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No duck here and orange alert
- We arrived after a wonderful ride in much cooler weather without getting wet at Cahors and finally left today morning the Dordogne valley. Today, the way was first through rough hills, with limited vegetation, smelling wonderfully from wild oregano and mint. Later we rode along the river Vers, passing by a lot of tobacco fields that looked just beautiful. This lushious green, and I got one, two whiffs of what I considered to be a green tobacco note. That might be an idea for later….
Yesterday, in full sun and under a blue sky we followed the Dordogne all the way up to Carennac, a little village looking over the river, built around a monastery. On our way there we definitively left all wine plantations and moved into the “Perigord noir”, with thousands of walnut trees. Beautiful trees that are full with nuts. These nuts you will find later on your food, in liquor, with chocolate around, and and and.
- Which brings me easily to one issue that starts bothering me seriously; it is the French’ obsession with food, or naming the things they eat in restaurants. I must admit: I am still unable, after many years in school and going through endless French lessons, to rightly guess what I am ordering. An example? “Le canard sur son lit de lĂ©gumes vertes avec feuilles de beure aux fleur de sel et ses noix glacĂ© aux sucre aromatisĂ© Ă  la menthe et poivre noir.” … simply translates into Duck with vegetables and nuts.
- Talking about ducks again: We have in the mean time eaten the breasts of at least 3 ducks and the goose livers are uncounted that passed by us on our way through the Perigord. Still, we have not seen one single living duck. We already started looking out for trucks from Poland where they produce lots of ducks, too. A mystery, the French duck paradox. Yesterday, studying the card of one of the restaurants we came across a big sign, saying “No duck here”. We are still not sure whether this is to prevent tourists asking for duck or whether they declare themselves a duck-free zone, for the desperate traveller, in search of something else than duck.
- In the Dordogne valley, it felt sometimes like in a fairytale country, chateaux everywhere…the real thing, sitting on top of hills, overlooking the valley and talking about past times, like 250 years ago. I imagined his Excellency Baron de JeNeSaisPasOu with his beloved Baronesses sitting some 250 years ago in the salon of their little castle somewhere in France. He starts the conversation by mentioning his last hunting trip. “ You know honey… I came across this wonderful little hill, with a great overview of the Dordogne, a lovely place… and I just thought: Why not build a Chateaux there?”
She is delighted and imagines buying the newest furniture in Paris, finally a little country house with some 25 rooms and a good view and all brand new. “ Oh my darling, this is such a great idea! You know the Baron de Chantilly also just started building his little chateaux close to Carennac, we would be neighbours and could visit each other.” And then we could make wonderful hunting trips all together.” While thinking about the paintings and the carpets, Baroness started to worry about the costs. “Darling, do you think it will not become too expensive? We still have the chateaux in the Loire valley to get fully equipped”. “ Oh my dear, please do not worry about money! I have already talked to the Bishop and he thinks it is an ideal opportunity to ask the local farmers for some tributes. To celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary. They will be delighted to pay tribute and sell some more ducks and nuts, you will see!” Happily she went on thinking about how to communicate this little surprise tonight. She had a  couple of guests invited from Paris, all young men and women, talking about exciting ideas such as free thinking and equality of men.
- Since these days we have evolved. Yesterday evening we wondered whether we, as civilization, developed in the right direction. Half of France faced some clouds yesterday, on the TV they called it “alert orange” because they were expecting some thunderstorms. When we wanted to drink our well deserved beer on the hotel’s terasse, there was no way: “It is alert orange.I am not allowed to serve you beer on the terasse, you have to drink it inside”, said our hotel boss, who obviously forgot to watch the sky. Blue with some clouds, that looked as dry as the back of a beattle. Well, we had our beer outside nevertheless, constantly wondering what happens when this country reaches alert red. We hope they will still serve ducks….

- Arrived again after a rather heavy ride for some 85 km. Contrary to my last post there are less life threatening things to tell you… except for the fact that the heat around here is somewhat threatening, too. We arrived this afternoon in Sarlat, a beautiful medieval town and lucky as we are we even managed to get a hotel room. Kind of the best place in town….
- The French make wonderful bread that we love to eat, especially over lunch when we take a rest, if possible close to our final destination. It is amazing how hungry you get on the bike and how greedy we eat… Bread, cheese, fruits. The French also make great croissant, baked to perfection. But I cannot fight the impression that after their baking, the French forgot to turn the oven off. It is so hot…. and after 3 pm you definetively do not want to ride on the bike anymore. Thus, we see that we leave as early as possible to get to our destination before the afternoon waves of heat. On the road, it feels a little bit like being a water evaporating machine. You drink and immediately the water comes out of all body pores. I imagine how I get rid of all the old toxins with the sweat and make room for fresh toxins later in the evening when eating duck liver and drinking wine.
- Yesterday, we were in Bergerac, again a medieval town, on the banks of the Dordogne. On our way there from St. Emilion the landscape changed and the endless rows of wine plantations changed to corn and kiwi, lots of kiwis, indeed. We rode a while following the Dordogne which was wonderful….cool, with the water to the left, wonderful scents of green water, and a little bit of road kill from time to time.
- As we are not that fast….today we made on average 18 km per hour….there is plenty of time to think…in the morning, I usually think about usefull things, such as perfumes and packaging. Later the day, I stop thinking about scents as the heat kind of eats up the fragrance of the landscape, and the brain starts to wander around. Today I thought a lot about Jon Wayne, the big American rider on his horse. We passed by so many beautiful chateaux and villages and rarely stopped… So I figured out that Jon Wayne probably wouldn t stop either just because he sees a nice cactus somewhere. He moves on, riding his horse… You see…not much happening in the perfumer brain while being on the bike.
- Then I also thought about ducks. Because around every corner here you can buy fois gras and in the evening eat duck breast. We did so in a little restaurant yesterday in Bergerac. Wow…that was one of the best ducks I have ever met and it was just perfect, with the red wine from the region, the fois gras before with white wine from the region and a little goat cheese before desert. Amazingly enough I have not seen one duck so far. May be they are somewhere hidden, in a cooled room…or they are hiding… trying to safe their life.
- Tomorrow it is going to get tougher even… the temperatures will not drop and we have a trip of close to 100 km with a big hill in the middle. Time to do some Jon Wayne thinking again. Greetings from Sarlat.

- It is easier to find a good access point for the internet around here than actually writing anything intelligent after some 115 km on the bike. We finally made it to St. Emilion. You may know that this is one of the finest places on earth to make wine (they say) and this medieval beauty, fully packed with one wine shop after the other sits on top of a little hill. When we arrived, after 115 km on the bike in something like 30°C, we were desperately looking for water… which wasn’t easy. It turned out that St. Emilion is somewhat wine oriented and leaves the water business to the hotels. Here, we bought our 2 liters for 4 $US….each.
- But it is great to be here. France turned out to be exactly what I expected it to be: With lots of French people speaking French and and living a decent life in lovely houses or chateaux… and believe me: There are a lot of these chateaux around here. A roof over the walls, more than two windows, some wineyards close by: Et voila….you call it Chateaux de je ne sais pas quoi… But then: Wine is THE product of this region and so far we were not disappointed.
- Yesterday, we drove from Bordeaux to the Atlantik coast, 80 km, through a scented scenery that I would like to describe here. It is truly magic and was the sensual highlight so far. We drove for some 50 kms through pine forrests that smelled in the noon sun like… a true perfume. I was associating and came up with something like a hint cardamon for this spicy touch, lots of cistus and ambrein, ambergris maybe (I was constantly looking for the Cistus ladaniferus bush, but never saw one)….the air was really loaded with the scent of cistus, and then of course a warm, woody pine scent,dry and wet at the same time,wonderful! In the back I think one could use some Tolu balm to bring in the sweetness, and rounded softness of this scent. I loved it so much and it was like biking through a perfumer’s dream landscape.
- Finally arrived close to the Atlantik sea, we move on to do a little swimming. The sea was beautiful, lots of almost white sand, and great waves. I love the sea, its smell, its wildness. Yesterday, however, this love was somewhat challenged. I always imagined what it must be like to be safed by a Baywatch guy; yesterday I had the pleasure and must tell you…it is just pathetic. Everybody is staring at you when you finally have sand under your feet again and your lungs fill with what they are supposed to get. Well, somehow… I do not know how, I just couldn’t get back to the sand on my own, and although I was not far away, I realized that there is no reason to worry about my liver in the coming days but rather my survival the next five minutes.
- Of course, the very moment in the Atlantik, trying desperately to get some air, the thinking is not that structured… more like… help, please. Anyone. Now.
Well, Mr. unknown and later Mr Baywatch safed me and Mr. beautiful asked me nice questions like how much water I have drunk (a lot), how much water I have aspirated (not that much , but still… sufficient to make me cough for a while) and so on…. he was nice enough not to tell me that with 80 km in your legs you shouldn’t engage in too much Atlantik activities.
- Thus, I am happy that the sea is not my grave and look forward to this evening’s St. Emilion, not worrying about my liver anymore… life is just too much build on random issues that happen truly by chance…why bother?… hehehe… and I am still considering asking for a Californian Cabernet Sauvignon… but I am not sure the French would appreciate this funny line.
Greetings from St. Emilion.

This is the last post before I leave with light bagage, a bike and freed from any burden for Bordeaux in France. Eventually, I will be able to post from time to time… we will see. If not: See you again soon, August 7 at the latest, continueing on talking perfumery and perfumes. In the mean time you analyze and think about the perfumery working desk of a messy perfumer and some formula aspects of the Orris scent…..

I got some mails lately and have also seen some comments on: What’s in the Orris scent? You will understand, that I can not share the formula entirely with what went in there in which amount. But I would like to post nevertheless the key ideas behind it, outlining why there is a cinnamon, rose, pepper impression on some and why others get more citrus, woody ambergris or even others get a rose in front of vanilla. I will therefore describe the key notes (that I find key) and what went in there, not mentioning the minor additions or roundening up ingredients.

The formula is complex and featuring Agarwood which happens to be expensive if you want to get the real thing like the CO2 extract quality from Eden Botanicals, probably the most reliable, trustworthy and best source for Agarwood. The complexity of the fragrance leads to an multitude of impressions, an appearance that is like a facetted piece of jewelry, reflecting in all colours of the light….
In the body of the scent you find the notes: Ambergris, Sandalwood, Vetiver and Agarwood. In the formula this translates to: Ambroxan, Sandalore, Sandalwood from Australia, Sandalwood from Mysore, Vetiverol, Vetiver, Methylcedrylketon, Agarwood. The two qualities of Sandalwood are important, as the Australian Sandalwood adds to the spicyness and the Mysore quality brings in a flowery aspect. Sandalore allows to extend the note and lift it. The Agarwood is the CO2 extract and is …. just a dream to work with.
In the middle of the scent you find the notes: Frankincense, some smokeyness, and the extension of the Orris/rose from the head eventually with some cinnamon. In the formula this translates into: Birchtar (just a hint…) , a tiny winy little bit of cinnamon bark, CO2 extracted again, just a touch because of Ifra and because it is very fast overpowering, Hydroxycinnamaldehye, and the best Frankincense on the market, which is from india, CO2 extracted again.
In the head of the scent, extending into the middle you find the notes: Orris, rose, pepper, cinnamon (see above) and yellowish citrus. In the formula this translates into:
Rose accord: Geraniol, Damascenone, Bulgarian Rose absolute, Phenylethylalcohol, Lemongrass, Linalool, Benzylsalicylate. With the Orris remaining a big mystery…. the spicyness is black pepper and the citrus notes are Grapefruite, white and Bergamot, of course with the lemongrass from the rose accord playing in, too.
There are quite a few its and bits that rounden up the scent, brighten it a little bit, and a few mystery compounds….

Bottom line of all this: It is rather complex, rather expensive scent and with a lot of naturals that are complex in themselves. This complexity adds to the appearance and lets the fragrance shine quite differently on different skins.

 

I am finishing the last things before leaving Switzerland on Saturday. As always… the closer the vacation comes, the more you feel like you could not work one day more….a mental thing. There is one issue that bothers me: As we will travel by bike, my luggage is restricted to the absolute minimum. What perfume shall I take with me? Difficult matters…..
There was one point that I forgot two mention yesterday. As a matter of fact, there were two points. One was raised by Anya in her comment…yes, indeed. Anya called it the collective unconscious, a glimpse on a paper, a comment on a blog, swimming in a flow of information and influences, all these little puzzle stones finding their way at the right moment hopefully when creating something.
The other point was: With all my likes and dislikes, and the unconscious influences…I am still quite disappointed with my lavender thing. Maybe there is another influence… a relaxed mind that is fresh…
Finally, here is the link to the a spectacular review on Lonestar Memories on Scented Salamander… This review was the first thing I read this morning except for the headlines about what is going on in the Near East. I loved it and highly recommend to read these lines that are like poetry…. enjoy.

Finally: More comments and critics on Perfume of Life on the Orris blog birthday sample scent. You may find this interesting to folllow…

“think of what you love most and try to give that to me”….

I came accross this sentence towards the end of my interview with Sands and was bridging this line immediately with another aspect that I encountered frequently in the last few weeks since the launch of Lonestar Memories. I am not entirely certain whether Sands had this in mind, but it turned out to be the right statement for me at the right time.

I will go in some details: When I create perfumes I use components that I like to work with. This does not mean that all the components smell nice in their individual state. Some of them smell rather awkward. An example needed? Iso-butyl chinolein; a leathery scent, somewhat synthetic smell, with some fouling, obnoxious side aspects, tricky to work as it becomes overpowering very quick, at quite low concentrations. And then, it is very useful and I feel attracted to work with it. Then there are scents that I do not use, although they smell for many noses nice and lovely, simply because I do not like them. Like Roman camomille, for instance: I do not appreciate its scent quality or I have not discovered its beauty yet. Bottomline: Every perfumer has a set of fragrances he/she loves and employs.
Thus, quite a few clients contacted me, asking me what it is that my perfumes have in common, why they seem to be created on the same ground. What could be called a signature might be, in a first approximation, an effect of likes and dislikes, of love and hate. In that sense, I give what I love most…and then -over time- I try to open up, to evolve or revolutionize what I create, by introducing new notes, notes that I did not dare touch and by combining notes in formerly forbidden way.
Now, love and hate as ruler for a perfumer’s fragrances, that’s a first approximation. A second approximation brings in a different set: The form which is defined by a set of parameters that are hidden inside the creator, eventually not known to the creator, but a form that reflects the creator’s state of mind somehow. As a significant part of the creation process is subconscious, the result -the created perfume, the formula and its manifestation as fragrance-will mirror this subconsious state of mind, too. This is certainly true for perfumes that exist as result of a selfish act of creation, residing in themselves, and are not effluents of marketing plans. This reflection of a state of mind (and body?) of its creator will change over time, as the creator changes, but there will always be a line that witnesses her/his personality. And in this sense, my perfumes are a fragrant picture of myself. And even reinventing myself, the way I compose and create, there will always be a little red line, that is the same.

In this sense, signature is something intimate, indeed.

In the end, I think, there is another way of saying what Sands said: “create perfumes that reflect your personality, allow yourself to manifest in a fragrance and try to bring this picture to my nose”….

After yesterday’s interview on this blog which was a pleasure to post, I realized that I completely forgot to mention my own interview on the Scented Salamander of yesterday…not that I would be too modest to mention…. I just forgot as I was so excited about my conversation with Sands. Thus, here are some thoughts on perfumery on Scented Salamander. Enjoy.

And mentioning interviews…. here is another one. This one is quite different, I guess, but judge for yourselves. It is a skype discussion with Marlen that I enjoyed a lot and I still remember this Sunday afternoon vividly, chatting with him, who knows so much about perfumes and has such a pleasant voice. Again: Here is the interview on PerfumeCritic. Enjoy.

Originally, I planned to talk today about one line of thought based on yesterday’s talk. I had to change the schedule, though and will think about it tomorrow. Right now, I am sending two flyers to print: One for the L’air du dĂ©sert Marocain, one for the Le Maroc pour elle. Both will allow me to produces samples, by glueing the sample vial on and both are built on the layout of my Lonestar Memories design, of course continueing to use the visual brand of Le maroc and l’air, being the rose on one hand and the moon over the desert on the other hand. Both will also allow me to sooner or later transfer the packaging for these two scents to the Lonestar Memories type of packaging… again, respecting the individual appearance. But that’s a medium future project.

And finally… I am arranging the last details for the next bottle orders and the necessary preparations for my vacation, which is kind of fun, too.

Thus, I leave you with all this interview reading and some comments on POL on the Orris scent by Prince Barry. Enjoy.

Following yesterday’s short introduction, please enjoy the following interview with Sands Murray-Wassink. Perfume lover, artist and more…

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Short Bio: Sands Murray-Wassink is in the process of writing his first book, “Profeminist WHITE FLOWERS”, teaching jobs coming up in Geneva (together with performance art partner and aesthetic sister Elke Krystufek) and Norway, and group exhibits in St. Petersburg, Russia, and Amsterdam. In the autumn of next year he will have a solo show and publication/lecturing in Munich at the Lothringer Dreizehn complex curated by Uli Aigner, and in the beginning of 2008 a presentation is being planned between Senga Nengudi, Adrian Piper and SMW at Galerie Cokkie Snoei in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Lastly Sands is working on a big grant proposal to help finance his efforts on all fronts and continue to eat and pay the rent…
Personal websites: http://go.to/sands and http://www.artwomen.org/DoubleTrouble

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Dear Sands: I have met you only virtually so far and do not know much more than the fact that you are a perfume lover.
Could you please tell me and my readers who you are?
Andy: Yes we’ve only met virtually, but through your blog and our limited correspondence through the mail I feel like I have a very good, warm idea of who you are. And asking me to answer these questions with you fits right in with my idea of you as a real communicator. Sure, yes I am a perfume lover and for the rest (and this fits in with the next question) I am a “fine artist” most influenced by Feminist Art forms and theory, structuralist principles, Happenings, Fluxus and Race and Postcolonial Studies. I am essentially self taught (although I have a bio which is obligatory and it includes some schooling). My work comes out of painting and installation I suppose, and is now performance based and based in / on text and image combinations. I write alot too and really love that. Personally speaking, I am 32 years old (born March 17, 1974) and was born in Topeka, Kansas, USA but have lived in Europe since 1994, mostly in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. I am married to my husband Robin (who is Dutch, 34 now, and a computer programmer–he is my “test bunny” for perfumes and new scents, etc. and my biggest art supporter and immediate dialogue partner).

(pix: Robin Wassink-Murray is left on the photo and Sands Murray-Wassink is on the right)

Thank you very much; now… we all wonder… how did you become a perfume lover and what do perfumes mean to you? I sometimes have the impression that perfumes can become an addiction…are you a perfume addict? And how do perfumes influence you?
I can’t believe I’m writing this, but referring to Luca Turin and his enthusiastic words about it: for a guy born in 1974 and becoming adult in the early 90’s it started for me with Angel by Thierry Mugler. But for a specific reason. I had always been interested in scent somehow but did not take it seriously, especially not the makers of perfumes–I couldn’t conceptualize, growing up in Kansas in a lower middle class household, that there was someone who “made” a perfume, I didn’t think further than the name, like the name of a designer, etc.
I wish I had, because then I may have tried to go this direction. But there are so many things I would have liked to have done, like gotten a degree in Women’s Studies for instance, what I am doing now independently…

Anyway, my interest in Mugler’s Angel came because I was interested in Mugler himself, his designs, and a model that modeled for him (and Jean Paul Gaultier among others), Dianne Brill. I met Mugler in Paris when I was 16 and followed his clothes and attitude and image through early Details magazines, and the CNN Saturday morning show Style hosted by Elsa Klensch (I used to creep down out of bed and lie curled up in my comforter watching this Saturday mornings: what an image that is for me still…). So when Mugler came out with a perfume in 1992 when I was 18 I finally realized I could have something like a signature scent. Boyfriends from that time still remember me by that scent, I hear, and I love that. I also had my first serious discussions in France (Paris) when I first moved here to Europe in 1994 (and first really started wearing Angel intensively) about Rochas Globe and Byzance–discussing this with a French boyfriend was no light matter, and I began slowly to realize that perfume was a serious and influential business.

I had always been interested in pursuing a career in fashion design, and got a full scholarship to study fashion at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, but quickly switched to fine art for the simple reasons that I did not want to design clothes for women, it felt wrong to me, and the men’s market seemed limited. Also I realized that my real inspiration came from fine art, all forms, and quickly moved into the sensual, erotic side of feminism and feminist art through teachers like Carolee Schneemann. This has all had an influence on my love of scent. Before the age of 20 I was confused about perfumes for women and perfumes for men, wore Drakkar Noir for awhile etc. and concrete musks and oils (Kansas had remnants of hippiness I guess for me…and I felt embarrassed getting into the complexities of things I thought were reserved only for women).

Becoming openly gay helped with all this, and Angel opened a whole world for me, similar to Luca Turin’s discovery of Nombre Noir to hear the tale told. That enthralled me for about four years, during which time I was busy getting into the refined life I never had the chance to live in Kansas. Through skincare I discovered La Prairie, then owned by Georgette Mosbacher (the connection between perfume and luxury and the repellant attraction of this was not lost on me), and I discovered their perfume based around Osmanthus and rose and (to go against Luca’s own taste) fell hard for it. I want to say here that I find it strange and a bit unsettling that certain men have been so influential setting up the principles for taste concerning perfumes, like Luca Turin and Edmond Roudnitska, and that women, excepting the brilliant Germaine Cellier, have only just recently moved in the forefront (this is also happening thank goodness in fine art).

So La Prairie was my signature scent and was enough for me until it was discontinued a few years ago. It reminds me of the first years of my marriage here, living in 19 square meters for two years with my husband Robin, etc…it holds fond memories and I really felt chique using it, contrasting it to my dark looks and pale skin…When La Prairie was discontinued I was really at a loss for some time, and then started to realize how important perfumes had been and were to me. All my other beauty regimes hadn’t lasted (the creams potions makeup food supplements etc.) except for sunscreen factor 15, water, and exercise…perfume was different somehow and I started to realize, and Edmond Roudnitska gets the credit I suppose for theorizing, that perfume was an art parallel to other fine arts and a true sensual and metaphysical pleasure akin to physical sex and intimacy. I was a bit devastated without my La Prairie, and bought up the last bottles I could find in Holland, then cast about for awhile until someone suggested Sophia Grosjman’s Spellbound from Estee Lauder, I bought this and Le Male from Gaultier and then searched constantly for a replacement for La Prairie. Looking between scents meant for “women” and “men”….I came upon Aqua Allegoria Apaisant from Guerlain, that is the closest I got, somehow the linden blossom came close to the white fruitiness of La Prairie–but it was not really a perfect match. I had even tried White Shoulders to try to match it, but the gardenia was too overpowering. A good friend in Berlin had heard for months that I was busy with perfume and after suggesting Addict from Dior, and Christian Lacroix Bazar and the original Christian Lacroix all of a sudden she came with Eau de Charlotte from Annick Goutal.

Strangely I had smelled Eau de Lavande from Goutal when I was 20 in Paris, and it all came flooding back–standing transfixed staring at Cabotine in Venice on the Piazza San Marco, realizing even then in Paris that Annick Goutal was A PERSON…it all made sense. I re-discovered niche brands (started with Rose d’Ete from Rosine), began to take this interest very seriously and started to search for shops and information, books, have begun to search out contact with perfumers as artist colleagues etc. When I start a project seriously in life I always incorporate it into my life and art work, so this was no exception. I now have nearly 80 bottles (I would say, I haven’t counted in a while) and countless testers and samples and decants, and all the books by Edmond Roudnitska (even though my French is not what it once was, at all…),, etc. etc. etc. Perfume has in the past two years, since turning 30, become my life besides my husband and family/friends and work. It becomes memory, it’s sexy, it’s the best beauty asset, you can surprise people with sloppy clothes etc. and then a fabulous perfume, I feel like I’m wearing an artistic aesthetic metaphysical force field when I’ve got a favorite perfume on (and I’ll answer below what my favorite perfume is, etc.). Perfumes now represent art and as my friend Semira Dallali says they are a sort of moral freezone (loose translation from Dutch), at least this is how I understand what she says…we are very involved in feminist theory and politics, Semira as a way of life and me as a practical student of sorts still, and Semira also sees perfume as a refuge in a rocky world–with historical connections and connotations and cross cultural implications. There is also the business side which is difficult to swallow sometimes…

Yes I am an addict, and I do not have much money now so it is a risky habit, which I hear is true for others as well. I see it as an investment in my work and as I am a communication artist I see this as a very good sign that you asked to interview me. I am not ashamed to be an addict (you didn’t ask this but I feel I must address it). There is something in perfumes which is guiding us, to kind of speak in 60’s terms. I believe in it. Perfumes open my mind and bring me peace quite simply, and as they are worn on the body others experience this weird sensation as well, a complement to skin, which is maybe my favorite organ…I like Montale’s description, if you take it in a profound way “perfumes are like happiness ointments or love potions”…a love apple was a peeled apple placed under the armpit of a person for a day and then given to the loved one of that person, one could say perfume represents life and death better than a photograph.
And now the obligatory question a perfumer has to ask….. what perfumes do you love? Do you have favourite fragrances? Or favourite notes? And what do you think makes you go for them?
Ah my favorite scents. I could go on and on about this one. But right now my all time favorite perfume is a vintage metal container for a mist applicator of Lanvin’s Arpege (pre 92/93). It is simply OPULENT and Animalistic and Gorgeous. It is my ultimate perfume love. Arpege in the reformulated version is my favorite perfume (edp and parfum), and I am “dying for it, gagging for it, every day”….if I could only choose one perfume…this would be it. There are too many others to name without exploding my head, anything with white flowers, JASMINE especially, and anything with AOUD! This is a question I would like to answer in private, it is almost too personal somehow and calls up so many associations. I think most any perfume has its merits and I am fascinated by everything I come across lately.
Some favorites lately have been Mandy Aftel’s Cacao, your Le Maroc Pour Elle, all of the scents created by Mona di Orio (perhaps my favorite living perfumer, besides you :) and Dawn Spencer Hurwitz), and the whole Montale range is fascinating me lately. I am crazy crazy about Aoud especially, it is my favorite note in perfume. I have also been captivated by peach and plum in the topnotes of perfumes, especially the way Edmond Roudnitska has done them, like the plum in Femme, it’s so Weird and Wonderful…

I was also really into Victoire Gobin Daude and would still like to meet her, as well as Mona di Orio. What makes me go for perfumes is the strange qualities that they have, I love weird, rancid, dirty animalistic perfumes, the more sensual, and weird the better. Luca Turin mentioned La Nuit from Paco Rabanne also, that’s one of my favorites too–the pudeur and indolic qualities in perfumes send me to heaven. I like the whole package: image, maker, all these deep weird qualities, but anything that calls up memories is exciting, like I’ve been wearing Cristalle today and it reminds me of being 20 and living in Giverny where Claude Monet’s gardens are…all this, I like to be swept away as it were…the perfumes of Mona di Orio have really done it for me lately, including the packaging, etc. they are truly WEIRD and classical at the same time, just like my favorite fine art.

(part of the collection)

Now comes a difficult one, dear Sands: What do you expect of a good perfume? Do you think there are esthetic rules that allow to distinguish between good and bad in perfumery?
This one is actually quite easy for me, except I may not have the words to answer it as some people might…a good perfume should, simply, be OPULENT, I expect the perfume in all of it’s phases to be aggressive somehow and deep and intellectual and smart and anticipatory of my own actions, as I move my arms and body I enjoy that wearing a good perfume is like a sort of intimate dance, I imagine being swathed in non-hindering silks and satins etc….I expect a good perfume to transport me. I expect a good perfume to love me (in the broadest, unconditional sense of the word).

Edmond Roudnitska has written extensively about good and bad in perfumery aesthetic wise, and I wish I could read more of it. But no, I don’t think this. I’ve just ordered a coffret from Robertet via the Osmotheque in Versailles to start being better at distinguishing notes, and then my opinions may change. I can just say from my gut that I feel let down when I feel a perfume is being marketed to me and not made with love, this is the same feeling one could get from bad food or shoddy craftspersonship of any kind. I still think real timeless opulence is the mark of a good perfume, something made with so much love and attention and surrender that one experiences it as a gift.

The exciting thing is that with as many kinds of people in the world as there are, there are that many versions of what is going to work. For instance my husband loves Minuit from Dawn Spencer Hurwitz and says it is like “stardust for the nose and brain” (I also truly love this perfume). I suppose balance has something to do with it, this is a guess, but I just know as a maker of art that something usually “works” when the person enters a kind of death state of surrender and lets things flow, I think artists and makers who read this will know what I am talking about. Love and surrender and not being on guard all the time and defensive….a true pushing of the envelope. Then everything is beautiful. How’s this for an esoteric answer?

Kind of related to the previous question: What do you thing makes a good
perfume? Please, give us examples and describe what you think makes this
scent special and well done as a fragrance.
Now I am going to sound like even more of a lunatic or idiot or what have you. Again I think I answered this more or less in the previous question. I think what I love about Arpege is the exploding rounded quality that it has–the peach in the topnotes seems to coat the inside of my head and trickle down into my body, the sandalwood follows and washes it all down and secures it at the same time. You see I am like a baby when it comes to describing these things, just like my favorite art (Carolee Schneemann, Adrian Piper, Hannah Wilke, Howardena Pindell, Harmony Hammond to name a few) it is so hard to describe why something is well done or why I feel it is so.

Although I write alot for my own work I am not a writer, I am at heart a “visual artist” and this can take many forms. I like things which shock and surprise me and comfort me all at once. The perfumer balances the notes and then you get Ombre Rose (Francoise Caron)–it is like trying to describe why nature is so perfect, perfection is imperfect, there must be something cloying or strange in a perfume, like with Arpege or with Ombre Rose, to name a few, it’s like the pleasant sensation of scratching an itch…I could also say I may not know from beforehand what exactly makes a good perfume etc. but I know it when I smell it. Perfume is one of the few things that are so hard to describe by words and as my friend Semira says eventually by comparison. What makes a person attractive to you? This is the same question.

And here is again a tricky one: Is there something you would like to tell
a perfumer how to make his or her next perfume? What rules, visions, guidelines do you wish them to follow?
This is going to sound so obsessive, but I have to say it: think of sex and the seasons. What I really love about Mona di Orio’s perfumes for instance is that her Lux is like the energy and light of the morning, Carnation is like the sweet breeze and hanging sun of the afternoon, and Nuit Noire is as the deep mystery and unexpectedness of the night, sleep, romance etc. I think there are recurring themes to consider in planning any art work, like sex, death, gender, life, love, culture, all the big questions that concern artists, even something like nationalism could be applied to perfume. I want to see it taken as an art on the same form and with the same profound connotations as other fine arts. It is representing something in society and I think it should be taken very seriously. No rules, visions, guidelines, just “think of what you love most and try to give that to me”….

Looking at all the perfumes on the market and more and more appearing
monthly: How do you select your perfumes to buy or test? How do you find
your way through this jungle of new scents?
This is a tricky question. The perfume world is susceptible to hype like anything in fashion, and my husband says that for him perfume is “between fashion and art” what a special place! I go with my gut feeling and am sometimes surprised pleasantly. I knew to go for you, for Mona di Orio, for Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, and somehow also for Mandy Aftel. I keep learning and developing, and I do think the image and attitude of a perfume and its maker play a part here–bottles get my attention sometimes too, I really like Serge Mansau for instance, but also the classicism of Mona di Orio’s bottles. I select a lot, like in art, based on personal affinities–Paschat/Ashne on Makeupalley is a foil for me (she brought me to Josephine from Rance 1795 for instance, etc.) and my friend Riannon also on Makeupalley. Semira has alot of influence on what I might be interested in or follow, and my friend Frederikke in Berlin.

But it is really at the end my own decision and heart that plays a role. I navigate the market by looking for the weirdest most earnest and individualistic (although this is a problematic word) creations–this is what brought me to Gobin Daude as well, I must say, like in art, the persons involved make a big big difference in my attraction. The persons and their way of communicating via the media. I have found that my favorites have been mostly “one of a kinds” and I am very sophisticated when it comes to art with this, but my experience with perfume as an art form is only from the past two years so I look forward to a long life journey of pleasure in discovery and a sort of rough refinement. I must also say that if I hear someone I admire say they wear a certain perfume, then I search it out…

(an artist’s studio)
Do you follow the developments in the natural perfumery field? Is natural
perfumery as a concept attractive to you?
Yes I follow the developments some in the natural perfumery field. In this respect you and Mandy Aftel are keeping me fascinated. Strange Invisible Perfumes from Alexandra Balahoutis interests me too but the samples are far too expensive for my nonexistent budget…I do what I can (just like following what to test and buy). I don’t know a lot about it but I think natural perfumery as a concept is Very attractive to me, but that is not to say I am not also for the use of new synthetics–I am just beginning to learn about molecules, and another artist, Evan Izer who seems very advanced in his understanding of perfume, has recommended some books which are more chemistry oriented.

I would like to know more about natural perfumery and what this means, I feel like such an amateur answering all these questions. But I can assure you of one thing, that I am extremely passionate and determined. As I learn more I hope you and I can continue our dialogue. Maybe you would like to discuss fine art as well (I noticed you mentioned Steve Reich on your blog, my best friend here in Amsterdam is a German new music composer and I think there are many connections and parallels to be explored, on many levels).

If you had a wish free: What perfume would you wish to be created?
This is easy, and I hope no one steals the idea :) I would like to create Khaluq, an historical Arabian perfume detailed in Nigel Groom’s The New Perfume Handbook, created for women and forbidden to men (but the perfume would be unisex/sexual). I would like it to be in a bottle shaped like a fish somehow, as early perfume bottles were, and to begin with I would like a heavy gorgeous indolic jasmine and the richest oldest aoud we can get our hands on, synthetic civet and/or castoreum would also be nice (the Africa Stone Tincture on Mandy Aftel’s website looks interesting for instance) and then move on from here…Andy do you wanna help out on this? :) Or Mona di Orio if you are listening/reading?

I can make this an open invitation now to a perfumer who might like to work together to create a scent…we could follow from the base that the vintage Arpege is my favorite perfume and see where it would lead with these beginning components (fruit, peach, plum?).
I would like to end with something that has been very helpful for me, Edmond Roudnitska’s listing of perfume families, poetic in itself (and I hope I haven’t sounded like too much of a half baked nuthead, I really do believe in this and am so busy with my art work now internationally that it is all I can do to keep up with perfume!):
Hesperidees, rose, Oranger, Jasmin, Violette-Iris, Anisee, Aromatique, Verdure, Epices, Bois, Tabac, Fruitee, Balsamique, Animale, Cuir………………………………………….

Everlasting thanks to Marjorie and Ragen Murray of Topeka, Kansas, Laura Murray of Sao Paulo, Brasil, June and Leonard Horwitz of Kansas City Missouri and Henny and Fred Wassink of Hoorn, The Netherlands for believing in me and my fragrant pursuits…and my whole concentric circles of family and friends for helping me survive to where I am today. Ripples on the water…

Dear Sands: Thank you very much!

It must be about 4 weeks ago by now. I was in the shop of Pascal, talking about this and that, when the phone rang and a client from the Netherlands was calling, asking about the Lonestar Memories. Thus, Pascal passed the phone on and I found myself talking to Sands.

Since then I have exchanged a few mails and figured out that it might be time for a change. I have answered quite a lot of interview questions lately and this time…. I wanted to do it the other way round. The perfumer interviews a perfume lover. When I asked Sands about it, I did not know much about him, hence this interview was fun and I learnt a lot and enjoyed reading some of the best thoughts about perfumes and perfumery I have encountered lately.

Enjoy reading this interview tomorrow. Until then… have a nice Sunday evening.

In a desperate attempt to get muscles ready for the trip in France that begins in 7 days I take the bike daily. Passing over a pedestrian bridge on my way to town I see a bunch of ducks, sitting on a little sandy semi island in the river Limmat. Usually they sleep. The sun light is still yellowish and the sleeping ducks is a picture of peaceful creatures in golden light. Every moring I pass by there, get a glimpse on them and feel jealous for their morning sleep. I’d bet… they are even fed by old ladies during the day; duck paradise.

Thus, having passed the ducks half an hour ago, it is time for this week’s last post… as promised earlier ….on the lavender. Where are we there right now?
Things got somewhat complicated and the state of work is pleasing with some “buts”.  Taking advantage of some things I have learned while working on the Orris earlier this year, it was an easy  thing to arrange a fresh-berry-yummie orris accord for the middle. The head note is green and round and the base so far quite woody-fresh, elegant and enduring. Without going into the details of the composition there are weaknesses:
The head needs a twist…like a mini-micro-touch of galbanum or similar -> not decided yet.
The head needs to see more lavender -> can be done
The woody base needs a twist more erotic stuff, it is still a little bit too dull -> why not!
The middle needs to get a little hole filled -> Tricky. I realized that (on skin) there is a brake in the melody, somewhere in between the orris theme and the woods. For a while there seems the Okoumal/Kephalis to stand alone. A shaky construction involving cistus does not bridge the gap. Contrary to the scenery from the bridge over the Limmat with golden water and happy ducks, the vista is not there, yet.

Pix: Packages of samples, ready for their travel, Australia, Canada, … you name it.