Perfumes from the Orchard (Besamim me'ha'Bustan) + April Giveaway

Smadar picked this beautiful bouquet from her garden and orchard - an arrangement of seasonal fragrant flowers from trees, bushes and shrubs which were the inspiration for the evening titled Besamim me'ha'Bustan (Perfumes from the Orchard) and which took place on March 19th at the restaurant Smadar be'Clil in my home village in Israel's scenic Western Galilee.

It was both a pleasure and honour to co-host a night of perfume, desert and wine pairing with Smadar Yardeni of Smadar be'Clil and Yaniv from Lotem Winery. And the response form the guests and audience at the event has so much exceeded my hopes and expectations I am still feeling warm and fuzzy inside reminiscing about that beautiful night. The reason it took me so long to post about how it went can be attributed to traveller's wi-fi woes, as well as prolonged case of jet lag. But neither has diminished my memory from a most fine night spent with very lovely people, both on the hosting and the guest side.


Here's Smadar on the morning of the event, with the lavender & Earl Grey creme brûlée she's prepared in taste-size portions inside Turkish coffee cups. These were creamy and delicious, the caramelization process she did in the process of cooking the custard gives these brûlée a hint of honey.



Once I set the table with my mini-display (nothing too fancy, as it was all carried in my suitcase along everything else I needed for three weeks abroad) - it was time to taste the beautiful wines Yaniv brought with him from Lotem Winery. We selected three wines from Lotem for the pairing, plus one white wine from Kishor Winery: a lovely, citrusy-floral Savant Viognier, to go with the vegan malabi (based on coconut cream and flavoured with orange flower water). Note to self: an evening that starts with a glass of organic wine  can only be a happy one.


The event was structured as an olfactory and culinary symphony with 6 acts around 5 desserts that was inspired by seasonal ingredients, and was complemented by 6 perfumes, 4 wines and 2 teas. In each "section"  the guests experienced raw materials in their essential oil (or absolute) form, then smell them within a perfume, taste them in a dessert, and enjoy a complementary beverage (either tea or wine, or both).

We opened the evening with rose-tinged marzipans, handmade by Smadar, paired with fresh Charisma tea (loose leaf jasmine plus fresh herbs from Smadar's garden) and Vivace - Lotem's fine rose wine, which is extremely light and unusually on the dry side. I then spoke about two familiar yet fascinating ingredients: mint and almond, and let the guests smell essential oils of both, and also perfumes that are related to the subject: Charisma (which includes spearmint) and Hanami (inspired by cherry blossoms - which are not unlike the almond blossoms that were in bloom still last month).


Next came the fantastic creme brûlée I told you about earlier. Everything was beautifully served among sprigs of blooming lavender, and the individual Turkish coffee cups were a perfect size to serve such a decadent treat. I then let the guests smell essential oils of both lavender and bergamot and spoke about the connections these have via chemistry and their presence in the ever so popular Earl Grey tea. We smelled Lovender perfume at the end of this section.

The third part was spicy and warm, with vegan ginger mini muffins, studded with crystallized ginger inside, and served alongside dainty little teacups of piping hot soy milk chai. We smelled spice oils, with primary focus on ginger and cardamom (which are botanical relatives) and spoke about spices that are "warm" versus spices that are "cool". We also smelled Zangvil perfume, of course.



Now we took a little intermission from the desserts, and experienced Sonore - Lotem's bold Shiraz wine, accompanied our "tasting" of anything rosy: we experienced rose otto and absolute, as well as Cabaret perfume - a demonstration of rose and musk.  Yaniv explained about the origin of this grape, from Shiraz in Persia, which tied in beautifully to the origins of rose (Rosa centifolia or May Rose is native to Persia as well). I also tied it with the fondness of Muslims to musk and roses, and the symbolism of roses in Sufi poetry.



The highlight of the evening was one of the most beloved ingredients of all: orange blossom. We first experienced it in the vegan malabi (based in coconut cream) alongside the beautiful Savant Voigner from Kishor - which highlighted the citrusy notes, and even the petitgrain-like character of the orange flower water (something that my brother Yotam, who was among the guests in the event, pointed out).  We smelled different types of orange blossoms - orange flower water, orange flower absolute and neroli.



The grand finale was the chocolate mousse that was flavoured with orange blossom absolute and wild orange oil, topped with candied kumquat slices (from Smadar's orchard, of course). We paired this with the stunning Nebiolo, an aromatic yet light Italian varietal with floral characteristics and definite cassis flavours. And we concluded with smelling Zohar perfume - which went beautifully with all this luscious gorgeousness and the good mood that was already in the room went up even a few more notches.

I truly hope to create more events in the future with Smadar - it feels like this is just the beginning of a great friendship!

Last but not least, because this is the first day of April, it's time to announce this monthly giveaway: Leave a comment on this post, with your guess as to which flowers were in Smadar's beautiful bouquet - and enter to win a mini of Cabaret!

Preparing for Event with Smadar

I met with Smadar yesterday morning to plan our event together for next week. Her space is the old family house, a transplanted Swedish wood cabin, where they lived for many years when they just arrived to the village. Her husband, Yossi, was my 1st grade teacher, and for many years the couple ran a successful business of artisanal goat cheese and yoghurt and I babysat their kids. Once the family built a new home, they transformed their old house, with its 70 years old wood and all the memories it has soaked over the years, into a restaurant where my sister in law worked as a waitress for a while. So doing an event in this space is nostalgic and heartwarming also on a personal level.

Now the space holds many seats, some arranged indoors surrounding rustic wooden tables. There are more on the patio outside, under the grapevines (Smadar means grapevine flowers, by the way). Outside you'll also find Smadar's other creative outlet: mosaic tables that she makes herself from fragments of pretty plates and broken ceramic tiles. We started the morning with smelling some of the liquid treasures I brought with me - oils of wild orange, orange blossom, lavender absolute and more; and I let Smadar smell the simple yet irresistibly wonderful spice essences of cardamom and ginger CO2 and nutmeg absolute which not surprisingly have sparked Smadar's imagination.



And I got to taste her wonderful Earl Grey-infused créme brûlée, which is velvety and caramel-like, and also her wonderful homemade jams: kumquats from her orchard - sliced to perfection and candied with cloves, and a classic strawberry jam with whole strawberries scattered inside a clear red jelly. But what we will serve in the evening we have planned for Thursday, March 19th (5-8pm) is going to be a surprise. All I will say for now is that it will offer a generous flight of homemade desserts paired with wonderful beverages such as organic wines from Lotem Winery, artisan teas (including a freshly made version of my Charisma tea - jasmine tea with herbs from Smadar's garden), and the guests will also experience matching perfumes and learn about the ingredients that all of these extravagant treats have in common - both in the raw form (spices, as well as herbs and flowers from the garden), and their essences (CO2, essential oils and absolutes).

To make reservations, call Smadar 054-8184345.

Smadar be'Clil

We’re pleased to announce that next Thursday, Ayala Moriel Parfums will be co-hosting a magical evening of perfumes and desserts at Smadar be'Clil restaurant.

This is Ayala’s first event in Israel, and it is particularly exciting because it will take place in her home village in the scenic Western Galilee.

Ayala is visiting from Vancouver, Canada, where she has established a world-renown perfumery that specializes in natural fragrances, and also offers courses and workshops. Ayala collaborated with chocolatiers and tea masters to create a unique collection of scented chocolates and teas.

Guests will enjoy an evening of Smadar’s seasonal desserts with matching perfumes, all inspired by the same ingredients, some in Smadar’s own garden and orchard - such as orange blossom, rosewater, ginger and lavender. They will be further paired with organic wine from Lotem Winery.

When: Thursday, March 19th, 5-8pm

Where: Smadar be'Clil

How much: 80 NIS

Reservations: Call 054-8184345

מסעדת סמדר בכליל שמחה ונרגשת לארח את אילה לערב מתוק של קינוחים ובשמים.
נחווה ונלמד על הקשר הקסום בין טעם לריח. נזהה בבשמים ארומות מוכרות.
אילה מוריאל גדלה בכליל ומגיעה אלינו מוונקובר קנדה. היא מחלוצות הבשמנות הטבעית בעולם. הבשמים שעיצבה זכו בפרסים והוקרה עולמית. אילה מלמדת סדנאות וקורסים לבישום טבעי וקטורת, רקיחת מוצרי טיפוח, ובישול ואפייה ריחניים.
בערב המתוק נהנה ממגוון קינוחים יצירתיים המשלבים ריחות פרחים ופירות משכרים מעולם הבושם , ויינות תואמים מיקב לוטם אורגני
נריח בשמים מקוריים - כולם עם מאפיינים או רכיבים משותפים
המחיר למשתתף 80 ש"ח
להרשמה סמדר 054-8184345

Ayala Moriel Parfums at FRAGments

FRAGments is tomorrow - Underground, Artisan and Indie Perfume Event/Collective, at the
cabinet-of-curiosities studio of eclectic sculptor and patron to the arts, Clare Graham.

I'd like to present to you the mini-collection that will be representing Ayala Moriel Parfums at this show. My intern Alicia Arruda and I have spent the week indulging in each and every one of them, and are excited to share with you our experience with them and why we think our friends, fans and customers in Los Angeles are going to love them!

Cabaret is deliciously sultry with creamy vanilla absolute, dark coconut, orris root and tropical magnolia, it is no question why this scent, which evokes images of nights spent dancing on the beach, will be perfectly suited for sunny Los Angeles.

Fetish is a scent that is as sexy as it's name. Fetish is flirtatious but surprisingly complex and while it first teases with a sweet citrusy opening, it gradually fades into a soothing, refreshing scent with notes of apricot scented green tea, jasmine sambac, lemongrass, orris root, Himalaya cedarwood and fir. The scent's cheerful and bubbly spirit make it another perfect choice for Los Angeles's FRAGments where it will be featured! Film Noir was the first one I packed for the show. What better suited scent for the city where so many films of this genre came from?
As dark as Norma Desmond's private screening room Sunset Boulevard; and even darker than the soul of the genre's script writers - Film Noir doesn't even have any top notes. Or heart notes. It's all about musky patchouli, with just enough cruelly spicy dark cacao, and cool bitter myrrh from the catacombs to spark your imaginations.



Zangvil  was inspired by the texture of cashemere wool on bare skin.
It's a sexy gourmand, centered with ginger and amber at its core, complemented by sparkling notes of wild orange, sensual honey, botanical musk and spicy ginger lily. Try it tomorrow on your own skin!


Last but not least - Treazon, which is my newest perfume. The star of the scent is the narcotic night-blooming tuberose. A surprisingly wearable scent, Treazon is bold as it contrasts the floralcy of tuberose with medicinal-fruity notes of wintergreen and cassis, spicy notes of cinnamon and star anise, and gourmand nuances of dark vanilla, and last but not least - the animalic notes of African Stone and indolic orange blossom. Like all grand-tuberoses, Treazon has a strong lineage to the classic and controversial fragrance “Fracas” and is already gathering a cult following.
 
Treazon was dubbed "breathtakingly beautiful" by both The Non Blonde and Now Smell This (who immediately added it to their "to-buy" lists - the greatest compliments from ladies with such fine taste in perfume!, and is an 2013 Indie FiFi Award Nominee. 


Where:
MorYork Gallery
4959 York Blvd
Highland Park
Los Angeles, CA
90042
 
When:
Saturday June 22, 2013 (that's tomorrow!)
11am-5pm

What:
11am-12pm, Moderated Discussion Session with perfumers
12pm-5pm Pop-up Shop, with emerging and established, leading perfumers-artisans-artists from across North America (including Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, Persephenie* and Yosh).
* Persephenie will present an experimental olfaction project.

P.s. Due to schedule conflict, I won't be able to attend in person; but my perfume friend, Faith Frenz, will be there to help you make your selections. 

FRAGments this Saturday, June 22nd at MorYork Gallery!

I'm honoured and please to announce that Ayala Moriel Parfums will be part of FRAGments - Underground, Artisan and Indie Perfume Event/Collective The 1st Event to be held on June 22, 2013 at MorYork Gallery, 4959 York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA. On June 22, 2013, FRAGments - Underground, Artisan and Indie Perfume Event/ Collective will bring together olfactory and perfume artists from across North America in a gallery setting to present a curated selection of their work. The event will be the first in a series to be held in a unique space and coincide with the first Saturday of the season. Each event will feature a moderated salon discussion followed by a reception and exhibition where perfumer/creators will be able to present their work in a collective pop- up shop designed and styled by FRAGments.

The name for the series is derived from FRAGRANCE MOVEMENT and picks up on the slang word for perfume, "FRAG". While the event represents a collective, implicit is the recognition that independent, artisan perfumers are fragments of a whole that move in different directions. FRAGments seeks to celebrate these differences.

“Artisan perfumery is a growing movement where individuals are exploring unique olfactory directions through a variety of fragrant media and palettes” says Maggie Mahboubian, founder and curator of FRAGments. “However, very few venues exist for these perfumers to present their handcrafted work. FRAGments will fill that gap”. She adds, “it will provide a small scale, intimate forum for artisan perfumers to interact directly with their audience”. Another unique aspect of this event is that it will define a community and spotlight the art of fragrance design through interpretive and experimental work.

The first FRAGments event will be held at MorYork Gallery in Los Angeles, the studio of eclectic sculptor, Clare Graham whose work visually embodies the spirit of this diverse group of perfumers, who create unique, multifaceted and experimental olfactory art. For more information about Clare Graham and this extraordinary venue please visit: www.claregraham.com.

The event will begin with a salon-style discussion session moderated by Saskia Wilson- Brown. Ms. Wilson-Brown is the director of the newly formed Institute for Art and

Olfaction in Los Angeles. The IAO supports the work of olfactory artists through grants, research opportunities, lectures, workshops and a materials library. For more information please visit www.artandolfaction.com.

Event Details:
Summer Solstice Saturday, June 22, 2013
11am-12pm, Moderated Discussion Session with perfumers 12pm-5pm Pop-up Shop

The following artists will present their work at the 1st FRAGments event on June 22:

JK DeLapp, The Rising Phoenix Perfumery
David Falsberg, Phoenicia Perfumes 
Amanda Feeley, Esscentual Alchemy
Lisa Fong, Artemisia Natural Perfume 
Heather Kauffman, Jolie Laide Perfume 
Maggie Mahboubian, Parfums Lalun
Christi Meshell, House of Matriarch
Mik, MIKMOI San Francisco 
Ayala Moriel, Ayala Moriel Parfums
Persephenie Lea, Persephenie
Sherri Sebastian, Sebastian Signs 
Nikki Sherritt, Rebel and Mercury Parfums 
Meredith Smith, Sweet Anthem Perfumes 
Dawn Spencer-Hurwitz, DSH Perfumes 
Laurie Stern, Velvet and Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery
Roxana Villa, Roxana Illunimated Perfume 
Shelley Waddington, En Voyage Perfume
Yosh Han, YOSH Olfactory Sense

Event Highlights and Notables:

*Persephenie will present an experimental olfaction project.
*En Voyage Perfume will be launching their new fragrance at the 1st FRAGments event. *House of Matriarch will spotlight their Blackbird fragrance which was just named a Top 10 fragrance for 2013 by Men's Journal magazine, the only Indie fragrance that made their Top 10 list.
*Esscentual Alchemy will present “Moon Valley” - Featured in Vogue UK May '13 issue in their Natural Beauty Selections.
*Ayala Moriel Parfums will bring Treazon, which was nominated for the Indie FiFi Awards 2013, and 4 more perfumes especially curated for this unique event.

About FRAGments:

FRAGments was founded by West Coast perfumer Maggie Mahboubian who launched her Parfums Lalun brand in September 2012. Maggie has the unique advantage of approaching FRAGments as an “insider” with knowledge about the details and tools needed to create a successful and vibrant event. Her background as a professional architect gives her the skills to coordinate a complex project and see it through to completion. The FRAGments series intends to uncover the potential of this rapidly evolving genre by highlighting artistic exploration and experimentation.

Follow/like FRAGments on Facebook and visit the website for more details. 

Come sniff, get the story behind each perfumer's art and, if you choose, purchase directly from us!
I won't be there in person, but my perfume-friend Faith Frenz will be representing me and will help you discover a collection of 5 perfumes I curated especially for Los Angeles! 

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online in advance on the FRAGments website.

FRAGments List of Participating Perfumers-Artists

The list of participants at the upcoming FRAGments co-operative art show and perfume pop up shop is out!
Arabesque Aromas (Christen Schilling)
Artemisia Natural Perfume (Lisa Fong)
Ayala Moriel Parfums (Ayala Moriel)
Divine Life Perfumes (Ragna Rostad-Ruffner)
DSH Perfumes (Dawn Spencer Hurwitz)
EnVoyage Perfuems (Shelly Waddington)
Escentual Alchemy (Amanda Feeley)
MikMoi (Michael 'Mik' Coyle)
Parfums Lalun (Maggie Mahboubian)
Persephenie (Persephenie Lea)
Rebel & Mercury (Nikki Sherritt)
Rising Phoenix Perfume (JK DeLapp)
Roxana Illuminated Perfumes (Roxana Villa)
Sebastian Signs (Sherri Sebastian)
Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery (Laurie Stern)



WHEN:
Saturday, June 22nd, 11am-5pm

WHERE:
Moryork Studio
4959 York Blvd
Los Angeles, CA
 
WHAT:
11am-Noon: Moderated Discussion With Perfumers
Noon-5pm: Reception and Collective Pop Up Shop OpensCome sniff, get the story behind each perfumer's art and, if you choose, purchase directly from them.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online in advance on the FRAGments website.

Vetiver Salon at O5

Ayala Moriel hosting a Vetiver Salon at O5, a photo by Ayala Moriel on Flickr.

The best part of Monday this week was spent at O5 tea bar, where we conducted a Vetiver Salon.
I brought all my vetiver oils and essences - 10 altogether, and from 7 different locales:
India (Vetiver essential oil, CO2, ruh khus, and co-distillation with mitti attar); and vetiver essential oils from South Africa, Surinam, Sri Lanka, Haiti, Bourbon and Indonesia.

Vetiver is used in many of my perfumes, but I brought 7 to create a diverse little collection that features vetiver in a prominent enough manner: Bon Zai, Hanami, Jasmine Pho, Megumi, New Orleans, Sabotage and Vetiver Racinettes and some of my OOAK vetiver perfumes: Vetiver Blanc, Wilde Vetyver, Vetiver Noir and Vetiver Rouge. And it goes without saying that there were some soap and candles involved...

And I also brought the dried roots, so that we can brew some warm vetiver infused tea. In the picture you can see the Anji Bai Cha - a Korean tea that is somewhere in between green and white. It brought out the nutty, sweet warmth of vetiver. We brewed it with another white tea - silver needles from China - to produce a more cool, clean, slightly grassy tasting liquor that would probably taste even better chilled in the summer. And our last experiment - vetiver roots with green pu-erh, which worked quite harmoniously, tasting fresh and not nearly as dirty-like and earthy as black pu-erh teas tend to be.

Hopefully this will be the beginning of semi-regular perfume and salons that I will be co-hosting at O5.

Angel is turning 20!

Angel, the iconic yet divisive fragrance from Thiery Mugler is turning 20, and The Bay in downtown Vancouver is throwing a party! This week, you can marvel at 5 haute-couture gowns by the Parisian contemporary fashion designer whose fantasies inspired this peculiar scent that have turned from an obscure cult fragrance into one of the top 10 best sellers world-wide.

Spent my lunch today at The Bay learning about the fascinating world of Theirry Mugler and his obsession with stars, the colour blue, tall angular blondes and cotton candy. There was sushi, popcorn, marshmallows, mimosas, a giant blue cupcake - and blue macarons!

But, the best part for me was smelling the three "facets"* of Angel:
1st being the "celestial facet" - which smelled like pristine, clear, cut citrine stone. To be more specific - it smelled of crisp green apple, calone, helional and a lot of bergamot.
2nd is the "delicious facet" with notes of blueberries, blackberries, coumarin, cotton candy and a slightly mikly fig (which kicks in only hours later on the scent strip).
3rd and last is the "sensual facet" -  voluptuous notes of patchouli paired with musk galore.

In the picture above you can see one of the Limited Edition Angel Parfum flacons - from 2002 (same campaign as the ad featured in my SmellyBlog review). They brought a limited number of them to Canada to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Angel today and I tried some on my wrists - the Parfum is so much nicer and softer than the EDP and dabbing is a much welcome practice for such a powerhouse fragrance. And I could detect the merest hint of vetiver in the mix...

It was a rather enjoyable lunch affair (except that I would need more food to handle a mimosa that early in the day!) and the presentation quite delayed, and much prolonged with multiple sampling of ALL the various body products scented with Angel. According to the sale reps there - all the lotions, harisprays, shimmering powders, shower gels and exfolianting creams are scented with no less than 30-40% (!!!) of perfume. They must be mistaken. This can't possibly be a legal and safe level for use in a body product... But regardless it explains why Angel is always so overwhelming - for those who embalm their entire life with them, it's more than required for scent alone. It becomes more of an environmental-fragrancing that could take care of an entire mall. And I am not exaggerating. You could smell it across a building when someone wears it with the "layering"** method.

I had to dash off to my next meeting before the presentation was completely wrapped up, and will have to come back to snatch photos of the rest of the bottles and dresses. My only regret is, that all along - the nose of Angel - Olivier Cresp - was not mentioned AT ALL. What a shame to pretend as if Thierry Mugler is the nose/perfumer. This is not incidental. The booklet that came along with the presentation sites the same. Supposedly Thierry Mugler is a dancer, choreographer, photographer, fashion designer AND perfumer. I would have not doubted his many talents otherwise; but adding the perfumer title makes everything else look less reliable, somehow...

With that being said, it did not take away from my appreciation of the artistry behind the gowns themselves - each crystal is hand-sewn and arranged in a specific pattern. Each gown is completely impractical and if I had to choose between strutting down the street naked or wrapped in one of these, I would most likely pick the first. They are so impractical to wear that it would have been simply dangerous unless you have invisi-cables lifting your weight away from the ground and ensuring you're not being weighed down by all those rocks! Some of Thierry Mugler's SS13 ready to wear collection (which is actually wearable) has already arrived at The Bay. 

Even the bottle of Angel is a thing of marvel. A new technology had to be invented to carry out Mugler's vision: a device for rotating the mold while it's being filled with the liquid glass to ensure even distribution of the glass to the very uneven and angular shape of the bottle. This was a breakthrough in glass-making technology thanks to Mugler's very particular vision and his evident obsession with the shape of stars and the colour blue...




*FYI: By "facets" what they really are saying (without knowing it) is that Angel is linear, and this is one of the main accords or themes that are woven into its linear being. And of course it works nicely with the faceted, angular bottle shapes...

** Layering application of scents refers to using the same scent in various stages of one's body care: showering with it, applying it as a moisturizer, and than also adding the scent. 

Our New Schedule is Up!

Check out the new schedule for all of our upcoming events, classes, etc.
You can visit our Calendar page for more details, but also a simple click on the "BOOK NOW" button on SmellyBlog's right side bar will lead you there!

It is divided into "Services" (i.e.: privately booked studio appointments, perfume & tea parties, and custom perfume consultations); and classes (including all of our workshops, natural perfumery courses, etc.).

Hope you will find the tool user-friendly and helpful!

Looking forward to seeing you in my next events, workshops and classes.

Toronto Fragrance Meetup Sunday, July 24th @ Noor Boutieu

Attention to all fragrance lovers in the Greater Toronto Area: Basenotes memeber Master-Classter is organizing the 4th fragrance meetup for the area. Here are the details:

Date: SUNDAY July 24th, 2011
Location: Noor Boutique, 176 Cumberland St (Yorkville), 416-928-0700
Nahla and Fred are the friendly owners
Time: Around 12pm/Noon to about 3:30 or so, but drop by any time. We may move around the area to some other locations at some point. Let’s see how things go and decide at the time.
To Bring: yourself & significant others / friends, any industry books or magazines, business cards, samples/decants/bottles to share/trade, etc.

More info on Basenotes.net where you should RSVP for the event (if you're not a Basenotes member yet, it's not too late, and it's a great community to be part of, as well as a wonderful online resource of articles, fragrance database, perfume news, etc.).

P.s. If anyone is organizing something similar in Vancouver, please keep me posted so I can shamelessly publicize as well as attend it!

Gastown Shop Hop Tonight!

Tonight, November 4th, 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m it is Gastown Fall Shop Hop. Click on the image above to enlarge it and see all the participating shops and boutiques. They will all be open till late tonight and have special discounts and complementary

And I should mention in particularly the two boutiques in Gastown that carry my line:

Dream (311 West Cordova @ Cambie) will have 3 of my scents, plus some wine, cheese and White Potion truffles (since it carries this perfume at the boutique). You can find there Bon Zai, Tamya and Ayalitta perfume and many other amazing fall fashions, jewelry and accessories by local Vancouver designers, including my personal favourites Jola V Designs, The Dancing Leaf Design and Cuche Bikinis.

And I will be in person at Gentille Alouette (227 Carral street @ Cordova) with my entire perfume collection. I will be giving complementary fragrance consultations to help you find the best perfume for yourself and those special people on your list!

I'll also bring my new Song of Songs body oil, scented soy wax candles, bath salts and other concoctions to make your life fragrant and beautiful.

We will also be serving perfumed chocolate truffles (Blood Truffles and also some Lavender Earl Gray Tea Truffles - as per Eliza's special request: she's die-hard lavender and Earl Gray lover). We'll also let you sip some home-made mulled wine and Immortelle l'Amour tea!!!

Hope to see you all there!

P.s. For my out-of-town SmellyBlog readers, you may be relieved to hear that after this event I may have some time for more meaningful blogging besides event announcements ;-)

Blunda Perfume Exhibition No. 5: YOSH Olfactory Scents

Yosh Han, from YOSH olfactory scents is the guest perfumer at Blunda today, in part 5 of Blunda's Natural Botanical Perfume Exhibitions.

Yosh will be creating two conceptual perfume art installations specifically for this event, as well as showcasing her lovely limited edition Winter Rose, a gentle rosy spicy perfume inspired by her travels through Turkey. Yosh will generously offer aura readings with the purchase of Winter Rose.

Come meet the perfumer, savor delicious treats, and smell the surprises that Yosh has for you.

When:
6:00-9:00pm

Where:
Blunda Aromatics 304 So. Edinburgh Ave, Los Angeles CA 90048

To RSVP: Call (323) 658-7507 or email

Afternoon Tea Party & Private Sale

Join us for an afternoon tea and a presentation about tea notes in perfumery and a private shopping event.

On the Menu:
5-tiered tray of fragrant sweet and savoury refreshments will be served along with Ayala Moriel’s exceptional perfumed teas created for us especially by Inner Alchemy Tea Co. to match selected scents from Ayala Moriel ready-to-wear perfume collection.

Tier 1:
Wild Hyssop mini pita bread Cumin & Hummus Tea-Rolls Wasabi-Cucumber Tea Sandwiches Tomato-Basil Tea Sandwiches Minted Radishes Tea Sandwiches

Tier 2:
Sweet scones with rose petal jam & devonshire cream
Savoury cumin scones

Tier 3:
Middle Eastern semolina pastries with almonds and honey syrup
Brownies
Cupcakes

Tier 4:
Crystallized rose icebox cookies
Fennel biscuits
Aniseed biscotti
Halva cookies
Pistachio-Lime Buttons

Tier 5:
Hand-rolled Flower-Scented Chocolate Truffles
Assortment of Moroccan dried-fruit and orange flower water petitefours

There will be door prizes and a lucky draw for all guests to win a gift certificate for creating your very own signature perfume (value of $550) and other exciting surprises and gifts with purchase.

At 2pm, Ayala will give a presentation about the role of tea in perfumery, accompanied by a fragrance sampling of tea-scented perfumes (including some of Ayala’s own creations).

When:
Sunday, June 14th, 12:00-4:00pm
Ayala will speak at 2pm

Where:
Ayala Moriel Parfums Studio
#314-1230 Haro Street (corner with Bute)
Buzzer #295
Vancouver, BC

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Hanami Exhibition @ Blunda - More Photos

These are photos by Andre' Schnyder, an artist and photographer and Persephenie's partner:

Me and the perfume display.

Guests at the Blunda Perfume Lounge. Everything here is comfortable and smells good, naturally.


Persephenie's perfume organ can be seen on the wall, and on the counter below there is the whole spread of the afternoon tea treats we made. From left to right:
- my 3 perfumed teas (Charisma, Immortelle l'Amour, Roses et Chocolat)
- tea sandwiches (cucumber & watercress, carrot & ginger and minted radishes) - recipes to follow
- Sakuramochi (from the Japanese market) - the special pastry for Girl's day and the Hanami aka flower viewing festival)
- White Potion & Guilt chocolate truffles that Persephenie, Maribel and I rolled the day before.
And there were even sakura branches from the nearby flowershop to decorate the table!

Getting ready for the presentation...

I'm sniffing the Hanami scent-strip fan (my demo included a breakdown of the notes for hanami, divided into accords - i.e. metallic wood accord, Sakura accord, etc. - and the perfume's structure - i.e. base, heart & top.


The Hanami banner is so big. Or maybe I'm just really tiny... It's all relative.


Some favourite shots of Persephenie & me:




And last but not least - with back-lit cherry blossom branches:

Tamya's Bat Mitzvah

Tamya Parfum Formula, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

Tomorrow is my daughter Tamya's 12th birthday, aka Bat Mitzvah.

Completely spontaneously (I just thought about it this instant), the event will be celebrated on my websites by giving a 12% discount on every purchase of Tamya parfum, and also I will be giving away 12 samples of Tamya parfum for the first 12 readers who will be leaving a comment here; and if I you are not on my mailing list yet, please drop me a line with your mailing address so I can send it to you.

Thank you for joining the celebration!

P.s. I can't believe I'm a mom for 12 years now!

Related posts:
Behind the Scents with Tamya Parfum
Blogala
Tamya's Pumpkin Blog

First Chocolate Truffle Workshop Report

My first chocolate truffle workshop was extremely successful! We had a full house, and we made two types of truffles:
Blood Truffles - dark chocolate with Turkish rose otto, saffron and chilli pepper (ouch!)
Charisma Truffles - inspired by my perfume by the same name, with matcha green tea powder, jasmine sambac, litsea cubeba and spearmint. These were covered with a mixture of matcha and powdered coconut.
We made two batches of each - one for the students to take home, and one to serve on my upcoming Perfume Party - launching Tirzah. I think the matcha truffles will be a perfect complement to the linden blossom fragrance. We'll also have a linden blossom tea made by a local tea artisan.
If you live in Vancouver, you should not miss the party (Saturday, June 16, 7-11pm) or the upcoming workshops here every Thursday at 6:30pm.
Next Thursday, June 14: Interactive presentation about how to think (and sniff!) like a nose and an introduction to natural perfumery.

I am really looking forward to meet more of you, and hope you could come and join me at one point or the other... Spaces are limited so book yourself well in advance: we have room for up to 20 people for the presentation on June 14th, and all of the "hands-on" workshops are for 6 people max. It's really important to keep the forum small so each student can get the guidance and close attention they need during the learning process.

P.s. I will post photos of the fabulous truffles tomorrow when there is daylight...

25th Anniversary to Eau d'Hadrien

Annick Goutal Decor, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

On Tuesday, March 6th I attended a special event held at The Bay in Oakridge Centre to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Eau d'Hadrien, Annick Goutal's second and most successful fragrance. The event was advertised as an opportunity to learn how to create your own custom scent by choosing scent to layer from the line. I must admit my main objective of attending the evening was to finally get a hold of the Songes Moon Bottle. Songes only arrived in Vancouver that week, and I was waiting since the summer for that day to come.

A special room was decorated with golden frames and butterfly bottle posters, golden table-clothes glittered in dim candle light and sparkling water, fruit and other fancy snacks were offered to the guests. There weren’t many guests, so the atmosphere was intimate and quiet, even a bit shy at first. But with a lively hostess such as Marie-Lise Bernie, things warmed up and became more exciting in no time.

With her energetic presence and charming French-Canadian accent, Marie-Lise told us the stories behind the scents of Annick Goutal, accompanied by thorough fragrance sampling and a couple of video clips featuring Camille Goutal (the infamous muse inspiring Eau de Camille and Petite Cherie, who is following her mother’s footsteps and is leading the company after her death).

While many of the stories were not completely new to me (and I don’t believe they will make any news to you, so I will only repeat some details that I think might be interesting and refreshing to my internet-savvy readers).

The entire line carries on with the concept of tying emotions and personal experience to every aspect of the product, from scent to packaging and naming the scents. I must admit that in a market flooded with endless uninspirational and impresonal fragrances, this has a lot of appeal to me, even if most of the Annick Goutal fragrances don't work so well on my skin because of their greenness, floralcy or soapiness (except for Songes and Eau de Sud). It's nice to see a house that is carried on by the founder's daughter and that seems to stay true to the original intent and true spirit of the line despite the fact that the woman who conceived it is no longer with us.

Contrary to what most North American seem to think, the name for Folavril, Annick Goutal’s first fragrance, does not mean April Fool, but rather, refers to the antique shop Ms. Goutal worked in before she started her perfumery. Folavril, composed of unusual and refreshing notes of boronia, mango and tomato leaf, creates a soapy, almost powdery and somewhat old-fashioned impression, yet with a very individualistic twist. The signature packaging of Annick Goutal’s perfumes, AKA “The Butterfly Bottle” is fashioned after an antique bottle that Goutal found in that shop. The butterfly is, in fact, two butterflies kissing, which only intensifies the romanticism of this perfume house.

Annick Goutal Event March 6th 2007, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

The Butterfly Bottle is always packaged in cellophane. Although this may seem odd, particularly for such a perfectionist line, there is a meaning behind that as well: Annick Goutal’s father was a chocolatier and to earn her pocket money, Annick would help him wrap the candy in the store. Hence the cellophane wrap of the Butterfly Bottles, which should be opened like a gigantic olfactory candy!

The golden ribbons of the scents from the days Annick Goutal was alive are also a detail that takes it’s inspiration from the golden threads used to tie the chocolate boxes. Now that Camille is leading the company, all the scents that were launched after Annick’s death, are tied with an organza ribbon of a significant colour. The first fragrance that Camille was involved in creating was Le Chèvrefeuille. Designed to evoke a summer memory from the South of France, of Camille playing dress-up with her cousins, and crowning themselves as princesses with tiaras made of honeysuckle. The yellow ribbon for this fragrance represents these honeysuckle-crowns.

Eau d’Hadrien, Annick Goutal’s second and most popular fragrance which is celebrating it’s 25th anniversary this year, was inspired by the book “Memoirs of Hadrian” and was created as a unisex fragrance that contained no flowers. Years later, Camille re-read the book and created Les Nuits d'Hadrien, a more sensual, with the addition of floral notes (ylang ylang) as well as patchouli and vanilla, alongside the citrusy notes of the original creation.
For the 25th anniversary of Eau d’Hadrien, a few new products will be introduced, probably as a limited edition, including a body tonic water and miniature votive candles.

The evening was calm and enjoyable and the crown was small and sweet, a bit shy at first but as the fragrances started to change hands the reactions did not fail to become vocal and people started opening up and sniffing each other's wrists enthusiastically, as you may e xpect in scent-loving circles. By the way, the only man around was a security guard that let us out because this event took place after hours (he was dressed in casual clothes and I was almost convinced he was a patient boyfriend waiting for his young lady inside, but I was mistaken; perhaps such patient young men only exist on duty!).

Although the evening had the premise of being all about layering, the only significant layering event that took place was Gardenia Passion and Petite Cherie layered together by a young lady. She was a Petite Cherie fan when she entered the room, and after much sniffing could not make up her mind between Gardenia Passion and Songes. When she layered both, the results was quite interestingly similar to Songes, but a little bit more gardenia-focused. It smelled lovely on her. The same creative young lady also won the book “Memoirs of Hadrien” in a draw that was held at the end of the evening.

The Songes Moon Bottle (and in fact most of the “Butterfly Bottles”) have to be special ordered in most of the Annick Goutal counters at The Bay. So I pre-ordered it and also snatched a couple of Eau d’Hadrien votive candles before they disappear. I really enjoyed the Noel candles this winter, so I hope this will be a nice companion on my upcoming trip to the hot Mediterranean spring.



Marie-Lise Bernier, Annickg Goutal's National Training Manager in Canada, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

I would like to conclude with an interesting perfume-application tip that Marie-Lise offered in her presentation. She explained in much detail how to use the Butterfly Bottle – or any flacon with a dabber for the matter – without spoiling the juice:
1) Wash your hands
2) Open the flacon
3) Using one finger at a time, seal the mouth of the flacon and dab the perfume to one pulse point at a time.
4) Each time, change the finger, so always a clean finger is touching the juice.
* According to Marie-Lisehen using the dabber, you might add your own skin cells and bacteria to the juice which can cause spoilage. The same thing can happen if you use the same finger over and over again to apply the perfume.

A little trivia question, with an Annick Goutal related prize for the first to answer correctly:
What other name, besides Songes, did Annick Goutal went through a court battle for?