Aegis of Neith, Primordial Scent 2012

Wiki Commons photo by Rama

She is the mythological Egyptian goddess of war. 

She is shielded by an aegis made of metal. 

Her name is Neith. 

Aegis of Neith is my PS2012 METAL inspired perfume. 

Primordial Scents 2012

The Primordial Scents 2012 perfume project kicked off earlier this month on the 1st. This event organized by Monica Miller of Perfume Pharmer brings together 26 independent artisan perfumers and  26 perfume writers/bloggers. The premise was to compose perfumes based on the elements earth, air, fire, water, metal and aether/space.

Project Mission Statement:

Primordial Scents 2012 seeks to promote PEACE and UNITY in our MINDS HEARTS and ACTIONS

We seek to create positive feelings across the GLOBE in the mediums of SCENT, ART, MUSIC, WRITTEN and SPOKEN WORD

We intend that the use of our ELEMENTAL Perfumes will inspire and support the best in each INDIVIDUAL touched by them and touched by THEM…and on and on…

We want LOVE and JUSTICE

We want NATURAL RHYTHMS to harmonize with our songs.

We want a HEALTHY PLANET

We want FOOD and SHELTER and LOVE for ALL.

We want

EARTH CARE

PEOPLE CARE

FAIR SHARE

Launch Date June 1st 2012

PERFUMES FOR PRIMORDIAL SCENTS ARE INSPIRED BY THE ELEMENTS

AIR, EARTH, FIRE, WATER

SPIRIT

& METAL!

“it’s ELEMENTAL”

You can hop over to Jen Sunderland-Meade's blog This Blog Really Stinks as she has posted an introduction that captures the essence of what this project is all about.

The Facebook page dedicated to my "metal" perfume Aegis of Neith. "Like" and keep updated.

The Primordial Scents 2012 community project page on Facebook

In The Works - Tea Perfume

When I first started thinking of characters in Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream for the recent scent event I participated in one I thought of focusing on was the Little Indian Boy. A minor character, yes, but one that caused friction between Oberon & Titania.  What came to mind was tea, sweetly scented flowers and spices. Dark, rich, full-bodied with a slight smokiness. However I quickly pushed that back because warm and spicy perfume in the summertime just didn't move me. I am however going to work on this for autumn/winter. But what about a tea perfume for summer? That one is in the works. The soothing scent of rooibos, intoxicating jasmine sambac or lotus blossom, sweet chamomile and perhaps a bit of mint to cool things down. Rooibos, black tea, green tea and Lapsang souchong may all find their way into a tea set. And there is vanilla, cinnamon, clove and cardamom to add a little spice. Mmmm...  I'm not a foody scent person so I'll work to blend these perfumes in such a way that although they will smell like tea you'll be less likely to lick your wrists. 

all photos courtesy of Wikipedia 

Fare Thee Well , Nymph

My submission for the A Midsummer Night's Dream Perfume Event has been mailed to participating bloggers and now I wait. :) What a relief! I wasn't completely happy with it but I wasn't disappointed either. I'm actually looking forward to participating in other projects like this.


Check out the Perfume Projects page for all the details and I invite you all to stop by the blogs and leave a comment.

Shakespeare and Blossoming Tree

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind;

And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind:

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1, Scene 1

I'll be taking part in a perfume event organized by Amanda Feeley of Essential Alchemy. The theme is the Shakespeare play A Midsummer Night's Dream. The character that I'm focusing on is Helena. Why? Because she seems so quirky to me. :)

The details are under my Perfume Projects page.

Fare thee well, nymph.

Ere he do leave this grove,

Thou shalt fly him and he shall seek thy love.

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 2, Scene 1

Omumgorwa

Commiphora crenata-serrata

When I received this commiphora resin I wasn't sure what to do with it. It was new to me and I needed to go through all the steps of evaluating properly.  Of course it needed to be tinctured before I could do that. I measured the resin & alcohol and added them to a jar. I tucked it away in a cabinet and completely forgot about it. Months passed before I remembered it was there.  It had been tincturing for over a year when I thought to use it in my Nymph (A Midsummer Night's Dream Scent Event) perfume. I used a rather large percentage in my formulation and I must say it adds a rich warmth and mild sweetness to my blend. I like what it adds to my perfume, so much so that  I plan to buy more.  Anyone interested in purchasing this commiphora resin, along with a couple others can do so from the African Aromatics site. These resins are shipped from South Africa by natural perfumer Sophia Du Toit. 

Channeling Shakespeare

As I recently posted I will be taking part in the Midsummer Night's Dream Perfume Event hosted by Amanda Feeley of Essential Alchemy. Although I've participated in perfume challenges before this is the first that will actually put me and my little scented creation out in the public eye to be critiqued. I'm excited! And nervous. OMG...what if everyone goes crazy over my perfume and HAS to have it? Will I be able to keep up with the demand? Oh no! What if it is universally hated? Will I be banished from the perfuming community forever? Yikes! :^)

Seriously, this is a great opportunity for me to get my name "out there". I KNOW this will be a fun, interesting and enlightening experience and I look forward to it. Now if Mr Shakespeare would kindly step forward I have a few questions to ask.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, what direction am I going in with this perfume? My initial thoughts run along these lines:
woody, mossy, smoky, musky, damp, herbal, slightly floral and slightly sweet. Of course all this may change by the time I get to the end product, but being that I'm a fan of woody scents that aspect will most likely remain. I haven't based this around any particular character as yet although I have one in mind. I pulled out about 30 essences and will narrow those down as I start to build my perfume. One thing I'm (almost lol) sure of is that this will be oil based. 


That's all for now.....

Natural Perfume Oil

A blend of jojoba and fractionated coconut oil infused with natural essences to scent body and hair. Compositions available for men and women.

MPAD intro post

Natural Perfume Treasury on Etsy

'Scented.....Naturally' by BlossomingTree

Etsy natural perfumers

Rosa Botanical Perf... IlluminatedPer... $190.00	Giselle Natural Par... VictoriaJess $185.00	775 - EXTREME, Haut... THERAPEUTATE $220.00	Delilah Essential O... AromaArtisan $18.51
Cocoa Tuberose Natu... ProvidencePerf... $115.00	Tallulah B2. wingandprayerp... $35.00	Jaded - natural per... ForStrangeWome... $25.00	Lavender Pie - One ... Ayala $
The Royal Collectio... joannebassett $35.00	Aurora Botanical Pe... IlluminatedPer... $150.00	ON SALE Aliah Solid... sapobubbles $8.80	CHAKRA 2 - Parfum a... THERAPEUTATE $270.00
Daphnomancer - Natu... DarkStar $9.00	Jitterbug Perfume -... OpusOils $50.00	Eau Contraire Natua... herbalalchemy $22.00	Decadence and Debau... ForStrangeWome... $25.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

Lavender

Lavender, with it's unmistakable sweet, floral, herbal & medicinal scent, has to be one of the most versatile fragrances available today. It is used in bath & body products, home cleaning products, air fresheners, aromatherapy and perfumery. It is used as a single scent or blended with other fragrances. There are many species of lavender but in the naturals arena the most familiar would be lavendula augustifolia. A fragrant perennial shrub that can grow up to 3 feet the lavender plant produces slender evergreen colored leaves and, depending on the species, white to purple flowers atop the stalks.

The oil of lavender is produced using steam distillation while the absolute is produced through solvent extraction.

LAVENDER HARVEST 1948

Lavender focused perfumes (note: I have not tried any of the listed as yet)

Vera Lavender Natural Perfume by Illuminated Perfume and on Etsy

Lavender Pie by Ayala Moriel on Etsy and Lovender available at Ayala Moriel Parfums

Lavender Fields and Lavender and Roses by A Wing and A Prayer Perfume

Khodum Eau de Parfum

Beauty in the hand of wickedness . . .

This is how natural botanical perfumer Justine Crane of The Scented Djinn describes her creation Khodum Eau de Parfum. Khodum opens with the sweet spiciness of anise that takes you right into and blends with a smooth powdery musky floral middle. Tuberose is in this composition but without the headiness. A warm floral that adds depth and a little freshness. I like tuberose but my skin seems to drown it out. It's there I can tell, just very mild. It comes through gorgeously on a scent strip though. The florals blend well together. One doesn't overpower another. Ambrette adds muskiness while there is a slight dampness to Khodum that I attribute to the oakmoss. With all the florals and citruses you'd think this was a light fresh summery type perfume. It is quite the opposite. The spice adds a heat that keeps this from being a skip-through-the-flower-garden-on-a-warm-spring-day type of scent. It's more like a walk in the shadows without being afraid. The wickedness is present but tamed by the beauty.

Khodum was inspired by a brief written by one of Justine's natural botanical perfumery students, Dimitrios, of Sorcery of Scent. Justine set out to produce a perfume that is deep and dark. The key notes of Khodum are badiane, ambrette, tuberose, spiced florals and apple blossom. This composition also includes note of petitgrain bigarade, neroli, cinnamon bark, lemon petitgrain, rose petal tincture, hyacinth evulsion, blue lotus, jasmine grandiflorum, black currant bud, vanilla, almond, cognac, and a rare, vintage oakmoss resin.

If you're a fan of spicy fragrances you'll like this. The spicy notes of Khodum hold through from top to bottom.

Justine's blogs

Oh, True Apothecary

The Scented Djinn

Photo: from The Scented Djinn on Etsy

Scent, You Say? The Blog

Natural perfume is such a vast subject to study so I've decided to separate all my natural perfume talk from this blog. I'll cross post key postings but I would like to have a dedicated space for all things natural perfume. If you'd like to learn more about this wonderful art please follow my blog Scent, You Say?

Scent, You Say?: The Scented Djinn

I was the lucky recipient in a recent blog giveaway of two new perfumes by natural botanical perfumer Justine Crane, of The Scented Djinn. Having sampled several of Justine's perfumes I'm not surprised that I liked these two as well. Jameel Eau de Parfum is a fresh, summery, citrus perfume with notes of neroli (yum!) & petit grain, gardenia and an added richness from labdanum & oudh. Jameel is a light and fresh fragrance perfect for spring and summer. It takes me outside on a lazy day to a place that is warm and tranquil. To put it simply, Jameel is relaxing while inhaling a fresh sweet citrus-scented summer breeze.

Sahar Eau de Parfum is the other I received. This one opens warm & effervescent with a sweet/tart note that reminds me of Pixie Stix candy. But this is not a sweet candy-like fragrance. It's a nicely balanced soft woody (Australian sandalwood & Himalayan cedar) sweet (honey) floral (jasmine grandiflorum & champa) perfume. I love wood perfumes and to me this is a feel good type of scent. Sahar is the kind of fragrance that (at least on me) draws one in closer to get a good whiff.

In addition to selling perfume and body care loveliness from her shop, The Scented Djinn, on Etsy Justine is also a blogger and teacher/course developer for Natures Nexus Academy of Perfuming Arts. Follow along with Justine's perfumed adventures on her blog Oh, True Apothecary!

Make sure to look for next Sunday's Scent, You Say? perfume experience!