Ratios for Blending Essential Oils

August 6, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 4 Comments

Post by Suzanne R Banks

Ratios for Blending Essential Oils

A Reminder of the Basics

Hi APJ

I have written about this before but I think we need a reminder of the correct ratios to employ when making aromatherapy skin care, baths, face masks, hair masks and anything else you can think of. I’ll also include the amounts to use in vapourisers and oil burners.

It is important to be exact and err on the side of caution when using essential oils on your skin.

It is not important to be exact when you are using essential oils in a vapouriser to scent a space.

Officially it is not recommended you use essential oils on your skin directly from the bottle!

Photo Stolen Pixabay

1. Nourishing Body Oil Blend

For a coat of your body use 3 teaspoons of carrier oil (approx 15 mls) in a little dish and, add 7 – 8 drops of essential oil. This is a standard ratio of 2.5% essential oils to carrier oil.

20 mls 10 drops

25 mls 12 drops

30 mls 15 drops

35 mls 17 drops

40 mls 20 drops

45 mls 22 drops

50 mls 25 drops

***** Always put the drops of essential oil into the bottle or dish first, then add the carrier oil. It gives the scents time to create a synergistic fusion.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

2. Mist – For a Room or as a Personal Aura Mist

The same quantities as above. You can add more if you like but remember not to spray near your eyes.

50 mls 25 drops

100 mls 50 drops

150 mls 75 drops

200 mls 100 drops

Almost fill the bottle with water then add your oils. Shake before you mist. I don’t use emulsifying agents as I like to keep it simple. You can even just buy a mist bottle from a supermarket but once a plastic atomiser top and bottle have been used for essential oils you can’t re-use them. Don’t fill up the bottle with water and mist your plants as the residue may kill them.

Photo Stolen FotoPedia

3. An Oil Blend (or mask) for Your Face, Children and In Pregnancy

Use half the above ratio – 1.25% ratio of essential oils to carrier oil.

20 mls 5 drops

25 mls 6 drops

30 mls 7 drops

35 mls 8 drops

40 mls 10 drops

45 mls 11 drops

50 mls 12 drops

***** Always put the drops of essential oil into the bottle or dish first, then add the carrier oil. It gives the scents time to create a synergistic fusion.

Pregnancy – Some oils are not recommended in pregnancy so it’s best to do some research if you are treating yourself, or ask the advice of an Aromatherapist. I have treated many women through multiple pregnancies and have had great results. The truth is that there are probably many more toxic chemicals in their home environments than essential oils but always use caution!

Children – Same for kids. They respond really well to essential oils but only use oils they like the smell of otherwise you may create a negative experience. You will have more positive results if you create a room/personal mist and gently mist around your child so they treatment is more fun and likely to work quickly.

Photo Stolen Flickr

4. In Baths

I would only use up to 6 drops of oil in a bath. I have tried many natural emulsification agents but none work 100%. I like to put the oils into mediums, then add them to the bath. Try adding your oils into –

Dead Sea Salt

Celtic Sea Salt

Coconut milk

Magnesium Salt (Epsom salts)

Bi-Carb Soda

A Natural Bodywash/liquid soap like Castille Soap

** I don’t recommend using essential oils in the bath with kids as it can sting their legs. The oils combined with the heat of the water can be too strong for their beautiful skin. (See me article “Aunty, something is biting my legs” – 10 things NOT to do when using Essential Oils” for more info).

Enjoy the process!

Happy blending and remember to use your intention when you are creating your formulas. See my article about intention.

Suzanne R Banks XXX

Suzanne R Banks Blog
Suzanne R Banks Aromatherapy
Suzanne R Banks FaceBook

Oliver & Co Limited Edition Sample Set 2014

August 3, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 1 Comment

Hey there APJ,

If you love niche fragrance and enjoy the good stuff then this is for you. I love this crew.

Oliver & Co Limited Edition Sample Set 2014

DISCOVERY SET – 1# ONLINE EDITION OF 20

THE SET INCLUDE 7x10ml GLASS SPRAY VIALS OF:

ILLUSTRATED SERIES

M.O.U.S.S.E
LA COLONIA
VETIVERUS
RESINA
M.O.U.S.S.E II

NEBULAE SERIES

NEBULA 1
NEBULA 2

AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY – FROM 1st TO 6th AUGUST.
LIMIT ONE PER PERSON. ONLINE EXCLUSIVE.
THIS ITEM CAN’T BE PURCHASED ON PHYSICAL STORES.

67,00 €

Oliver & Co Site<<JUMP

A Case of Perfume Tampering

July 31, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 21 Comments

Post by FeralJasmine

I am a fiend for vanilla perfumes, and will try nearly anything along that line. It happened not terribly long ago that I got a sample from one of the decant houses of a vanilla perfume from an independent perfumer, never mind which one. It was a pretty little perfume indeed, with some jasmine and fruit notes, a bit of bergamot, and a pleasant base of vanilla and white musk. For evening wear I love Tihota, the contralto diva of the vanilla world, but this one warbled along in a pleasant little alto. I decided that it would be perfect for office wear where my stronger vanillas won’t fly, and because I found it online at a bargain price I bought two small bottles.

A Case of Perfume Tampering

Photo Stolen Pixabay

Unfortunately, it became clear when the bottles arrived that a rather major reformulation had taken place between the decant that I had previously purchased and the new bottles. Or maybe this perfume is subject to significant batch variation, but whatever the reason, I had two bottles of something that I did not care for at all. The opening was still pleasant and attractive, but the vanilla was rather distant and sour and faded quickly, leaving me with nothing much to notice after the first 30 minutes. Foolishly, I had opened and tried both bottles before I was sure that something was wrong, so there was no reasonable option of returning them.

After some thought, I decided that I had very little to lose, and so I began tampering with one of the bottles. Leaving the opening undisturbed, I added a little bit of vanilla CO2 extract, and a modest amount of a commercial perfumers accord called “vanilla bean accord,” which I obtained from The Perfumer’s Apprentice. After several good shakes, I had something that I could spray and enjoy in a low-key sort of way, and that ended in a lovely vanilla skin scent which lasted several hours. I will be able to use it as a work scent, and eventually will probably do the same to the other bottle. As a bonus, I wore it one evening at home, and my husband noticed early the next morning that it had bloomed into an even more full and beautiful vanilla skin scent.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

I have read arguments against a simple intervention like layering, with some people feeling rather strongly that the perfume should be worn as created. All very well for perfumes that you like, but this was not one that I would ever have worn exactly as it came to me. And I clearly acknowledge that it would not be in any way okay to give out the name of the perfume, since I have altered it beyond recognition. However, for those of us who have some bottles sitting around that we don’t really care for and will never wear in their present iteration, is it wrong to make some creative changes? I don’t think so. It’s like changing a recipe; you can do anything you want with it, as long as you acknowledge that it is not exactly the recipe that the writer intended.

So I say, if you have aromachemicals and accords and essential oils and absolutes sitting around, and like so many of us you also have some perfumes that you are not wild about, but which have no significant resale value, go to town!

Have you ever tampered with a perfume? Do tell.

FeralJasmine xx

Hypnotic Poison EdT by Annick Menardo for DIOR: 1998 version

July 28, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 66 Comments

Post by Azar

Today’s review and give-away were supposed to have been about the contents of a very large bottle of an historic Italian EdT. I have decided to reserve judgment on this fragrance until I get to know it better. There is plenty of juice to play with. I have been spraying it liberally on myself, on B-Azar, Fender, on the towels and linens and have even considered using it as a room freshener. Needing a substitute victim for this post I began digging around in the chaos of my perfume storage and came upon something red, black and squat, about 50% remained in the 100 ml bottle. Just one spray filled the room with romantic memories. – the original version of Dior Hypnotic Poison, EdT.

Hypnotic Poison EdT by DIOR

Hypnotic Poison by Annick Menardo: 1998 version

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Apricot, plum, coconut
Heart: Tuberose, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, rose, brazilian rosewood, caraway
Base: Sandalwood, almond, vanilla, musk

The first version of Hypnotic Poison was created for Dior in 1998 by Annick Menardo (responsible for Lolita Lempicka and Bulgari Black among others).

My immediate experience of HP was rich vanilla and a lot of fruit, a not quite edible compote of plum, coconut and vanilla drying down to jasmine and a bouquet of flowers that were too mixed up to sort out. At the heart bitter almond (the scent of cyanide), caraway, various woods and an impression of spices were reminiscent of the original version of Dior Poison. The startling opening and scary sweet vibe of the first Poison were barely noticeable but still obvious enough to make this semi-gourmand sister scent a truly hypnotic contradiction between the delicious and the dangerous. Hypnotic Poison may have been one of the earlier fruity florals but has very little in common with the syrupy concoctions available today.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

If you happen to have a bottle of this early version gathering dust, resurrect it immediately! I’m sure you will remember, as I did, why you enjoyed it so much. I have no experience with the newer 2008 version – L’Elixir Hypnotic Poison by Francois Demachy. Do you know this one? Does it work for you?

YUM! I am now going to have another spray-bite of this almost poisonous and not really forbidden fruit!

Azar xx

Photo Stolen lavanyasrecipes

Hypnotic Poison EdT GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will each get:
1 x 2 ml spray decant of the 1998 version of Hypnotic Poison EdT
1 x 2ml spray decant of the historic Italian referred to at the beginning of this post
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

Please leave a comment about your favorite re-discovered oldie and/or your take on any version of Poison or Hypnotic Poison.

Extra Chance?
Tweet: @OzPerfumeJunkie Hypnotic Poison EdT: DIOR 1998 #GIVEAWAY http://wp.me/p3PURw-313 @Dior #Perfume

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 31st July 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 Sunday 1st August 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.

AQABA: New Film Celebration Special.

July 28, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

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

Photo 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

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fille en Aiguilles by Christopher Sheldrake and Serge Lutens 2009

July 27, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 20 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey Hos, Frag Hos that is.

Today I am chatting about a fragrance that has been on my radar for a while. I remember testing it when it first came out and LOVING it but I think at the tiome I was financially recovering from some holiday and it was an inconvenient purchase moment so it went on the list. Special thanks to Michael Edwards for gifting me his bottle.

Fille en Aiguilles by Christopher Sheldrake and Serge Lutens 2009

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Pine needles, vetiver, bay leaf, spices, fruit, incense

WHOO HOO! Spices, stewed fruit, pudding. When Fille en Aiguilles opens it is all about food for me and this amazing moment lasts about 5 minutes until the incense comes on in and dries the whole shebang out. The incense is dry and smoky, unisex and rose-ish.

So I never get the pine. I get the FEELING of walking through pine needles. That dry, dessicated, rustle and shimmery crackle of the pine needles under my feet. It’s a soft but freaky feeling underfoot that is both comforting because it was a commonplace experience in my childhood and freaky because I’ve felt nothing on earth yet that I could compare it to. Many of the beaches in Sydney have conifers of one kind or another on their foreshores and we would run through them and kick them and make whole games and stories with our trucks, cars, barbies, whatever was at hand. Instead of the scent of pine needles I get a balsamic vinegar, a sweet and sour edge that is quite alluring, inviting me to stick my head in my T-Shirt and really enjoy the scent.

Photo Stolen TripAdvisor

My skin throws a boozy undercurrent too, maybe it’s the fruit, warmed, sweetened and spiced that reminds me of mulled wine. Actually Fille en Aiguilles goes dry and moist in waves, such an interesting fragrance. Sweet/Sour, Light/Shade, Dry/Moist a multiple contradiction re-proving Sheldrake and Lutens genius partnership. A circular scent that grabs the notes and rearranges them in different groupings and asks you again and again, how about like this, or like this, or like this? You sniff deeply to find out how it smells and by the time you’re ready to sniff it again it has changed itself like a chameleon and you must run to keep up. In the end I let myself float on a sea of Fille en Aiguilles, just a beautiful fragrance that I really love.

I usually get excellent scent longevity from Fille en Aiguilles, though not always and I don’t know why. First hour is pretty big but then it calms beautifully. You will be decidedly fragrant and could easily skunk your office if you aren’t careful. Depending on your work of course, I find it perfect for hosting a trivia night.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Further reading: Smelly Thoughts and EauMG
Beauty Encounter has $89/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml

I am overwhelmed every time I wear Fille en Aiguilles by its loveliness but it could easily be a comfortable wear for someone who merely wears fragrance, rather than a perfumista. A lovely rich and warm scent and I would have bought my Mum a bottle of Fille en Aiguilles had she still been around and I am pretty certain she would have drained it dry and asked for more.

Have you tried it? Did Fille en Aiguilles sing for you? Was it overwhelming or did you think it too like some of his other releases?
Go on, leave a comment. I love to read your thoughts.

Portia xx

Alameda by Aurélien Guichard for Robert Piguet 2013

July 26, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments

Hi Hi APJ Crew,

There is no reason why but today’s fragrance slipped through the cracks and I never smelled it before. Luckily I was in David Jones (Australia’s loveliest Department Store chain) and my mate Gary at the Libertine counter was wondering what I hadn’t smelled from the Robert Piguet range. Normally I grab and sniff them immediately since Joe Garces, the Piguet CEO (I think he’s still there), came down to Australia and talked us through the range. He was so intensely in love with his product and fiercely proud of it that it made me really appreciate Robert Piguet in a new light. Now I try to give every one of their frags at least a sniff.

Alameda by Aurélien Guichard for Robert Piguet 2013

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot
Heart: Lily, rose, orris
Base: Patchouli, amber, castoreum

WHOOSH! So Alameda opens with a bright, fizzy, sugared orange. It reminds me a bit of the Liberte by Cacharel opening but a little less in your face. There is a warmth to Alameda that is quite vanilla/animal and it’s there right after the burn off of the fireworks. I love this fragrance. My nose gets a lovely refined orris and the whole scent becomes creamy and earthy for a while. Imagine if the softest, finest cashmere scarf feeling was a fragrance: This smell is what I imagine it would be. Both ultra luxe and elegant, warm, inviting yet not bold, not a statement fragrance. Alameda is the smell of coming home to love, now a honeyed sweetness that is mildly naughty, lived in, and perhaps some breathy lily has joined the fun.

From here we get a very clean patchouli and the base notes swirl around together for a while. Alameda stays like this for a while, it’s sexy and wearable. I could imagine it being worn by guys and girls and being a hit for both sexes. There’s a beadhead-ish-ness about Alameda that I find particularly inviting, a whisper of sweat and sleep in the little curls of hair at the back of a head in the morning.

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

No mention of musks in the notes but I think there are. My nose may be playing tricks but there is a very nice clean musk vibe that sits well beside what I imagine is the castoreum. The amber is absolutely non confrontational, smooth, warm and creamy. To be perfectly honest I think the short note list has a load of glaring omissions but as you know my nose tends to get a bit wonky. My head is telling me that some of this creaminess could be coming from a sandalwood and something else a little lactonic, also a lovely almond meal smell. Then all that’s left is a beautiful amber that fades to skin.

So here’s a weird moment. Alameda is not on the Robert Piguet site. I have also trawled the web looking in most of the usual places, retail and discounters, and could only come up with two points of sale. OK I have information from Nick at Libertine. “I think Alamedia is exclusive to the UK but after smelling it I begged for our market to have it. I love it. It’s been such a big seller so far.”

Photo Stolen Flickr

Further reading: Parfumistan and Katie Chutzpah
Libertine Parfumerie has $239/100ml including Australian P&H
Selfridges & Co has £135/100ml

I used the last of my generous sample tonight to write this piece. I can definitely see a bottle of Alameda in my very near future. Thanks to Gary at the Libertine counter in David Jones Market St Sydney for my sample.

Have you tried Alameda? If so what did you think? If not, which of the Robert Piguet line do you like?

Portia xx

Dior Couture Autumn-Winter 2014-15 Fashion Show

July 25, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Hi All,

Raf Simons is doing some wonderful stuff at DIOR. I love his finishes and treatments. He has reinvented the crinoline, interesting sleeves like seed pods for balsam, mini skirts with cool shape-seams and scalloped edges. Coats, gowns, palazzo pants and wide belts. I love the looks and the colours. Here is a 4 minute video of the shows highlights.
Enjoy,

Portia xx

Photo Stolen TelegraphUK (problem using this image, please tell us)

Dior Couture Autumn-Winter 2014-15 Fashion Show

Cologne Sologne by Patricia de Nicolai for Parfums de Nicolaï 1989

July 24, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 5 Comments

Hiya All,

Perfect summer fragrance time for you all in the Northern Hemisphere, and boy do I have a pretty one for you today. So as you may know I was at Michael Edwards fragrance clear out and while looking around I noticed a few very pretty softly rounded bottles with gold ridged caps. Not knowing what the bottle signified I passed them by. Then, one of the bottles label jumped out at me. Odalisque, er, odalisque….. OMG! Patricia de Nicoloai! So immediately I went scurrying back, looking for more but another perfumista must have noted who they were by before me so Olalisque and today’s fragrance were the only two original vintage PdN that I grabbed.

Cologne Sologne by Patricia de Nicolai for Parfums de Nicolaï 1989

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Tunisian neroli, rosemary, orange blossom, benzoin

My worry initially was that Patricia de Nicolai fragrances are famous for short in bottle lifespans so I was affeared that the Cologne Sologne top notes, at least, would be gone. How good lucky I am, the rush of very pretty cologne-esque citrus and blooms that bursts out of the first spritz is lovely. A bright, simple cologne that is smile inducing and has summer all wrapped up in its fragrant folds. I think it would be an excellent summer spritz but here on a Sydney sunny winter day, temperature around 16C, Cologne Sologne is a vivid reminder that spring is coming quickly. Only 5 weeks till the first days of spring. How does time go so quickly?

Photo Stolen Flickr

The orange goes all pithy and has a very soft indolic breathiness after the initial fireworks calm down. I just went out to the rosemary bush at the side of the house and the heart of Cologne Sologne isn’t really like it at all, but I can understand there is a nod to it. By the time I feel like there is any real herbal-ness the benzoin has moved in and created a lovely resinous overlay squashing everything else into bit parts. The warmth is very alluring and with the last gasp of citrus and blossom they play merrily together for a short while smelling like a cashmere shawl feels on a cool summer evening, just enough to warm you through and soft, soft, soft. So the resin is rejoined by the citrus later, or maybe my nose had become used to it. I went away from the computer and pottered around the house doing stuff for about an hour and what’s left is the merest memory of fragrance both citrus and resin that has a decided vanilla-ness to it, pretty much gone really but hovering just above my skin.

Photo Stolen Fotopedia

LuckyScent has 100ml/$40 and samples

It has been lovely wearing a cologne in the cool of a Sydney winter and I can just imagine how lovely Cologne Sologne would be in searing or steaming heat. Though it’s a simple, pretty composition I like its uncomplicated and fresh fragrance. It has a scent story that is both appealing and wearable for both sexes. Nice.

Portia xx

Neroli & Orchidee + Mer & Mistral: L’Occitane GIVEAWAY WINNERS

July 21, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom

Heya APJ,

This L’Occitane giveaway seemed to inspire a whole bunch of you. I’m so glad. I hope this finds every one of you happy & well. I know some of you will not be either so fingers crossed for better days ahead.

Portia xx

Neroli & Orchidee + Mer & Mistral by L’Occitane

L’Occitane GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Lemon, tangerine
Heart: Cypress, pine, rosemary
Base: White amber, cedar, musk

WHAT COULD YOU WIN?

This week we will have 4 winners who will each get:
1 x 5ml decant of Mer & Mistral by L’Occitane (from my sample bottle)
1 x 5ml decant of Neroli & Orchidee by L’Occitane (from my sample bottle)
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DID YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell me your favourite fresh fragrance, or why you would like to try this one.

As always there was an extra chance for TWEETING

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 20th July 2014 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Photo Stolen berryreview

Renee Groyer (via Twitter)

Patty Pong

MaryJane

Tracey

The winners will have till Thursday 24th July 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.