What is the Perfume Project?

This blog is a constantly evolving forum for thoughts on perfume, perfume-making, plants (especially orchids and flora of the Pacific Northwest) and life in general. It started out chronicling the adventures of Olympic Orchids Perfumes, established in July 2010, and has expanded in other directions. A big part of the blog is thinking about the ongoing process of learning and experimentation that leads to new perfumes, the exploration of perfumery materials, the theory and practice of perfume making, the challenges of marketing perfumes and other fragrance products, and random observations on philosophy and society. Spam comments will be marked as such and deleted; any comments that go beyond the boundaries of civil discourse will also be deleted. I am grateful to all of you, the readers, who contribute to the blog by commenting and making this a truly interactive perfume project.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS AND BLACK PERFUME


In the Pacific Northwest we sometimes get a weather phenomenon called a “Pineapple Express”. It happens when a big current of warm, tropical air blows over the Pacific from Hawaii, and it causes a lot of rain. It usually happens in the winter, during the rainy season, so I suppose it’s actually one cause of the rainy season rather than an effect. The past couple of days we’ve had the unheard-of occurrence of a pineapple express during what should be the start of the summer dry season. Yesterday I read that there was flooding in one of the local shopping malls because the roof couldn’t handle that much rain all at one time. 

When I went out for a run yesterday morning, the air was humid and tropical, with all kinds of wet, green scents that I normally don’t smell in late June. The most striking one was a powerful smell of privet flowers. I don’t know where it was coming from, but it was unmistakable.  Overnight, a bunch of new bamboo shoots have emerged to go with the big new canes that are already growing. I’m afraid the warm, wet weather is going to stimulate the black bamboo even more than it already has been, sending it into a full-on manic phase of uncontrolled growth. I wonder if climate change is going to turn Seattle into Hawaii? The orchids would probably enjoy it. 

Yesterday I filtered the first small trial production batch of Blackbird EdP, and was a little surprised at how dark it is. I did use real blackberry fruit products, but didn’t realize how intense a color they would produce even in dilution. The other strongly colored material that I used is fir balsam absolute, which is dark green. Together they produce a juice that is near-black, at least in the Boston round storage bottle, about the color of a Cabernet Sauvignon, but more transparent. I hope it will be lighter colored in the thin spray bottle, but I also modified the formula to make a “Backbird light” (literally light), thinking that most people are probably scared of dark-colored perfumes. Fortunately the dark juice doesn’t color or stain my skin, but I worry about light-colored fabrics. I don’t want to ruin anyone’s expensive, white, designer shirt.

I’m happy to say that the light version smells pretty much like the dark one, at least in the concentrate, which is still quite dark. I haven’t seen the light version in dilution yet, so don’t know how much of an improvement it will be, but I’ve still got almost two weeks to decide which one to go with. I suppose that if Serge Lutens can do purple perfume, I can do burgundy, and it would be in keeping with the Blackbird theme, but I may cautiously settle for dark pink. 

[photos from Wikimedia. The flooding river photo shows one of our local streams during a pineapple express] 

8 comments:

  1. I would say go for burgundy!! I would feel tempted by a gorgeous color like that! I have seen some vintage perfume that is almost black, but more of a brownish black, and I've always been soo tempted to buy for the color alone!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nadja, I think it's going to be burgundy color no matter what. Even the "light" version is dark colored! I agree that colored perfume seems especially tempting. Also, the visual impression of darkness makes it seem stronger.

      Delete
  2. I agree with Nadja! The burgundy color would be gorgeous. I don't have to worry, though, about staining light colored clothing. I don't have any.

    The following is totally off topic: I know that you like to tincture flowers, leaves, herbs etc. Today, while gardening, I was totally overwhelmed by the scent of what is called stinkweed, you know that feathery leaved weed with the tiny pink flowers. It might be stinky on its own but I wonder if the powerful stinkweed might add something really interesting to a perfume? I'm serious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gail, I'm not big on light-colored clothing either, and neither is the Blackbird clothing store, so I guess the theme of burgundy-black perfume fits. The bottle is going to be the first of my screen-printed ones, with gold letters on a black background. They're at the printer right now, and I'm excited to see how they turn out!

      I'm not sure I know what you mean by "stinkweed", but I'm willing to tincture anything. Sounds like you have a supply so let's try it.

      Delete
    2. I'm really looking forward to your Blackbird debut, both the scent and the new black look.

      Stinkweed (Geranium robertianum), considered a noxious weed in WA, is also known as Herb Robert and Stinky Bob. I would really be surprised if you don't have it somewhere on your property. It is supposed to repel rabbits and deer but it has no effect on our resident bunnies and the deer seem to love it. I read somewhere that the new leaves are edible.

      Delete
    3. Oh, now I know what it is. I've always called it "wild geranium". I'm sure there's some growing somewhere on the property, so will check it out.

      Delete
  3. Market the dark one to goths, and every last one of us would buy it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laurie, the "light" one turned out dark, too, so goth it is. That works for me.

      Delete