Guilted Into Blogging

Hello out there . . .  (ECHO--Echo--echo)

picture of the Grand Canyon

  It's me, I'm back.  It's been about a year since I last posted a blog entry.  I've started a few and never finished them.  Ever since opening the brick and mortar store I've been frantically juggling time.  There never seems to be enough time to get everything done.  The first year of running a store is a challenging one.  Lots to learn.  The first thing to fall by the wayside as I struggled to fit everything into a neat tidy 24 hours, was blogging.

  With all my new tasks and responsibilities running the store I don't get the chance to whittle away my hours doing all the fun things I used to blog about.  Gone are the hours devoted to writing my impressions on the nuances between Moroccan and Indian orange blossom complete with photos.  These days I spend my time training new employees, packing orders,  filling perfume bottles, entering wholesale orders into Quickbooks, unpacking supplies, explaining why our fragrances don't smell like Calvin Klein, booking events, mopping the floor, figuring out the monthly sales tax bill, decorating the store window, sourcing new packaging, dodging sales reps determined to sell me everything from office supplies to payroll services, teaching perfume classes, attending neighborhood small business association meetings, and occasionally working on a new perfume and/or product.  Sigh.  See what I mean?  How dreadfully boring, right?  Nobody wants to read about the drudgery involved in my everyday life.  And this combined with my lack of time is exactly why I haven't been blogging.

Last month I taught a weekend long natural perfumery course.  The attendees were some of the brightest, nicest and most passionate I've encountered.  I really love meeting these kindred spirits who have such a yen for perfumery.  At some point during the weekend, as we sat around the table the topic of blogging came up.  One student exclaimed, "I love reading your blog!"

"Yeah, me too.  How come you never write anymore?" another questioned.  I was surprised and unprepared for the question.

"I, ahh--I just never seem to have the time anymore," I blurted out.

"I really wish you would start writing again.  I really liked to hear about what you were doing."  To say I was touched and surprised would be putting it mildly.

So here I am.  One lapsed year of blogging.  Trying to write again.

Buy Baby Buy - Spend Baby Spend: Stage 2 of Launching a Retail Business

Dear Reader,

Here Lies Charna Ethier.  We find her lying on the floor of her soon to be open commercial space, with blistered fingers, muttering something that sounds like garbled Swedish: "Klingsbo! #@% What the?  Tjusig! Allen wrench . . . aargh!"

The past two weeks have been spent building IKEA display units, hanging blinds, installing lighting fixtures, and reading instruction manuals.

The cash register has been delivered.  The phone and internet have been installed and turned on.  You promptly realize the internet has been installed in the wrong location as the new cash register from square must plug directly into the modem.  Sigh.

The new stool that should have been so easy to put together . . . well not so easy.  It comes in four pieces--should be easy breezy right?--has taken two hours to put together.  You promptly realize it's too short.  When you sit on your stool behind the cash wrap your neck is waist high to the customer on the other side.  Creepy.  You are so tired you decide to keep the stool.

An enormous amount of tools are needed.  Wire strippers, hammers, levels, drills, industrial strength velcro (more on this later.)  I have realized one important concept, it IS possible to build a retail space on a budget but it involves lots and lots of time and sweat equity.

Howdy Home Depot

LIGHTING
Lighting is one of the most important aspects of retail.  Instead of boring you with the details of my complicated track lighting purchase (suffice to say I decided on LED track lighting which costs more initially but is eco-friendly and energy efficient) I shall regale you with a more glamourous lighting purchase: the chandeliers.  I found an incredible deal online for a stunning chandelier.  I had looked at the very same chandelier in a local lighting shop and found it for hundreds of dollars less online at amazon.com.  Now, I knew there would be some assembly involved with the online chandelier as a local lighting shop explained that they only sold the chandeliers assembled and that they charged a few hundred additional dollars to do so.  Being the frugal shopper that I am, I decided I would order the chandelier online and assemble it myself.

LED track lights installed

Purple crystal chandelier over cash wrap

The good news: the chandeliers arrived in perfect condition!  The bad news: perfect, unbroken 985 piece condition!  The chandeliers also had to be wired and the instruction were not printed in English.  This required stripping the wires as carefully as possible to avoid breaking the fragile glass arms and connecting all the left wires together and all the right wires together.  Luckily my husband Dan did this for me.  Side note: I did initially start to try and strip the chandelier wires, hitch them together, cap them etc. but my husband stared at me, snorted and commented, "Wow Charna.  You look like you're playing the game OPERATION.  Your hands are shaking.  You know there's no electricity actually connected to the chandelier, right?  Just pass me the wire strippers."  Score!

Next the chandeliers had to be hung (again I happily opted out of this process.)  Finally all 900 little crystals had to be hung on the chandelier, along with strings of crystals.  I was on my own for the final step.  The clasp on each crystal had to be individually pried open with needle nose pliers, hung and squeezed closed.  This took seven hours.  Seven hours of sitting on top of a ladder, connecting strands of crystals, counting each bead to make sure all the strands were even, adding little metal jump rings, prying the metal rings apart with pliers and attaching them equally along the arms of the chandelier.

The final result is pictured below and no matter what anyone says, I will swear it's the best looking "snow white" chandelier I've ever seen as I devoted an entire day of my life to assembling it.

Snow White Chandelier

SIGNAGE
I contacted a few local sign makers for quotes for an outdoor hanging sign.  In the process I learned more about carved signs than I ever imagined.  I discovered that Mahogany is the only type of wood that should be used for a sturdy outdoor hanging sign as it is most impervious to the elements.  I learned of smaltzing, a process of using ground glass paint that resists sun fading.  I learned red, blue and consequently purple colors fade the most quickly on outdoor signs.  I learned that while gold leafing is very popular on carved wooden signs, silver leafing is not recommended as it will tarnish outdoors quickly.  I learned that carved wooden signs are very expensive.  I learned that I could not afford a carved wooden sign.

I ended up ordering a sign that is not made from wood but looks like a carved wooden sign.  This type of hanging sign costs almost half of what a mahogany wood sign retails for.  The sign I've ordered is a 3 foot circular purple sign with my logo printed in silver (but not silver leaf.)  I found it interesting when looking for signage that there are few options in the middle price range.  It seems you spring for an expensive sign or your other options are few and far between, such as a plastic banner.

Outdoor hanging sign ordered and due to be delivered in a few weeks, I proceeded to have window laminates made as the shop is on a busy street and the sign may not be visible while driving as it hangs perpendicular to the street.  The window stickers were hung as soon as they were printed as I worried about having deliveries made to the new shop with no signage.  Once the window stickers were in place I felt a huge sense of euphoria.  The shop felt tangible.  I'm embarrassed to admit I teared up for a moment and hugged the sweet grandfatherly Italian sign maker causing him to blush.  My logo in the window!  I felt such a sense of accomplishment.  I am here!

sweet sign maker posting hours on the front door

silver window laminates pre-installation

applying the front picture window

Here are the shop windows from outside:

After the window stickers were applied I promptly covered the windows with paper, so the mess inside wouldn't be visible from the street.  Once or twice I forgot to lock the front door after receiving a delivery, and people would walk into the shop which was alarming.  I realized quickly I needed to make it clear we weren't open yet and hide the construction inside.

My next step was to finish buying, moving and assembling the furniture.  I decided on a white somewhat modern style.  Having a single color palette made things easier for me.  The bulk of the displays were purchased at Ikea and we visited often enough that the kids developed a fondness for elderflower juice and cinnamon buns the size of their heads.  I knew I was in trouble when I stopped getting lost in Ikea.  After providing particularly helpful directions to a couple seeking discounted Expedit bookshelves, I realized I needed to leave Ikea and not return for some time.

Next installment: "Finishing Up, Why Having A Flexible Launch Date is Important" otherwise entitled "You Didn't Actually Think You Would Open On Time Did You?"

Click here to visit our website.

From E-Commerce to Brick and Mortar: A Perfumer's Journey

You are ecstatic!  You are thrilled!  You are excited!

You are nervous.  You are stressed.  You are on a budget.

You are opening a retail store.

Yes, that's right.  After years of dreaming of owning my own retail store, I've taken the leap and signed a lease.  I thought I might document the process of getting the perfumery up and running here on my blog.  (While I have a blog built into my website at www.providenceperfume.com , I choose to keep this blogger account for a more personal narrative.  Here, I might describe my initial disastrous attempts at candle making whereas I may not want to post such -ahem- forthright information on my website.)

Perhaps my process it would be helpful to others contemplating opening a retail store.  Maybe it would be funny to look back on years from now and see how many mistakes I made or how naive I was.  One thing is certain, it will be an honest account of a small business owner opening a brick and mortar store on a budget.  Incidentally the words budget and launching a retail shop are oxymoron's--more on this later.

What facilitated this leap of faith foray into retailing?  To start, I was outgrowing the small studio where I created my fragrances.  My studio space was feeling tight.  With each new account opened, the space I needed to create, produce, package and ship my wares seemed to get larger, while the square footage available seemed to diminish.  Scrambling to find space to teach perfumery classes was a challenge.  Each time the phone rang asking where my "store" was located, every email asking for directions to my physical shop caused me pain as I would direct customers to local wholesale accounts and wish I could direct them to my own brick and mortar shop.

While I built my business on an e-commerce platform, I desired a little shop of my own filled with amazing things to sniff.  A studio space.  A classroom space.  A shipping and receiving area.  I began perusing commercial real estate listings, checking craigslist every week, driving slowly up and down streets I thought might be ideal for my perfumery looking for vacancies.  When I saw an established high end perfume boutique on the east side of Providence was closing it's doors, I pounced.  The shop was located in one of my ideal "targeted" neighborhoods, was walking distance from Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design, and was located on a street known for it's artsy Mom and Pop type shops.  The landlord hadn't even posted the commercial listing when I called to inquire about renting the space.

Coming Soon: Providence Perfume Co.!

THE LEASE

When speaking with the realty company that owned the space I wanted to rent, I discovered that they wanted me to sign a five year lease.  Uncomfortable realization #1.  Despite having looked at numerous properties over the years and discussing leasing terms, I was unprepared for such a long term lease.  I back peddled quickly, and after an awkward moment or two on the phone they seemed open to making the lease slightly shorter.  There is something incredibly heavy about committing to a five year lease.  I felt as though I were signing away five years of my life.  It made me realize that I was undertaking a very serious long term commitment.  While I had always envisioned running the shop for many years--maybe even until I retired--I was worried about failure.  What if I worked as hard as I could and I failed?  What if I didn't turn a profit?  What would happen if I couldn't pay the rent?  I had been working towards obtaining this shop for years.  Having my own store had been my dream since I was a child.  I suddenly realized I was really and truly committing myself to my dream, it was actually coming TRUE . . . and I was a tiny bit TERRIFIED.

Over subsequent meetings with the owner of the property, I was able to negotiate the rent down a couple of hundred dollars to a slightly more comfortable monthly rent.  The lease was drawn up for three year commitment.  I then requested that they add the option of me continuing the lease for two additional years at a $50 per month rent increase for years four and five.  That way, if all was going well I wouldn't suddenly be hit with a large monthly rent increase when a new lease was drawn up if I wanted to keep the shop at it's current location after the third year.

There was one clause in the lease that was confusing and it involved a percentage of property tax that I was required to pay beyond my monthly rent.  Uncomfortable realization #2.  The portion of the property tax I was required to pay was 20% and it was steep.  After speaking at length with the real estate manager I discovered that the tax was currently built into my rent, and I would only pay an increase if the property taxes on the building went up after my base year.  Even if the property tax increased $5,000 on the entire building (which was excessively high and had never happened historically according to my agent) my portion would be 20% of the $5,000 split over 12 months and equaled approximately $83 more per month.  Sigh.

After going over every bit of the lease, I signed.  I knew who was responsible for the trash (them) and who was responsible for the landscaping outside the building (me.)  I had one off street parking spot (imperative in the city) and a start date: April 1st, 2013.  I tried to ignore the ominous whispers in my head about a start date that landed on April Fools Day.

THE SPACE

The commercial space is about 800 square feet, and a little choppy.  See floor plan:

Shop Floor Plan

As you can see, there are five rooms.  One main showroom as you walk into the shop, One secondary room, a third room labelled "changing area" and a small kitchenette and bathroom.  I was thrilled there is a very small patio on the back with a cherry tree.  I've decided to use the room labelled "changing area" as an office and shipping station.  The other two rooms will serve as retail and classroom space for teaching perfumery classes.  The building is over 100 years old and part of the original foundation runs the length of the shop.  It resembles a stone wall about knee height running the length of the showroom.  While unique and original to the property, it represents some challenges with setting up displays and/or fixtures against the stone wall.

I requested the inside be painted white and outside purple to match my company colors.  Here's a few pictures of the carpentry chaos going on inside of the shop:

The office

yes, that's a toilet in the middle of the floor

front showroom, see the original foundation wall

                                                                       

In my next installment, I'll describe my foray into display shopping, having signage created and why my answer to all questions regarding the style of shop furnishings is "Swedish Modern."  (That's an IKEA joke people!)

Click here to visit the Providence Perfume Company website.

Adventures in Natural Candle Making

By Charna Ethier from Providence Perfume Co, we make 100% natural perfumes.

When I decided I wanted to create a few naturally scented candles for the holidays I had no idea what I was getting myself into.  I expected my foray into candle making to be fun and somewhat challenging.  A little bit or trial and error I thought.  I thought wrong.

Being a natural perfumer I knew I wanted to create naturally scented candles.  I wanted to use essential oils and floral waxes to scent the candles.  I knew I would have an uphill battle in getting the candles to "throw" scent using no fragrance oils.  In addition I wanted to use soy or beeswax to create the candles as eco-friendly as possible. I also wanted the candles to smell amazing.  I have yet to piece all three aspects into a wildly successful BURNING candle.  

I'm going to break my candle making process into four main components: Wax, Wick, Scent, Burn.

WAX: ah, the controversy!  

• Soy wax is considered eco-friendly, burns cleanly but is apparently made from genetically modified soybeans. Thanks Monsanto!  Soy wax is considered one of the most difficult waxes to pour with and apparently many "newbies" to candle making become frustrated with soy wax as using it can require multiple pours and little aroma.  In my experience soy wax also produces the least scent throw of all waxes.  It literally swallows up essential oils.  And, if you add too much fragrance--watch out!  (More on this later.)
• Paraffin wax is created from petroleum distillation.  Bad for the environment and does not burn cleanly.  It holds lots of fragrance and throws scent very well.  Damn you paraffin!
• Cream wax is a version of paraffin wax that possesses a creamy texture, is very easy to use, typically requires one pour and holds the most amount of fragrance.  I believe cream wax is often used in many high priced designer candles that I seem to be attracted to.  Candles that cost more than a good bottle of wine.  These candles have a very soft consistency and can permeate an entire room quickly with fragrance.  Too bad this wax is paraffin based.
• Beeswax is the most expensive wax, priced at about $10.00 per pound.  FYI, 1 pound of wax will typically fill one-two large size candleholders.  Beeswax can be bought yellow/golden and unfiltered possessing an amazing honeyed beeswax aroma or processed and bleached white.  Beeswax candles burn forever!  Beeswax seems to be able to hold a good amount of fragrance but seems to have trouble "throwing" the scent.  Beeswax candles possess a very hard wax consistency and burn the longest in my experience.

I ordered bags of four different types of soy wax.  From Cargill's Nature Wax to Golden Foods 444.  Two additional soy waxes that were recommended to me were Soy-125 and Soy-135.  After working with them I noticed . . . nothing.  Umm, seriously I couldn't tell the difference between them.  I tried to note if one type of wax burned longer than another or if one wax seemed to hold or throw fragrance better and, I really could not detect differences between them--but don't forget I'm a novice.  To my eye, no wax seemed to leap out as being better than the rest.  (It didn't help that I was constantly changing the fragrances of the candles from batch to batch.)

After my experiments with soy and beeswax, I decided to work with mixing the two.  The difficulty came in what proportion to mix the beeswax and soy wax.  After some experimentation, I think I like 3/4 soy and 1/4 beeswax or even 2/3 soy to 1/3 beeswax.  The small amount of beeswax allows the candle to burn longer, imparts a slight honeyed aroma and increases the amount of fragrance load one can add to the wax.

WICK: the most important part of creating a successful candle.  Who knew?  Alas, not me :) I'd like to thank Nikki Sherritt of Gabriel's Aunt for all her assistance.  Nikki is the owner of a successful natural candle line called Gabriel's Aunt. I've sampled her candles and found them to be top of the line.  I booked a consultation with Nikki last year to discuss candle making and quickly realized I might be over my head.  While making candles may not seem difficult, it is difficult to create naturally scented candles that burn well and smell good and Nikki is an expert.  She stressed the importance of finding the correct wick, experimentation, and sticking with the same size container.  

Side note - I consider Nikki a friend.  She is such a doll that she recently fielded a phone call from me that went something like this: 

Nikki 

"Hi Charna.  Yes, I got the text with the pictures you sent of your candles.  Um, well I wouldn't call them Frankenstein candles, but ah maybe they cooled too quickly? 

Me (sullen) 

"They're MONSTER candles!  Admit it.  Hey, what's that noise?"

Nikki 

"That's a tow truck.  I'm on the side of the road.  My truck just broke down."

Me (embarassed) 

"Oh, sorry Nikki. I'll let you go.  Ah, good luck with your wedding next week?"

Scene ends with Charna realizing that Nikki is indeed a saint and Charna is indeed neurotic.

Back to wicks.  Wick size is chosen based on the diameter of the candle, along with the type of wax used.  Thus far, my favorite wick for soy and wax candles in glass jars measuring about 3 inches across is RRD-47 or RRD-55 from candlewic.com  Did I mention that candle making was more difficult than I anticipated?

One tip I discovered along the way is to use a slightly larger than average wick when creating candles made with soy and or beeswax.  The larger thicker wick seems to burn better in bee/soy and create a larger pool of wax increasing scent throw.  Is it just me or is this candle making endeavor becoming more complex by the minute?

SCENT: sigh.  A general rule of thumb is to add one ounce fragrance per pound of wax.  These guidelines are for fragrance oils which is where it gets complicated.  Weighing your ingredients, just as with making perfume is advisable.  Some waxes are able to hold more scent, some less.  I like to add as much aroma as possible but am still not thrilled with the amount of fragrance my candles possess.  If you add too much fragrance the candle will not burn.  Take it from me and don't try to add anything thick like benzoin or labdanum.  The candle smelled INCREDIBLE.  The candle did not burn.  Not one bit.

Beware the dreaded citronella complex.  The citronella complex occurs when you add a variety of lemony or spicy essential oils to the wax.  The aim is sophisticated freshness.  The result is Walmart tikki torch.  As your spiced citrus scented candle cools, it smells wonderful.  Enjoy these fifteen minutes or so of pleasant aroma as they will be your last.  Beware the lighting of the candle the next day as you will smell the repellant aroma of citronella somehow wafting from your candle made with any of the following oils: coriander, black pepper, juniper, litsea cubeba, ginger, bitter orange.  You have just created a very expensive citronella-like bug repellant candle.  Sad times.

I'm still experimenting with adding floral waxes to the candles.  It seems to be the only economical way to add faint floral aromas to the candle.  It would be cost prohibitive to add rose or jasmine as they are so incredibly expensive, but high quality floral waxes add a soft roundness to candle aroma.  More on this another time.

BURN: As I've mentioned earlier the type of wax and wick one chooses for their candle has a great deal to do with how long the candle burns.  The container or candle holder also determines candle burn time and success rate.  I am only experimenting with container candles, so I can only speak on my experiences with this type of candle.  I've noted that candle containers that are tall and skinny (like the candles with saints and religious vows printed on them) are harder to master.  Candle holders that are short cylinders or have a wide mouth seem a bit easier to burn.  I've wondered how accurately one can record burn times of candles?  Will I have to burn the candle in four hour intervals to accurately gauge how long the candle will burn for?

I can recommend sticking with one type of container for experiments with candle making.  Each time you change the candle holder, you must change the wick and some waxes and wicks work better in different styles of containers.  To cut down on the confusion, I've found sticking with one container is best.  I'm currently working on mastering one scent, with one wick in one container.

Wish me luck.  Oh, and if anyone's interested in purchasing some overpriced citronella scented candles, let me know.

p.s. the talented Marla Bosworth also provided assistance in my candle making.  I think I may be a lost cause.

Charna also makes natural perfumes, her company is Providence Perfume Co.

Unsolicited Advice is . . . unsolicited

 By Charna, Providence Perfume Co - 100% all natural perfume

"You should try and make your perfume's lighter.  They smell too old-ladyish."

"You know what your next fragrance should be called?  Xylophone!"

"I wish that you would make something that smelled more like perfume X."

"I wish you would make something that smelled less like perfume X."

"Are you that lady that makes all natural perfumes?  What do you have that smells like Tommy Hilfiger?"

"Are you wearing one of these perfumes that you made?  I'd like to smell it on you.  Maybe on your neck?  Are you single?"

"Why don't you try selling your perfumes at farmers markets or craft shows?"

"You should make your perfumes cheaper."

"I don't like natural perfumes.  Why can't you make something that smells like perfume X?"

"I wish you would make your perfumes lighter.  They're too strong for me.  Why don't you make a light pretty perfume?"

"I wish your perfumes lasted longer.  They fade too fast.  Have you considered making them stronger?  When I wear Curious, by Britney Spears it lasts all day!"

I've heard (or overheard) all the following comments in the past month.  Being a micro business owner requires a thick skin.  If someone doesn't like your logo or your labels or your product or your website the blame falls squarely on your shoulders.  There's no blaming Ted in accounting for a clerical error.  All business decisions are made by you.  When people offer you their sincere unsolicited advice on your business it's hard not to be offended, especially when they're criticizing something you've created.  Something that speaks to you.  Something you've toiled over and offered up on a silver platter.

And therein lies the dilemma!  It can be hard to separate ourselves from our product.  I remind myself that there is no pleasing everyone.  I do appreciate feedback, but in the end I make my own choices.  I put my head down and stick to my guns.  I try and trust my intuition and remind myself that it's gotten me this far.

Win a free bottle of Providence Perfume's DIVINE NOIR perfume!

Our newest perfume Divine Noir has launched to critical acclaim!  Check out the review of Divine Noir on Ca Fleure Bon and enter to win a FREE 1 ounce bottle of the vintage inspired Divine Noir perfume (retail value $115.00)

Enter a comment at: http://www.cafleurebon.com/new-fragrance-review-providence-perfume-co-divine-noir-charna-ethier-goes-vintage-splice-your-own-draw for a chance to win.

Hurry--the contest ends tomorrow night: Tuesday evening August 14th.  A winner will be chosen on Wednesday August 15th.

Divine Noir natural eau de parfum

Providence Perfume Co. Launches New Scent: Divine Noir

Providence Perfume Co. Debuts Divine Noir Eau de Parfum

Vintage Inspired 100% Natural Perfume

PROVIDENCE, RI, August 04, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Providence Perfume Co. will debut their new all natural perfume DIVINE NOIR on August 7th.

The fragrance Divine Noir is a darker foil to the natural perfumery's popular orange blossom scent Divine. Divine eau de parfum, composed by perfumer Charna Ethier is an ode to a glamorous friend who is never without her red lipstick. Divine Noir is a deeper, richer interpretation of the original Divine fragrance. Divine Noir is the little black dress worn after dark.

"My Grandmother's dressing table, with its ever present bottle of Youth Dew perfume captivated me as a child. What mystery that dark perfume held! The deep brown liquid evoked glamour and drama. Without even smelling the perfume, there was an anticipation of enigmatic elegance. In composing Divine Noir, I wanted to capture the sensuality and style of a bygone era using luxurious natural ingredients," Charna Ethier explains.

Ms. Ethier created a dark Madagascar vanilla bean tincture, and built an interesting rootbeer like accord with the addition of sarsaparilla, aged patchouli and liberal amounts of oakmoss into the composition.

Top Notes: bitter orange, coriander, bergamot
Heart Notes: orange blossom, neroli, jasmine grandiflorum, rose absolue
Base Notes: oakmoss, angelica, vanilla bean, elemi, aged patchouli

Divine Noir eau de parfum will be available online at http://www.providenceperfume.com and at select stockists beginning August 7, 2012.

Providence Perfume Co. is an independent 100% natural perfumery devoted to creating artisan perfumes utilizing the finest essences available. Perfumes are hand blended by perfumer Charna Ethier who has garnered global recognition for her innovative natural fragrances.

To learn more, visit http://www.providenceperfume.com or call 401-256-8272. Please contact Charna at Providence Perfume Co.: info@providenceperfume.com

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Pantone Perfumes: A Guide For Creating Colorful Perfumes

 

By Charna from Providence Perfume Co., 100% natural perfume

 

Lady Gaga and I have precisely one thing in common: a black perfume in our roster.  According to a recent press release, Gaga is launching a new black hued perfume called Fame which morphs from black to clear when sprayed.  Hmmm, the wonders of modern chemistry?  My perfume is nearly black (and stays that way) from the addition of lots of delightful dark essences such as oakmoss and black tea. 

I've noticed a slew of colored perfumes being launched by the mainstream perfume industry of late and it pleases me immensely. This is a trend I can get behind.  If there's one thing we natural perfumers do well it's colored perfumes!  Now to be fair, these mainstream perfumes are artificially colored.  However, nature provides a wide spectrum of colors for the natural perfumer to paint with.  In fact, it's often difficult to create a natural perfume that isn't colored.  As a perfumer I made a conscious decision to use any essence I desired when creating my line, regardless of how its addition effected the final color of the perfume.  If I were to limit myself to using clear oils and absolutes I'd be left with only a handful of essences to work with.  I wish to expand, not reduce my palette.  This meant I would have accept that my natural perfumes were sometimes dark brown, or black or green when filtered.  

Despite the fact that I had accepted these colored perfumes, I wondered how potential customers would react.  Would consumers be less likely to purchase my Osmanthus Oolong eau de parfum because it was a dark gray color?  Would the jade tone of Tabac Citron quell sales?  My line has a distinct voice and color; perfumes so very different than the mainstream perfume industry.  Artisanal fragrances.  Perfumes made in small batches, by hand using incredibly rare, expensive natural essences that just so happen to be brightly colored.  I'm happy to report that little fuss and few comments have been made about the colors of my fragrances.  I expected the colors of the perfumes to be more off putting to the consumer than they seem to be.  Acceptance!  I have been asked on occasion if I dye my perfumes, to which I reply, "No, Mother Nature does."

As for me?  I'm drawn to the mystery of a dusky scent.  I'm tired of girly fruity floral scents.  Hygienic clear bottles of scent hold no promise for me.  Be gone era of clean, clear perfumes meant to evoke purity.  I'm a vintage perfumista at heart.  Bring on the deep, dark, richness of amber colored perfumes!  While Estee Lauder's Youth Dew may not be my favorite scent, the fascination I feel when gazing upon it's dark liquid is palpable.  Without even a sniff, Youth Dew makes it apparent that it's rich and deep and resinous.  What secrets are locked inside that dark brown nectar?  

So, along these lines I've created a quick perfume color guide.  The following botanical essences possess serious color saturation.  Adding more than a few drops will color a perfume quickly.  In you've ever wondered why or how a natural perfume obtained it's hue read on.

GREEN: lavender absolute, lavender seville absolute, green tea absolute, violet leaf absolute, tobacco absolute, mint absolute, sweet clover absolute, rooibos (red tea) absolute, fir balsam absolute, geranium absolute, rosemary and basil absolutes.

BLUE: blue tansy, chamomile

ORANGE: rose absolute, pink lotus absolute, tuberose absolute, boronia absolute, immortelle absolute.

YELLOW: genet (broom) absolute, jasmine grandiflorum absolute, saffron absolute, 

BROWN/BLACK: black tea absolute, cocoa absolute, coffee, angelica absolute, oakmoss absolute, cedarmoss, cedarwood absolute, vanilla absolute, labdanum.

Wishing you technicolor perfumed dreams.

If you have any questions about a natural fragrance or natural perfumes please contact Charna at providenceperfume@gmail.com. 

My First Love - JASMINE!

 

Providence Perfume Co. is an all natural perfume company.

I'm mad for Jasmine.  Simply infatuated.

I can't recall the first time I smelled the lush aroma of Jasmine.  I grew up in New England, a region not exactly famous for it's jasmine cultivation.  I believe my first contact with Jasmine would be as a teenager working the perfume counter at Macy's.  I went wild with smelling every perfume I could.  I sniffed every exotic gorgeously packaged mainstream perfume I had missed out on growing up in a small rural town.  The perfume counter at Macy's was glamour and glitz and sophistication.  I found myself drawn to a variety of scents and they all had one note in common: jasmine.

Now I realize what I was huffing was most likely synthetic jasmine.  It wasn't until I was a bit older that I actually smelled real jasmine absolute.  Jasmine absolute is so incredible, so creamy and full and plump; in my opinion it's aroma is unable to be wholly duplicated by aroma chemicals.  In Jean-Claude Ellena's book Perfume, the Alchemy of Scent he comprised a pared down list of essences he uses for perfumery he calls "The Collection."  The list is smaller than you might expect.  I found it interesting that along with Jasmal, Jasmolacton and Jasmonal H (synthetic jasmines) Ellena also lists Jasmin absolute and Jasmin Sambac absolute.  It's also interesting to note that Jasmine is the only aroma included in the collection in five different compilations.  From this we learn that Jasmine is IMPORTANT to perfumery and that real Jasmine absolute is UNDUPLICATABLE.

Fast forward a few years and I find myself working for Aveda surrounded by real Jasmine.  I was in jasmine heaven.  During this time I found that jasmine possesses universal appeal.  While many customers wrinkled their noses at the scent of patchouli and even rose, they smiled when sniffing the sweet aroma of jasmine.  I learned my lesson well.  Even now, when blending a custom scent for a more err  . . . challenging client I reach for the jasmine.  When all else fails, jasmine triumphs!

There is a jasmine for every preference.  Sweet jasmine, musky jasmine, dirty jasmine, filthy jasmine.  When teaching Introductory Natural Perfume classes, I'll often pass around a bottle of unlabeled jasmine grandiflorum for everyone to smell.  When I ask the class what essence they think they're sniffing many will guess correctly it's jasmine.  I'll then pass around bottles of jasmine sambac, jasmine flexile, jasmine auriculatum.  Silence.  Many haven't smelled these jasmines.  Many are surprised that jasmine can vary so wildly in aroma.  We talk of indole and jasmine.  We laugh.

- Jasmine is present in many of my perfumes.
- Jamine's beauty beckons me.
- Jasmine blends well with all essences.
- Jasmine is a team player. In perfumery jasmine is happy to take a supporting role or be a star.
- Jasmine is indispensable and important.

If you have any Jasmine absolute, go grab it and take a deep long sniff.  See what I mean?  It's just that good.

In celebration of the Natural Perfumers Guild sixth anniversary blog event, the following perfumers are participating by sharing stories of their first love.  From sandalwood to rose, be sure to check these articles out (see below.)

http://perfumebynature.blogspot.com

http://anyasgarden.blogspot.com

http://www.matriarch.biz/blog.html

bellyflowers.blogspot.com

http://www.roseenbos.com/category/blog

www.lesparfumsisabelle.co.uk

http://joannebassett.com/natural_perfumes

www.oneseedcompany.com

http://ellenoire.blogspot.ca

http://africanaromatics.com/int/

Visit our website to learn more about natural perfumes or contact Charna at providenceperfume@gmail.com.

Citrus Showdown

Providence Perfume Co. specializes in natural perfume.

 

I love the scent of citrus.  Bring on the blood orange, the yuzu the red mandarin! Recently I ordered a slew of citrus oils to restock my supply.  Ordering citrus oils in smaller quantities is important as citrus essential oils can loose their fresh aroma quickly.  Cold pressed citrus oils have the most incredible aroma (important for perfumery use) but also the shortest shelf life due to the high proportion of terpenes which promote oxidation.  Best to purchase these citrus oils in small quantities and replace more frequently.  Another tip to keep citrus oils vibrant?  Store in the refrigerator to help preserve freshness.

As a citrus loving perfumer, one conundrum I face is the photosensitizing nature of cold pressed citrus oils.  Use too much cold pressed lime essential oil in a perfume and you may find the area where you spritzed darkened and irritated after sun exposure.  Bergaptene free bergamot oil is essential to any perfumers palette as the photosensitizing bergaptene has been removed.  Steam distilled citrus oils do not photosensitize, but I find the aroma dull.  Cold pressed citrus oils sing, whereas steam distilled citrus oils hum . . . quietly . . . off-key.  You get the idea.  Always utilize caution when blending with cold pressed citrus oils. 

Andrea Butje of The Aromahead Institute recently published an informative article on citrus oils that don't photosensitize such as green mandarin and sweet orange. Great info!  To read her blog post in it's entirety, click here: http://www.aromahead.com/blog/2010/03/22/citrus-essential-oils-avoiding-phototoxicity/

I recently ordered yuzu, blood orange, bitter orange, green bitter orange, bergamot and 10-fold orange essential oils.  I've never experienced any of the folded citrus oils.  I was curious about the usage of folded oils in candles and possibly perfume application.  Folded citrus oils are concentrated and lower in d-Limonene terpenes. The higher the number of the folded oil, the more times it's been folded, or concentrated. I must admit I was disappointed by the 10x orange essential oil.  Despite it's strength, it lacked the fresh quality cold pressed essential oils possess.  Smelled from the bottle the 10 fold orange oil smells strongly of the bitter white pith of the orange rind.  When diluted and applied to the skin, the bitter pithy aroma eventually dissipates leaving a long lasting orange aroma.  

Further experimentation is needed to discern if folded citrus oils will suit my perfume palette.  

While I've been a fan of Liberty Natural Products cold pressed Dominican Bitter Orange oil, my new bottle arrived smelling dull.  A disappointment.  Happily I ordered Bitter Green Orange from Eden Botanicals which was fresh and green and much more to my liking.  Similar in aroma to a sharp yuzu it adds a crisp clean top note aroma I adore.

With the low cost of citrus oils, sampling from a variety of suppliers is always preferential as quality varies wildly.  Have a citrus gem or dud to share?  Feel free to leave a comment.

 

Coming soon,  see our blog explaining about organic perfume.

For more information on our natural perfumes please contact Charna at providenceperfume@gmail.com.

 

Providence Perfume Now Available at Beauty Habit!

We are thrilled to announce that Providence Perfume Co.'s full line of natural perfumes have been picked up by the major beauty etailer Beauty Habit!

It's incredibly exciting to be offered the opportunity to highlight natural perfumery and introduce our fine botanical fragrances to a wider audience.  

Check us out here:   http://www.beautyhabit.com/providenceperfumeco.html

Look for a new launch promotion special to be running soon!

Tincture Madness

A new blog post on my new blog discussing the merits of using handcrafted tinctures in perfumery.  Check it out at: http://www.providenceperfume.com/blogs/news/5820806-tincture-madness

New Blog, New Joy, New Year

Hello All, Please visit my new blog at www.providenceperfume.com/blogs/news

 I am participating in a Natural Perfumers Guild Project titled "Joy in January" where we will be doing a three day giveaway of cheerful uplifting scents to help banish the winter blues. Yesterday's giveaway included our Divine perfume, an uplifting blend of bitter orange, orange blossom, rose, vanilla and botanical musk seed on an amber base AND a sample of the most incredible bitter orange essential oil I've ever sampled--pure sunshine in a bottle. 

Enter for a chance to win scented goodies from all participating perfumers.  For a complete list of participants and to enter for a chance to win, visit our new blog at:
http://www.providenceperfume.com/blogs/news/5210812-joy-in-january-giveaway

Happy Holidays and Free Shipping from Providence Perfume Co.!

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'Tis The Giving Season Happy Holidays from Providence Perfume Co! Providence perfume Co. - all natural perfume The Holiday Season is upon us!  Our gift to you fragrance fans?  Free Shipping! We would like to offer free U.S. shipping to our valued customers until Dec. 20th.  Enter Code: FREEHOLIDAYSHIP at checkout and your entire order ships for free! Our travel atomizers make perfect stocking stuffers, hint-hint. And speaking of gifts, our Amber Cream body oil has made Ca Fleure Bon's 2011 Holiday Gift Guide!  They are offering a fantastic giveaway of luxurious covetable holiday gifts (including our body oil) online at:  http://www.cafleurebon.com/cafleurebon-holiday-gift-guide-think-outside-the-bottle-draw/ Hurry--the giveaway ends Dec.8th! We recently received two fantastic reviews of our perfumes Eva Luna and Jazmina.  Both are pretty feminine florals created from premier tuberose and the finest jasmine sambac we've ever sourced.  An excerpt from the review of Eva Luna reads: " . . . The natural tuberose note is creamy and gentle, not dramatic in a Fracas-like way, and it emerges softly through the slight mossiness of the fragrance’s heart. I enjoy this transformation from foliage to florals in Eva Luna. It feels like walking from a garden (a vegetable garden!) into a forest of moss-hung trees, and then encountering a single white (magical?) flower growing in a dusky clearing." -Jessica, Now Smell This http://www.nstperfume.com/2011/12/02/providence-perfume-co-eva-luna-fragrance-review/ Of Jazmina solid perfume, Victoria at Eau MG writes: "Jasmine is the star here . . . the florals used in Jazmina are top-notch. The solid perfume blooms with time. It's elegant, but very impassioned . . ." Victoria, Eau MG http://www.eaumg.net/providence-perfume-co-jazmina-solid-perfume-review/ Attention Local Fans:  Our perfumer Charna will be at the East Side Unversity Heights Whole Foods this Saturday from 2-4 as part of the "Buy Local Holiday Gifts" event.  Stop by to meet, greet and receive free samples of our fine natural perfumes. Over and out.  Happy Holidays to all and may your celebrations be merry and fragrant!

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Gee, you smell terrific!

Providence Perfume Co., an all natural perfumes company

In a recent interview, I was asked the question: "How do you know when you've created a remarkable scent?  How do you know when you've hit a proverbial perfume home-run?"  I was perplexed.  I paused, and then realized I had no idea what to say.  I stumbled a bit and then awkwardly fell back on the only truthful answer I could give: "There's no way to tell."

I wish I was constantly stopped and asked by strangers, "What is the incredible scent you are wearing?" or told, "Gee, you smell terrific!"  I'm not.  In all fairness, I wear less perfume than I used to.  I spend so much time blending, and working on perfumes I can't wear fragrance that will interfere with my sense of smell.  I've made the mistake of using a scented lotion or shower gel and then applying a perfume I'm working on.  I'll puzzle over the fact it smells differently than it did the day before, only to realize I've applied a scented lotion that morning.  I've learned to be careful with what I wear when I'll be working.  I do wear fragrances when I go out to dinner or to meet friends for a drink, and sometimes just to run errands especially if I'm feeling slovenly.  As if a spritz or two of perfume will make strangers forget I'm wearing yoga pants and uncombed hair!  I do love perfume, however I'm now careful of when and where I apply it - ah, the classic perfumers dilemma.

On a humorous note, I have had the opposite reaction to being perfumed.  Recently, I was pouring large batches of solid perfumes for a wholesale order.  I had been working on filling the solids all day and was pouring larger quantities than normal.  The hours flew by and before I knew it, it was time to pick my kids up from kindergarten and I was late.  I raced to the car and drove quickly to the school to pick them up.  As I exited the car, the teacher's aide who was waiting with the children physically recoiled from me.  In my rush, I realized I was covered in traces of assorted oils and had spilled some balm on my jeans.  I was an overly scented hot mess.  She smiled weakly and thrust the children towards me who happily hugged me.  They are accustomed to their sometimes malodorous mommy.  As I drove away I tried to imagine what the teacher's aide thought of my disheveled appearance and pungent aroma.  I pictured her walking into the teacher's lounge and stating: "Wow - did you guys meet that mom who wears WAY too much perfume?  She reeks!"

Back to the topic at hand.  How do you know when you've created an amazing, best selling natural perfume?  Despite my initial stumble, the interviewer did pose an interesting question.  Maybe she hoped to hear it was easy for me to recognize when a perfume would be a bestseller.  I would finish the perfume, put away my supplies and spend the rest of the day in a satisfied state.

Maybe some perfumers just know.  Maybe there would be a universal chorus of accolades.  Friends, family, critics would unanimously decide the scent was perfect, remarkable, wonderful!  Nothing could be further from the truth.

When I blended my perfume Gypsy, I really loved it.  I was thrilled it aged well, deepening and becoming richer and smoother.  I only modified the perfume slightly from my initial blend, which is unusual for me.  I usually make many modifications until I get the perfume just the way I want it.  Once the modifications have been aged, even more revisions are made.  It's a process.  With Gypsy, I felt I had created a good perfume that needed little revision.  I was confident it was well blended, and well balanced.  When I had friends and family sample Gypsy their replies were luke-warm.  Nobody disliked it, but no rave reviews were received.  I was puzzled as I found Gypsy really wonderful.  Rich and retro, with a bit of an original modern day spin.  Pink lotus, tonka, lavender  . . . many notes in sum, harmonizing in a smooth velvety manner.  Fast forward a year and Gypsy has become one of my bestselling natural perfumes.

I describe this scenario as it answers the question the interviewer asked.  I answered there was no way to know when I had created a "bestseller."  There was no initial chorus of compliments, no immediate sense of having created a "home-run."  I liked it.  I thought it was lovely.  Did I know it was going to sell well?  No.  Did I know critics and reviewers would like it?  No.  And while I do like getting feedback on my natural perfumes and packaging and promotions, in the end it all comes down to me, and my sense of what I think is good, what I think works.  I'm not always right, but I'm always the most important opinion.