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A More Affordable Olfactionary
Suzanne’s Perfume Journal

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A Conversation on Arabie

A More Affordable Olfactionary

Amouage Dia (pour femme)

Amouage Epic Woman

Amouage Gold

Amouage Jubilation 25

Amouage Lyric Woman

Amouage Tribute

Amouage Ubar

Aroma M Geisha Rouge

Ava Luxe Café Noir

Best of 2009

Bond No. 9 Brooklyn

Bond No. 9 New Haarlem

Capote, Truman & Evening in Paris

Caron French Cancan

Caron Parfum Sacre

Caron Tabac Blond

Caron Tubereuse

Caron Yatagan

Chanel 31 Rue Cambon

Chanel Bel Respiro

Chanel Chance

Chanel Coromandel

Chanel Egoiste

Chanel No. 5 (vintage)

Chanel No. 22

Chantilly Dusting Powder

Comme des Garcons LUXE Champaca

Comme des Garcons Series 7 Sweet Nomad Tea

Coty Ambre Antique

Coty Chypre

Creed Acqua Fiorentina

Creed Fleurs de Bulgarie

DSH Perfumes Quinacridone Violet

Deneuve

Donna Karan Black Cashmere

Estee Lauder Private Collection

Estee Lauder Private Collection Jasmine White Moss

Favorite Fall Fragrances

Fragrances for Sweden

Frederic Malle Angeliques Sous La Pluie

Frederic Malle Bigarade Concentrée

Frederic Malle Carnal Flower

Frederic Malle Geranium Pour Monsieur

Frederic Malle Le Parfum de Therese

Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose

Frederic Malle Une Fleur de Cassie

Frederic Malle Une Rose

Geoffrey Beene Grey Flannel

Gucci L'Arte di Gucci

Guerlain Jicky

Guerlain Parure

Guerlain Vega

Happy Solstice

Hermes 24, Faubourg

Hermes Caleche (vintage)

Hermes Eau des Merveilles

Hermes Hiris

Histoires de Parfums 1740

Histoires de Parfums 1828

Histoires de Parfums Blanc Violette

Histoires de Parfums Vert Pivoine

How I Store Decants

In Memory (w/mention of Lanvin Arpege)

Jean Desprez Bal a Versailles

Jean Patou 1000

Juliet by Juliet Stewart

Kenzo Jungle l’Elephant

L'Artisan Parfumeur Nuit de Tubereuse

L'Artisan Parfumeur Orchidee Blanche

L’Artisan Parfumeur Passage d’Enfer

L’Artisan Parfumeur Tea for Two

La Via del Profumo Balsamo Della Mecca

Le Labo Patchouli 24

Little Lists

Lorenzo Villoresi Yerbamate

Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier Eau des Iles

Message In A Bottle 

Miscellany 

Molinard Habanita

Mona Di Orio Nuit Noire

Montale Black Aoud

Montale Boise Vanille

Montale Intense Tiare

Montale Patchouli Leaves

More Roses (rose cookie recipe)

My Heart Has Skipped A Beat (summer smells)

My Perfumes Have Theme Songs

Nasomatto China White

Olivier Durbano Black Tourmaline

Ormonde Jayne Frangipani

Ormonde Jayne Perfumery Ormonde Woman

Oscar de la Renta Oscar for Men

Parfum d'Empire 3 Fleurs

Parfumerie Generale Bois de Copaiba

Parfums de Nicolai Sacrebleu

Parfums DelRae Amoureuse

Parfums Karl Lagerfeld Sun Moon Stars

Pascal Morabito Or Black 

Perfume Quotes - The English Patient

Profumum Roma Acqua Viva

Profumum Roma D'Ambrosia

Puredistance I

Recipe for Socca

Robert Piguet Fracas

Robert Piguet Visa

Sarah Horowitz Parfums' Joy Comes From Within & Beauty Comes From Within

Scented Reading

Scentuous Reading: One Hundred Years of Solitude

Serge Lutens Arabie

Serge Lutens Chêne

Serge Lutens Chergui

Serge Lutens Five O’Clock Au Gingembre

Serge Lutens Miel de Bois

Serge Lutens Tubereuse Criminelle

Serge Lutens Un Lys

Snow Days

Sonoma Scent Studio Incense Pure

Sonoma Scent Studio Jour Ensoleille

S-Perfume 100% Love {More}

Sweden Is For Lovers

T is for Taxes

Tauer Perfumes: Incense Extrême, Incense Rosé, Lonestar Memories, & Reverie au Jardin

Tauer Perfumes Vetiver Dance

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

The Intimacy of Scent

Thoughts of a Perfume Collector

Tightly

Unlocking an Unknown: Webber Parfum 6T

Vero Profumo Kiki, Onda, and Rubj

Viktor & Rolfe Flowerbomb

What I’m Lovin’ Now

Yves Saint Laurent Nu

A MORE AFFORDABLE OLFACTIONARY


When I first began reading perfume blogs and avidly collecting fragrances, one of the greatest mysteries to me was how the bloggers could pick out the individual notes of a fragrance during its top, middle and dry-down stages.  While I could pick out some of the more assertive citrus or herbal top notes, such as bergamot or lavender, once those volatile tops yielded to the complex blend of middle and base notes, I was lost.  It was like trying to pick out the various ingredients in a cream soup of pureed vegetables—not an easy thing to do.  And though I had no reason for learning the notes (at the time, it never occurred to me that I might one day want to write about perfumes myself), nevertheless, there was an intense urge to know exactly what I was smelling and a deep envy at knowing that other perfume-philes knew exactly what heliotrope, galbanum, laudanum and oakmoss smelled like.  I knew only the most basic of basics—jasmine, rose, lily-of-the-valley—and while I knew that I liked anything that fell under the category of “white florals,” I didn’t know most of the individual flower notes that made up that group.


Enter the
Le Labo Olfactionary—or maybe not.  For $490, the exclusive Le Labo perfume house sells what they call the “Olfactionary,” which is like a dictionary for the nose, or in Le Labo’s words, “a translation in miniature of the Perfumer’s pipe organ.”  It contains 40 of the fundamental natural essences used in perfumery—each note in its own 2.5 ml bottle, suspended in an alcohol-based solution—along with a set of perfume blotters, and the whole thing is housed in what looks like a very nifty case.  Oh, how I lusted after this thing for months, even knowing I would never buy it for that amount of money.


Enter
The Perfumer’s Apprentice—yes!  By doing a little bit of internet research, I found this fantastic website where I was able to order individual bottles of practically all of the same essences that are in the Le Labo Olfactionary for a much more affordable $155.  The essences are actually in bigger bottles than the Le Labo kit (most of the ones I ordered came in 5 ml bottles, and, like Le Labo, they were suspended in an alcohol-base, not to be used directly on skin, but which could be added to a carrier oil if one was interested in making perfumes).  I got the professional perfume blotters, too, for sampling the essences.  Basically, I got everything except the nifty case, which is not a problem as I keep the bottles neatly tucked away in a drawer of my drysink (see photo) and just pull the whole drawer out when I go to play with them.


But for anyone else who would like an olfactionary, here’s the even better news: In the time since I placed my order last summer, The Perfumer’s Apprentice has created several
educational kits in a variety of sizes and prices.  There is the “Introduction to Perfumery Notes” kit for $45 (and for $10 more, you can get a wooden box to house it in), as well as an “Advanced Perfumery Notes Kit” for $95.  There are also kits for people who are interested in natural perfumery.


Linda Andrews is the owner of The Perfumer’s Apprentice, which, in addition to its webstore is an actual shop in Santa Cruz, California.  (I’ve never been there but have read glowing reviews of her store, which reportedly she was inspired to open after taking a workshop with master perfumer Mandy Aftel.)  One of the features of her lovely apothecary-style shop is that, for only $20, you can sit down at an “Apprentice Scent Station” with a perfume organ and make your own perfume while she serves you tea and cookies.  She’ll then custom label your fragrance, which you get to take away with you in a 5- ml. roll-on bottle, and register its formula in her database.  The aroma-chemicals that she sells come from some of the industry giants, such as Givaudan (the maker of the tiny vial of synthetic civet I purchased from her, which forevermore shall be confined in a zip-lock bag swathed with three-layers of bubble-wrap—it’s that stinky!)


So, why such a huge plug for someone I’ve never met, apart from the warm interaction I had when I placed my internet order with her last summer?  Because the perfume-loving hobby is heartbreakingly expensive at times, and when you find a great resource for reasonably priced items, you want to share it.  Linda’s website is worth a visit for its educational materials too: in one section she has a series of articles written by the late, great French perfumer, Jean Carles, creator of the iconic Ma Griffe and the 1947 classic, Miss Dior, free for anyone to read and study.


Please note: I have nothing against Le Labo; in fact, I salute them for having the foresight to create and market the Olfactionary—for recognizing that there are people who want to educate themselves on a deeper level about perfumes.
  But I want to make others aware that there also exists this great resource for people like me, who have Le Labo tastes on a beer budget.  (Because, hey, baby cannot live on perfumes alone!)

Images: my own photos.

Posted by Suzanne Keller, 1/29/2008.