Astroscentology in Fragrantica Dedicated to Ayala Moriel Parfums!

Fragrantica's Hieronimuss has surprised me with an entire Astroscentology column dedicated to my perfumes. I'm wearing Fetish today, to match my zodiac sign. What are you wearing?

Antique Amber for BuenoStyle

One of the things I've enjoyed the most last year, was collaborating with other creative and passionate business women in Vancouver, who I was fortunte enough to meet. As you may have already seen on BuenoStyle's blog, my 1st collaboration for 2011 is ready to launch this weekend!

Christi York of BuenoStyle creates jewelry from vintage finds that she collects and assembles with her own design sensibilities and style: chains, beads, brooches, lockets and vintage charms. Walking up the stairs leading to her studio, the scent of antique furniture and wood-polish and hints of incense perfumed the air ever so gently. Her studio is located on Main street, with a large window to the street observing Shaktea tea salon (I'm so envious!). These wide windows bring in plenty of natural light so one can marvel at the beautiful miniscule vintage treasures, such a chains of pearls, antique brass clasps, rolls of vintage chains, crystal and glass beads, Bakelite flowers and old tarnished filigreed lockets - attractively arranged in wooden trays of print setters.

So it only made sense to call the perfume that was going to complement BuenoStyle's jewelry with the name Antique Amber!

Christi's favourite scent has been Cancer perfume from my (now discontinued) Zodiac collection. We felt that while the perfume was very appropriate for the style and personality of BuenoStyle, this name was misleading. So we formulated it for a solid perfume base, and changed the name to Antique Amber, so that even people who were not born under the sign of the crab will feel compelled to adorn themselves with this exotic amber perfume!

Antique Amber is an oriental-ambery perfume with an old-world charm, like an antique wooden dresser filled with treasures: Luxurious amber resin, exotic patchouli-scented shawls, and remnants of jasmine perfume for an extra feminine touch. Borneol camphor and a hint of aniseed add a mysterious, lingering cool/warm intrigue.
Antique Amber can be worn alone or can be layered with other perfumes for added depth mystery.

Notes: Amber, Camphor, Aniseed, Jasmine, Patchouli

Fragrance family: Oriental-Ambery

Antique Amber will debut tomorrow, encased in BuenoStyle's perfume locket pendants with vintage chain patchwork and crystals (each is a unique design - one of a kind piece!) at the Indie I Do show at Heritage Hall (Main @ 16th Ave), tomorrow - January 22nd, from 11am-5pm. Hope to see you there!

Interview for Fragrantica

Read my interview for Fragrantica - so beautifully illustrated by Elena Knezevic and with thought-provoking questions by their olfactory oracle, Hieronimuss.

Geranium, Red and Bold

Red Geranium, originally uploaded by kathryn45.

Red Geranium, originally uploaded by kathryn45.

There’s something aggressive about geranium. It immense odour intensity and is very tenacious and can easily overpower anything else in the perfume and just take over. When I was at the training week in Grasse, one of the exercises we were given was to guess the raw materials and the proportion of an accord. It was an accord of lavender and geranium oils, and smelled predominantly of geranium. My first guess was that it was a 60-40 ratio (60% geranium). The truth was the complete reverse: there was 30% geranium, and the remaining 70% were lavender. This would have been the case if rose absolute or even rose otto were used. The lavender would have been stronger. Which only goes to shows you how dominant can geranium be!

So what happens when geranium takes over? Whether if its sweet fruity, rosy, or minty notes come through - they becomes so intense, at times even cloying. Some become intensely musky. And this is partially why I shy away from using very much geranium in my compositions. Egyptian geranium is particularly strange and musky, which can be worked to your advantage.

At other times, the geranium can create very strong association of potpourri. In Diptyque’s L’Eau, this is the whole point. Whether or not potpourri smells are to your liking is of course entirely up to you. But the perfumer sure better be aware of the potpourri potential of a note and how to create the desired effect.

But geranium’s aggressiveness can serve you right in some perfumes. It works wonders in orientals, such as in Dioressence, or the bold ambery Anne Pliska, the legendary dense Old Spice; or Noir Epices, which is simultaneously traditional and modern with its mix of dusky dry spices and dark musk and illuminated with geranium, jasmine and sweet orange. The upfront, bold geranium note is also used to balance the over-the-top white florals in Fracas, headed by tuberose, and also in cutting edge leathers that have become classics – Knize Ten, Impreial Leather, and others. Geranium is also paired with musky vetiver and warm cinnamon and sweet orange in Aveda Personal Blends Key Element #3 Fire Nature (which I love, by the way).

In my Zodiac collection, there is geranium in two perfumes: Taurus, where it takes a second-violin role to support the rose heart, contrasted by patchouli; and Aries, where geranium’s firey-red boldness is set against a backdrop of tobacco and musk overlaid with hot spices – cinnamon, black pepper and cloves and the exotic, diffusive warmth of zantoxylum (Tomar seeds). I just recently revamped Aries and got rid of the lime top notes, I found that they got in the way of the musk and geranium creating a fresh-green distraction from what Aries is all about. Now it’s musky notes are more pronounced with a touch of cascarilla, ambrette, opoponax and bourbon vetiver.

Pocket-Size Zodiacs

Check out my discontinued Zodiac section on Etsy: Just a few days ago, I've added whichever Zodiac oils I have left as little purse-size roll-ons.

Speaking of Spring Cleaning...

Hand Painted Soliflore Bottles, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

One big change has finally taken over: the old www.Quinta-Essentia.ca website is now gone and re-directs to www.AyalaMoriel.com. That means that all the Zodiac sign perfume oils can only be purchased via email-order from now on.

Also, the following Zodiac Perfume Oils are on extreme clearance now - for over 60% off (originally priced at $130, these are now only $50 a pop):

Scorpio - Leathery and naughty with lotus, tuberose, smoked benzoin, jasmine, tonka, zantoxylum, opoponax and black and pink peppercorns.

Leo - Incensey and bright, with olibanum, Roman chamomile, cinnamon, rose and vanilla.

Libra - Soft floriental with tuberose, tonka bean rose and sandalwood and a hint of green galbanum and clementine. (2 available).

Sagittarius - Exotic, warm foresty and spicy with fir absolute, black tea, champaca, carnation and star anise.

Taurus - Oriental rose deepened with patchouli and vanilla and a sprinkled with a hint of palmarosa and tangerine. (2 available).

Gemini - Citrus Chypre, with lemongrass, oakmoss and agarwood

There is also the very last bottle of Magnolia Petal 1oz EDP spray bottle for the same price, $50.


Zodiac Perfumes, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

To order any of these, or inquire on the complete list of notes, please email me.

October Monthly Draw Winner & November Giveaway Announcment

Lady Of Justice, originally uploaded by MacBuckley.

The winner for October's monthly draw is....

Melissa from Australia!

Congratulations, Melissa! You are the lucky winner of a roll-on bottle of Libra perfume oil. Hope you will enjoy this unique, creamy white floral with green nuances, with its notes of Galbanum, Clementine, Tuberose, Rose de Mai, Sandalwood and Tonka Bean.

On November 30th will have another draw for a bottle of Scorpio perfume.

How to enter the draw?
All customers who ordered online during the month of November will be automatically entered into the draw to win the Zodiac perfume oil of the month.

September's Monthly Draw: Virgo Perfume

the letter writer, originally uploaded by traingel.

I can't believe September (and soon - October) has flown by so fast without me even announcing the winners yet for the monthly draw! Sorry to have taken so long... Indeed, the holiday season seems to start in September...

The winner was selected blindly and randomly by a third party (my little daughter Tamya) from amongst those of you who ordered online from AyalaMoriel.com during September. The Lucky winner of September's Monthly Giveaway is:

Yoko from Japan

Congratulations, Yoko!

You will be receiving in the mail a 10ml roll-on bottle of Virgo perfume shortly.

At the end of October we will announce the October winner, who will receive a luxurious roll-on bottle of a Zodiac anointing oil - Libra perfume!

We will continue with these monthly draws until the end of the year.

Time is Ticking for the Zodiac

Endlessly, Hopelessly, originally uploaded by Alistair Craven.

Ever since I've announced the discontinuation of the Zodiac perfumes, there has been a revival in the interest in them. I'm even beginning to get desperate emails from devastated customers that couldn't find them on my new website.

Well, here are a few good news for those who were unaware of Ayala Moriel's strict policy about making all scents available as special order. Even ones that were discontinued. That is upon two condition:

1) You must order a full bottle (either 8ml flacon or 10ml roll-on) - samples are not available for discontinued perfumes (for a simple reason: we only make these fragrances on special-order basis so we don't usually have them in stock).
2) The ingredients for making the perfume in question are available in the market. If a building block is "discontinued" so to speak (meaning: it's not in prodution and therefore we cannot acquire it anymore), there is not much we can do about it. Unless, of course, we change the formula!

Some of you may remember that the Zodiac perfumes are on a huge 50% clearance sale ($65 per each 10ml roll-on parfum oil bottle!) until the end of 2007. This is true as long as quantities last. Which means, that if you order a perfume that is no longer in stock, and we need to make a special batch for you - you will still be charged the full amount ($130).

To place your order, simply visit my old Quinta-Essentia website, on the Zodiac page. Select the Zodiac sign you want to purchase, and with one click you will be able to order your favourite Zodiac perfume oil (or creme parfum). If the fragrance is still in stock, you will be refunded immediately for the 50% discount. If we need to make it especially for you, the full price will be charged.

For your information, here is a list of the Zodiac perfumes still in stock:

Taurus - Oriental rose deepened with patchouli and vanilla and a sprinkled with a hint of palmarosa and tangerine.

Gemini - Citrus Chypre, with lemongrass, oakmoss and agarwood

Cancer - Deeply sensual amber with luxurious jasmine and mysterious notes of camphor and anise.

Leo - Incensey and bright, with olibanum, Roman chamomile, cinnamon, rose and vanilla.

Libra - Soft floriental with tuberose, tonka bean rose and sandalwood and a hint of green galbanum and clementine.

Scorpio - Leathery and naughty with lotus, tuberose, smoked benzoin, jasmine, tonka, zantoxylum, opoponax and black and pink peppercorns.

Sagittarius - Exotic, warm foresty and spicy with fir absolute, black tea, champaca, carnation and star anise.

Aquarius - Fougere floral with Linden blossom, green cognac, lavender, rosewood, Buddha wood, blue cypress and myrrh.

Monthly Draw: Zodiac Parfum Oils

Zodiac Perfumes, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

To celebrate the new website (and encourage you to use it...), I have decided to hold a monthly draw for all of you who have ordered online. Each month, I will be giving away one Zodiac Parfum Oil (as pictured above) with the Zodiac sign of the month. The draw in September will be for one bottle of Virgo parfum.

October will be Libra, November - Scorpio; December - Saggitarius; January - Capricorn; February - Aquarius; and so on and so forth.

The draw will take place on the last day of the month and the winners will be announced that day on SmellyBlog and to my mailing list.

If you want to read more about the Zodiac Parfums, you can only read about them on my old website.

You can also read reviews of the Zodiac perfumes on Basenotes (or add your own review!).

P.s. The Zodiac line is being discontinued, so no samples are available. We are now at the very last drops of our very last batch for each Zodiac sign. Therefore you may only order a bottle (via the old website). They come in 10ml parfum oil (the base is jojoba oil) and are very unusual, powerful and long lasting as most of them contain precious resins used in incense and perfumery since the very beginning of time...

Big Clean-Up Sale!

Zodiac Perfumes, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

In anticipation for the upcoming launch of my new website, a major clean-up is in place. And that means a huge sale - for all the perfumes that will be discontinued and will NOT appear on the new website. If you happened to be in love with any of those fragrances, you can always contact me to special order them. But they will not appear on the new website launching next week.

The following Parfum Extraits are presented in our signature flacon (frosted teardrop shape), and are offered at only $75 (instead of $100).

Ayala

Sutul

Moon Breath in alcohol base (limited edition, only 3 bottles left!) - Moon Breath in its oil base will remain the same price (and will be offered in the new website as well).

Petit Parfum, our perfume for children, also to be discontinued and removed from the new website, will be available for $65 for the parfum oil roll on bottle (10ml).

ZODIAC COLLECTION
These are all offered at 50% off the regular price:
All are parfum oils in 10ml roll-on bottles, hand painted with the Zodiac symbol. Originally priced at $13o, they can now be had for only $65. You will be refunded for the balance immediately after placing your order.

Aries - Spicy and musky with tobacco, zantoxylum and lime.

Taurus - Oriental rose deepened with patchouli and vanilla and a sprinkled with a hint of palmarosa and tangerine.

Gemini - Citrus Chypre, with lemongrass, oakmoss and agarwood

Cancer - Deeply sensual amber with luxurious jasmine and mysterious notes of camphor and anise.

Leo - Incensey and bright, with olibanum, Roman chamomile, cinnamon, rose and vanilla.

Virgo - Ethereal yet earthy with unusual combination of notes that are both fresh and intriguing: yuzu, clementine, magnolia, mastic, cardamom, fennel, myrrh and sandalwood.

Libra - Soft floriental with tuberose, tonka bean rose and sandalwood and a hint of green galbanum and clementine.

Scorpio - Leathery and naughty with lotus, tuberose, smoked benzoin, jasmine, tonka, zantoxylum, opoponax and black and pink peppercorns.

Sagittarius - Exotic, warm foresty and spicy with fir absolute, black tea, champaca, carnation and star anise.

Capricorn - Woody and floral with magnolia, rose, neroli, myrrh and vetiver.

Aquarius - Fougere floral with Linden blossom, green cognac, lavender, rosewood, Budha wood, blue cypress and myrrh.

Pisces - Ambery Chypre with seaweed, oakmoss, sage, juniper, grapefruit and bergamot

In addition, all other former packaging bottles that are still in stock, are further reduced. Visit our BLOWOUT SALE page to see the updates.

Some of the perfumes, even though I love them dearly and think they are great, have been in so little demand that I simply cannot keep them on the shelves (physical or virtual - especially considering all the data entry required for putting them up online in the new website).
Some of these perfumes mean a lot to me as they signify an important stage in my creative and technical development as a perfumer. For instance - Ayala, which is the first perfume I've ever created, and Petit Parfum, my perfume for children that my daguhter used to fall asleep to every night in her toddler and preschooler yers... Besides me there are very few who liked them enough to buy them... So I am going to give them a rest, and move on. The future looks bright and I must look forward and leave some of these nostalgic moments behind. At least in terms of production and sales. However, don't fret and order them if they intrigue you. I will be more than happy to re-produce them upon demand.

The discontinued perfumes include the following fragrances:
Ayala
Calmille
Petit Parfum
Sutul
Yellow
And the entire Zodiac collection.
The formulas, obviously, are kept on-file, and can be always produced upon request.

Requiem to the Zodiac Perfumes

I knew this was coming for quite some time now. While the sales of all my other fragrance lines are getting increasingly higher - the sales rates of my zodiac perfume line has been always pathetically low. I will have to discontinue this line as soon as the current stock for each of the fragrances runs out.

The good news is that they will still be available for special order, in full bottles only, as well as crème parfum. I have made a decision to never truly discontinue a perfume, unless its building blocks become unavailable (which is beyond my control). When a perfume is discontinued, I still have the formula and am able to produce it in small quantities – one bottle at a time – to those who are still fascinated by it. Samples are the main thing that will be affected by it: there will be none. When the scent is not in stock anymore, I will not mix another batch just to sell samples. I will only do so for full bottle orders.

The Zodiac Perfumes are all gorgeous and very unusual. In fact, they deserve a lot more attention than they are getting. Each perfume is a complete perfume, which was originally designed as an anointing-type oil for meditation and personal enjoyment, or as a perfume salve or a balm, encased in the silver pendant. They are rich, sensual, unusual, individualistic – and represent the special energies of each Zodiac sign.

The reasons why these are not doing well have very little to do with how they smell, but rather with marketing. I am sure that if they were made of less expensive oils and were sold for under $20 in a head-shop/health-food store/esoteric book store - they would have sold like fresh hot buns. Unfortunately, I lacked that marketing visionary when I designed them, and wanting to stay true to the spirit of the alchemists – chose some rare essences, some of which quite highly priced. The compositions are often unusual and non-traditional when looked at from a perfumer’s point of view. To top it all off - their esoteric titles seem to drive most people away. The ones who could afford them, anyways. Many think that astrology is nonsense (which it may or may not be; I hold the belief that if it helps people to understand themselves better – by studying one’s natal chart – than perhaps there is enough truth in astrology to at least pay attention to it; not to mention then long and rich cultural history behind that ancient system).

Only little is known about how these were the first perfumes that I have created, and more so - the amount of fascination, love, research and work that went into developing this line. So now that we are saying goodbye to them forever (unless you special-order them), I would like to dedicate a few words for each of my Zodiac Perfumes.

Aries
The first of the zodiac signs happens to also be my own sun sign (though truly I am on the cusp between Pisces and Aries). Aries symbolizes the head and the beginning, and is very firey yet reasonable (a quality that is probably associated with Aries being a Cardinal sign – which is equivablent to the alchemical principle of salt, or earth). The essences that were chosen to represent Aries in this perfume are also associated with its ruling planet, Mars, as well as the element of Fire:
Tobacco, musk, opoponax, rose geranium, cinnamon, black pepper, xantoxylum, blood orange and lime.

Taurus
Stubborn and determined as a bull is the sign of Taurus. It is also a sign of beauty and strength. Taurus is an Earth sign ruled by Venus. Being a fixed sign it is also associated with Air to some extent (hence the use of the bit of lavender) or the principle of sulphur. The oils chosen are earthy and representing the abundance and beauty of earth: Vanilla, benzoin, patchouli, rose otto and absolute, clementine, lavender and palmarosa.

Gemini
The mercurial, ever-changing qualities of this dual sign are a cheerful mystery. This sign is ruled by Mercury and is an Air sign and also a mutable sign (which is associated with the ever-changing qualities of water or the principle of mercury). Gemini’s bubbly and energetic energy is here represented by the citrusy delights of lemongrass, listea cubeba and lemon balm are all mercurial in nature – and the woodsy notes of agarwood, sandalwood and the musky notes of spikenard are representing the airy nature of the sign.

Cancer
Similarly to Geminie, this mysterious water sign has an interesting duality. While Geminie presents the “two faces” of the “twins”, Cancer presents the challenging existence of an individual’s inner vs. outer world. The outer side of the Cancer is like that of a crab’s shell – hard and protective. Inside, like the crab’s soft flesh, lay the vulnerable secrets and inner world. Cancer is rule by the moon, and is a cardinal sign (which may give it some stability with all those changeable, fluctuating qualities of moon and water!). The essences I chose to use in Cancer Perfume are quite unusual: the base is amber, as a remote reference to the ambergris of the sea, patchouli for a grounded warmth, and the lunar jasmine notes at the heart. But what makes it really unusual is the addition of both anise and camphor (also lunar and watery in quality), which add a mystique and an intriguing ambivalence of cool/warm effect.

Leo
Powerful and glorious like the Sun – Leo is projecting abundance of energy, light and warmth. It is known for its will power and strength. This Fire sign is ruled by the Sun, and being a fixed sign it is also affiliated with Air and with the principle of Sulphur. I chose essences that are both warm and generous and tha project a golden, glowing energy for Leo Perfume: the fruitiness of neroli and the golden-delicious apple aroma of Roman chamomile, along with golden frankincense, vanilla, rose and cinnamon.

Virgo
The virtues of Virgo are modesty and hard work – also marked by an extreme tediousness and attention to detail. Virgo is an Earth sign, but being ruled by the planet of Mercury and being a mutable sign it one of the least stable signs of the element, and perhaps also the most cerebral. I originally formulated this with narcissus, but recently changed the formulation so that the earthy qualities are represented by rose and magnolia and myrrh. The mercurial qualities are represented by mastic, cardamom, fennel and sparkling citrus notes of Clementine and yuzu.

Libra
The sign of beauty, harmony, peace, balance and justice. Libra is a cardinal Air sign, ruled by Venus. It was very difficult for me to make a Libra perfume that is not feminine – and it turned out to be quite florl, with tuberose as the key element. When I first made it, I didn’t know enough about natural materials, and I had an exquisite (though synthetic in part) sweet pea oil which I used at the heart. Now it is gone, and it is purely natural. There is no sweet pea note, but the combination of tuberose, rose, tonka bean, sandalwood, benzoin and Clementine is delicate and sublime. The tonka accounts for that slightly bitter-almond like flavour that is not unlike sweet peas.

Scorpio
Scropio is the most firey water sign of all. If Cancer is the deep wide ocean with all of its tides and waves, and Pisces is a bubbling brook – than Scorpio is a deep, dark lake in the throat of a lava-mountain, bubbling with heat deep down. Scorpio signifies transformation, and therefore, the essence of lotus is particularly fitting for this perfume. Lotus being a beautiful, pure and fragrant, sacred flower that rises from the dirty swamps of decay and darkness. Other essences in Scorpio Perfume were chose for their asociation with Mars and the warlike qualities it represents: opoponax, choya loban (burnt benzoin), black pepper and blood orange. I also chose tuberose for its intensity and for supporting the fragility of the lotus flower.

Sagittarius
Sagiattrius is a special Fire sign – it’s mutable (which is a watery, mercurial quality), and therefore may seem less forceful than the other firey signs. Sagittarius is associate with traveling, mystery and wisdom. Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter.
This is another oil I had difficulties designing. Originally, I created two – one which was “masculine” - foresty, and included angelica root (my least favourite ingrnedient – perhaps the only building block I really need to “work on” and stop avoiding!). The other was “feminine”, with notes of champaca, carnation and star anise. Recently (a couple of years ago) I decided to integrate my favourite elements of each perfumes, and create just one Sagittarius scent. This turned to be my favourite and the best of the all: fir absolute, black tea, spikenard, champaca, carnation, rose, nutme, mace and star anise make it an unconventional but utterly loveable.

Carpricorn
Being a cardinal earth sign, Capricorn is perhaps the most earthy of all earth signs. It is known for its stability and resilience in the face of all adversities on earth. Capricorn is ruled by the severity of the planet of Saturn. The essences I chose are grounding and earthy, but also sweet and comforting, and glorious in an earthy way: myrrh, patchouli, vetiver, rose, magnolia, neroli, cedar and mimosa.

Aquarius
Aquarius has an airy, cerebral, philosophical energy. Metaphorically speaking, Aquarius sign symbolizes the ideal of mankind, and has the role of a teacher. It was particularly difficult to construct this perfume, because most of the essences associated with Aquarius are very airy and most of them already made an entrance in the other perfumes. I chose essences that regretfully I am no longer able to obtain – including hyacinth. And so, this will be the last batch of its kind. It includes, besides hyacinths, sweet neroli, an abundance of the ethereal rosewood essence, light and airy lavender oil, elemi, sandalwood, myrrh and frankincense. For the next batch I will be replacing the haycinth with linden blossom. This will certainly change the scent, but not the essence of the perfume – which is light and heady (but not in an overpowering floral way) – just a little less sweet than it is now.

Pisces
If water means change, than Pisces is the epitome of water. It is changeable and mutable and lively like a cheerful little fish swimming in the brook – sometimes upstream, perhaps… Pisces is intuitive, spiritual, sensitive and emotional. Like Sagittarius, it is ruled by Jupiter.
The essences I chose for Pisces are moist and mossy, and being the end of the cycle are not unlike the decaying of leaves in the forest, on which new vegetation will strive.
Oakmoss, seaweed, amber, juniper, jasmine, lotus and sage make Pisces a simple yet interesting Chypre composition that has salty undertones.

The different Zodiac perfumes don’t just exist on their own, but also as a collection or a "cycle": There are relationships that occur inbetween them all. Most of the perfumes have a note or two that continues from the previous and carry on to the next in the cycle. Also, Zodiacs that are ruled by the same plantes or elements will have often at least one not in common. For instance: black pepper in both Scorpio and Aries; Rose geranium in both Aries and Taurus (the Zodiac sign that follows), and so on.

As I said, these are being discontinued, so you will no longer be able to obtain a sample as soon as the current stock is gone. The 10ml roll-on bottles are now on special at $95 (instead of the original price of $130). They are very concentrated and come in a hand-painted bottle with their matching alchemical Zodiac symbol. For more details, visit our Blowout Sale page, or email me to order.


Image: Alchemy Notebook: Cipher Wheel by NinthWavesDesigns
For more links related to the same artist:
Ninth Wave Designs Blog
NinthWaveDesigns.com