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.

Monday, September 1, 2014

Labor Day Reflections - Assisting the Sorceress


Guest post by AZAR

I have no doubt that Olympic Orchids Perfumes are magical.  Ellen Covey's success as an indie perfumer is grounded in her creative spirit and reinforced by her extensive knowledge of fragrance materials, countless hours at the perfume organ, carefully considered artistic marketing and her commitment to the time-consuming and repetitive tasks associated with any successful enterprise. While I have no illusions about my ability to create a fragrance, I do know that I can handle the time-consuming and repetitive.  In my experience even the most glamorous jobs can dull with repetition.  I have also learned that it takes a relatively high level of discipline to successfully perform the same small motor task over and over again without losing focus or precision (both lessons learned from 60 years at the piano).  I am certain that my talent for the tedious could be put to good use on a fragrance sample assembly line. 

Unfortunately, many of today's independent perfumers and niche fragrance houses cannot be bothered to offer samples.  The labor and expense involved in filling, labeling, packaging and posting the samples is not seen as cost effective.  These guys rely on their websites, social media and the blogging community to sell their perfumes.  Why go to all the trouble of offering samples when new customers can be so easily manipulated into blind, full bottle buys?  I have succumbed to this strategy more often than I care to admit. As a result I have come to appreciate and support the perfumers who offer their customers a sniff.

About a month ago I visited my friend Ellen with the express purpose of putting together samples.  Before we began she took me on a tour of her bamboo grove, orchard and gardens.  She opened and shared some newly arrived absolutes and then we headed upstairs to the atelier where we tested (and Ellen tweaked) several soon to be released fragrances.  After all the fun we finally set to work putting together samples of California Chocolate.

I am no stranger to decanting and labeling but have had no previous experience with the solo assembly line.  Ellen gave me the simple tasks of labeling tiny plastic bags, labeling and filling vials and packaging the samples in the bags.  She monitored my progress and gave me helpful suggestions along the way.  A pipette gun with disposable tips and a rack for vials made working the line a lot easier.  My first adventure in serious sample production was rather slow and clumsy but I know, that with practice, my speed and precision will improve.  As a reward for the work, both Brad and I were treated to a fabulous salmon dinner prepared by Ellen and Michael followed by an amazing dessert of ice cream, guava sauce, whipped cream and figs freshly picked from Ellen's garden. "Nice work if you can get it…".

Now for a Belated Labor Day Give-Away:  I have one mixed bag of ten or so niche and indie decants and carded samples that I am offering for a draw.  These are all scents that I enjoy, including, of course, a sample from Olympic Orchids Perfumes.  To be eligible for the draw, reveal (if possible) approximately how many samples you have laying around your house, place of business, in your car, purse wherever.  Have you developed a workable plan to store your samples? Let us hear about it!  Entries will close September 7 and winners will be announced in a subsequent post.  I'm sorry but I have to limit the draw to US addresses this time around.

Azar xx 

[Thank you, Azar! All photos are mine (Ellen's).  I just realized that the photo of my perfume organ was taken a while back when it was younger, smaller, and cuter. I see now how quickly it has grown!]

11 comments:

  1. Oh dear, I'm not sure I want to admit how many samples I have. Is over 100 too many? My current storage system uses a couple of photo storage cases with six 4x6 boxes in each, with the samples grouped by source. I'm still working through many of them again and while this might not be ideal it works for me for now. (This weekend I also made a spreadsheet to help me remember which ones I loved and which were NOT ME!)
    USA reader.

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    1. Cynthia, over 100 is definitely not too many. I have thousands. I also keep a log of what I have and notes/reviews of everything I try. Having the spreadsheet will help you avoid getting duplicates of samples you already have!

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    2. Hi Cynthia Mc,
      I like your ideas for storage and Ellen's log of notes and reviews. I have got to do SOMETHING about my samples. Thank you for your suggestions. You are IN the draw!
      Azar/AKA Gail

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  2. Oh yes the samples. To avoid overcrowding I often force me to empty them, it should not remain me over 100 currently. I stock them now in a drawer of my desk, on my workplace. As my colleague quickly noticed my love of perfumes it allows me to introduce them to things they do not know. If a colleague likes horror as the last YSL or Lancome I give her a sample of sweet perfume but qualitative as Aomassai (caramel + Ebony). I also keep a sample of La Vie Est Belle, but only if it is necessary to cover the smell of defective toilet. The toilets are a bit the Hell of the samples, the room of the damned. On the other hand if I bring a sample in my own bathroom at home it means is really good and sometimes instead of read a good book I can spend my evening on the couch to smell them again .

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    1. Great suggestions! The perfect use for La Vie Est Belle, too. Several years ago a friend of mine gave me 100 ml of Victoria's Secret "something or other" in the squat, ridged bottle. I used it for bathroom freshener (unless my friend was visiting, of course) until I found out what it was going for on ebay. I was shocked!

      I often wonder what would happen if I decanted all the samples I don't like into one big bottle. Would it result in more bathroom freshener, perhaps insect repellant or ?

      Azar xx

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    2. Frederic, I'm sorry I haven't replied to the message you sent me on Facebook, but I haven't been able to access my FB messages for some time. Please send me an e-mail at my gmail address re your visit next month.

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  3. Previous comments make me ashamed for the number of samples I have! There were 14 once. I gave Enchanted Forest to my girlfriend, Elise by Rance & Puredistance I to my mom. So I've got only 11 currently.
    To store them, simply put them in a corner of me closet, on some empty perfume boxes. And made a case with chocolate box and staple to stand them upright. :D

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    1. Hello Farbod,
      Samples DO make great gifts! I think that my daughter and daughter-in-law will be getting more of mine soon. Great idea for re-using a chocolate box too! Those boxes make perfect little storage cases for rings or anything small and precious.
      Azar xx

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  4. After a week from hell, I'm finally back here. I should say that because of my work, I keep all those samples for reference. Oh, I do use some of them from time to time, but they mostly stay on the "library" shelves. I should sort through them some time and send duplicates to people as gifts. The drawing is tomorrow.

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  5. This is rather embarrassing! I think I only have about 30 or so. Some are in the plastic envelopes they arrived in to keep them together so I know where they came from. The BPAL samples are in a coffin shaped plastic container. The more incensey and vintage ones are in a carved sandalwood box. There is no real organization, I'm afraid!

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    1. Hi Laurie,
      Your "no real organization" method is actually light years ahead of mine. I just kind of secrete designer, niche and celeb samples in what seem, at the time, to be handy places. I find them everywhere. I do take better care of my indie samples, though, and tend to keep everything by the same indie perfumer in one place.
      Azar xx

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