Independent Perfumers

DSH Perfumes: Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

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Post by FeralJasmine

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Quick mentions: new favorites from DSH

Sorry Junkies, I got a very late start on this post and have to make it brief, but I wanted to mention a few things that I’m enjoying during this lovely holiday season. It’s no secret that I admire Dawn Spencer Hurwitz and, although I’ve only sampled a small part of her compendious and addictive line, I have some loves there. So here are a few that seem especially suited to the holidays:

DSH Perfumes: Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

Mahjoun DSH Perfumes FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

DSH Perfumes: Cimabue

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Neroli, nutmeg, cardamom, bergamot, amalfi lemon, bitter orange, clementine
Heart: Carnation, jasmine, geranium, tuberose, beeswax, saffron, clove, cinnamon, rose
Base: French labdanum, sandalwood, opoponax, benzoin and vanilla

I seem to recall hearing somewhere that Cimabue smells like Safran Troublant to some people. I’m not one of them. Certainly the rose and saffron are there, but the cardamom is pronounced in Cimabue, while its lovely companion notes prevent it from going dusty, as cardamom is prone to do. Spicy and sweet, it’s a delicious holiday treat. The sillage is particularly delicious, and I only wish that it were a bit stronger. Many of the DSH perfumes hug their wearer closely, and I could stand a bit more potency myself.

DSH Perfumes: Mahjoun

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bitter almond, cardamom, cherry blossom, lavender, lemon, orange
Heart: Bulgarian rose, fig, hazelnut, honey, nutmeg, orange blossom, sugar date
Base: Amber, cedar, cinnamon, clove, olibanum, sandalwood, Arabian myrrh

This one is pure rich luscious honey. To my surprise it doesn’t have much beeswax or hive scent, which I think of as the natural adjuncts to honey. Just all honey all the time. Listed notes include citrus, cedar, and Amber, but mostly I just smell honey. I like it by itself, and I also like to spray it over more austere ambers to give them a touch of holiday sweetness and joy. If I’m in the mood for a real hive scent, I may dab on a trace of beeswax absolute and overspray with Mahjoun.

Vanilla Cinnamon home fragrance DSH PerfumesPhoto Stolen DSH Perfumes

DSH Perfumes: Vanilla Cinnamon

DSH Perfumes gives these featured accords in one line:
Cassia, Cinnamon Bark, Cinnamon Leaf, Clove Leaf, French Vanilla, Spice, Sweet, Sweet Cream, Vanilla, Vanilla Absolute, Vanillin

DSH has just started offering room scents, and this is the only one that I’ve tried so far. It’s offered in a regular or small travel-sized reed diffuser. The notes are summed up in the name, but it is somehow much lovelier than I expected. It’s also rather light and subtle, a far cry from the “cinnamon bun” scents that make the air at the mall so gooey. I love it on the coffee table, and I’ve been known to use one of the reeds to dab a bit on my wrist before drinking my morning coffee. Yum. You need to try this one if you have any taste for vanilla scents.

DSH Perfumes site has a wonderful selection of fragrances and an excellent Sample System starting at as low as $4

A joyous winter solstice to all of you, enjoy the long dark fragrant nights, and make sure to find a little of the quiet repose that winter seems made for.
Have you tried any of the DSH Perfumes?
FeralJasmine x

Snake Oil by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (BPAL)

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Post by Erica Golding

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Greetings, my beautifully fragranced friends!

Those of you who know me a little may have noticed that I have a special place in my heart (and in my collection) for perfume oils. When it comes to iconic fragrances with a loyal cult following, no perfume oil comes close to the magnetic, addictive potion that is Snake Oil by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (BPAL).

Snake Oil Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Vanilla, oriental notes

BPAL is mysteriously coy when describing Snake Oil, listing the official notes as: “A blend of exotic Indonesian oils sugared with vanilla.” This modest preview can never prepare you for the intensely sensual, spicy, powdery, deep character of this shameless temptress. The first impression can be challenging, as is often the case when a perfume is singularly unique and passionate.

The aroma is truly haunting, possessing those who become ensnared in the trail. I always struggle to describe the mystifying spices, hint of precious woods, swirl of thick amber vanilla, and the resinous depth. It elicits reactions from strangers, friends, family, and lovers alike – from the subtle extra attention to the unrestrained exclamation, “what are you wearing? You smell amazing!”

Snake Oil Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Snake Charmer Jaipur WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Snake Oil ages like fine wine, becoming smoother, deeper, richer, and more viscous as the years pass by. The powdery amber settles, the spices harmonize, the resinous incense gains density, and the vanilla thickens with an insatiable seductive power. Fans boast the year of their Snake Oil vial with swelling pride, with the earliest vintages (circa 2003 – 2004) being the most rare, cherished, and exquisitely aged to perfection. BPAL switched their perfume bottles from cobalt blue to amber glass in 2005, and also discontinued their 10ml bottle size soon after, so cobalt and 10ml Snake Oil bottles are particularly valuable. Good luck finding one – those who own these treasured ampoules aren’t likely to release their clutches!

Snake Oil Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Carl Warners Bodyscapes DailyMailPhoto Stolen DailyMail

This perfume oil is incredibly attractive, anoint your skin and prepare for unexpected flirtation! I would recommend it to others primarily as an evening fragrance, but I don’t follow rules when it comes to conventions such as where and when. So, personally, I flaunt Snake Oil in full force whenever and wherever I damn well please!

Snake Oil Black Phoenix Alchemy LabPhoto Stolen BPAL

Further reading: That Smell
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab has $17.50/5ml

Have you tried Snake Oil? Do you have a favorite perfume oil, perhaps one from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab?
I hope you have a lovely scented day,
Erica

Violet Disguise by Josh Meyer for Imaginary Authors 2012

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Hi Gang,

It’s taken me forever to get to this bottle. I bought it and it has sat at the front of stuff awaiting its time. Of course, as in all things, I had the best intentions. “Wear it, write about it. Josh Meyer seems so freaking lovely, give the poor bastard a break, a little push,” inside my head every time I looked at the bottle. Josh, if you’re reading this I apologise profusely that it’s taken so long. Every so often I would spritz and then leave the house on an errand, get busy on the phone or work and I wouldn’t get my thoughts on paper. Today I have spritzed already and fingers crossed we get results.

Violet Disguise by Josh Meyer for Imaginary Authors 2012

Violet Disguise Imaginary Authors FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Plum, Violet, Dried Fruits, Balsam, Amber, Evening Air, The Month of May

SPRITZZZZZZZ! Wet, sweet, fruity melon or at a pinch plum. Imagine a fresh plum, cool from the fridge, you bite through the tart skin and into the soft, sweet flesh. I am naughty and I’m sniffing while eating peanuts so I completely miss Freddie’s salty olive note and dive directly into cool wet fruit. Is it the violets that give the metallic vibe or is there a chemical in Josh’s base that I notice particularly? I call it the cold spoon note and niche lines often give me it. I think it’s one ingredient that shouts above the rest for me. Here in Violet Disguise it is brilliant, a perfect cut crystal glass under light, sparkling and gleaming in the opening. Lustrous.

Violet Disguise Imaginary Authors crystal MyFunnyValentine PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

Suddenly, and I mean suddenly, Violet Disguise changes to a resinous, warmer fragrance that is like putting on a favourite coat over the cool air of an autumn/spring evening. A breathy, intimate moment where everything feels burnished, giving its warm glow in much the same way that the opening was cool shards of light reflected except now those beams are soft focused and furry. MMMMMM. I love the way Violet Disguise morphs so abruptly, not it has definite nods to old school perfumery, purrrrrrrfumery. A couple of hours in and I am absolutely gobsmacked at how lovely Violet Disguise is, hairy balsam.

Violet Disguise Imaginary Authors fur_texture acheronnights DeviantArtPhoto Stolen DeviantArt

A very warm end, well a very warm fade to nothing. A soft resinous amber. Lovely. Even next morning I have a distinct Violet Disguise remnant, no I can’t tell you what I’m smelling other than green twig and cold metal……

Further reading: This Blog Really Stinks and Smelly Thoughts
IndieScents has $85/60ml and samples

We are TOTALLY affiliated with IndieScents and are 100% proud of it.

Portia xx

giveaway hemodernhomePhoto Stolen hemodernhome

Violet Disguise GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 Winners who will each get:
1 x Violet Disguise decant from my bottle
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Open to everyone worldwide who follows AustralianPerfumeJunkies via eMail, WordPress, Bloglovin or RSS. Please leave how you follow in the comments to be eligible. I must be able to check that you follow so if you have an email address on your gravatar that’s different to your follow address then please email me so I know. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Go to IndieScents and tell me any fragrance they sell online and a note that it contains…….. NO DOUBLE UPS!

Extra Chance?
Tweet:  http://wp.me/p3PURw-3jJ Imaginary Authors GIVEAWAY @indiescents    @IAParfumerie

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Sunday 9th November 2014 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Thursday 14th November 2014 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

 

 

Pink Gardenia by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz for DSH Perfumes review

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Post by FeralJasmine

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Some of my earliest memories of growing up in Louisiana involve gardenias. My mother had a big bush in the front yard, and I can recall at about age 4 moving nearer to an open flower, then away, then closer again, testing the scent at different distances. Sheer bliss. True gardenia scents are still my favorite, and I want them realistic. Accordingly, I am a sucker for any gardenia scent that comes along. At least, for sampling. I have finally learned that over 90% of them are major disappointments, and I no longer EVER blind-buy bottles of new gardenia perfumes. I think I have gotten most of my gardenia errors to new homes, but there may still be a few in the back of the closet, silently mocking my gullibility.

Pink Gardenia by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz for DSH Perfumes

My Gardenia Fetish part III: DSH Pink Gardenia

Pink Gardenia DSH Perfumes FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot
Heart: Gardenia, tuberose
Base: Ambergris and musk

No doubt I will continue to sample new gardenia scents as they emerge, but there are a few favorites that I regularly wear and count on to scratch my gardenia itch. The tragically discontinued Tom Ford Velvet Gardenia is my favorite nighttime scent, and in the daytime I love to float around in Dawn Spencer Hurwitz’s Pink Gardenia. She has a few gardenias, but the Pink is the closest to the real thing. The eau de parfum is a lovely soft sweet gardenia that soon settles down fairly close to the skin. Real gardenias in their homeland have a definite fungal undertone that smells a bit like moist Southern loam. When a gardenia scent seems “not real,” often it’s because the scent is too clean. Pink Gardenia has a bit of the fungal note, but it’s faint. This one will evoke the flower but won’t cause your coworkers to wrinkle their noses.

Pink Gardenia DSH Perfumes Gardenia Tatters FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

The Pink Gardenia parfum is rich, intense, and comes across as slightly less clean. It is a fully opened flower, lovingly placed on your skin by your lover’s hand. It wears close and soft and dries down to a glorious skin scent. I want this one badly, but what I want to do with it is put it all over myself, and at over $100 for 5ml I can’t afford that. Unless I were to use the whole bottle in one gorgeous binge, and oh, how I enjoy fantasizing about that. But it is lovely and hypnotic and covetable, and you can bet that it’s on my “to buy” list.

Pink Gardenia DSH Perfumes Gardenia oom_endro PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

Further reading: Now Smell This and
DSH Perfumes starts at a $5 sample vial, for $80/30ml EdP

I have already written to Ms. Hurwitz expressing my hope that she will never discontinue this scent. The EdP is my own bottle (likely the first of many) and a small sample of the parfum was kindly provided by the perfumer. My opinions remain firmly my own, especially when it comes to gardenias.

FeralJasmine xx

Captured In Amber EdP & Extrait by Shelley Waddington for En Voyage Perfumes 2014

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Post by Val the Cookie Queen

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I don´t like amber. It´s not for lack of trying. I always thought I would be the perfect amber babe. After all I adore patchouli and it´s the same right? Actually it´s not. When I fell for Captured in Amber I thought that the amber part of my brain had finally been unlocked. I got hold of 5 different ambers ready to love them all. I didn´t. I found them as flat and one dimensional and nauseating as they ever were. It is not my wont to knock other perfumes/perfumers but suffice it to say they included Dior´s Mitzah, which is just not made f or me. (I think Dior can handle it!). Not my cup of tea. Or should I say chocolate?

The Spanish conquistadors first brought chocolate to France in 1615. It was only for the nobility and upper bourgeoisie. It was all the rage at the Court of Versailles. At that time it was cheaper to buy a prostitute than it was chocolate. Chocolate was recognized for its aphrodisiacal qualities so I have know doubt that there were those who purchased both! In 1770 when Marie- Antoinette married Louis XVI, she arrived at the court with her own chocolate maker along with the title “Chocolate Maker to the Queen”. Cocoa beans only became accessible to the public in the 19th century.

Captured in Amber En Voyage Perfumes Gautier-Dagoty Marie-Antoinette WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Shelley Waddington informs us that Marie Antoinette also took a little ambergris in her hot chocolate. Marie-A also wore perfume using ambergris. Madame du Barry supposedly bathed with ambergris to attract Louis XV. It was known as “dragon´s spittle fragrance” in ancient China, and was believed to ward off the black plague in the Middle Ages. It too has been attributed with aphrodisiac power as well as healing properties.

Captured In Amber EdP & Extrait by En Voyage Perfumes 2014

Captured In Amber by Shelley Waddington

Captured in Amber En Voyage Perfumes FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Ambergris, labdanum, vanilla, tonka bean, floral notes, spices, woody notes, olibanum, resin, peru balsam, tolu balsum, benzoin, patchouli, myrrh, dark chocolate

Captured in Amber is part of the Souvenir de Chocolate Trio from En Voyage Perfumes. It is utterly delicious, three dimensional and not a hint of powder to be seen. So with chocolate and ambergris? We have an erotic fragrant bomb on our hands.

CAPTURED IN AMBER: EDP

It goes on in a powerful chocolate, sweet, veil of perfection, a nosegasm. It is rounded and complete. A 3D effect. Although it is rich it is not cloying. Very grown up and sensual but comforting too. After several hours of subtle spicy development it slowly ends up being salty and musky, which is how I imagine real ambergris to be. Nevertheless there is till a dusting of chocolate there. It reminds me of the crushed cocoa nibs that I use to bake with. Chocolatey but not sweet. The components of Captured in Amber EdP are blended to perfection. A seamless fragrant ride. This needs to go straight onto naked skin. Skin enhances.

Captured in Amber En Voyage Perfumes Phil Campbell FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

CAPTURED IN AMBER: EXTRAIT

Not just a stronger version of the EdP. This is not as sweet and is made to be annointed. It is so rich, distinctive, highly seasoned, poignant, smoooooth, and erotic ……… gorgeous!! I would hardly call it an amber, as to my untrained amber nose, the amber doesn´t make a clear appearance until after a couple of hours. I cannot lift my nose away from my wrist.

The Extrait is quite thick, but didn´t seem like an oil. It intrigued me so I got in touch with En Voyage Perfumes and asked Shelley what it was.

Shelley uses an alcohol based perfume carrier. This is blended with another non-oil ingredient that smooths the sharp blast typical to alcohol, and this is somewhat thick. Because it is an extrait, the resins and some of the other ingredients are heavier and thicker than the more typical perfume materials. That´s enough secrets of the trade huh?

En Voyage Perfumes have a selection of Captured In Amber<<JUMP

For the first time I am Captured in Amber.

Bussis
CQ

AQABA: New Film Celebration Special.

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Hi there APJ Crew.

I just received an amazing deal in the mail today and I thought you would all love to get involved. I have enjoyed all the AQABA fragrances that I’ve been lucky enough to sample.

Portia xx

AQABA: New Film Celebration Special

Aqaba Spring Aqaba FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

We have been invited to share the AQABA journey through the new AQABA Perfume Film

In celebration of the completion of this film, for 3 days, through July 30th, with a minimum purchase of $125.00, receive a complimentary 1oz/30ml of your choice, with AQABA samples included.
Please specify which 1oz/30ml you would like in the Comments section of the Order Form.
Orders can be received at AQABA Site or via email at info@mirani.com

Aqaba Logo Aqaba FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

 

Sweet Anthem Perfumes and perfumer Meredith Smith

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Post by Azar

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Sweet Anthem Perfumes and perfumer Meredith Smith

Indie Fragrance Criterion – Discover Pacific Northwest Perfumes

An Interview, Review and Giveaway

On February 24th of this year APJ posted an introduction to Sweet Anthem Perfumes and perfumer Meredith Smith. Today I have a few questions for Meredith about the business of perfume in the PNW. My next post will be a review (and a give-away) of the six fragrances in the Indie Fragrance Criterion – Discover Pacific Northwest Perfume sample set.

Something extraordinary is going on in the Pacific Northwest perfume scene. In the February 24th post I referred to the PNW as a “hot spot” for Indie perfumers and attributed this phenomenon to our dreary winters and to the local creative climate but didn’t even consider that perhaps the business environment might be what is really driving the astounding growth of great noses in the PNW and all along the west coast; see Ca Fleure Bon

Instead of operating via the old industrial economic model of “survival of the fittest” through negative competition for limited resources (creating perceived value through perceived scarcity), what seems to be happening here is more of a collaboration. This collaborative model succeeds by taking steps to grow the customer base for everyone while encouraging new talent and supporting existing businesses. The perfumers are independent but recognize and foster their interdependence, creating mutually beneficial events and opportunities as well as sharing information and resources. This kind of information based, collaborative economic model works on the principle that sharing creates interest and value, supporting not only the perfumers themselves but the suppliers and related businesses as well.

Sweet Anthem Perfumes BottlesPhoto Stolen Sweet Anthem Perfumes

Meredith, you have been one of several PNW perfumers encouraging, as you say, the “Seattle Sisterhood” of perfumers for several years now. Would you describe what you perceive to be the reasons for this local explosion of interest in perfume?

Honestly, I have no idea how it happened! For me, though, I can say that I probably would not be a perfumer if I didn’t live in the PNW. That’s not to say that I wasn’t into perfume before moving here, but the pioneer spirit and the way we interact with nature – from the mountains to the sea – helps fuel the olfactory palette. We have such intense connections to the earthly plane that it’s difficult not to be inspired on a daily basis when living here, and that helps fuel many industries of pioneers. Plus, having spirited colleagues in many kinds of industries helps keep me going – from my fellow perfumers to other Etsy-style brand owners, the PNW is really a community of talented makers in many stripes. I know my perfume sisters agree!

Can you give us some examples of how and why whatever it is that you do works so well in the PNW?

This is the crux of the reason I moved to the PNW. Everything here seems to be done in the DIY spirit. We love to branch out and get our hands dirty. We love to learn (it’s one of the smartest places in the country to live). We love to do things no one has ever done before (the $4 coffee being a prime example). PNWers are not afraid – pioneers that we are – of going upstream, avoiding the mainstream, and eschewing the man at pretty much any and all costs. I think that’s a part of why collaboration is so vital to the NW. If going upstream is the norm, there’s no point in going it alone.

Sweet Anthem Perfumes OilsPhoto Stolen Sweet Anthem Perfumes

I understand that the curated collection I will be reviewing is part of a collaborative exchange between San Francisco and Seattle area perfumers. Could you give us a little of the back-story?

This is actually a curated collaboration between myself and Antonia from Tigerlily Perfumery, a little perfume shop in the Valencia neighborhood of San Francisco that features mostly indie and niche lines. Initially, Karyn, Nikki, and I were trying to do this sort of thing with a shop in New York (who shall remain nameless) but that fell through, much to our dismay. I had a chance to meet Antonia before the perfumer’s salon last March and we really clicked, both owning perfume shops that carry a lot of the same inventory and really loving indie perfume lines. I pitched this idea to her about the PNW gift set, and she loved it! It was actually her idea to do a Bay Area box in tandem, with launch events in both cities. (It worked out nicely that several of us Seattleites were already going back to San Francisco for the summer Renegade Craft Fair, so the launch event got neatly wrapped into our existing event schedule.) But really, Antonia’s the big idea gal here, so I’m excited she’s on board!

Can you explain why/how these specific perfumes were chosen for this first Indie Fragrance Criterion?

By and large, the perfumers were asked to submit their best works! In the Seattle set, we all submitted things with a bit of a Northwest-y vibe, and I consulted with many of the perfumers what I thought would be the best fit (I’m thankful that they trust my judgment and happy that they’re all brands I’ve come to know and love). In the San Francisco set, you’ve got some IAO award nominees and winners, and some noses new to me but not to Antonia. Antonia and I talked a lot about themes, but in the end we decided that for a showcase of raw talent, generally the talent knows their works best, and so we left it up to each of them.

 Indie fragrance critereon AzarPhoto Donated Azar

Meredith, thank you so much for taking the time to share your perspective on indie perfumery in the PNW. Stay tuned, everyone, for the upcoming review and give-away!

Azar xx

Orris Ochre by Liz Zorn for SOIVOHLE 2012

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Hello Indie Lovers,

One of my favourite Indie Fragrance Houses is SOIVOHLE with it fabulous Artist turned Perfumer Liz Zorn, who still paints incredibly evocative images that have become less attached to pictorial representation and more to finding and conveying emotion. So too with her perfumery, when I wear a SOIVOHLE fragrance I find it completely mood enhancing or changing, depending on the scent and my intention.

Today I would like to introduce you to a fragrance that Liz currently has in her Sale Section for $15/11ml. I know, outrageously affordable and in a perfect size to fit in your purse or as a travel frag, it also looks very nice on the dresser.

Orris Ochre by Liz Zorn for SOIVOHLE 2012

Orris Ochre SOIVOHLE

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Orris root, wild orange, violet, honey, narcissus, cedar, suede, muhuhu (very hard to find wood), palisander rosewood

Orris Ochre opens on my skin with honey and orange peel, there is a soft powdery fuzz too that reminds me of pith. Dabbed I get much more iris in the opening and it is clear and clean, carrot rather than dirt but with a vegetative depth that may be the violet leaf. When I sprayed though I get a lovely warmth, a feral animal heat both sexy and intriguing. They could be two entirely different fragrances. Most interesting.

 Orris Ochre SOIVOHLE See-Ming Lee FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

It takes about 20-30 minutes for the two different applications to merge into more related scents and they seem to come together as the woods appear, old dry furniture wood made even more reminiscent of old through the honey. It smells like my 1960s sideboard that has been beeswaxed every few months by my mother and now me since it was new. There is a beautiful richness to its smell now that is both waxy honey and wood. The lovely iris goes all soft and fluffy on me, weaving through the woods and after about 4 hours my skin smells like that lovely, fresh washed, just worked out, healthy young flesh smell.

Orris Ochre SOIVOHLE Carlsons WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

It is absolutely intoxicating and I can’t help putting my nose down my top and huffing hugely. I smell like the lovely nubile young musclebound men I used to tryst with many, many years ago after the disco. It is an extremely specific smell of health: fresh, soft skin over rock hard muscles that have been dancing and are now fresh washed and ready to cavort. This is the EXACT smell. Gorgeous.

This lovely scent stays around for about 4 hours on my skin, much longer on my clothes. My jumper still smells beautiful at lunch time the next day, it will need a wash but maybe not this week. Really excellent scent.

Don’t miss the SOIVOHLE SALE<<< JUMP

Which of the SOIVOHLE fragrances have you tried?

Portia xx

 

 

Urura's Tokyo Cafe by Sarah McCartney for 4160 Tuesdays

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Post by Poodle

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The name of the company (4160 Tuesdays) is based on how many Tuesdays you’ll live if you make it to 80 years old. The idea is that that’s all you’ve got so make the most of them. Sarah McCartney is the writer and perfumer behind the brand. From what I can gather she’s based in London and had no formal training as a perfumer. Her scents were originally bespoke creations for friends and perfumes created to scent characters in a novel.

Urura’s Tokyo Cafe by Sarah McCartney for 4160 Tuesdays

Urara's Tokyo Cafe 4160 TuesdaysPhoto Stolen 4160 Tuesdays

4160 Tuesdays gives these featured accords in one line:
Grapefruit, tangerine, opoponax, tolu balsam, geranium, violet, rose, raspberry leaf

Recently I was lucky enough to win a bottle of Urura’s Tokyo Cafe by 4160 Tuesdays on Indiescents. I just started hearing about the line so I was excited to try it. If the rest of Sarah McCartney’s perfumes are like Urura’s Tokyo Cafe, she is proof that you don’t necessarily need training to be really good at something. For some it comes naturally.

Urura’s Tokyo Cafe was created to raise money for a charity event. The name of this does not really give an impression of what’s going on in the perfume. Actually it’s hard for me to pin that down as well. I mean that in a good way. It’s a chameleon on my skin. Depending on the day, the weather, my mood, who knows what else, it smells a bit different each time. It was easy to wear but hard to dissect. After wearing it almost daily for a week here’s what I can say.

Urara's Tokyo Cafe 4160 Tuesdays geranium PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

At times I get a lot of grapefruit and tangerine, more rind than juice. There’s a jammy quality but it’s never too sweet. It doesn’t smell overly citrusy either. I think the geranium keeps that in check lending an herbal bitterness which comes and goes to my nose. Some days it smelled chypre-like to me with an almost mossy quality. The rose changed on me day to day as well. It was dark at times, slightly sour and metallic on others, and then full bloom bouquet on the days the violet made an appearance. I have to admit I liked them all. The scent is well blended and a better nose might be able to pick it apart note by note, but I can’t, nor do I want to. It just smells good and unlike anything else I own. With the way it’s changed on me you might have a totally different experience with this perfume too.

Urara's Tokyo Cafe 4160 Tuesdays Pimm's Cup ImpromptuKitchen FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

Somehow it made me think of a cocktail, a Pimm’s Cup, which I believe are popular in London. Sweet yet bitter, fruity yet herbal. (I wonder if that was an inspiration in making this perfume…)
I think it’s easily unisex and I get hours of wear on my skin, on clothes it lingers for days and I find I bury my face in my scarf to smell it.

4160 Tuesdays has £40/30ml

Until next time…
Poodle

Institute for Art and Olfaction Awards 2014: Saskia Wilson-Brown Interview #2

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Post by Azar

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Today the Australian perfume Junkies are thrilled to have the opportunity to talk with Saskia Wilson-Brown, the founder of the LA based Institute for Art and Olfaction. Winners are listed HERE<<<JUMP

This is the second in the Saskia Wilson-Brown Interview Series: Please have a look through the first: The Institute for Art and Olfaction: Saskia Wilson-Brown Interview #1

Institute for Art and Olfaction Awards 2014

Saskia Wilson-Brown Interview #2

Institute for Art and Olfaction AWARDS LOGO

Regarding the 2014 Art and Olfaction Awards: What made you decide that the world needed another awards night and why about fragrance?

Ha! A fair question. The world does most definitely not need another awards night. However: Independent and artisan perfumers need some support, and so we decided it would be a good idea to help provide it, in the way we were most capable of doing so. We are going to try to be more about curation than competition.

Both panels of judges are made up of some of the best-known noses in the world! How were you able to put these panels together and how long did it take?

To be honest, it was merely a question of asking! All of the judges were happy to participate, and extremely supportive. It took a few months to put the panel together, and I am extremely grateful to them for the time and energy they put into the process. Very very caring and honest people, all of them, and not an inflated ego in sight. The big question is: Would they consider doing it again. Ha.

The IAO website goes into detail about the Awards selection process and judging criteria. Did the finalists receive written evaluations/adjudications of their work?

No, unfortunately, there is only so much time in the day, we simply couldn’t offer that sort of feedback. We already asked a lot of the judges: The preliminary judges all smelled every submission. That’s just under a hundred perfumes, and I wasn’t prepared to ask them to write evaluations for every perfume, as well.

We built the awards on the film festival model, and we basically stuck to that formula, but adding the anonymity factor to ensure fairness as ours is such a small little world, at the end of the day. Generally speaking, it’s not my first time running a big initiative like this, and my rule of thumb is this: Know your limits, stick to the plan, don’t ask for more than people have time to deliver.

However, as the awards expand, we will try to build in more feedback mechanisms. One of the things I feel most guilty about in our first year is that we just didn’t have the time to email all the submitters who didn’t make it to the the finalist round. I have submitted to things before, and I know what it feels like to get a nice email, versus just… silence. In fact, I just recently got a very kind rejection letter from a big institution, and it made the experience much less disappointing. So that’s something we need to fix for next year.

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Was there one moment at the Awards Ceremony (or the after party) that you found especially funny, surprising or touching?

Well, the whole thing was a blur, for me, to be honest. It was a lot of work and there were a lot of moving parts. I did really enjoy having my friend Tom Green on the drums – it added a little bit of irreverence, and the audience all called out ‘drum roll Tom’ when the presenter was about to announce a winner, which was pretty fun and goofy. All our presenters were incredibly amazing, as well. Ashley Eden Kessler, Ilene Hoffman, Hank Jenkins, Sarah Horowitz-Thran, Steven Gontarski, James McHugh, Koan Jeff Baysa and of course Adam Eastwood and Franco Wright from Lucky Scent. Another thing I loved was the smell-and-repeat. It was a silly idea I had, playing off the Hollywood premiere trope of having a step-and-repeat logo wall where famous people step, pose and repeat for photographers. It ended up being quite fun. We sprayed it with the finalist perfumes, so as people entered the Goethe Institut they could catch a whiff of what this was all about.

The first Art and Olfaction Awards will be a hard act to follow. What have you learned from the First Annual that you can use in 2015?

Here is what I am taking from the first year: Avoid the big egos, support the people who support you, allow more time for submissions to arrive, allow more time for the judges to judge, and thank the people who make this happen over and over again.

Finally – I really enjoyed the seven questions you posed to the finalists and their revealing answers! To paraphrase one of your own questions: What excites you about your life right now?

I find the major mistakes I seem to be making on a daily basis to be particularly exciting. When I was younger and more malleable, I used to be quite serious about snowboarding. The big lesson in snowboarding is that if you’re not constantly falling down, you’re not learning. It’s trite, but it’s true.

Saskia Art & OlfactionPhoto of Saskia donated by Institute for Art & Olfaction

Thank you so much, Saskia, for taking the time from your very busy schedule to share your thoughts with the APJ. We are looking forward to another great year with the IAO, filled with exciting projects and educational opportunities.

Azar xx

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