by Jim Peterson | Jun 28, 2020 | Uncategorized
We are tropical primates and we smell like them. We each have an odor our own. Some fragrances suppress our smell, others heighten it; the best merge with it and bring about a personal scent, a scent that endures and becomes indelibly associated with whoever chooses...
by Jim Peterson | Jun 28, 2020 | Uncategorized
I’ve read so much about pheromones and, whether I’m certain they exist or not, I do know that certain perfumes cause sexual arousal. This has happened with three of my own perfumes—perfumes that have sent those who smell them directly into the bedroom. One perfumer...
by Jim Peterson | Jun 28, 2020 | Uncategorized
The other day I was gathering together my various perfume articles, printouts, and inventories, and found an article by Guy Robert, titled Base Notes of Perfumery. I’m not sure when it was printed, but judging by the compounds called for, I’d guess in the 60s. Since...
by Jim Peterson | Jun 28, 2020 | Uncategorized
Since Brooklyn Perfume Company is now offering hand sanitizer, I thought it would be fun to use a small amount of a precious substance to scent it. I tried different essential oils—neroli, yuzu, verbena to name a few—but decided against them because too much was...
by Jim Peterson | Jun 28, 2020 | Uncategorized
Ten years ago, I had a midlife crisis and bought a powerful motorcycle. Instead of slowly building my skills and becoming comfortable with the machine, I’d ride the bike on the FDR drive, the highway that runs along the east side of Manhattan. I would clench the...
by Jim Peterson | Jun 28, 2020 | Uncategorized
The word “Amber,” tells little of how such a perfume will smell. Sometimes spelled “ambra,” the word means one of three things: ambergris; an accord based on labdanum (which many say smells like ambergris; I fail to see the connection) and various balsams. In...
by Jim Peterson | Jun 28, 2020 | Uncategorized
I’ve been at a loss to describe Ambergris, my latest eau de parfum. One of my perfume friends could only exclaim, “This stuff is weird.” So, Kate has gotten on me for a more thorough description. The opening has the classic aroma of isopropyl alcohol, which is like...
by Jim Peterson | Jun 28, 2020 | Uncategorized
One afternoon, last week, I suddenly couldn’t smell anything. It took me awhile to realize that I was surrounded with intense aromas. I had just opened a new vial of Rose C02 and my head was spinning. The next day, my sense of smell was better, but my heart wasn’t...
by Jim Peterson | Jun 28, 2020 | Uncategorized
When my tinctures started smelling like isopropyl alcohol, panic moved in. My first thought was that tincturing in the light had been a mistake and that I had bleached the ambergris and made it worthless. Desperate, I searched around and landed on Wikipedia. Then I...
by Jim Peterson | Jun 28, 2020 | Uncategorized
Eight years ago, I didn’t know what ambergris was. It all started with a book from the fifteenth century, entitled De Honesta Voluptate translated into English as On Right Pleasure and Good Health, published in Latin with an English translation on the facing page. In...
