Top 50 Fragrance Blogs

SmellyBlog was recently rated by Feedspot.com as one of the Top 50 Fragrance Blogs on the Planet!

Yipee! 

ScentHive Reviews Sunset Beach & Lost Lagoon

Many thanks to Trish Vawter of ScentHive for reviewing Sunset Beach:

"Sunset Beach (...) is milky, smooth and fresh. The overall impression of this fragrance is of creamy woods, gentle spices and a laid back floral flourish. Champaca and ylang ylang reveal themselves in a light, tropical manner that lends a beachy vacation vibe to this perfume, perfect for those of you who love woody florals, but don’t want anything too heavy."

And Lost Lagoon:

"Chypres can be hyper green, icy crisp, or down in the dirt earthy. Lost Lagoon strikes a nice balance, probably because it does not make use of synthetic aldehydes so the initial citrusy-green opening melds gently into its lovely floral heart. "

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!

Sweet Note to End the Year

Being on holiday mode these days, and recovering from a major computer crash - I'm a bit late in the game to discover this evening that Musk Malabi has been chosen as Best of 2014 in the lists of several esteemed fragrance blogs:

Perfume Shrine

"A natural composed "musk fragrance" that conveys the note and its feel without using musk from the deer. A tinge of delicious succulence, a milky hint of dessert and rose and you're there. Very pretty!"

EauMG

"It’s a perfume inspired by one of my favorite desserts. It’s a luxurious blend of rose, neroli and botanical musk. If you don’t think natural perfumes are luxurious, then you haven’t sniffed Musk Malabi."

Now Smell This
Providence Perfume Co's Samarinda was the winner. Honourable mention to Musk Malabi alongside Aftelier's Palimpset and Hiram Green's Shangri La. Glad to be in such good company!

It was already released a year ago, so the fact that anyone still remembers it means quite a lot in today's overcrowded fragrance scene. My perfume Narkiss, on the other hand, although just released, and in my humble opinion is a lot more original than Musk Malabi -  hasn't been discovered yet.

EauMG Reviews Beard Oils

Visit EauMG to read Victoria Jent's reviews of my Blackbeard Oil and Orcas Beard Oil. Both can be used to condition both hair and beard and are made primarily from argan 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".

Custom Perfumes Coverage by Mrs. Robinson

Visit Mrs. Robinson's online magazine to read about unique custom perfume services offered in Canada, including Ayala Moriel Parfums.

Ayala's Perfumed Food in Super Style Magazine and Muza Perfumista

Read my interview for Russian magazine Super Style about Perfumed Food. The English version is on Muza Perfumista's excellent blog. Enjoy! 

I'm on TV! Telus Optik Local myVancouver

What do I have in common with a tattoo parlor, a bloodhound hunter and a volunteer piano teacher? We all appeared in episode 429 of TELUS Optik's myVancouver.
Watch it on Vimeo and YouTube, where you can get a glimpse into how I compose, blend and sniff perfumes at my home studio.

Sinister Greenness Meets Floral Decadence

"Treazon, an all naturals composition by Vancouver-based indie brand Ayala Moriel Parfums, unites the oboe-soft timbre and a sinister greenness with the decadence of a flower entrenched in complexity". 
 Incredibly sensual review of my newest creation, Treazon:
"There's a hint of sweet floralized suede, of skin warmed by friction, of sweet spices folded into milky butter". For more delicious details - read all of Elena Vosnaki's review on Fragrantica!

EauMG on Treazon

Another quote for Treazon, which is getting much love even though it didn't win the FiFi's:
"Treazon (...) is a dark glamorous white floral fragrance that really transforms on the skin"
Victoria Jent, EauMG

Jewish Independent Front Page

 Somehow, with all my preparations for the holiday markets in 2012 and my trip to Israel, I forgot to tell you about the incredible coverage me and Etrog got in The Jewish Independent - the only Jewish Canadian newspaper on the West Coast.

In a revealing interview titled Contemplating life in scents, I talked about my early beginnings as a natural perfumer, immigrant, single mom and all the other obstacles that eventually lead me to this perfumed path. A dear friend brought me a copy from the Jewish neighborhood in Vancouver, and my grandmother was ever so proud to see the hard copy!

Ca Fleure Bon Best of Scent 2012

 

 Treazon was chosen as the best natural perfume for 2012 by Ca Fleure Bon. Yay!

With orange blossoms as compass...

The Green Prophet wrote a new piece about Ayala Moriel Parfums, showcasing my Middle Eastern inspirations and aspirations. Beautifully written by Karin Kloosterman.

The Jewish and the Carrot

 The Scent of Sukkot - In A Bottle is an article and interview in the Jewish Forward Daily food & culture column "The Jewish and the Carrot". Thank you to Renee Ghert-Zand for bringing Etrog and my fragrant chocolate bars to the spotlight!

Interview on ISRAEL21c

Visit ISRAEL21c to read an - Israeli perfumer smells like success - an article about my work and my Israeli and Middle Eastern influences. ISRAEL21c is an online news magazine offering the single most diverse and reliable source of news and information about 21st century Israel to be found anywhere.

Breathtakingly Beautiful & Very Wearble

"The opening blast of wintergreen will knock your socks off (...) Treazon, which is a natural perfume, softens into a silky, dusky, not-buttery tuberose accented with vanilla and spices. It has an almost wine-y undercurrent".

Visit Now Smell This to read the rest of Robin's review of Treazon - which is described for the 2nd time as "breathtakingly beautiful" (the first one to say it is Gaia aka The Non-Blonde) and "very wearable". I'm also particularly honoured that this review comes next to the wonderful Forest Walk by my friend & colleague Laurie Erickson, and the 7 Virtues Afghan Orange Blossom (which I'm yet to smell).

Drunken Tuberose

"The composition isn’t your usual floral fare – Treazon has an odd mix of infatuation with opulent Tuberose and a nonchalant glamour of something a bit retro".

Visit Beauty Huile to read Nav's review of Treazon, my upcoming killer tuberose. FYI: You can already orders samples online. Everything is already in stock for those of you who pre-ordered - and once we approach the launch date we will also have parfum oil in travel size roll-on (5ml).

Etrog Reviewed by The Non-Blonde

Visit The Non-Blonde to read Gaia's review of my newest Etrog Oy de Cologne, alongside l'Arquiste's l'Etrog.
"Ayala Moriel's Etrog feels almost meditative: uplifting at first and then calming. Like the rare and expensive Etrog fruit itself, the perfume is almost mystical".

Undina's Looking Glass Recap of 1st Artisan Fragrance Salon

Until I get my thoughts (and photos!) together from all of last week's event, visit Undina's Looking Glass for some photos and comments about the salon.
Also, if you "like" the TasteTV page on Facebook and follow them on Twitter you will be able to see many more - plus be the first to get the scoop about their upcoming tasteful Salons - we are pretty confident this is not the last Artisan Fragrance Salon that TasteTV will host, as both perfumers and customers had a fabulous time!

The Sweet Smell of Home

The Times of Israel published an article by Renee Ghert-Zand about Ayala Moriel Parfums including interviews with me and some of my colleagues (Laurie Stern, Yosh Han and Mandy Aftel) and wonderful customers and fellow scent-bloggers (Gaia Fishler, Ida Meister) about my work and how it's inspired by my Israeli and Mediterranean roots.