Grin Review

Visit Shallow and Materialistic to read a review of my perfume Grin. FYI the blogger is neither shallow nor materialistic, it is actually Alicia Arruda, my former intern, and a die-hard Chypre lover. Hope you enjoy the read!

Correspondence Course is Ready!

Thank you for all of you who have patiently awaited the pilot (AKA first module) of my correspondence course, dedicated to Citrus & Colognes + Lab 101. It is now ready and those of you who sign up will receive the materials with no further delay via advanced technology called electronic email or inter web.

Radio Nostalgia

For those of you curious to know what I was talking about at the Candy Palmater Show (last week), here's a snapshot of Abishag (the first perfume I bought for myself from the Israeli Museum) and that little porcelain pot of Greek mythology sealife that my grandmother brought me around the same time (it was filled with a knock-off of AnaisAnais, but actually smelled better)*. This little pot still holds the very same scent; which is why I recommend you never throw out empty perfume bottle. They hold memories and will continue to do so quite loyally for many years to come...

Which were the first perfume/s you've purchased for yourself or worn? How old were you then?

* I was actually rather disappointed that the real deal was as soapy and sharply green as it is. But I now appreciate it more (even though it really isn't "me", and never will be).

The Aroma Allure

This morning I was interviewed for the Candy Palmater Show on CBC Radio One. It was particularly fun to connect to a fellow fragrance lover across the radio waves - before airing, I learned that Candy is a die-hard scent lover, who does not turn her nose away from old-fashioned treasures such as No. 5 and Chantilly; and would travel a great length to scout a fragrance when it just came out (even though if my memory serves me right it was Poison she was after, so she probably could have smelled it from miles away, LOL!).

You can hear it online: The aroma allure: Stories behind some iconic fragrances. And also you can listen to the whole episode - which included Cirque de Soleil's first Canadian woman director, and legendary folk musician Buffy Sainte-Marie!

Rad Dads: Honouring Fathers Fragrantly on June 19th

The school year is coming to a close, and today I'll be witnessing (and experiencing) a huge milestone: My daughter is graduating high school. Her school years have been an immense journey, and reaching its end is bittersweet. When I think about it, my chest is going to burst from pride when I recall how she was in kindergarten, and how far she’s come. And my heart overflows with gratitude and happiness when I remember all the wonderful people who provided their guidance and helping hands along the way - teachers, therapists, childcare providers and friends - who all became our second "adopted" family here in Canada. It really does take a village...

And then there is always the pinch of regret and sadness, not only about saying goodbye to all these wonderful people; but also remembering all the ones that could not come to celebrate with us, some simply because they live too far away; but others, who one would think should have been there, and don’t even know it’s happening, simply because they chose to disappear from my daughter’s life altogether. Among those somebodies are, unfortunately, her own father, who has been missing out on a lot of important milestones prior to this one, and also with his choice to abandon his daughter made me by default the dad in the family (funnily enough, when asked about my gender, my daughter tends to label me as "man")…

Yet, although my personal experience with fathers is less than stellar, I haven't lost hope. Three of my brothers are wonderful dads and watching them raise their children is a delight (I only wish I could do so more often, and not from so far away!). My daughter was fortunate to have a reliable stepdad who was a supportive and positive influence for the best part of her childhood - and also have been an important contributor to the success of my business: he has designed, maintained and faithfully hosted my websites and sent all my newsletters out till recently. Which brings me to the point that we've launched a new website, wand it is already active on a temporary domain (the switchover is scheduled to take place any moment - and when that happens, the old domain will look the same as this). Please do not be scared of the prices - the default is in CAD, which means the numbers are a bit higher than what you're used to; but you can switch the currency to fit your currency of choice at the top right corner of the new website. 

Lastly, this year I I've met some rad dads, ones that would go to the other end of the earth to keep their children safe and happy; ones that would always put their children's best interest first, and would sacrifice and give them endlessly, just as much as most mothers would in a similar situation. My heart goes out to men like this, especially the rare breed that raises their kids alone like I do, and are also the mom in their family... For these dads I dedicate the following perfumes: 

SUNSET BEACH is a little piece of heaven tucked away in the midst of bustling boat-False Creek and busy traffic on the bridges that cross it. It is that happy place where time stops and the only thing that matter is the tides, currents and basking in the gentle evening sun. Sunset Beach can be anywhere... Mine just happened to be in Vancouver... I invite you to uncork a bottle of this daydream and experience a truly creamy sandalwood perfume complemented by handmade tinctures of pandan leaf and milky oolong tea, coconutty massoia bark and dreamy champaca. 

ORCAS was originally launched for Father's Day 2011, and was a FiFi Award Nominee in 2012. Inspired by the breathtaking scenery of the Wild Pacific Trail, a place where ocean meets forest and whales blow and sing above the stormy weather. Orcas perfume is an innovative all-natural marine woody, a unique combination of scents from sea and seashore. Brisk and pungent citrus and herbaceous notes suggest ocean breeze and tea-like clarity, and an array of oceanic treasures such as seaweed and ambergris meet seashore and rainforest notes.

KOMOREBI is the Japanese word for that beautiful interplay of tree foliage and light. This unique perfume captures the wonderful scent that can be experienced in late summer and early autumn in the Pacific northwest rainforests: It emanates from the sun-dappled fragrant forest floor on those warm days when the sun brings out the sweet smells of redcedar, moss & Douglas fir… 

TAMYA is one of the dreamiest scents in my collection: combining delicate and delicious notes of jasmine sambac, ylang ylang, cassis, bluebells and crocus, white musk, vanilla and cedar. All proceeds from this perfume go towards my autistic daughter's trust fund to save up for her future education and speech therapy. Each bottle you'll enjoy buys her one session. So far we've fundraised $2,908 from all sales of Tamya-related products - just a little less than third of our ultimate annual goal of $10K. You'll be surprised how wonderful it actually wears on a man's skin. Try it!

Additionally, you can support the ongoing Tamya cause by purchasing her very own original acrylic paintings (there is also a growing selection on her Etsy shop). 

Treat dad to some ESPIONAGE TEA next weekend! Lapsang Suchong (pine-smoked black tea), whose smoky aroma and tannin flavour is smoothed by orris root and vanilla bean. Juniper berries add a tad of evergreen, gin-like sparkle. This tea blend is a bold brew that sparkles the imagination and will be fondly remembered and shared, like stories around the campfire.

MASCULINE MINI TRIO is one of our most popular items online, and you can still get it (from the still active "old" website). It's a great way to treat dad (or another important man in your life) to three fragrances he can explore and play with (they can be layered too...). 

Blogger's Update

I've been bitterly neglecting my blog in the past three months. It's been a bit of a roller-coaster, having more responsibilities than usual in my personal life, preparing for many possible transitions, and approaching the graduating of my daughter.
But don't worry, I'm still alive and kicking. Just immersed deeply in the day-to-day work and responsibilities of running the business and this busy household. My writing energy has been completely diverted to completing the pilot correspondence course, dedicated to Citrus & Colognes + Lab 101. For those of you interested - I am offering this pilot module at a 50% discount until June 19th, in exchange for your honest feedback so that I can make this program the best correspondence program I can possibly offer (I'm planning to write and design 7 more modules after this one is out).

Those who sign up will receive a PDF of the material (which includes lists of the materials you will need for this module, step-by-step guide to reading and exercises for thorough and hands-on learning) and can ask questions via email or Skype chat. At the end of your studies, you will have to submit at least one of the perfumes you've created during the course; and will have to write test of that is conducted via email. With a successful completion of these last two steps, you will receive your certificate of completion for that module, and will be invited to continue to the next.

P.s. Private lessons via Skype conference calls can be booked in addition in order to address personal questions and monitor your progress and answer additional questions you may have about your perfumery studies.