Anyone who's not familiar with my Spring scent experiment can read up in these blog posts: Spring Scent Experiment 1 and Spring scent experiment 2
I've now managed to create a alcohol based blend that's actually not that stinky. It took a while getting it right and I wouldn't say it's deep and mesmerizing in any way, but at least it's not painful to inhale.
I used the following:
5 ml strawberry greens extract
1 ml rowanblossom extract
5 drops of vanilla extract
The result is something that smells a bit like strawberry white chocolate. The strawberry greens smell of, well, strawberries, the vanilla is barely detectable and the rowanblossoms add weight and oiliness, thus creating a scent vision of strawberry white chocolate.
So now I am thinking, what should I use it for? A problem is that it's weak, it's difficult to feel a thing unless you're sniffing it directly from the cup. If I rub some in I don't feel much after the initial minutes. I thought about getting a soap making hobby kit and pour it into soaps, but when reading on the internet it seems like you're supposed to have an oil based blend to do that. So, now I'm a bit at loss with what I should do with my creation. Pour it into my perfume free deodorant, maybe? That one at least I'm pretty sure is alcohol based.
This was my first try, I just wish I had more stuff to blend from, with a proper library of scents, I would have so much fun! And I've ordered Mandy Aftels "Essence and Alchemy" so if anyone has felt alarmed by my approach to things, just breathe calmly and relax, everything will be just fine.
Showing posts with label experiment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label experiment. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
Spring scent experiment, part 2
My two little jars containing rowan blossoms, mentioned and depicted in the blog post Spring scent experiment, have been waiting in my liquor cabinet for a few days. Every now and than I've opened the jars and pondered on the smell inside. It's very hard to describe. The scent of rowan blossoms is pretty funky to start with and after maturation it is now sweeter, fruitier and somehow oilier and wider. If I'm going to try to explain, think about fermented honeysuckle that's on the verge of going bad and you'd be somewhere in the right neighbourhood.
A scent like this might need something fresher and lighter to go with it, so I've been thinking about using green or citrus notes to add a bit of freshness. I've also been thinking about the old chefs proverb: "Grows together, goes together". Great to keep in mind while composing a meal, it will be interesting to see how it works when composing a perfume.
Yesterday we were having strawberries with cream for dessert and I collected the green little cut-offs from the strawberries and put into alcohol. I was hoping to capture the "greenness" that should rightfully be in them. However, the result is more on the fruity side so far. An idea I have is to pair the strawberry booze and rowan blossom extract with nettles. Or maybe I might jump on the dessert bandwagon and go for vanilla instead? Hm, I'm waiting for my cold to pass before I decide...
About the oil, I'm thinking of pairing the rowan with lemon and spices, heading towards lemon gingerbread. Might not be so "springy" but I've a feeling that the oil will carry the spices well and the lemon will mostly just be a contrast. I'm getting inspiration from South Indian food where it's common, when finishing a dish, to fry spices in a good helping of oil and then pouring the oil on top of your dish. Again, when my cold is getting better I'll be ready to start the real experimentation. God, I'm looking forward to that!
A scent like this might need something fresher and lighter to go with it, so I've been thinking about using green or citrus notes to add a bit of freshness. I've also been thinking about the old chefs proverb: "Grows together, goes together". Great to keep in mind while composing a meal, it will be interesting to see how it works when composing a perfume.
Yesterday we were having strawberries with cream for dessert and I collected the green little cut-offs from the strawberries and put into alcohol. I was hoping to capture the "greenness" that should rightfully be in them. However, the result is more on the fruity side so far. An idea I have is to pair the strawberry booze and rowan blossom extract with nettles. Or maybe I might jump on the dessert bandwagon and go for vanilla instead? Hm, I'm waiting for my cold to pass before I decide...
About the oil, I'm thinking of pairing the rowan with lemon and spices, heading towards lemon gingerbread. Might not be so "springy" but I've a feeling that the oil will carry the spices well and the lemon will mostly just be a contrast. I'm getting inspiration from South Indian food where it's common, when finishing a dish, to fry spices in a good helping of oil and then pouring the oil on top of your dish. Again, when my cold is getting better I'll be ready to start the real experimentation. God, I'm looking forward to that!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Spring scent experiment
In my former blog post, the Zeta review, I mentioned that Zeta influenced me to do stuff I normally don't do. While wearing Zeta I kept thinking about different spring scents and I just got this enormous urge to create a spring scent of my own.
My first thought where to start was getting lilacs. There is plenty of them here and they are in bloom right now. So I packed my daughter into her pram and went out in search of them. But the ones I saw were all very obviously growing in some ones garden or in a pot on some ones balcony. I just couldn't bring myself to snatch some sprigs.
However, what I did find, growing freely, was my old pal, the rowan. I tried eating it in my Spring scent safari 2 blog post and was surprised that it tasted not very sour or bitter, but more like nougat. There were lots of rowans in full bloom near my house, so I promptly picked a big bunch of flowers to take home.
Now, rowan blossoms do not have a very pleasant smell. I think they cater more towards insects than people. They smell smokey, fishy and a little bit funky. Interesting, in other words. They might not make a great soliflore, but might help add character to something else.
In order to get as much scent out of the blossoms as possible I ran them in the blender to smash them up real good. I'm not sure if this was a great idea. In a matter of seconds the flowers started to oxidise and went from cauliflower white to brown. With fruits and wine oxidation damages taste so a note to self: No more flowers in the blender.
Then I needed a medium to carry the scent. I decided to split the blossoms into two jars containing two different mediums; rapseed oil and alcohol. Now I suppose pure alcohol is better than a half used up bottle of Bacardi, but in the spur of the moment, this is what I could come up with digging through my cupboards. Note the label on the bottle of oil, it must be a sign ;)
So, this is what I've got so far. One jar of mashed rowan blossoms in oil and one in alcohol. Andy Tauer, I'm sure you have better things to do than reading this, but if you do, just so you know, you made me do this!
And, just to be clear, I don't have the slightest idea how you're supposed to extract scent from flowers. I'll read up on it eventually but for now, this is just a crazy little experiment. You got to start somewhere, right?
My first thought where to start was getting lilacs. There is plenty of them here and they are in bloom right now. So I packed my daughter into her pram and went out in search of them. But the ones I saw were all very obviously growing in some ones garden or in a pot on some ones balcony. I just couldn't bring myself to snatch some sprigs.
However, what I did find, growing freely, was my old pal, the rowan. I tried eating it in my Spring scent safari 2 blog post and was surprised that it tasted not very sour or bitter, but more like nougat. There were lots of rowans in full bloom near my house, so I promptly picked a big bunch of flowers to take home.
Now, rowan blossoms do not have a very pleasant smell. I think they cater more towards insects than people. They smell smokey, fishy and a little bit funky. Interesting, in other words. They might not make a great soliflore, but might help add character to something else.
In order to get as much scent out of the blossoms as possible I ran them in the blender to smash them up real good. I'm not sure if this was a great idea. In a matter of seconds the flowers started to oxidise and went from cauliflower white to brown. With fruits and wine oxidation damages taste so a note to self: No more flowers in the blender.
Then I needed a medium to carry the scent. I decided to split the blossoms into two jars containing two different mediums; rapseed oil and alcohol. Now I suppose pure alcohol is better than a half used up bottle of Bacardi, but in the spur of the moment, this is what I could come up with digging through my cupboards. Note the label on the bottle of oil, it must be a sign ;)
So, this is what I've got so far. One jar of mashed rowan blossoms in oil and one in alcohol. Andy Tauer, I'm sure you have better things to do than reading this, but if you do, just so you know, you made me do this!
And, just to be clear, I don't have the slightest idea how you're supposed to extract scent from flowers. I'll read up on it eventually but for now, this is just a crazy little experiment. You got to start somewhere, right?
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