Guest guest Posted July 5, 2006 Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 I've always followed recipes before, this is the first time I've experimented like this. I wanted something exotic, compelling, mysterious, with woods, resins, citrus and spices. Not too floral. I got something that smells like a cross between cocoa and linament. (It doesn't have any cocoa in it.) Here's what's in it so far: Cinnamon bark, clove bud, geranium, lemongrass, myrrh, nutmeg, sweet orange, palmarosa, patchouli, rose absolute, rosemary, tangerine There is more patchouli and rose absolute than the other ingredients. I can't give exact measurements because I will put a drop on the back of my hand and add another drop of something. I have some jasmine, ylang ylang and lavendar, but I want to avoid using them in this blend. The next ingredients I plan to purchase are: amber, bergamot, black pepper, blood orange, cedarwood, frankincense, blue lotus, neroli, pomegranate, rosewood, sandalwood Would any of these help the existing blend? Thanks for any suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 5, 2006 Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 > > I've always followed recipes before, this is the first time I've > experimented like this. > > I wanted something exotic, compelling, mysterious, with woods, resins, > citrus and spices. Not too floral. > > I got something that smells like a cross between cocoa and linament. > (It doesn't have any cocoa in it.) > > Here's what's in it so far: > > Cinnamon bark, clove bud, geranium, lemongrass, myrrh, nutmeg, sweet > orange, palmarosa, patchouli, rose absolute, rosemary, tangerine > > There is more patchouli and rose absolute than the other ingredients. > I can't give exact measurements because I will put a drop on the back > of my hand and add another drop of something. > > I have some jasmine, ylang ylang and lavendar, but I want to avoid > using them in this blend. > > The next ingredients I plan to purchase are: > > amber, bergamot, black pepper, blood orange, cedarwood, frankincense, > blue lotus, neroli, pomegranate, rosewood, sandalwood > > Would any of these help the existing blend? > > Thanks for any suggestions. > > Hi , Experimenting is essential to the creative process but it's important to give yourself a framework within which to build a composition by knowing which of your oils is a base note, heart note or head note so that you can create accords that will blend and evolve. Read Mandy Aftel's book, " Essence and Alchemy " , in which she explains the process of composition very clearly and provides a list of oils to begin with and those to add on as you go. Have fun! Tyler Rose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 6, 2006 Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 --- <chasmodaimorris@...> wrote:> I've always followed recipes before, this is the > first time I've > experimented like this. > > I wanted something exotic, compelling, mysterious, > with woods, resins, > citrus and spices. Not too floral. > > I got something that smells like a cross between > cocoa and linament. > (It doesn't have any cocoa in it.) > > Here's what's in it so far: > > Cinnamon bark, clove bud, geranium, lemongrass, > myrrh, nutmeg, sweet > orange, palmarosa, patchouli, rose absolute, > rosemary, tangerine Hi , Here's my take on this... Whew! You've got a very ambitious blend there for your first day out.Blending your own formulas is a whole different kettle of fish than following some other person's recipe. I agree with Anya that reading Mandy Aftel's Essence and Alchemy would be helpful. She (Mandy) also offers a workbook that I found very helpful in building a foundation for blending.You can buy it from her website at aftelier.com. You might even want to first get her book Scents and Sensibilities. She goes over the basics, and tells you how to do solid perfumes which are much more forgiving and less complex than alcohol based perfumes.You gotta walk before you can run. I've heard so many stories from people who read a book and then just wanted to get right out there and make a great perfume. (Who wouldn't?) But then they get frustrated because they can't make anything good and don't have any clue why. So they give it up thinking they just don't have a knack for it. Natural Perfumery is difficult because the naturals are so complex to begin with, and then you have to deal with how all those complexities interact with the ones in the other essences. But if you are patient and start from the basics and build yourself up, you can start to understand why some things work and others don't, and hopefully have a few successes along the way to keep up your morale. All the best and happy blending! -Patty __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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