Gratitude Sale

I'm so very grateful you're here, reading this post, it really means quite a bit that we get to stay in touch. As part of expressing my love and gratitude, I've created a special sale just for YOU that begins at midnight (mountain time) November 29th until December 2nd.

For every purchase of a solid perfume round bee tin from the list below you can choose a second for 30% off.  The special applies to the fragrances listed below, keep in mind that supplies are limited, as every single fragrance is handmade by me. Coupon code is GRATITUDE.

AUMBRE: Warm, spicy amber.
AURORA: An ambery, floral spice.
CHAPARRAL®: Herbaceous wild wood fire. (SOLD OUT)
CHIAROSCURO: Dark Jasmine: floral, spice, vanilla and patchouli.
Figure 1: NOIR: Feral, dark, red wine. An ode to patchouli.
Figure 5: BOIS: Mystic forest incense
FLEURISH: The hypnotic scent of night blooming white flowers.
IMPROMPTU: Smokey, herb, leather + lemongrass
LYRA: Sweet amber with lilac floral notes.
MELLIFERA: Sun drenched wild flowers.
PAGE 47: Jasmine, amber and driftwood.
VERA: A Chumash inspired ode to lavender.
VESPERTINA: A triad of ancient flowers with resinous incense.
⁠
As you are likely already aware, a daily gratitude practice is connected with greater health & happiness. I like to use plant fragrance as a way to connect to the moment and feel that infinite love that surrounds us, despite the craziness within this Matrix that we live in.

Figure 1: Noir Solid Natural Perfume is back!!

Wishing you all an absolutely splendid new seasonal cycle of the great agricultural wheel, transitioning us from light to dark. Breath in the deep, transformative energetics vibrating through the web of life as we step through the threshold, morphing into our highest and most divine self. Some refer to this as a celebration of the dark, a time to turn inward and balance our shadow or alchemical lead.

I'm so happy the Figure 1: Noir in the solid format is back, it's one of my personal favorites as well as for customers and the perfume bloggers. The scent is a spellbinding, rich, loamy fragrance that is grounding and intoxicating. It’s an earthy ode to patchouli contrasted with notes of the dark skinned, full-bodied red wine berries used for making Syrah.

Figure 1 Noir Reviews

Perfume Smelling Things: Singing Over the Bones

The Non-Blonde: Figure 1 Noir

Perfume Posse: Figure 1 Noir

Beauty Huile: Meticulous, fresh and very LA

Perfume Shrine: Figure 1 Noir

CaFleureBon: Darkness Descends

Te de Violetas: Hues of Darkness

Make Your Own Solid Perfume

This Sunday afternoon I will be teaching an introductory class on how to make your very own solid perfume. We will be going into the fundamentals along with how to make infusions and adding other elements like floral waxes.

Reserve your seat here

The basic formula learned can be applied to making salves and balms, perfect as we move into the winter season and holiday season. See you then.

Equinox 2015: Discount Code

This transitional day has many names including Autumn or Spring Equinox (depending on where you are located in the world), Mabon or Meán Fómhair. No matter the actual name it is a time to deeply breath in this sacred moment as we begin our preparations for the impending shift in the seasonal year when the sun is aligned precisely over the equator.

Early recorded and non-recorded beings on Earth perceived this day as very special and built monolithic sites specifically for it. Our "his" stories tell us tales that these ancient beings were primitive, human and nothing better to do. Well, as usual, I disagree with these histories and prefer alternative her stories with points of view referring to heightened fields of energy, portals to other dimensions and elevated consciousness.

To assist in the transition I am offering a 10% discount on round tins of solid perfume. Use the word Mabon at checkout on the website only. All perfume tins, including the brand new Mellifera & Fleurish are part of this celebratory passage.

If you are in the part of the world, like me, that is moving into darkness and cold, than I suggest the warmer, heavier scents like:

Chaparral

Aumbre

Cimbalom

Q

Figure 5: Bois

Figure 1: Noir

Those of you in the southern hemisphere moving toward the light might want more floral and fresh fragrances like:

Fleurish

Lyra

Gracing the Dawn

Hedera helix

If you are looking for something in between, than Mellifera is a good choice. Personally I don't pay much attention to the season, I prefer to go with my nose and what I desire in the moment. Lately I'm all about Fleurish, I can't get enough.

Take advantage of the special 10% off for 24 hours only. Happy Equinox!

Little Round Bee Lockets finally get perfume!

It took awhile for me to get this together and I am still working out some of the details, but, for the most part they are ready. Introducing the little round bee lockets with perfumed felts!

In the early nineties when I was first introduced to aromatherapy I wore a filigree locket necklace that had a piece of felt inside saturated with essential oil. For years I've been thinking this would be a great way to add scent to the little round lockets but didn't have time to set down and do it.

Well, here they are. If you order one please let me know what you think. I'll soon be offering the little felts individually so that they can be purchased separately.

Chocolate Natural Solid Perfumes are back!

As promised, the chocolate natural solid perfumes are back. It's taken quite a lot of experiments but the beast has now been tamed and ready to share. I've been conducting some tests while at the workshop and am happy to share that the general response has been swoons.

At the moment all I've listed on my website are the little samples and the refill tins for the little mini compact, everything else is on its way. All the upcoming new flavors will first be debuted for the "Chocolate of the Month Club" at my Ziibra page.

Cabochon Mini Compact

The mini compacts with cabochons have arrived, although not all have been listed yet. Here are a few photos in the meantime.

If there is a specific combination you desire, like Hedera helix solid perfume with Czech glass in peridot green please send me a note. I'm happy to list it for you.

Get a sample of Fleurish, Mellifera or Figure 5: Bois!

I am offering Fleurish, Mellifera and Figure 5: Bois as solid perfume tins over at the Fan Funding post here at the journal.

Pictured in the photo is Fleurish, a fruity jasmine with robust notes of indole. Samples are available via the fan funding post or get sample of one of the three included this week with any order of $50 from the website, make sure to mention this promotion in the notes section upon check out, or via an e-mail.

La Dame Blanche Solid Perfume

La Dame Blanche as a solid is finally getting uploaded to the website. The color harmony, as mentioned previously, is a sapphire blue.

Read about the concept and formulation of La Dame Blanche here. The image above is the "La Dame Blanche" drawer within the apothecary case in my workspace in Agoura. Each fragrance has its own drawer, for the moment anyway.

The scent, to my nose, has a fresh rose quality with some citrus and wood. There seems to be quite a diverse interpretation on the notes but for the most part "floral' is consistently mentioned. Some pick up on it immediately on rose, others on the citrus top notes while others get spice. It is always fascinating to hear all the scent interpretations, not only for this fragrance but all the others as well.

Next on the horizon for La Dame Blanche is finding the crochet thread and having Martha make some pouches for the solid perfume compacts.

Solid Perfume Art Lockets are Back!

Three of the solid perfume art lockets are now back in stock. I'm taking these up to the Beyond Aromatics conference in Seattle where I will have a booth. Since they tend to sell out, I suggest not delaying too long to get one.

Silver Filigree

The vintage inspired filigree perfume locket is now available in the silver finish. Perfect for travel or when you want to have something pretty to anoint yourself with without the need to reach into a bag or pocket. Since I am so sensitive to scent I find this locket particularly useful because the fragrance gently wafts out of the delicate ornamental brass filigree so there is no need to open it. Gently hold the locket up to the nose, breath and be instantly transported to a fragrant meadow, beach, etc. For further enchantment, open and apply the creamy elixir to your pulse points.

Lyra Solid Perfume - 2014 edition

There is a new edition of Lyra in her solid format now in the shops, the new version has a subtle difference that some of you may or may not pick up on. The shift was not intentional but rather has mainly due to some botanicals coming from different sources and variations that occur from year to year with crops and distillations. For example I have an organic Jasmine sambac from a new source and my Jasmin grandiflorum is slightly thinner in consistency than the essence I purchased last year. All my essences are purchased from very high end sellers, I avoid the cheaper essences that are sold to soap and candle makers that also make perfume. I suppose this is due to my background in aromatherapy and the desire to support small farmers.

In looking over Lyras formula to ascertain where exactly the transformation took place I noticed there were also a few subtleties in the gram weights of a few of the ingredients which may have also played a role in the deviation. I've been doubling my formulas lately to keep up with the demand, sometimes when the amounts get increased that will also add a new layer to the fragrance, although for the most part I haven't seen that happen, probably because I work with weight instead of volume.

I am putting the notation 2014 edition on all of the Lyra solid variations from this new batch. There is one round solid compact that is wrapped and ready to be shipped that is from the previous formula here.

To my nose the 2014 edition has a little less of the anise note and more of a floral macaroon quality. I had Greg experience both of them and he perceived the new version as having more of a camphor note. Keep in mind, everyone will perceive a scent differently depending on where they stand with all their personal history and emotions coming into play. I look forward to hearing if you all since a difference and what those differences are. If you place an order and would like a sample of the Lyra 2014 solid sample, let me know in the notes to seller and I will include one for you.

Silver Lockets

All the components for the new silver lockets have arrived thus I did the photos this afternoon and posted the locket on the website and E-shop. Silver is a bit tricky to photograph, the color easily picks up the warm light so that the locket takes on a brass tone even though it is silver.

I'm not sure if these will become a pertinent part of the line or not, it all depends if it is something you all are wanting. I know that these will look fabulous on those of us who are embracing our foxy, silver hair color as well as those with super dark or black hair.

HoneyLove Wax Symposium

This Saturday is the annual HoneyLove Wax Symposium, I'll be leading a class for the event titled "Scent and the Honey Bee" at the Culver City Headquarters here in LA.

Where: Honey Love: 5950 W. Jefferson Blvd. #8, Los Angeles, California 90016 MAP
What: Learn how to make natural, solid beeswax perfume based on scents related to the Honey Bee.
When: Saturday, August 10, 2013, 12:30pm until 2:00pm

Here is a link to the Facebook Page for those of you on that social media platform.

Then at 7:40 join us for a special screening of More Than Honey in Beverly Hills, afterwards the films director Markus Imhoof and fellow Backward Beekeeper Susan Rudnicki will be part of a Q and A discussion.

Bee Smart, Bee Happy, Bee Free and Live in Mindfulness.

The Replacements

The new round bee tins are slowly replacing the honey pots and thus eliminating a little plastic from the shop. My ideal is to find something that will accommodate 5 grams of solid natural perfume, like the honey pot.

The quest continues.

Photo: Lyra Bee Tin

I Feel the Earth Move

All the ducks are getting lined up for the Figure 1: Noir release for Earth Day. There are still a few items to take care of like more photos, writing the press release and sending samples to my favorite bloggers. In the meantime I have been wearing both versions and getting feedback from the fandom. 

At the moment the solid version that has gone out to folks and showcased at the San Francisco Salon is much more dense and earthy than the liquid. Some of you have expressed that you like them as they are and use them together, while others are in admiration of the liquid but not the solid. Thus, I have made another mod of the fragrance, shifting the solid to be a bit more like the liquid with the fruit note slightly more in the foreground.

Here is a quote about Figure 1: Noir solid, mod 1:

"It reminds me of being in a cool, dim cellar with damp wood, mossy earth and a tantalizing drift of stored fruit from some distant corner."
                                                              ~ Linda

Photograph is by Lucy Snowe, one of the many she did for me.

Variations on a Theme

The simple round tins with solid perfume are being added to the E-shop today. For the moment I've put the fragrances into three basic tiers to make pricing a bit easier. Keep in mind there are still a few tweaks to be made.

Tier 1 is made up of the most expensive fragrances in my line, these are perfumes that are complex and/or have very expensive ingredients, in the case of these five it is a combination of both. For example, GreenWitch contains four chords, one which is a chord within a chord as well as jasmine, rose and seaweed.

TIER ONE

Gracing the Dawn

Green Witch

Hedera helix

Rosa

To Bee

Simple Round Tins, 8.7 grams  $69.60

Round Compact, 5.3 grams $90

Oval Compacts $98

Tier 2 is made up of the fragrances that are not quite as complex as those in Tier one and contain very expensive ingredients. For example Chaparral and Terrestre are not quite as complex as Chiaroscuro, however both contain Oud, one of the most expensive raw materials currently available.

TIER TWO

Chaparral

Chairoscuro

Cimbalom
Figure 1: Noir

Page 47

Terrestre

Vera

Vespertina

Simple Round Tins, 8.7 grams  $60.90

Round Compact, 5.3 grams $82 - $85

Oval Compacts $95

Tier 3 are fragrances which tend to have the least complexity in their formulation and the ingredients are not quite as pricey as those in the two previous categories. For example Aurora does contain some precious essences like jasmine, rose and carnation but there are only seventeen total ingredients in its formula.

TIER THREE

Aumbre

Aurora

Figure 10: Blanc

Lyra

Q

Sierra Solid Gold

Simple Round Tins, 8.7 grams  $52.50

Round Compact, 5.3 grams $80

Oval Compacts $95 - $85

Amethyst and sage

The amethyst cases came and went and will come again, here she is looking mighty fine with Vera.

Gracing

Gracing the Dawn as a solid is back in stock in the round compact. The new wax for the seal of the samples, honey pot and silver rounds is being made, thus those are not currently available.

To find out more in depth information about the solid manifestation of this fragrance check out this post here at the journal Odorata and the LookBook below.

If you've read through the ingredients list in the Odorata post you will see a bounty of precious essences including the warm, green, woody, fruity Boronia absolute. Boronia megastigma is a native, wild shrub of Australia related to the citrus tree. It is utilized as a flavoring ingredient and quite extensively in high class perfumes to impart a floral, fruity note. Recently this precious aromatic has become more difficult to obtain due to larger companies buying entire harvests for use in fragrance and flavor. At the moment I have no new source and thus future editions of Gracing the Dawn will either have a shift in her fragrance notes or be discontinued.

Read about the origins of this perfume here.

Gracing the Dawn illumination ©Greg Spalenka, find the art cards and prints here.
Solid Perfume photograph by Roxana Villa
Boronia flowers via Wikipedia from Flickr.

Detailing

They say that the beauty is in the details and patience is golden. These are two wisdoms I have been reminding myself of the last week as I continue to work on debuting the chocolates along with a little project Greg and I have been working on and the new edition of Rosa liquid.

Rosa liquid came together without a hitch, more on that soon, in the meantime expect her to arrive in the shop tomorrow with the imprint of Venus day.

The project Greg and I have been working on has the potential of debuting in the morrow as well, although I can't say for sure since this is a colloboration and isn't completely dependent on my efforts or intentions.

The chocolates, sigh, are a mysterious, ever evolving story with has made me think of Coyote, the trickster. I wrote about Coyote here at the journal back on September 18, 2008. At the time I was considering creating a Coyote perfume, regrettably another natural perfume did this recently...but I degress, that's another story about cats who copy and another perfume in the works.

I have been working with several formulas for integrating the scent of chocolate into the solids. The formula made in November works well with the synergy of Blanc, but does not last very long. Thus I added more of the synergy to get more fixation of the scent, the challenge with that is that it obliterates the scent of the chocolate. Sigh. Thus several tasks and adventures later I have several options and will make a final decision by Monday.

In the meantime I have some beautiful synergies based on the first edition of the chocolates from 2010. These will be available without the chocolate component like Blanc and art of the Soul Flower (soilfore) series.

Ready are Figure 1: Noir and Figure 5: Bois. In the works are Figure 7: Pétales, Figure 8: Coeur de Jasmin, Figure 2: Cerise is now more fruity than cherry, thus the name may change. Figure 4: L'Orangerie and Figure 9: Fleurs de Orange are melding into one fragrance. I also have a few new ones to add. Figure 11: Chêne is going to have a new name since I already have an oak perfume, the synergy will be similar to the original Figure 11: Chêne with subtle alterations.

In the meantime I leave you with this and suggest having a bite an exquisite piece artisan chocolate.

"The 12-step chocoholics program: Never be more than 12 steps away from chocolate!" 

- Terry Moore