Perfume Book

8/4/2019 Perfume Book

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www.excellentlivingguide.com

Fast Guide to Making Your Own Perfume

Fast Guide to

MakinG Yourown

PerFuMe

What you can do with this book...

Save hundreds, if not thousands, on popular

designer scents by making perfect copies of them at

home. Even famous perfumes such as Chanel No. 5,

Thierry Muglers Angel, Davidoffs Cool Water, CalvinKleins Escape.

Build your fragrance wardrobe for very little

money, giving you the freedom to explore different per-

fumes and nd what truly suits your personality.

Make your perfumes in any strenth you desire,

from light, subtle body mist to bold eau de parfum.

Learn how to make popular roll-on perfume

oils and solid balms, hot new trends that are really

thousands of years old.

Learn how to make your perfume have maxi-

mum staying-power and last for hours on your skin.

Easily scent lotion, body oil, shower gel and

many more daily use products with your signature

fragrances.

Designyour own signature scents using a

creative method unlike everyone else who teaches

this subject.

Create elegant, old-fashioned single scent per-

fumes from precious natural ingredients.

Table of Contents

Making Designer Copycat Perfumes~

Making Solid and Oil Perfumes~

Designing Your Own Scents~

Making Your Perfume Last Longer~

Perfume & You~

Serious & Legal Stuff~

Suppliers


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A Big Fat Thank You To My Guinea Pigs

Without your help, I would never have made a second

draft or taken the trouble to make it pretty! Thanks

for helping me make this book into a truly profes-sional product.

June Place, Lori Shaw, Az in the UK, Mireille Fall, Sha-

ron Kendrick, Lisa Swofford, Joann (Aka Wolfdreamer),

Aubrey Meneses, Josslyn Mullahy, Renay James, Larissa

Jones, Kobi Mamun, Pam Barnes, Michele (the beauty

product ADDICT!), Valerie, Judy Porter, everyone who

downloaded my Bath Bomb Fast Guide, and everyone onmy Yahoo Group, Home Bath & Body.

And my unofcial editor, Jeanette Fiuromeno.

To View This Book

You need Adobe Reader 6.0 or higher. It probably is

already installed on your computer, but you may need

a newer version to see the pop-up windows.

You can download a newer version here:

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.

html

FraGrance or

inGredient

Finderticket

Need help nding an ingredient

or certain fragrance?

Just email me, and I will help youout! Discontinued perfumes,

hard to nd ingredients, bottles,and more.

[email protected]

*I just made this because I havesome empty space on this page.
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.htmlhttp://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.htmlhttp://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.htmlhttp://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html


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Using This Book

Due to feedback from many of my Guinea Pigs, I have

changed the format of this book. The overwhelmin-

ing criticism was that there was too much explana-tion that got in the way of the hands-on stuff. And

that the sections were too long.

I cant blame them! Im a fast reader / skimmer too,

always looking for the hands-on instructions rst, and

reading the other stuff when I need to look something

up.

I have cut out the explanations from the main text,

but you can click on the and a box will pop

up explaining more about the concept or word. You

can try it right now by clicking on the words red

text above.

Of course, clicking on the blue underlined text willtake you to links on the web.

Meant to be read on the screen

This book is really meant to be read on the screen.

It it a true e-book with interactive links and pop-up

windows.

You can print out the pages, of course, but you wont

get the benet of the links or pop-up boxes.

A no-snob zone

I am not a perfume snob, or even a great perfume

appreciator. I am just someone who just likes good

smells, whether they are cheap, expensive, Japanese,

French, synthetic, or natural. In my opinion, if it

smells good, it is good.

I dont believe that natural ingredients are necessar-ily superior to synthetics; each have their advantages.

Most industry perfumers use both types of ingredi-

ents when designing their scents.

I am also a creative bargain hunter, which is what led

me to discover how to make designer copycat per-

fumes in the rst place. I just couldnt resist the pos-

sibility of being able to make Thierry Muglers Angelfor $10!

From there, I went on to create my own fragrance

blends using the easy techniques I will teach you in

this book.
http://www.google.com/http://www.google.com/


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Making DesignerCopycat Perfumes

When you have all the ingredients, making designer

copycat perfumes is easy, even big name brands thatsell for $90 or more in stores. Most people dont be-

lieve this until they actually do it, though! They think

theres some big trick to it. There isnt!

Making copycats is satisfying in itself, but it is also a

good way to get started making perfume. Not only

do you give yourself condence, but you educate your

nose. You get exposure to different smells, which is

very important!

What you can make

You can make any popular perfume from a major

house, and some boutique fragrances. If you want a

minor perfume from a major house, you might nothave as much luck. This is because the companies

who make duplicate formulas only make best sell-

ers.

How it is possible to get such good dupes

Before I tell you how to make the perfume, I want to

tell you a little about how it is possible to get such

dead-on duplications. In the 80s and 90s, a company

called Designer Impostors sold knock-off perfumes at

discount and drug stores.

If you tried them, you know that they werent exact

duplications; they were only similar. This is because

the technology that duplication perfumers used then

isnt nearly as sophisticated as it is now. Now, it is

possible to take a sample of nearly any substance (that

produces an aroma) and chemically analyze it.

Reverse Engineering The Perfumes

Perfume scientists can look at this data and recreate

the scent, also using their noses to get greater accu-

racy. This includes designer perfumes. Independent

fragrance makers analyze and recreate designer per-

fumes, releasing them to the public in concentrated

form.

These can be diluted with

alcohol or other carriers (which I will tell you about)

to make perfume, just like what department stores

sell. It has the same fragrance as the originals; in

most cases, you will not be able to tell the difference

between the duplication and the real thing.


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Why Only Professional Perfumers (Or Serious Amateurs)

Can Reverse-Engineer A Perfume!

Modern perfumes (1900 and onward) are complex, sometimes containing

over 100 components. Many of them are patented synthetic molecules andspecial chemicals. Only perfumers can use them well; amateurs wouldnt

have a clue what decyl vinyl ether is, what it smells like (fresh and clean,

actually), or how to use it.

To build a modern perfume duplicate from raw materials, you have to know

what hundreds of molecules smell like, and recognize them when you smell

them in a complex blend. But if you can do that, youll probably want to

make your own creations! For the brave perfume explorer, I have a link to avery cool company who can supply you with some of these chemicals. They

are called The Good Scents Company.

Are The Reverse-Engineered Perfumes Really As Good?

It is denitelypossible for the reverse-engineered perfumes to be as good as

the original. I would say that regular folks who like perfume - not per-

fume connoisseurs - will not be able to tell the difference. A professionalperfumer probably could.

There are a number of low-quality duplications available online (beware of

Ebay), which is why I recommend several suppliers that I have worked with,

and that have also gotten great reviews. Some of these duplications might

even work better for you since they have different ingredients.

Totally Legal

You may wonder if making

copies of designer fragrancesis illegal. It isnt. Long ago,

the courts ruled that smells

werent works of art made by

humans, but works ofnature.

This makes sense if you think

about how many people have

come out with a rose perfume.Imagine if someone had exclu-

sive rights to something smell-

ing like roses... theyd have to

sue the owers!

Copying or making a derivative

of an exact recipe is illegal, but

there are many ways to get the

same fragrance. Most of the

reverse engineered perfume

concentrates vary wildly from

the original composition.


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If You Want To Try Recreating A PerfumeFrom Scratch...

You can certainly give it a shot! You probably wont

get something *exactly* like the perfume, but youwill get something with the same character.

Step 1 ) Find the main notes

Basenotes has the descriptions of many perfumes. It

is a good place to start:

http://www.basenotes.net/directory

For example, lets look up Mitsouko, by Guerlain. Ac-cording to Basenotes, its top notes are bergamot and

rose, middle notes of jasmine, spices and peach, and

base notes of oakmoss and woody notes, possibly

oud / agarwood.

Further research on Google indicates that the peach

note probably comes from aldehyde C-14. This can be

found here:

http://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/

rw1000821.html

(I typed in Mitsouko notes to nd more informa-

tion.) The other notes are easy to nd, although they

may be expensive!

Step 2 ) Make a simplied version of the main

characteristic scents

Using classic notes theory, I would try a simple

blend of oakmoss, peach, and bergamot and see howclose that came.

Step 3 ) Use your nose, and tweak it.

But along the way, I would probably start changing

the fragrance. Mitsouko is not something I would

ever wear - it is far too dramatic for me.

Maybe I would look into different ways to get peach,

not just aldehyde C-14. Maybe I would change the

peach to apple, and see what happens. I think its hu-

man nature to want to put your own stamp on things!

People are creative.

If you go to the trouble of recreating a perfume from

scratch, you are good enough to make your own per-fumes. Just because its Guerlain doesnt mean you

cant do better. Trust in your own ideas.

Starting from a known perfume is good inspiration.

I have done it myself. But I encourage you to spend

you efforts making your own creations.
http://www.basenotes.net/directoryhttp://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/rw1000821.htmlhttp://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/rw1000821.htmlhttp://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/rw1000821.htmlhttp://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/rw1000821.htmlhttp://www.basenotes.net/directory


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Equipment

Common sense

Eyedroppers or pipettes

Measuring spoonsMeasuring cup with spout, or funnel

Clean, dry bottle to dispense perfume (you know,

your perfume bottles youve been saving because

theyre too pretty to throw away.)

Lots of paper towels or rags to clean up spills

Flat, stable surface to work on

Ingredients

Designer perfume concentrate

Isopropyl alcohol (for cleanup)

Overview of process

To make a designer duplicate perfume, pour some

perfume concentrate in the perfume bottle. Then,

ll up the rest with perfumers alcohol, leaving room

for the dip tube (if any), and shake gently. Thats all

it takes. Your perfume is ready to use as soon as its

diluted.

How strong to make your perfume

How much perfume and alcohol to use depends on

how strong you want your product to be. Here are

some guidelines based on what the commercial com-panies make:

Cologne: 2% - 5% fragrance oils

Eau de Toilette (EDT): 5% - 20% fragrance

(but the upper end is rarer; most are around 10% in

my experience.)

Eau de Parfum (EDP): 10% - 30%

Parfum (extrait parfum): 20% - 40%

You will notice that they overlap. This is because

theres no hard and fast rule, just general ranges, for

the strength. I usually make mine at around 25%

fragrance materials, 75% perfumers alcohol.

In addition, certain fragrances seem stronger than

others, even though you may use the exact same

amounts. For example, to make Parfum strength

Green Irish Tweed, I use a 30% / 70% ratio. To get

the same perceived strength of Angel, I only need

15% oil, 85% alcohol. Angel is incredibly potent!




Alcohol-Based Perfume Copy Photo Guide

Here are all the tools you need to make a de-

signer perfume duplication with alcohol.

Large atomizer

Small atomizer

Towel

Scissors

Notepad and pen for

recording discoveries

Eyedropper

Alcohol for

cleaning

PerfumersalcoholCyclomethicone

Designer fragrance oils

Roll of paper

towels (you need

a lot of these)Pyrex for measuring

and pouring.





Perfuming Equipment

You dont need a lot of itemsto make perfume. I just laid

all my tools out like a home-

made Eye-Spy photo because

it looks really important.

The blue car-wash towel is

made of microber, and you

can get them cheap on Ebay.

The benets of microber

towels is that they are really

absorbent, and you dont have

to worry about ruining them.

I got the eyedropper at Whole

Foods in the Whole Body

section. It was $1 - exorbitant

for an eyedropper, but con-

venient when you forget to

order them!

Here is what my atomizers look like. Theyre plain-jane but can be dressed up with cool

labels. I get them new, in bulk, from E.D. Luce, which is listed in the supplier directory.

You can try transparent inkjet labels for a modern look.


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Green Irish Tweed Copy

Im going to make a duplication ofGreen Irish Tweed, since Im almost

out. I like to use these 1/3oz spray

atomizers because theyre small

enough for a purse.

And I like to change fragrances

often, so they dont take up much

space in my medicine cabinet.

My workspace is the top of a Tar-

get le cart - 18 X 18 in diameter.

You dont need very much space to

do this.

Be sure to precut your label to t the

size of your bottle.

I always make my perfumes at about

25%. This is easy to eyeball on the

clear glass. I made a little mark with

a pencil that will wipe off after Im

done.

Use the eyedropper to transfer small amounts of fragrance oil. Dont try to pour

directly from one bottle to another - it never works as well as you think it will.

Especially if youve had a lot of espresso, because caffeine tends to make the

hands shaky.


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Make sure your bottles and eyedroppers are clean before you begin. If you need to wash them,

dont use soap and water unless you have a long time to let them dry.

Use drug-store alcohol so that the alcohol evaporates fast and leaves your equipment clean and dry.

The alcohol is a good solvent for aromatic residue left in the bottles and eyedroppers, and it kills

germs.

Dont use it for perfuming, because it smells bad!

Measuring TheFragrance

You always want to

add the fragrance oil

rst, and ll up the

rest of the way with

your carrier.

It may seem obvious,

but strange thingshappen to the mind

sometimes...

If you dont have a

see-through bottle,

or youre working

with a size or shape

thats not so easy to

estimate, I have a

trick for measuring

the volume. Ill show

you after this demo.


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Add Perfumers Alcohol

After youve put the right amount offragrance oil in your bottle, its time

for the alcohol.

The nice thing about perfumers alco-

hol is that it doesnt have much of an

odor. Unlike isopropyl - which smells

nasty on its own - or drug-store alco-

hol, which frequently contains evil-

smelling acetone.

Theres nothing inherently dangerous

about using drug-store alcohol; after

all, its meant to go on the skin. The

acetone or isopropyl smell will burn

off quickly, but it will alter the per-

ception of the top notes.

Unfortunately, not many places carry

both perfumers alcohol and designer

fragrance oils. Snowdrift Farm

doesnt have that large of a fragrance

oil selection - though what they do

have is great.

A little alcohol goes a long way if you are just making perfume for yourself.

Think about it - 16 ounces of alcohol makes at least 16 ounces of perfume,

which is enough to last a year for most people!


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I just poured the alcohol in the

bottle, but Ive had a lot of prac-

tice, and its no big deal if I spill alittle. You can also use a kitchen

funnel.

Use an eyedropper to control the

nal amount, especially for these

small bottles. This also cleans

your eyedropper a little.

Take care not to ll the bottle all

the way up to the top, because it

will overow when you put the

dip tube in.

Gently turn the bottle over a

few times to mix the contents.

Theres no need to shake vigor-

ously.

For home use, just use an ofce

label, cut to the proper size. If

you dont, you will end up with

many unlabeled bottles of mys-

tery perfume.

Youre not done until you put a label on the bottle!


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Measuring The Volume of Your Bottles

Fill the container with drug-store alcohol. This cleans it and will allow you to measure how much it holds at the same

time! Pour the alcohol into a clear measuring cup. If your bottle is smaller than, say, 2 ounces, youll need to use a small-

er cup. Just make sure it has a spout. When you measure the volume of your own container, be sure to allow room for the

dip tube. Dont pour the alcohol all the way up to the top. As you can see, my bottle holds 4 ounces.

Discard the drug-store alcohol and wipe your measuring container with a paper towel. If you can, add the fragrance oil

to the measuring container rst. In my case, I wont. Instead, Ill pour in 3 ounces of perfumers alcohol rst because its

easier to measure. Then, Ill add an ounce of fragrance to the alcohol.

4 ounce containers are a popular size for perfume. Fragrance oils come in 1 ounce bottles for the smallest size. If you

know that your dispenser holds 4 ounces, you can dump the whole bottle of fragrance in rst, ll up the rest with alcohol

for a 25% solution.


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Solid and Oil Perfumes

Alcohol is not your only choice to dissolve . You can

also use fats, either liquid oils and waxes, or solid balm (also called po-

made.) Both of these are catching on in boutiques and with celebrities asnew, cool forms of perfume, but they are not new at all!

Advantages of oil-based perfume

Oil-based perfume is easier and neater to apply because it usually comes in a

roll-on bottle. You can roll on as much or as little as you want, and you can

get pulse point precision. Atomizers dispense a ne scented mist, but that

can sometimes be annoying.

Using oil also can change the scent of the perfume a little. When you use

alcohol, the come on intense and disappear fast, leaving the heart

notes and base notes to evolve on your skin. With oil perfumes, the top

notes dont come on so strong. They will still evaporate faster than the heart

and base notes, but they wont make such an intense statement.

For example, if you love the scent of Chanel No. 5 after two hours, but cant

stand it when you rst spray it on, try an oil perfume.

Advantages of solid pomade

Solid pomade comes in little containers - sometimes tins - and t easily into

a purse. It is a lot like lip balm. You take a little out with your nger and

Solid Perfumes

Even though solid perfume is

a hot new trend, its actuallymuch older than alcohol per-

fume. The ancient Egyptians,

Greeks, and Romans used

perfume in the form of solid

pomades or liquid oils.

This is because they used fats

to extract the fragrance outof owers, spices, and plants.

They would rub these scented

fats and oils on their bodies as

protection from the sun and

wind.

The rst alcohol perfume is

said to be Hungary Water, de-

signed for Queen Elizabeth of

Hungary in the 1300s.


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apply it. The main reason I like solid perfume is that

1) its just cool, and 2) it doesnt break. Im a big-time

klutz and tend to knock over bottles, throw my bag

around with breakable stuff in it, and general knuck-

le-headed things like that.

I wouldnt dare put any kind of glass bottle full of

liquid in my bag, but I wouldnt have any fear for a tin

of solid perfume.

How To Make

Oil Perfumes

Oil perfumes are as simple as alcohol perfumes. In-

stead of diluting the fragrance materials with alcohol,

use jojoba oil.

Jojoba oil is the best choice because of its long shelf

life. It is resistant to going rancid and will preserve

your fragrance for probably longer than it will take touse it.

If you plan to use your perfume within a few months,

you can just use any vegetable oil, such as sweet

almond oil, hazelnut oil, avocado oil, even olive oil.

Some of these may have faint scents of their own, but

they will probably be covered up with the powerful

fragrance materials.

You will need a roll-on bottle, not an atomizer. Jojoba

oil is hard to spritz. Even if you can spritz it, you willend up creating a ne layer of oil, which isnt desir-

able in most cases.

Actually, who knows? You can try making a sprayable

bath oil and use an olive oil mist dispenser. It might

end up being really cool.

Making Hair Perfume

Hair perfume is a special kind of oil perfume. Most

people do spray alcohol perfume in their hair occa-

sionally, but it is drying if you do this every day.

Obviously, most people wont go for putting oil in

their hair, but evaporate into the air, just

like alcohol, not leaving a single trace of grease or oilbehind.

Cyclomethicone has the consistency of water and

sprays nicely. Dilute your fragrance concentrate with

cyclomethicone for a good hair perfume. It will seem

greasy at rst, but it evaporates after a minute or two.


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Oil Perfume Photo Guide

Oil perfumes are just like alcohol perfumes, except that you use oil and a roll-on bottle.


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First, the fragrance materials

Yes, Im freehand pouring again. This is Egyptian Musk, a

thick synthetic musk blend from Majestic Mountain Sage. It

smells so great that I want to make a roll-on perfume from it

alone - no other fragrance.

Fragrance oils are already diluted in a carrier oil;

they are around the same strength range as essentialoils. They are nowhere near the strength of absolutes

(which you will see later.) Even though Im making

my roll-on perfume about 35% fragrance oil, it is not

that strong. You have to use your best judgment for

fragrance amounts.


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Add the carrier oil

Fill the rest of the bottle with

jojoba oil and put the roller on.

These rollers are hard to put on;

you really have to press hard.

But then again, you dont want

the roller to slip out!

Shake your perfume gently; asyou can see, these two oils have

very different densities.

After your oil perfume is thor-

oughly blended, you are done.

My beta-tester approves of

Egyptian Musk. Hes notvery fond of other fragrances,

though.

I had to put his cat bed in the

corner so he could see the ac-

tion. Otherwise, he would keep

jumping up on the set!


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How To Make Solid Perfume

Solid perfume is a little harder to make than oil perfume. You should de-

nitely practice with a fragrance you dont care about.

The carrier for solid perfumes can be many things, just as long as they are

oils or fats. Here is a partial list:

Soft (consistency of lip balm)Petroleum jelly

Premade lip balm bases

Medium (rm at room temperature, softens in your hand)Coconut butter

Mango butter

Olive butter

Shea butter

Premade solid perfume bases

Hard (rm until heated)Cocoa butter - usually has a mild cocoa fragrance

Parafn

Beeswax

Soy wax - melts at a low temperature

If your carrier is soft, you will not need to melt it when you add your fra-

grance. If it is medium or hard, you will need to heat it gently until it melts.

How Much FragranceTo Use

The ratio is the same for alco-hol perfumes. Sometimes I try

up to 50% perfume concen-

trate if I have a hard wax as the

base.

After all, it is easy to use less of

a solid perfume than a liquid

perfume, so I dont mind thehigher concentration.

If youre using a hard base, the

oil will not soften it as much

as you think. You might have

to mix in a soft butter or extra

jojoba oil to get the consistency

you want.

This is why I like to use either

soft butters or premade bases.

It takes the guesswork out.


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Solid Perfume Photo GuideBe sure to heat it to the minimum temperature pos-

sible, just until it goes liquid. Pretend its butter or

chocolate and it will burn if it gets too hot. If you

melt it on too high of a temperature, some bad things

may happen:

The carrier may scorch, smoke, or catch re.

You might burn yourself when pouring.

Delicate fragrances may break down or evapo-

rate because of the heat, and your balm wont be as

scented as you had hoped.

If this sounds a little too complicated for you, try

experimenting with petroleum jelly rst. There are

lines of solid perfumes that are basically Vaseline

(white petrolatum) mixed with fragrance, so its not

cheating by any means.

Here are photos of me using a premade solid perfume

base. The base is from Bramble Berry, and you canget it at:

http://www.brambleberry.com/soapbases.html

The tins and excellent Addict duplication are from

Snowdrift Farm:

http://www.snowdriftfarm.com/sliders.html
http://www.brambleberry.com/soapbases.htmlhttp://www.snowdriftfarm.com/sliders.htmlhttp://www.snowdriftfarm.com/sliders.htmlhttp://www.brambleberry.com/soapbases.html


22/54



Solid Perfume Photo Guide

Double boiler setup

I just set up a little double boiler with a ceramic saucepan and a little glass

dish. The small dish makes it easier to mix the perfume.

On the previous page, I used my trick to determine the volume of each tin

(about 2 tsp.) I carve out the soft base with a butter knife and pack it in the

measuring spoon. This isnt exact, but its pretty close. Im going to put 6 tsp

of base in, and 2 tsp of fragrance (25%)


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Add fragrance to the melted base

Once the base is mostly melted, take it off the heat.Remember, you want the lowest possible temperature

so that the heat doesnt damage the fragrance.

Measure the fragrance, and stir. The melted perfume

balm is ready to be measured into the tins, which you

can see in the background.

G O


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Fill the tins. If you have a steady hand, you can do it with a teaspoon like Im doing here. You can alse use plastic dis-posable pipettes. Since these tins are small, the solid perfume doesnt take long to cool and solidify. Put the lids on as

soon as you can. Debris, dust, and pet hair are always attracted to cooling solid perfume.

As I mentioned before, you can use many things for solid perfume base: beeswax, cocoa butter, shea butter, petroleum

jelly, premade lip balm base, even soy wax. As long as your base is fat or wax, you will get something usable.

F G M Y O P


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Storing Your Perfumes

If they are free of contaminants and stored properly, your alcohol-based

perfumes will have a shelf life of at least six months. Nothing lasts forever;

even though the alcohol is anti-bacterial and prevents weird stuff fromgrowing in your perfumes, they will eventually break down.

The keys to extending the life of your perfume are:

1) Light. Perfumes should be kept out of direct sunlight, because that breaks

down the materials.

2) Extreme temperatures. Perfume should be stored at 70 degrees, ideally.Dont leave perfume in your car in the summer sun, and dont put it in

the fridge, and you should be ne.

3) Contamination. Contaminants include oxygen, organic stuff that doesnt

belong (like skin cells and dust), and plastic from storing perfume in

plastic bottles.

Bottling Your Perfume

You should use glass bottles, rather than plastic, for your perfumes. I make

light body sprays in plastic bottles, just like you get at bath and body chains,

but I use them too quickly for the plastic to leak into the solution (I hope.)

For any scents that I care about, I always store them in glass.

Rell Old Bottles

If you want to reuse your old

perfume bottles, just washthem out with hot soapy water.

Then, rinse them with alcohol

and let them dry completely.

You can use plain old isopropyl

alcohol for this; no need to use

your perfumers alcohol.

If you want to buy old or used

bottles to match your faux de-

signer creations, search Ebay.

For example, if you wanted

an Obsession bottle, just type

in Obsession bottle into the

search box and see what results

you get.

By the way, if you see the word

factice, this is a genuine

bottle lled with colored water

for display.

F G M Y O P


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Atomizers (sprayers or spritzers) are best, because

they let in the least amount of air, and they stop your

ngers from touching the solution. Contaminants

such as skin cells and dust from the air can build up

inside the perfume and alter the chemistry over time.

Atomizers are also easy to use; they dont spill, theres

no penalty for accidentally leaving the cap off, and

they dispense the perfume in a ne mist that helps

you get even coverage.

Solid Perfume Packaging

You can use small tins and tubs, lip balm tubes, or

small deodorant containers (basically, bigger lip balm

tubes.)

I prefer to use small tins that hold 1/4 ounce each

or lip balm tubes. If you put solid perfume in larger

containers, such as round 2 ounce tins, be sure to

decrease the potency.

People will use a lot, thinking its like a hair pomade

or hand salve (like Burts Bees Farmers Friend hand

salve.) They will automatically assume that the fra-

grance wont be that strong, but they might be sur-

prised when they use it!

If you make your perfumes with precious materials,

denitely use glass or metal for the packaging, not

plastic. Things that come in plastic bottles imply that

their contents are cheap.

Oil Perfume Packaging

Go with glass roll-on bottles; they make oil perfume

the easiest to apply. And its what people are expect-

ing in an oil perfume. Even if you use silicone oil as

your carrier, you should still use glass roll-on bottles.

They dont only come in plain, like this one. Save OnScents has a bunch of fancy roll-on bottles.

F G M Y O P


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Making Your Own Scents

You dont have to be a master perfumer to make your

own scent; you just have to be creative. Most people

use the traditional notes method of teaching perfumeblending; this takes a lot of rigorous trial and error to

get something decent.

You can learn about blending with notes from several

books, so I wont repeat how to do it. Instead, I will

present alternative methods of creating your own per-

fume. These are more beginner-friendly and will get

you good results much faster.

Mix 2 designer fragrances together

Many people spay multiple perfumes on themselves

to create a scent that is theirs alone. You can do it in

the bottle and create a fragrance unlike anything else.

Since designer fragrances have all the complexity of

modern perfumes, yours will too. This is a fun, easy

way to experiment with fragrance blending.

For example, you can take a perfume you think is re-

ally sweet, like Aquolinas Pink Sugar, and mix it with

something oral, like Flowerbomb.

Adding A Twist

Or, you could take a perfume you mostly like and see

if you can improve on it, like I did for Drakkar Noir.

I always thought it was too harsh, so I added somesweet g scent to it. It became a whole new cologne

(my boyfriend wears it.)

Blending with bases

This is only slightly more complicated than mixing

two designer fragrances together. This is also how

many ne perfumes Perfumerswould take a well-known base, like a basic amber or

oral blend, and add their own twists on top of it.

Just like solid perfumes, perfuming with bases is com-

ing back into style because some people are tired of

unrecognizable, modern scents.

Examples of blending with bases:To get an oriental-type rose perfume, you would just

take an oriental spice blend and add rose to it.

To get a jasmine musk perfume (very popular!) you

would take a musk base and add jasmine to it.

F G M Y O P


28/54



As you can see, this method has a lot of exibility. Many perfume houses,

such as Hermes, also do this with their signature accords. They use the

same basic accords that make a Hermes perfume recognizable, and add dif-

ferent twists to it. It works quite well.

Blending with bases is always my fall-back technique, and I talk more about

it in the Popular Bath and Body book.

Single-scent perfumes

Single-scent perfumes are very hard to nd in stores! Most modern per-

fumes dont smell like anything recognizable; they are too complex. How-

ever, some of the best perfumes come from a single source and have an old-fashioned mystique. The good news is that you can easily make single-scent

perfumes yourself. It may be the only way you get to experience a true rose

or violet perfume.

The aromatic material for single-note perfumes can be synthetic or natural.

There are some now where most people abso-

lutely cannot tell the difference - even for rose.

For maximum old-fashioned appeal, though, real plant sources are the way

to go, even though they are a bit expensive. Precious plant concentrates

come in the forms of C02 extracts, essential oils, or absolutes. I dont usu-

ally recommend that beginners start with plant essences because they are so

expensive, but single-note perfumes are easy enough that anyone can make

them.

If you are going to go the natu-

ral route, also consider abso-

lutes or C02 extracts. These

are different than essential

oils. They are stronger and

more true to the plant than es-

sential oils.

Do not use concretes if you see

them. These are thick or semi-

solid and hard to work with,

and they might not smell goodto you. It takes experience to

work with concretes.

C02 extracts are like essential

oils, but they are not made the

same way. As a result, they

smell different than essential

oils. C02s tend to be less harshand more mellow; some ma-

terials, like cocoa, coffee, and

spices, are much better in C02

than essential oil.

Fas G o Ma g Yo O P


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Absolute Rose Perfume Photo Guide

These are absolutes.

As you can see, they are tiny sam-ples. I got them from Eden Botani-

cals, and they cost $2 - $4 each. I

only got a few normal ones in the

bunch - the rest are strange natu-

ral perfumery components that I

wanted to try.

For this demo, I will be making a

single-scent rose perfume out of

sweet Bulgarian Rose Absolute.

Absolutes smell like plants, even more than essential oils do. This absolute has

the scent of a real rose - stem, leaves, and all. Its a much wilder, complex scent

than what people normally think of as rose. It even has a little dry bitterness to it,

but that wont be so apparent in dilution.

When you get an absolute for the rst time, it smells very different from what you

expect. You smell rose... and you also smell a bunch of other weird stuff. The

weird smells happen because the substance is so concentrated. You can detect

trace components that you normally dont smell when the absolute is diluted.

This tiny sample is enough for a light Bulgarian Rose toilette spray in my 1/3

ounce frosted glass atomizer.



30/54



Absolute Rose Perfume Photo Guide

Pre-diluting the absolute

To make the rose absolute more

pourable, I put a little perfumers

alcohol in the vial. Otherwise, it

would be impossible to get out!

Some absolutes are more solid than

liquid, so dont be surprised if you

have to do this.

That color is unreal, isnt it?

Then, I pour the rose stuff into the

bottle. Dilute with perfumers alco-

hol, leaving room for the dip tube.

The perfume is done!

I will probably tinker with it andadd a xative (see next page), and

possibly something else. Maybe

not, though. Sometimes simple is

best, especially with a scent this

good.

This perfume is around 2% rose

absolute.



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Alcohol, Oil, or Solid?

Essential oils blend well in all three kinds of carriers,

but C02s and absolutes arent always as easygoing.

When you look on the suppliers websites, they willtell you whether their absolutes or C02s are soluble

in alcohol, oil, solids, or all three. Though most

absolutes dissolve in alcohol, not all of them do. For

example, Eden Botanicals orris root C02 is ne in oil

but difcult to work with in alcohol.

Working with absolutes

Absolutes are very strong - stronger than essential

oils, and more true to the plant. If you sniff an ab-

solute directly from the bottle, you might not like it

(or it might not smell like what you were expecting.)

This is normal - when you dilute your absolutes, you

will smell the true plant nature.

My suggestion is to start with 1% absolute or C02 to99% alcohol or oil, then build up to the strength you

want. Its easier to add more, but not so easy to add

less...

Natural materials need time to mellow

Especially in the case of absolutes, natural materials

need some time to chill out in the alcohol or oil. At

least a day should go by before you judge the quality

of your perfume. A week is even better.

Introducing a xative

Once you get comfortable mixing basic single-note

perfumes, you can add a ingredient. This will

make your perfume last longer on your skin, as well

as give it a stronger scent.

Here are some natural xatives:

Sandalwood or Amyris (sweet and woody)

Ambrette Seed (animal musk replacement)

Patchouli (spicy, dark wood)

Frankincense (dry, dark, resinous wood)

Orris root (sweet and rich, but not very strong)

Benzoin (resinous sweet vanilla)

Vetiver (smoky, stony, forest)

Most of these have dark, earthy, or heavy scents that

might turn you off on rst sniff. But used in very

small quantities - like 1% of your entire blend - they

can amplify the effects of your fragrance without add-

ing much of their own scent.



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However you make your perfume blends, you wont

get far without a target. You wont be able to tell if

youve blended a good perfume without a goal.

Briefs

The major perfume houses make something called

briefs to focus the efforts of their perfumes. They

can be a little poetic, such as Mysteria should evoke

a beautiful but sad woman with dark eyes, standing

before a crashing sea. (I am not kidding about these

briefs - they are often statements of pure imagina-

tion.)

You should do the same, even if its less lyrical, such

as: Mysteria should be a perfume version of the In-

dian incense in a fortune tellers booth at a carnival.

It is this skill that will make your original perfumes

successful. I think the more emotional impact a per-

fume has, the better.

Process goals

You dont have to have an end result in mind. Your

goal can simply be to make something with rose and

something weird, and see what happens. But dene

what you want to do before you start, and you will

make progress much faster and easier than if you just

mess around with ingredients.

Some messing around is inevitable, I realize, but the

clearer you can dene your purpose, the better. It is

discouraging to have artistic tools but no real thing

you want to achieve.

Simplicity

Even if your method for creating perfume is simple, it

doesnt mean your fragrance is inferior. Many peopleplace greater value on complicated things than they

do on simple things. Dont fall into this same trap;

your perfumes dont need to be complicated to be

great.

It is your idea for the perfume that is valuable, not

how many hours you spent during the process. The

fact is, if you throw together an awesome fragrance in10 minutes, it will still smell great!

If you spend 100 hours trying to make a perfume, and

it smells bad, it still smells bad, no matter how much

time you put into the formula.



33/54



For another way of looking at it, think of Occams Razor: All things being

equal, the simplest solution tends to be the best one.

Though this was developed in the context of scientic theories, it has many

applications to daily life as well. Sometimes, your perfumes will need to

involve many ingredients, but they dont have to. Sometimes making a

single-note perfume out of an incredible smelling absolute or essential oil is

the best solution.

Its my advice to look for the simplest, fastest way to achieve your perfuming

goals.

Trust in your own ideas and creativity

Related to this subject is your trust in your own ideas. Too many times, we

think, That cant be a good idea because it came from me! But some of

the most famous perfumers have had no formal training. They know noth-

ing about chemistry; they just have the courage to trust in their own ideas

for perfumes, and their own ability to progess.

You are no different. If you want to make original perfume blends, just doit. Perfumery isnt just a place for experts and professionals, but anyone

with a good idea for a fragrance. Keep in mind that in many elds, the

greatest discoveries have come from newcomers, not experts.

Just try it. Its not difcult - you just dissolve the aromatic materials in alco-

hol, oil, or solid fats, and you have perfume. It really is that simple.

A good book on perfume

blending - though kind of airy-

fairy in my opinion - is Mandy

Aftels Essence and Alchemy.

If you like Essence and Al-

chemy, the author also has an

in-depth perfume course. You

must be a serious student, not

just a window shopper, because

the course is around $400.

But thats much less than the

cost of natural perfumery

ingredients you will use over

the course of your perfuming

career! I have not taken the

course, since I prefer to use too

many weird synthetics!

Mandy Aftel teaches according

to traditional method using all

natural materials. Expensive,

but fun.

http://www.aftelier.com

http://www.aftelier.com/http://www.aftelier.com/


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More about Perfume Notes

When people describe and make perfume, they often

think of it in different notes. They also call perfume

a composition, just like music! I think thats because

its hard to talk about smell by itself. Its much easier

to compare it to something that we can talk about.

(Although I think of scents in terms of colors, go

gure!)

Top Notes

The top notes are what evaporate rst off the skin.

They create the strong rst impression of a perfume.This is why, when testing a perfume, you have to wait

a couple hours to know if you really like it. You have

to wait for the top notes to die off. This usually takes

less than an hour, and then the heart notes take over.

Top notes are often citrus, mints, ginger, aldehydes

(as in Chanel #5), and anything that gives you an

immediate faceful of scent when you open the bottle.Top notes are what makes perfume smell perfumey.

Heart Notes (also called Middle Notes)

In classical perfume composition, heart notes make

up more of the formula than anything else. Heart

notes stay around for a few hours, but it depends on

the composition. Some heart notes are more tena-

cious (stay around longer) than others.

Many owers and herbs are middle notes, such as

rosemary, lavender, cempaka (champaca), and honey.

Base Notes (shouldnt that be Bass Notes?)

Are what linger after the top and heart notes evapo-

rate (this is called drydown.) Base note ingredients

are slow to evaporate and often have a higher density,

making them double as xatives.

If something is a wood, bark, resin, or musk, its prob-ably a base note. Sandalwood, vetiver, cedar, vanilla,

some roses (there are lots of different kinds), oak-

moss, and musk, are all base notes.

This isnt the only way to describe and make per-

fume, though.

You can make perfume however you want. This is

just one way of looking at perfume composition.Some companies, such as Bvlgari, are trying to create

fragrances that deviate from classical notes.

Personally, I like perfumes that dont smell like per-

fume, so I have very few top notes in my own cre-

ations.



35/54



Making Your Perfume Last Longer

Perfume is temporary; what creates the scent in the rst place is the aro -

matic materials evaporating into the air around you. One of the ways

people judge a perfume is if it lasts, but its staying power depends on severalfactors, including your skin type and the weather.

It is disappointing when perfume fades too fast, but there are some tricks

that makes it last longer.

Layering fragrance

Layering is probably the best way to make your perfume last. You can layerscent by using body wash, lotion, bath oil or salts, dusting powder, body

mist, and perfume all in the same fragrance. This will make the fragrance

stronger without being overpowering.

Some companies make daily products in the same scent as their perfumes,

but most do not. This is where the Popular Bath and Body book comes in

- I teach you how to easily custom-scent everyday toiletries - even shampoo

and conditioner - with the fragrance of your choice.

Custom scenting bath and body products is only a little more complicated

that making perfume. It is probably the only way you will get toiletries to

layer your favorite scents.

Your skin type makes adifference

People with oily skin retain

fragrance the best because

perfume stays better in moist

environments.

This is why oily places on the

body are good spots to apply

perfume.

Applying perfume to pulse

points, such as the wrists, the

neck, and the back of the knee,

are hot spots and make the

fragrance evaporate quickly.

Blonds and redheads tend to

have dry skin, so they oftencomplain that their perfume

has no staying power. The lay-

ering trick will help, especially

with a body lotion that will add

moisture to the skin.



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Wear oil perfume

Many people prefer oil perfumes because alcohol

tends to make the top notes explode and die. Oil

perfumes give you a slower burn. Fortunately, you

can experiment with oil perfumes now that you know

how to make designer copycats.

With oil perfumes, the quality of the fragrance may

change when it mixes with the oil, but the change is

usually subtle.

Carry a tin of perfume balm to reapply

Purse sprays are too fussy for me. Theyre a huge

pain to rell, they dont contain very many applica-

tions, and Im always afraid that they will break in my

messenger bag. This is why Im a big fan of the solid

perfume tin.

To reapply your scent, all you need to do is dab a littleof the balm on your pulse points. You can make your

perfume balm extra concentrated (50%) so that your

tin will last a long time.

With both the oil and solid perfume, the fats may also

help the fragrances staying power.

Perfume & You

What perfume is right for you?

Perfume is a form of self-expression, just like fash-ion. A fragrance may smell good, but it might not feel

right .

Magazines are full of perfume advice, but there is

more to it than simple wear a classic perfume, and

you will seem like a lady, or Oriental fragrances hint

at a sensual side.

If youre a shy nerd and you put on a scent that comes

on strong, chances are that you will feel very uncom-

fortable. Its almost like you wore sweats to a black-tie

wedding, or dressed from head to toe in uorescent

orange when you normally wear greys and blacks.

This section is devoted to helping you choose per-

fumes that enhance your self-image and personality.

Theres no way I could describe and list all the per-

fumes you could try - its more a way to get you think-

ing.

Im sure you have one or two favorites already, but

now you have the freedom to try whatever you want.



37/54



You can build a fragrance wardrobe for very little

monetary risk.

What your perfume says

The fact that you wear it at all makes people take

notice. It means that you have paid attention to this

aspect of your wardrobe. Whether you picked a

good one or not, people know that you are familiar

with that part of our culture.

The conclusion that people draw from your scent is

based on two factors - the fragrance itself, the observ-ers to it, and observations about

you, the wearer.

If you come in to a coffee shop wearing an expensive-

smelling perfume (like White Diamonds, which just

smells like money to me), but you are in a track suit,

I might assume youre an eccentric millionaire or an

executive just out for a run.

If you are a 16 year old man coming in for an inter-

view and wearing Old Spice or English Leather, it will

make me smile. Youre probably trying to feel grown

up, like a real man. I did the same thing (Hermes

24 Faubourg) on interviews, too!

Short list of popular or classic perfumes

To start you off, here is a list of new and classic per-

fumes with good duplications available. I tried to

stay away from perfume-speak like light valencia

and sparkling muguet oat on top of heady jasmine,

anchored by teak and benzoin...

Somehow, that doesnt seem that helpful if you dont

know what teak smells like or what muguet is! (Its

lilies of the valley, by the way.) Instead, I describe the

perfumes by what normal people think and say aboutthem, including the stereotype each fragrance brings

to mind.

The stereotypes are very rough guidelines; peoples

personal reactions count for a lot more. You dont

have to stick to the stereotypes, of course, but its use-

ful to know what they are.

Some of them are encouraged by advertising, and

some are built up over years of history, like Chanel

No. 5 and English Leather. Many of them have a lot

of truth to them!

If you have anything to add to this list, denitely let



38/54



me know! I am interested to know what classic or popular perfumes other

people wear.

Womens Fragrances

Shalimar, by Guerlain in 1922

Mature, musky, adventurous Oriental for women of any age, but young girls

cant usually pull it off. Many people have worn Shalimar their entire adult

lives; it is that classic. It always evokes a strong response - if you like light,

fruity perfumes, then Shalimar is not for you! But if you like powerful mys-

terious scents, you will love it.

No. 5, by Chanel in 1921

An elegant, powdery, and rened scent. For many, this is the classic French

perfume that makes the wearer feel like a grown up lady. It comes on strong

when you rst apply it, but it fades to a clean soft fragrance. Goes well with

a business suit or a little black dress. Also the rst mass-marketed scent

with the use of synthetic aldehydes, which is part of what gives it a distinct

scent. (Also why many people dislike it initially.)

Angel, by Thierry Mugler in 1996

This is a warm, feminine fragrance with many edible scents all mixed up:

vanilla, chocolate, anise, fruit, with a hint of spicy patchouli. Angel is great

for girls of any age, from the 5-year-old playing dress up to the grandmother

What is a womens fra-grance?

Actually, anything a woman

wears can be considered a

womens fragrance. It is

becoming more and more com-

mon for women to wear per-

fumes marketed for men.

The reverse isnt quite as com-

mon, but more and more menare crossing over, too. Unless

you wear a very recognizable

scent, no one will notice if you

put on a perfume that was in-

tended for the opposite sex.

Since perfumes are 100%

articial (no human smells likea bright blend of carnations

drifting on a choppy sea), it

seems silly to designate per-

fumes as innately masculine or

feminine.



39/54



whos hunting through the attic for dress up clothes.

It is also a perfume that smells drastically different

from person to person - you cannot judge Angel out of

the bottle.

White Diamonds, by Elizabeth Taylor in 1991

Strong and classy, this fragrance is full of rich clean

orals. Many people describe it as smelling rich or

expensive; it denitely is high-class! White Dia-

monds is a big perfume that is recommended for

evening wear - as in the opera - though many like it in

the daytime as a power scent.

Light Blue, by Dolce & Gabbana in 2001

Sparkling, young, and aquatic. Favorite with teens

and twenty-somethings, Light Blue manages to be

romantic and clean at the same time. And uplifting.

Good for vacations, summer, and wearing with ow-

ing dresses and strappy sandals. Not oral, almostspa-like. Also outstanding as a fragrance for bath salts

(see Popular Bath and Body book.)

Joy, by Jean Patou in 1930

Sensual, feminine rose and jasmine with an old-fash-

ioned air. This perfume is timeless and sends a mes-

sage that the wearer is a rened, condent woman.

Its a full-bodied, luxurious scent rich with owers

- jasmine and rose are both heavy and sweet. Joy is

probably too much for anyone in their teens.

Happy, by Clinique in 1997

Sunshiney orals and citrus mix together to make

a crisp, light scent. Happy is appropriate even for

young girls because of its youthful, simple fragrance.

Many people claim that Happy never gets old and

never fails to put a spring in their step; it is one ofthose fragrances that works as a great mood-booster.

Makes a wonderful fragrance for shower gel in the

morning.

Green Tea, by Elizabeth Arden in 1999

This fresh, pretty fragrance is a favorite with females

of all ages. The combination of sweet greens withrefreshing lemon is universally uplifting, like a

perfectly-brewed cup with a slice of lemon. Green Tea

is certainly a light scent; due to its nature, the fra-

grance doesnt last more than a few hours on the skin

for most people. You will denitely need to layer.



40/54



More about perfumes

If you want to learn more

about ne perfumes, visit these

recommended websites.

OsMoz has good information

about classic perfumes, ingre-

dients, history, and fragrance

families (fougere, chypre, etc.)

http://www.osmoz.com/

Basenotes is a great review site,

though you have to consider

that some perfumes dont work

well on people, but they work

great on others.

http://www.basenotes.net/

Now Smell This is a blog byfragrance-obsessed people.

Seriously, theyre obsessed.

http://nowsmellthis.bloghar-

bor.com/

Pink Sugar, by Aquolina in 2004

A fantasy of pure sugary sweetness, people have described Pink Sugar as

the ultimate girly-girl scent. Cotton candy, orange, red licorice, raspberry,

powder - what was Aquolina thinking when they marketed this as unisex?!

This is a playful perfume that men love to smell on a girl, but most guys

wouldnt be caught dead wearing it themselves. If you want to give the im-

pression of a sweet, playful, youthful nature, Pink Sugar is for you.

Mens Fragrances

Cool Water, by Davidoff in 1988

This is an incredibly popular fragrance for men. This contemporary, fresh

and sporty scent can be worn anytime, anywhere. It works well on many

people, so it makes a great gift. The popularity of it has some drawbacks:

some people associate it with ex-boyfriends or 13-year-olds trying to be

more mature! It is also not unique; many people will recognize it as an ob-

vious date scent.

Escape, by Calvin Klein in 1993

Fruity, fresh, and a little spicy, almost like a complex fruit punch, Escape is

unusual in that there are no orals at all. To me, it smells like a summer

scent; Escape seems to go well with picnics and warm sunsets. Many wom-

en like to wear it too, especially those who dont like owery fragrances.

http://www.osmoz.com/http://www.basenotes.net/http://nowsmellthis.blogharbor.com/http://nowsmellthis.blogharbor.com/http://nowsmellthis.blogharbor.com/http://nowsmellthis.blogharbor.com/http://www.basenotes.net/http://www.osmoz.com/


41/54


s Gu o g ou Ow u

Angel For Men, by Thierry Mugler in 1996

Strong and unusual. Like the feminine version, it

smells edible - with caramel, chocolate, and spice

- but with a darker scent (cause thats more manly!)

Be warned, it contains patchouli which smells like

either Orient and mystery or hippies, depending on

your experience!

Gucci Pour Homme, by Gucci in 2003

A warm, dry Oriental. This is a traditional spicy scent

with a modern edge, and it speaks of maturity anddepth. Its not a subtle scent; I think of it as the Shali-

mar for men because it is exotic, though not sweet

- the pepper takes care of that. This scent makes a

strong impression because its not what most

men are wearing.

English Leather, by Dana in 1949

A woodsy, huntsman-like fragrance that has endured

for many years. It is appropriate for daily cologne, and

its old-fashioned scent makes it appealing to mature

men with a sense of history. In the 60s, though, Eng-

lish Leather was for the bad boys... the kind who wore

black leather and rode around on Harleys!

Drakkar Noir, by Guy Laroche in 1982

A classic rst-date scent. As much as it makes people

ash back to high school or college, Drakkar Noir still

smells the same as when it came out - clean and

masculine, suitable for all ages (even 15 year olds.) It

is still a favorite with women of all ages, too!

Egoiste Platinum, by Chanel in 1993

Many men report this cologne to be good for both the

night club and the ofce. Its denitely a condencescent that goes with a power suit and money. Both

herbal and smoky at the same time, EP is appropriate

for men with a professional-yet-edgy spirit. As one

reviewer put it, its ego in a bottle.

212 Men, by Caroline Herrera in 1999

Fresh, grassy, elegant. And the most important part?Women love it. 212 Men is reported to be a total girl

magnet, even more than Cool Water. It is a light scent

that is good for young modern guys with a sensitive

side. 212 is masculine, but not a cologne that yells

manly! The 212 is an area code for NYC, in case you

were wondering about the name.



42/54


Shared Scents

Also called Unisex, but that always reminds me of baby

onesies: For a boy or a girl!

In this section, I list a few fragrances that are shared.

They were originally intended to be shared, have been

adopted by both genders, or just have male and fe-

male versions that are very similar to each other. In

general, more and more people just dont care how

the perfumes are marketed. Just as long as they smell

good, right? Im with Naomi Campbell in the GreenIrish Tweed camp, myself.

Green Irish Tweed, by Creed in 1985

Complex green scent, absolutely classy, like a grown-

up Irish Spring. Supposedly the younger Curve and

CoolWater were sprung off this fragrance. Though

its originally a mens scent (developed for CaryGrant), this is one of those perfumes that has been

adopted by both men and women over the years. Its

also one of my favorites - to me, GIT doesnt smell

inherently masculine or feminine; it just smells like

class and elegance.

Clean or Clean Men, by Dlish in 2003

Clean comes in mens and womens versions which

are very similar to each other. Most people describe

this fragrance as just stepped out of the shower.

Its a fresh citrus scent that resembles laundry soap

but is much more complex and appropriate for a per-

sonal fragrance. The universal Clean appeals equally

to both men and women, but the mens version has a

little more musk and spice.

Banana Republic Classic, by Banana Republic in1995

A clean, easy scent to wear every day for casual wear

- a jeans-and-sweater kind of fragrance. According to

people who wear it, it just smells good, not like obvi-

ous perfume or cologne. Its for people who want to

smell nice but dont want to overdo it.

White Musk, Body Shop in the 1980s

Clean and sexy, sweet but appropriate for both men

and women. Most people describe this scent as sen-

sual and romantic. Everyone Ive gotten reviews

from has given this fragrance 4 or 5 stars! It seems to



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suit a variety of personalities. White Musk is hard to nd in EDP strength,

so its easier to make it yourself.

Chinatown, Bond No. 9 New York in 2005

This was marketed as a unisex oriental - halfway between oral and Ori -

ental - and supposed to capture the essence of Chinatown in New York.

Peach, orange, restaurant incense, spices, and dry enough for a man or a

woman, but denitely unusual. Many men nd it a bit effeminate, though.

How to wear perfume

If youre like many people, you just dab scent on your wrists and behindyour ears. If you want your scent to last, these could be the worst places to

apply perfume.

Applying only to your wrists and hands allows you to enjoy the scent, but

perfume wont last long in those areas. The fragrance disappears faster than

normal because the hands get a lot of exposure to the outside world.

Every time you wash your hands, your cuffs rub against your wrists, you leanon surfaces, you put your hands in your pockets, youre encouraging your

scent to rub off.

Instead, try applying perfume to the crook of the elbow underneath your

shirt. Scent tends to stay longer there because there is less exposure to the

outside world.

Pheremones and sex ap-peal

Several perfumes that claim

to increase your sex appeal

because they contain human

pheremones; however, there

is no real proof that scent is

linked directly to attraction.

If anything, it is linked to our

instinct for nding food, not

mates!

But that isnt to say that per-

fume has no effect on sex ap-

peal; it is just probably learned,

not instinctive.

Perfume enhances your appeal

because it makes you feel sexy.Also, wearing perfume for

dates sends a signal that you

are aware of your own desir-

ability, which also makes you

sexy!



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Only applying scent behind the ears also has a prob-

lem. Fragrance rises with your body heat, and if you

just apply it to your head, it will rise off you above

everyones nose. To get the best possible results, apply

fragrance all over from toe to neck, not just behind

the ears.

If youre getting ready for a date, perfume is a great

idea... except that your skin might taste like perfume!

Instead of behind your ears or on your neck, you can

apply scent to the base of your skull, right where your

hair starts.

Despite it being on the head, scent gets trapped there

very well because of the natural oiliness of the skin.

For women, spraying your bra, slip, or panties also

works well. The heat from your body will make the

scent emanate.

What if the perfume you love smells badon you?

Everyone has this experience, including me. Some

perfumes smell great out of the bottle, but when

you put them on yourself, they turn into a monster.

When I tested my experiment, I found out that Angel

smells like rancid angel food cake on my skin, ugh!

But I like the scent out of the bottle, so I came up

with a few simple solutions.

1) Spray your underwear or carry a scented handker-

chief (how old-fashioned!) instead of wearing it on

your skin. The cloth bres will hold the scent, the

heat from your body will release it, and best of all is

that the fragrance will be closer to what it smells like

out of the bottle.

2) You wouldnt want to do this with the real stuff,

which is too expensive, but you can use your imita-tions as air fresheners to enjoy the scent. I also scent

my stationery and place scented papers in my desk

and closet.

Why do you wear perfume?

This question has many answers. I could tell you my

guesses, but I will let one of my early beta-testers forthis book speak for me:

I consider Lou Lou my signature perfume. If someone

told me that for the rest of my life I could only wear one

perfume and to choose carefully......Id choose Lou Lou

without hesitation.



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However, I like having options. I usually wear perfume based on my mood and

at times based on the occasion, but mostly my mood. When Im feeling like being

in a secretive or mysterious mood, I prefer Opium, sometimes Obsession. When

I feel like being a little sport-about, I prefer Charlie. When I feel like being a

strong, condent yet feminine woman, I like Giorgio or Obsession. When I feel

like an ultra-feminine mood, I prefer Splendor, Vanderbilt, Joy or Chanel #5. And

when Im feeling my truest self....its Lou Lou.

And on rare occasions, I like to wear perfume that reminds me of someone

special. Clara, one of my best friends, uses White Shoulders as her signature

perfume...rarely wears anything else. So I sometimes wear that when shes on my

mind.

When Karen (another best friend) is on my mind, I wear Splendor. She and

I worked together at this vet ofce and shed wear Splendor on occasion. I just

loved that scent. I was her matron-of-honor a year ago at her wedding and as a

gift she gave me a bottle of Splendor. I had totally forgotten about that perfume,

but Karen remembered. I just love the stuff! So it reminds both Karen and I

about each other.

My mom prefers Chantilly and occasionally White Shoulders. My great-aunt

Oletas signature perfume is Emeraude.

So as you can see, I wear perfume for a variety of reasons...self-expression,

sexual appeal, emotions and memories. Very complex.

Scent has the power to evoke

strong memory and emotional

responses. I dont know any-

one who has not experienced

this!

Emotion, motivation, memory,

and scent are all part of the

limbic system in the brain,

one of the oldest parts. Our

reactions to scents are purely

emotional; sometimes they

have the power to change our

actions.

The limbic system has very few

ties with the part of the brain

that handles language. It is

difcult for most people to talk

about how something smells,or even to verbally identify a

scent. My own ability to do

this seems to vary from day to

day. Sometimes, Im dead-on,

but others I struggle for words.



46/54


Serious & Legal Stuff

Endangered ingredients

As you can imagine, animal ingredients are eithervery hard to get, illegal to import, or banned alto-

gether.

Ambergris comes from the sperm whale, which is

endangered. Since possession of any part of an en-

dangered animal is illegal, so is Ambergris. Even if

it were legal, it is rare and would be very expensive!

Amber oils made from plants and synthetic ambergrisare mostly used now.

Musk is all synthetic now. Musk deer were killed for

their musk pods, and hunting them has been illegal

since 1953. So, the famous Jovan Musk? Synthetic.

Indian Sandalwood is also becoming scarce due to

over-harvesting. Australian Sandalwood and Amyrisare popular natural substitutes.

Selling your creations

Many people have done it! In fact, some people even

sell their designer recreations for a hefty markup. If

youre going to do that, obviously you cant pass off

your perfumes as the originals.

You must label everything properly, but you dont

have to list each and every perfume ingredient. If you

have an alcohol perfume, your ingredients will read:

SD Alcohol 40B, fragrance.

Both natural and synthetic materials count as fra-

grance.

I have not sold my own perfume, but I have sold many

other things, including scented candles with fra-

grances I blend by hand. If you want to sell your own

perfume, my best advice is just to do it.

Anyone can dream, but far fewer will actually take ac-

tion. Quick ways to get started selling are:

Etsy

Craft fairs and showsYour friends

Independent boutiques

Consider offering roll-on perfume oil and solid per-

fume - they are becoming very popular!

http://www.etsy.com/http://www.etsy.com/


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Save On Scents

http://www.saveonscents.com/

Phone: 718-858-7422

Ship from: New York

No minimum order

What they have:

Huge amount of designer fragrance oils

Many other fragrance oils

Designer oil sampler packs

Handful of essential oils

Perfume bottles of all shapes and sizesSilicone oil base

Shea butter

What they dont have:

Perfumers Alcohol - they said they think their oils per-

form better in their silicone oil base and arent planning

to carry it in the foreseeable future.

Pure jojoba oil, solid perfume base

Things to know:

They have two grades of oils - cosmetic and manufac-

turers - and three different strengths. For perfumes,

choose the Extreme Concentrate (XC.)

Their site is a little confusing - use the search box.

Snowdrift Farm

http://www.snowdriftfarm.com/

Phone: 888.999.6950

Ship from: Arizona

No minimum order

What they have:

A few high-quality designer fragrance oils

Extensive catalog of essential oils

Precious absolutes, CO2s

Perfumers Alcohol

Jojoba oil, many buttersSilicone oils

Lip balm base

Many tubes, bottles, jars, and tins


A large selection of fragrance oils. What they do have

is great, but if youre looking to sample a lot of differ-

ent designer-type fragrances, SOS is your best bet.

Things to know:

They have a lot of stuff on their website, and I think a

lot of things are hard to nd. Even the search box is

hard to use. But theyre probably the best place for a

small amount of perfumers alcohol.

http://www.saveonscents.com/http://www.saveonscents.com/index.php/cPath/19_20http://www.saveonscents.com/index.php/cPath/19http://www.saveonscents.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=sampler&x=0&y=0http://www.saveonscents.com/index.php/cPath/10http://www.saveonscents.com/index.php/cPath/1http://www.saveonscents.com/index.php/cPath/12_139http://www.saveonscents.com/index.php/cPath/12_16http://www.snowdriftfarm.com/http://www.snowdriftfarm.com/fragranceoils.htmlhttp://www.snowdriftfarm.com/essentialoils.htmlhttp://www.snowdriftfarm.com/essentialoils.htmlhttp://www.snowdriftfarm.com/perfume.htmlhttp://www.snowdriftfarm.com/fixedoils.htmlhttp://www.snowdriftfarm.com/siliconeoils.htmlhttp://www.snowdriftfarm.com/lipbalmkit.htmlhttp://www.snowdriftfarm.com/packaging.htmlhttp://www.snowdriftfarm.com/packaging.htmlhttp://www.snowdriftfarm.com/lipbalmkit.htmlhttp://www.snowdriftfarm.com/siliconeoils.htmlhttp://www.snowdriftfarm.com/fixedoils.htmlhttp://www.snowdriftfarm.com/perfume.htmlhttp://www.snowdriftfarm.com/essentialoils.htmlhttp://www.snowdriftfarm.com/essentialoils.htmlhttp://www.snowdriftfarm.com/fragranceoils.htmlhttp://www.snowdriftfarm.com/http://www.saveonscents.com/index.php/cPath/12_16http://www.saveonscents.com/index.php/cPath/12_139http://www.saveonscents.com/index.php/cPath/1http://www.saveonscents.com/index.php/cPath/10http://www.saveonscents.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=sampler&x=0&y=0http://www.saveonscents.com/index.php/cPath/19http://www.saveonscents.com/index.php/cPath/19_20http://www.saveonscents.com/


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My Sweet Victoria

http://www.fragrancesupplies.com/

Phone: (215) 258-0805

Ship from: Pennsylvania

No minimum order

What they have:

Perfumers alcohol

Jojoba oil

Benzoin

Common essential oils

Fragrance oils (no designer)A few simple bottles


Solid bases and butters

Absolutes, CO2s, or exotic essential oils

Things to know:

One of the few places to get SDA 40B. Reasonableprices, but not that wide a selection for the serious

perfumer. Since they have no minimum, they might

be your fastest option for perfumers alcohol if you

live on the East Coast.

E.D. Luce

http://www.essentialsupplies.com/

Phone: (562) 802-0515

Ship from: California

$5 charge added to orders under $50

What they have:

Many plain glass perfume bottles

Plain lip balm tubes

Aluminum spray bottles

Cool specialty glass bottles

Nice glass jars for solid perfume


Any ingredients - just packaging.

Things to know:

Most bottles and jars are only available in minimum

quantities of 12 or 48, depending on size.

This is my favorite place for bulk plain packaging. Its

best to order from here only if you need a lot of the

same kind of container; some things only come in

200+ quantity.

You must choose the caps separately.

http://www.fragrancesupplies.com/http://www.fragrancesupplies.com/co.htmlhttp://www.fragrancesupplies.com/co.htmlhttp://www.fragrancesupplies.com/co.htmlhttp://www.fragrancesupplies.com/peo.htmlhttp://www.fragrancesupplies.com/fo.htmlhttp://www.fragrancesupplies.com/ps.htmlhttp://www.essentialsupplies.com/http://shop.essentialsupplies.com/cgi/search.cgi?terms=Glass::Specialty::Perfume&category=Specialty_Glass_Perfume&dept=Glasshttp://shop.essentialsupplies.com/cgi/display.cgi?item_num=LB1&dept=Plastichttp://shop.essentialsupplies.com/cgi/search.cgi?terms=Metal::Aluminum::Bottles&category=Aluminum_Metal_Bottles&dept=Metalhttp://shop.essentialsupplies.com/cgi/search.cgi?terms=Glass::Specialty::Misc&category=Specialty_Glass_Misc&dept=Glasshttp://shop.essentialsupplies.com/cgi/search.cgi?terms=Glass::Specialty::Cosmetic&category=Specialty_Glass_Cosmetic&dept=Glasshttp://shop.essentialsupplies.com/cgi/search.cgi?terms=Glass::Specialty::Cosmetic&category=Specialty_Glass_Cosmetic&dept=Glasshttp://shop.essentialsupplies.com/cgi/search.cgi?terms=Glass::Specialty::Misc&category=Specialty_Glass_Misc&dept=Glasshttp://shop.essentialsupplies.com/cgi/search.cgi?terms=Metal::Aluminum::Bottles&category=Aluminum_Metal_Bottles&dept=Metalhttp://shop.essentialsupplies.com/cgi/display.cgi?item_num=LB1&dept=Plastichttp://shop.essentialsupplies.com/cgi/search.cgi?terms=Glass::Specialty::Perfume&category=Specialty_Glass_Perfume&dept=Glasshttp://www.essentialsupplies.com/http://www.fragrancesupplies.com/ps.htmlhttp://www.fragrancesupplies.com/fo.htmlhttp://www.fragrancesupplies.com/peo.htmlhttp://www.fragrancesupplies.com/co.htmlhttp://www.fragrancesupplies.com/co.htmlhttp://www.fragrancesupplies.com/co.htmlhttp://www.fragrancesupplies.com/


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From Nature With Love

http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com

Phone: (800) 520-2060

Ship from: Connecticut

No minimum order

What they have:

Essential oils, absolutes, and CO2s

Many good fragrance oils in a master list, in-

cluding some designer types

Jojoba oil

Many butters3 butter sampler

Several plain glass bottles, including roll-on

White lip balm tubes


Perfumers Alcohol

Solid perfume base

A big selection of designer dupes, though they havemany rare Bath and Body Works scents

Things to know:

They get the good website award from me. Every-

thing is very easy to nd, even though they have a lot

of ingredients.

The Good Scents Company

http://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/

Phone: 414-764-2659

Ship from: Wisconsin

I dont know about their minimum order.

What they have:

Absolutes

Concretes

Essential oils

Fragrance oils

Perfume blending basesRaw materials (chemicals)

Resins & Balsams

Things to know:

This catalog is kind of confusing, but they are the

only place I can nd for raw materials. Their blend-

ing bases are something else! I have not ordered from

this company, but I know that some brave souls willwant to explore, so I put it in my supplier list.

They dont sell everything they have listed. Some of

it is for information purposes only. Pay attention to

their data sheets, and call them if you have questions.

http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/soap/EssentialOils.asphttp://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/soap/FO-S.asphttp://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/soap/FO-S.asphttp://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/soap/product.asp?product_id=oiljojohttp://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/soap/Butters.asphttp://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/product.asp?product_id=but3samp&searchflag=1http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/package/bottles.asphttp://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/product.asp?product_id=botliptube&searchflag=1http://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/http://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/product.asp?product_id=botliptube&searchflag=1http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/package/bottles.asphttp://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/product.asp?product_id=but3samp&searchflag=1http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/soap/Butters.asphttp://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/soap/product.asp?product_id=oiljojohtt

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