Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Movie Monday: The Eye Has to Travel


Browsing the available "downloadable" selections on Netflix can sometimes be a drag. There are evenings when Greg and I will browse for seems like a ridiculous amount of time before we finally settle on something or nothing at all. We seem to find items that we both are attracted to in the "Eco- Science & Nature Documentaries" but usually I'm interested in action thrillers while Greg prefers documentaries.

Occasionally we get lucky, such was the case with "The Eye Has to Travel." This portrait of the fashion visionary Diana Vreeland was such a pleasure to watch, completely exceeding our expectations.



"Style is everything...style is a way of life. Without it, you're nothing." 
~ Diana Vreeland

As an artist and one whose work falls within the domain of fashion, I am deeply attracted to the creative side of this world and the individuals who manage to survive and exceed in it.


Madame Vreeland was born in Paris in 1903, she was pulled from a traditional education at an early age and to focus on dance, her first love and a respite from her psychologically abusive mother. In both the film and the book "Empress of Fashion" by Amanda Mackenzie Stuart, the shift from the constraints of the Brearley school to a less academic school in the morning followed by afternoon attendance at the Louis Chalif's dancing school made a huge impact on her dreadful home life. In her diary, documented by Ms. Stuart, Diana wrote "...I wish I could do nothing but take a long warm bath with loads of perfume & dance dance dance."

Her career in fashion began in 1936 with a simple, yet outlandish column in Harper's Bazaar titled "Why Don't You...?" The eccentric Vreeland gave advice to women ranging from unconventional mothering tips to fashion pointers.


Soon she became the editor of Harper's Bazaar followed by editor of Vogue and finally a special consultant to the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum. She was pure genius as an arbiter of style, add healthy doses of cutting edge ideas with a keen eye on spotting, or perhaps even creating, trends.


Other films portraying Diana Vreeland's outlandish and unconventional character are Infamous (2006) by Juliet Stevenson and Factory Girl (2006) by Ileana Douglas.

Diana captured my heart because she was so completely authentic, using her creativity to reinvent, empower the arts and inspire others to do the same. Bravo to a luminous, completely unique spirit.

More about at the Diana Vreeland Estate website devoted to her memory.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Winner of "Pin it to Win It, Round Two"


The votes from the three judges for the most recent Pin It to Win It Contest are in. The process of choosing a winner, from their selections, has been extremely daunting since there was no obvious first place candidate. Thus, I asked friends and family to assist in mathematical calculations and also evaluated each board myself.



I enlisted the help of three judges to begin the process of choosing the winning board. The first is Sarah Wolfe, who was the winner of the Pin It to Win It contest in the June for Figure 1: Noir. I also asked Beth Schreibman-Gehring, a friend from the perfume blogosphere who you may recall from the Perfume Illuminated project and Ashley of the beauty blog Hollywood MakeUp. Each of these ladies know the fragrances and the "soul" of the work.

Scroll to the bottom if you are anxious to hear who ultimately won the top prize.

Here is what each of these beauties had to say about what they voted for:

SARAH

I've just finished reading 'The Rathbones,' which may have unduly influenced me with its words, weaving magical images of the sea.  This resplendent board - fresh, mysterious, glimmering -  has inspired me to go back to my samples and try Greenwitch again.

Just gorgeous!  My Vespertina sample is now on my dresser and I'm craving + wearing this beautiful burgundy color.

Stunning images that capture the darker side of this fragrance.  You know how much I adore this one!


If this Aumbre board had incorporated more images of your website, however, I would have picked it instead: http://www.pinterest.com/01stephanie10/aumbre/.  Excellent visual representation of the scent.

BETH

I loved immersing myself in the beauty of these boards. Each one of them was unique and it was so easy to feel and see the love with which they were made. I was struck instantly by how accessible you are to them…these were all made by " friends".  Everyone was glorious and it was very hard to choose let alone narrow my decision down to three! In the end I went with the boards that upon first glance conjured up thoughts of you and your wonderful home among the honeybee's and the sacred Oaks. The three that I've chosen transported me to your studio immediately , wafting memories of  your glorious hand blended accords and  jasmine scented hydrosol. Sending much love to all…

 For me it is hard to choose a 1, 2 and 3…I loved these three equally, but if I had to……

1. Stephanie Roberts -  Aumbre
2. Larkin Small- Beauty is a chypre 
3. Topaz Mortmain - Q

ASHLEY

I was graciously asked by Roxana to help assist in judging her 'Pin It To Win It Contest". Since I have such a fervent admiration of her work, I felt honoured to have the chance to participate. While it was a difficult decision to narrow down all of the wonderful submissions, there are three boards in particular that stood out to me.

My first choice goes to Myy for her intoxicating Figure 1: NOIR board and the enchanting romanticism displayed in her submission for the Vespertina scent. The imagery all intertwined rather beautifully and I felt that both submissions were a perfect depiction of the essence and mood I felt when I was first introduced to both fragrances. Fantastic job, Myy! I enjoyed your submissions greatly.

My second choice is a submission from Stephanie Roberts with her ode to 'Aumbre'. The rich autumn palette, brilliant amber stones and smokey woodland feel really captured my imagination and allowed it to not only relish in the story behind the scent, but let my thoughts be immersed in a dreamy, relaxed state. Brilliant use of colors to evoke a mood, Stephanie!

My third choice is Topaz Mortmain with her submission for Greenwitch and "Q". I instantly felt a sense of whimsy, the sacredness of nature and a penchant for adventure when viewing these boards. I though the Greenwitch board captured the smooth, crisp feeling of the sea air and the beauty that lies beneath its depths. Topaz' homage to "Q' reminded me of an ancient wood filled with elemental magic, mystical creatures and secrets unknown. Such strong imagery and storytelling! Thank you, Topaz.

In evaluating the judges choices we have four individuals and six boards in the final: two boards by Myy, two by Topaz, Aumbre by Stephanie and Beauty is a Chypre (Hedera helix) by Larkin Small. The challenge presented was how to choose the first place winner of these? First thing I did was eliminated Myy's Figure 1: Noir since (although one of my personal favorites) it was originally created for the first Pin it to Win it contest. Next I assigned a sum of points to each place setting #1 = 10 points, #2 = 5 points, #3 = 2.5 points and #4 = 1.25 points. Since Myy's Figure 1: Noir board was eliminated that moved her Vespertina board as #1 in Ashley's selection and Stephanie's Aumbre into #3 on Sarah's selection. Thus the tally:

Stephanie: Aumbre 17.5
Myy: Vespertina 15
Topaz: GreenWitch 12.5
Topaz: Q 5
Larkin: Hedera helix 5

The winner is Stephanie with smaller prizes awarded to Myy, Topaz and Larkin. Much gratitude to the judges and all individuals who submitted such beautiful and evocative boards! May creativity and beauty flourish in the New Year!


Once a Year



Quick reminder that the "Once a Year" discount of 20% off a natural perfume round compact, 8.7 grams of solid perfume in a round tin or a perfume flacon ends at midnight PST 12/31st. Read more here.


In the meantime I am looking through the picks from the "Pin It to Win It, Round Two' contest, be back shortly with the champion.

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Winter Solstice - YULE


Here we are once more, at the beginning of the end. The great earth wheel has arrived at one of the yearly Solar festivals, the Winter Solstice, also known as Yule. The days will now incrementally become longer, creeping toward the warmth and light in the darkness and cold.

Celebrated between December 21st and the 22nd, Yule marks the rebirth of the Sun by the Great Mother. This female entity, the Goddess, births forth the light. This symbol is repeated in the birth of the one with "Christ" consciousness meaning higher level of human evolution with heightened awareness often associated with the third eye.

Many traditions through out the world celebrate the birth of the Shining One who appears in many stories and goes by many names including Arthur, Thor, Odin, Mithras, Oedipus, Theseus, Hercules, Perseus, Jason, Dionysus, Apollo and Horus.

The word Christ is derived from the Greek Christós meaning anointed. For us mortals living at a time when the humans appear less and less connected to the agricultural rhythms that sustain life of earth a simple anointing and breathing deeply can facilitate a bit of calm. The seed of evolution and heightened consciousness is birthed from that place of serenity.


One of the stories of Jesus, the "Christ", tells of Mary Magdalene anointing him with nard, aka spikenard.  This highly aromatic essence, derived from roots, goes by many names including muskroot because of the intensely earthy, musky odor. The flowering plant is part of the Valerian family with a very ancient history in the east and texts included The Song of Solomon and Dantes Inferno. Besides being used in aromatic, herbal traditions Spikenard was also used as a flavoring for food and beverages like wine.

Of the illuminated tribe the ones that feature spikenard most prominently are Chiaroscuro, meaning light/dark and Figure 1: Noir. I suggest layering these two together, a very nice third fragrance will manifest which is perfect for celebrating the Solstice as an anointing balm.

For more essences related to Yule I'm really loving the woody fumes like Q, Chaparral and the soon to be released Figure 5: Bois.

"And the Yule-log cracked in the chimney,
And the Abbot bowed is head,
And the flamelets flapped and flickered,
But the Abbot was stark and dead."

H.W. Longfellow 'King Witlaf's Drinking Horn (1848)

Images:
Xmas tree on parchment by Roxana Villa
Mary Magdalene by Jan Van Scorel (1495-1552), oil on oak panel 1530

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Metal Work


All four of the little oval, natural perfume lockets are currently in stock. I've also just ordered the diamond pattern in silver by special request, thus I'll have a limited number of those available soon.

Another item we are evaluating is more lockets and compacts with imagery. If there is a particular image you'd like to see on a locket or oval compact please send me a note or leave a comment and I will consider it.

Its been crazy busy here with holiday orders, birthday celebrations, my daughter Eve back in town from college and Christmas prep. I'm intending to get back to regular blogging, perfume updates and new products once the new year begins.

Monday, December 9, 2013

An Interview - Artisanal Perfume


During the Summer 2013 FRAGments show the perfume blogger Stevie Wilson went around and interviewed several of the artists exhibiting their scented potions. Since she wasn't able to get around to all the exhibitors she decided to interview many of the others by phone and via e-mail.

Stevie was very gracious in giving me the link to the interview to share with you all.


This interview was posted as part of the collective at the LA-Story.com.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Feature on Hollywood Noir MakeUp


Divinely beautiful Ashley of Hollywood Noir MakeUp has written up a product review sharing her impressions on a few of samples of natural, botanical fragrances from the line. I choose the samples based on her favorite notes.

I feel so deeply grateful to bloggers like Ashley who write such luminous, in depth reviews. Please head over and chime in if you feel inspired! I'm sure she and her audience would love to hear your about your favorite fumes.

Photo by HollywoodNoirMakeup

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Eternally Jasmine




I remember the day, the moment, that I vowed to make sure I set the intention to have Jasmine as part of my aromatic life for my duration here on planet Earth. It was August of 1997 during a perfume class I assisted in organizing with Mayat for John Steele in Malibu.

Mayat and I were setting up for the event, the topic of Jasmine absolute came up and Mayat said something along these words to me "The reason I got into essential oils is because I always want to make sure I am well stocked with Jasmine." At the time I was working full time as a freelance illustrator and teaching aromatherapy. Jasmine wasn't one of the oils that I worked with because at that time it was only available as an absolutes and in holistic aromatherapy we didn't use absolutes for our healing potions. I also wanted what Mayat had so simply stated.

Years later, when I made the shift to teaching natural perfumery and creating fragrance art from botanicals, I began ordering jasmine essences in various forms and making her a staple in my palette. Although she appears in many of my perfumes, including being highlighted in the Birthday series, she has returned again.

This time it's all about her heady magnificence as a solifleur. Figure 8: Coeur de Jasmin was originally a fairly simple fragrance created to accompany chocolate perfume series begun in December of 2009. That series included Figure 10: Blanc and Figure 1: Noir which was completely re-worked and launched in March. Next up will be Figure 5: Bois, Figure 11: TangleWood (originally called Chêne) and Figure 8: Coeur de Jasmine.


I have had many special requests for Figure 8: Coeur de Jasmin thus I taking special requests via e-mail since the fragrance will not launch until 2014.

The original fragrance was very simple, created with five ingredients. In the reformulation I choose to make sure to keep the fragrance extremely jasmine focused, although there was a very strong desire to add notes that would make the fragrance more interesting, I stayed the course and true to Jasmine.

The fragrance has been constructed using ONLY high end botanicals, no animal ingredients or isolates are included.

On my olive complexion, with skin that never has synthetics applied to it and lives in an environ where no synthetics are allowed, the fragrance is extremely fresh and floral with a duration of at least six hours with the jasmine note singing the whole way through. Indeed, I did not skimp on the jasmine. I also included some of the Jasmine sambac infusion from the garden and a plethora of other sacred and precious ingredients such as a ten year vintage of Mysore sandalwood, frangipani, tuberose and coffee flower.

I detect a secondary fragrance note in the perfume which is of a heady floral which I haven't quite placed yet, it reminds me a bit of lilacs. I look forward to hearing the how Figure 8: Coeur de Jasmin performs for all the fans who have received or are about to receive it.

More about Figure 5: Bois soon, I used it in my bath last night and can still perceive it on my skin. I am considering making the synergy as a bath salt as well.

Monday, December 2, 2013

Movie Monday: Chasing Ice

Here is a film which makes is a visual feast combined with an extremely powerful look at reality. This film has everything I adore: Beauty, particularly the kin found in nature; Great photography and an Artist doing one of the very best social commentary pieces in the world.

He meticulously did the research, documented what is actually happening and shows us evidence which many choose to ignore. The only ones NOT ignoring this is the top scientific experts on climate change through out the world. It's really incredible to me how the oil companies and genetically modified organism corporations are so good at making vasts numbers of the population numb and ignorant.

My intention, as always, is that this film will crack the glacier of greed and artifice that is skillfully blinding humans.

We watched it via Netflix, highly, highly recommend. Here's the trailer.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Along the Winding Road


In the eighties when I moved to New York City one year out of college I worked as a freelance illustrator. Among my first jobs was a series of illustrations for Money Magazines Mutual Fund Issue. The great thing about that entry point job for the Time Life conglomerate was I was able to work for variety of other magazines within the corporation and start meeting several art directors.

One art director along that pathway was Sandra DiPasqua who eventually ended up at Connoisseur Magazine in the late eighties. I was called in to contribute an illustration to the monthly fragrance column which turned into a regular gig. At the time I had no inkling what-so-ever that eventually I would find myself working in the field of perfume.


Life is so crazy and interesting when you get to survive it for over half a century! My astrology chart has a dualistic element to it, which may account for each artistic venture I get into has two forms to it. For example, as an illustrator my color work was paintings but my black and white work, like these images done for Connoisseur, were scratch board. In fragrance I make liquid and solid perfumes.

I came across all these old tear sheets while looking for a postcard to share with a visitor. It occurred to me that you might find them interesting. I was also curious about the articles, so I took them to bed one night and read through them all.


Unfortunately no pearls of wisdom were gained from the articles, other than there sure is a lot of misinformation about perfume ingredients! I know, no big surprise, as this is still happening today. The fragrant components referred to in the article made it sound like the big perfume houses and trendy fragrances of the 80s were using essential oils, the writer sometimes even alluded to historical uses. (Sigh) Anyway, it sure was an interesting journey into the past.

I have quite a lot of these images, although not sure if I still have all the originals. I'm going to check and see if I have enough to print up a little book and perhaps a calendar for 2015.