much worth a try
for anyone, but especially recommended for neroli freaks. I would love
to have a bottle of Musk Malabi, along with Moriel's equally cheerful Etrog Oy de Cologne".
EauMG reviews our two masculine grooming oils: Blackbeard Oil and Orcas Hair & Beard Oil:
"...if you like natural oils and if you think you’d like smelling like a
lumberyard or salt air, then don’t let 'beard' shy you away. These are
high-quality oils with great fragrances".
Cafleurebon dubbed
Les Nuages de Joie Jaune
as one of the world's top 10 mimosa perfumes! Too bad that I have to
let this one go. There is one last bottle waiting for you here.
Back to Top
5. Stanley Park Rose Garden Stroll July 17th + Private Workshops
Lots of workshops and classes coming up - at my studio and outdoors. I'm
re-discovering the wonderful world of roses, with a renewed interest in
this classic flower especially after teaching a similar class in
VanDusen Gardens earlier in June.
July 17th, 5-7pm: Rose Garden Stroll & Scent Salon
Stop and smell the roses!
Join master perfumer Ayala Moriel for a delightful afternoon at Stanley
Park's classic Rose Garden. This interactive class will explore the
evolution of the rose, as a
flower and a fragrance. Find out how the yellow colour in hybrid tea
roses affects their perfume (i.e.: the Tahitian Sunset rose pictured
below smells like apricot and vanilla!), how rose oil is distilled and
extracted,
and see some examples of the rose’s unique place in art, poetry,
mystical botanical symbolism, and of course - perfume. Rosy
refreshments will be served picnic-style.
$46/per person, including a sample of rose perfume you'll take home with you! Limited to 15 participants.
Contact me via phone (778) 863-0806 or
email to book your spot.
Additionally, I will have my
Rose Connoisseur Summer Coffret for sale at the garden, with 8 of my rosiest perfume: Bouquet of Love, Cabaret, Fête d'Hiver, Roses et Chocolat, Rosebud, Song
of Songs, Tea Rose and Ayala Moriel's newest perfume: Musk Malabi.
While perfume may be what is at the very heart of Ayala Moriel Parfums, we also offer many other fragrant
workshops and experiences
- such as our private workshops on the making of everything from
perfume and bath products to all-natural, floral-water icecream. Treat
yourself and five of your favorite people (maximum capacity is 6 people)
to a private perfumed retreat! Private
Perfumed Parties are also available for larger groups (up to 15 participants).
6. Early Bird & Book Pre-order Extended till July 7th
Now it’s time to plan the next term in my perfume school, coming up this
fall, with two courses at the end of September and beginning of
October:
Chypres week (September 22-27, 2014) and
Leather/Tobacco Week
(September 29 - October 3, 2014). Early Bird rates (20% off) are in
effect till June 22nd. If you're a new student, please apply by
emailing me with a CV and a coverletter.
Correspondence Course, Private Lessons & New Book!
If you are not able to attend my classes in person, you can sign up for my
correspondence course which includes the
Foundation of Natural Perfumery Book plus
5 one-hour sessions with me via phone/Skype. I also offer private
sessions - either in person at my studio, or via phone/Skype for $200/hr
- perfect for students who live remotely and need to brush up on
certain lab skills, techniques or want to get personal feedback for
their work. The 2014 edition of the Foundations of Natural Perfumery
Book is now available for pre-order, and will be completed late
summer/early fall. Pre-orders are helping me greatly in setting off some
of the printing and graphic re-design costs, as this will be self
published. We are printing it here in Vancouver; and also will be
offering an electronic edition online later this year.
Wishing you all a Happy Canada Day, Ramadan Kareem and Happy Fourth of July!
Ayala
Labels: Ayala's Book, Canada Day, Fourth of July, Freedom, News from the Nose, Perfumery School, Ramadan
