The daily gathering of little white florets from for the Jasmine sambac tincture continues. Although there was a bit of a dry spell of blossoms for about a week, the plants are flowering once more. These waxy, abundantly scented little flowers have been getting added to 190 proof grape alcohol since April of this year. Thursday… Continue reading Dailies
Tag: Jasmin
Happy Solstice!
Happy Solstice from the Santa Monica Mountains to each of you. The potted jasmine sambacs in my garden started their blooming cycle in April. Each morning I have been gathering the little white blossoms and placing them into the organic, 190 proof grape alcohol. The base starts off a crystalline clear liquid slowly turning toward… Continue reading Happy Solstice!
Blooming
While straightening up the studio I happened across a few glass amber bottles containing Blossom Eau de Cologne. I poured them all together, then filtered to make sure any bits of the jasmine tincture and botanical extracts were gone and have listed the remnants here. This is all that is left of the 2013 edition.… Continue reading Blooming
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… Continue reading Eternally Jasmine
Cimbalom Solid, The 2013 Edition
The last drops of the Cimbalom synergy were used recently for a round solid perfume tin. Thus, more was made from scratch. Cimbalom is a rich, floriental featuring Jasmin sambac, also known as Pikake in Hawaii. During the making of the synergy I used a different Vanilla than the last time I had made this… Continue reading Cimbalom Solid, The 2013 Edition
Day and Night Blooms
Of late my days and nights begin and end with jasmine flowers. In the evening, usually just before bed, earlier if I remember, I turn on all the lights that will illuminate the front side of the house where all the clay pots of the jasmine sambac plants are and I slowly begin picking. Quite… Continue reading Day and Night Blooms
Causing Great Happiness
We are in mid July and the jasmine harvest is in full swing. In the past I would harvest the delicate, white flowers in the morning. This year I am harvesting them in the evening at about 10pm once the new blossoms are freshly opened with their intoxicating fresh floral pure fume. The word intoxicating… Continue reading Causing Great Happiness
The Tribe Jasmineae
“You need regular doses of unreasonable beauty, sublime anomalies, beguiling ephemera, and inexplicable joys.” ~ Rob Brezsny We have finally hit the time of the year where my Jasmine sambac plants begin their long flowering season here in the woodland. I gathered a handful of the little, waxy white flowers on Moon day morning to… Continue reading The Tribe Jasmineae
Chiaroscuro Solid October 2012
The skyrocketing sales of solid, natural perfume during the last month has created a few shifts in the studio. One of them is creating much larger batches of each synergy. During the deluge of the feature the I sat down to make more of the synergies, one was for Chiaroscuro solid. I multiplied the formula… Continue reading Chiaroscuro Solid October 2012
Mutations
One of the biggest challenges for the natural perfumer who works with a restricted palette of botanical raw materials, is that they are rare aromatic gems that every once in awhile disappear off the market. I stepped into the world of aromatherapy in the mid 1990’s when many essences were much easier to purchase and… Continue reading Mutations