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Soliflores

Soliflores

There are two main approaches to creating a single-note fragrance, AKA a Soliflore: Mimic nature, or take a single raw material (or the concept of it), and amplify it, making it larger than life, exaggerate it.

You will learn about this and so much more in my upcoming online spring course, dedicated to Soliflores. We'll explore Floriography (The Language of Flowers), which was prevalent in Victorian times, when soliflores were also very popular in European perfumery. 

Aesthetically, the focus - and challenge - with Soliflores is working with restraint. Soliflores are minimalist conceptually, but require much skill, precision and attention to detail.

We will discover a dozen different floral themes that truly shine with the natural perfumer's palette - without using any synthetics or isolates. We will also learn how to work home-grown enfleurage and extrait into our formulations. Most importantly, we will have fun! 

The course is suitable for advanced students and working perfumers. It will begin April 27th, at 4:30pm GMT+2. Please register here

 

Listening to Smoke - A New Online Course Dedicated to Incense Appreciation

Listening to Smoke - A New Online Course Dedicated to Incense Appreciation
Burning incense on its own is an art form. Knowing when, how and what to burn in the precise quantities, and which technique is most suitable for a certain raw material is a pre-requisite for any incense-maker's traning, as well as to fragrance aficionado and incense lovers. This will help you understand the pyrotechnic aspects, and enable you to know which material is appropriate for which incense burning (and making) techniques.  
Last but not least, in this course we will learn how to burn, explore and appreciate  individual incense raw materials from the natural world, including fragrant woods, resins, spices, flowers, seeds, fruits and peels of fragrant botanicals and animal ingredients used for incense and rituals from time immemorial. 

In this fun online course, we'll learn about:
1) Types of incense 
2) How to explore and observe the raw materials
3) How to burn incense using several incense burning techniques
4) Exploring and observing the raw materials of incense 
5) Energetics of incense materials
6) Healing potential of incense burning
7) Incense and its role for mindfulness and emotional well-being
The Listening to Smoke online program includes a kit of key incense materials and tools that we will evaluate during the course and live sessions. 
The program is built from 6 sessions, that will take place over the summer on Thursdays, July 15th through September, from 8:00-9:00am Israel time. 
Introductory rate for students who sign up for the pilot program, please sign up no later than July 14th. 

Citrus & Colognes + Lab 101 Masterclass begins November 1st

Citrus & Colognes + Lab 101 Masterclass begins November 1st, 4:00-5:00pm Israel/Palestine Time.

You're invited to begin exploring the world of perfume creation though wonderfully accessible raw materials, some of them even from your grocery store, garden and citrus grove.

We'll learn how to create historic Aqua Mirabillis and Eaux de Colognes-style fragrances, Agua de Florida, and more. This is your entry ticket to learning in-depth perfume composition, and get over any fear you may have had from working the bench (scale, dilutions, complex looking formulae, etc.). If this sounds like magic to you, enjoy a 50% off the normal price for this correspondence course, and pay $450 instead of $900 for 12 Zoom classes, as well as online group support, email support and much more fun and friends all over the world! Students from all over the world have enjoyed connecting and learning through this format in our Spring & Summer sessions via Zoom and I'm excited to offer this introductory course again this fall. Looking forward to meeting you soon XO Ayala 

Oriental Perfumery and Incense Masterclass & Incense Route Odyssey in the Desert

An unforgettable learning & travelling experience - sign up now to ensure your spot! Only 2 left. 
We're starting the decade with launching a new and exciting format for the Oriental course - combining it with a trip along the Incense Route in the desert, and with a longer course that allows for deeper learning of this most ancient and elusive of all fragrance families. 

We're starting the decade with a new format for learning the Oriental Masterclass, going back in time to the spice caravans a trip to the ancient Nabatean cities along the legendary Incense Route, a full day of immersion in the world of incense,

The Spring 2020 Perfumery Course (March 10-19) brings together the best of all worlds: History, Art, Culture, Nature, Incense and Perfumery Studies. Prior to the original format of 5-day perfumery masterclass, students will spend two days touring the Incense Route in the desert, enjoy a full day of incense masterclass at Ayala Moriel's studio in Clil, followed by a visit to a monumental piece of art that is tucked away just a stone throw from the Lebanese border. 


The Incense Route is an UNESCO World Heritage Site that runs through the Negev Desert. A place that every perfumery student should visit for insights and inspiration regarding the very origins of perfume and incense. Students participating in this unusual Oriental Masterclass will also learn how to make incense based on an ancient formula, in a traditional method using natural botanical aromatics that were used for millennia, and then delve deep into incorporating this tangible, aromatic knowledge and experience into composing perfume, which will enable to have a richer and fuller understanding of the art of perfumery, both contemporary and traditional.

This spring, Ayala Moriel has teamed up with the exceptional local tour guide Yoav Avneyon who specializes in its culture and heritage, and will lead you through the most significant Nabatean cities along this route. Yoav is especially passionate about bringing back to life the times of the spice caravans that brought aromatic treasures from India, China through Arabia, Israel and eventually via sea to Europe and North Africa.

DATES & ITINERARY
March 10-11:
Trip to the Incense Route, lead by Yoav Avneyon. Yoav will pick you up from Tel Aviv and drive you through the desert landscapes of Southern Israel for an immersive experience in the ancient Nabatean cities. The cost for this trip is $525 per person, and is factored into the final price of the course. This price includes the guidance, travel in a special car to the desert and back to Tel Aviv, accommodation in a boutique hotel in gorgeous location - Mitzpeh Ramon (in a room that sleeps 2), as well as breakfast. All other meals are not included. 
March 12:
Incense Masterclass with Ayala Moriel (In her studio in Clil)
The morning will included in-depth study of ancient incense raw materials, incense ceremony, and a practical incense making workshop in the afternoon. 
March 13:
Visit to the Painted House in Shlomi

March 15-19:
Five Day Oriental Perfumery Masterclass with world-renown Master Perfumer Ayala Moriel, at her state-of-the art perfume studio, lab and fragrant garden located at the foothills of breathtaking village of Clil, overseeing the Mediterranean. A rare opportunity to learn from a master and world-leader of modern Natural Perfumery and truly immerse yourself in the perfume plants both wild and cultivated, and explore the region where perfume and incense originate. 
Designed for students who want to excel in their studies of natural perfumery. This portion of the program is an intensive Masterclass which will run Sun-Thu from 8:30am-3:30pm, and offers theoretical and practical guidance alongside hands-on lab exercises and experiments.

This session covers studying the raw materials, perfume structure, how to blend a formula, how to write a formula, building accords and creating simple solid perfumes, and basic Oriental formulation in an alcohol base. We will make Oriental Amber, Oriental Spicy, and Gourmand fragrances. 
 
The mornings (8:30am-12pm) are dedicated to theory and studying olfaction (discerning between notes). The afternoons (1pm-3:30pm) are a lab session which is dedicated to the practical implementations of what was studied in the morning, i.e. weighing, measuring, recording, formulation, composition and compounding.
 
The fee includes all materials and supplies used during the course, as well as a homemade vegetarian/vegan lunch, and fragrant refreshments served throughout the day. It does not include the book for the program, which should be purchased in advance and is the textbook for all of the other perfumery courses I teach. 

Prerequisites: This is a beginner/intermadiate course. Ideally, all students should have read the book and have taken the the Citrus & Colognes correspondence course prior to joining this masterclass.  

LOCATION 
Our new and improved Ayala Moriel's School of Perfumery & Aromatic Arts is located in a wonderful region full of creative artisans and I've already collaborated with a few - some of which have been featured guests at the perfume courses and workshops I've held, such as artisan distiller, bio-dynamic vintner, leather craftsman and a tobacco shack.     

The Middle East is one of the most exciting places for perfumeryfrom both botanical, cultural and historic points of view. You'll be able to "meet in person" many of the original, natural raw materials of perfumery in their natural habitat, as well as follow the Incense Route and explore some of the ancient souks still operating in the region. Naturally, I incorporate field trips to these locations as part of the course, to enrich the students and provide a well-rounded, inspiring perspective on the topic of the course. 

Additionally, I've built here a state-of-the-art studio space that is dedicated to the art of perfumery, and can comfortably accommodate up to 8 students and can function as a perfume school - either hours-long classes and workshops to full-week courses.

The unique program I've built showcases a marvellous perfume collection of natural, niche and vintage fragrances that every perfumer should know about; hundreds of raw materials - and most special of all: being surrounded by many living plants that are actually used in perfumery - both as raw materials and as livinig and breathing references. Some of these plants grow wild, and others I've planted in what is slowly becoming a unique botanical garden of perfume plants. 

As always, I'm happy to help make my students' stay in my "neighbourhood" as memorable, comfortable and enjoyable as possible. Because our new settings are so special and a little off-the-beaten track, I've teamed up with local businesses to offer you delicious lunches (complementary with your tuition), and have connections here that will help you find affordable and suitable accommodations within the village limits and the best services for all your needs (I've also prepared a special guide for you, which each student will receive upon registering to help you plan your trip). 

We'll also include some exciting fragrant field trips and feature workshop in each of the courses - experiences, smells and locations that were not possible in the previous settings and surroundings. 

COURSE/PRODUCT REVIEWS
Whether if you studied with me in person recently or long ago, have taken the correspondence courses, read my book - I would really appreciate you taking a moment to add a review and/or feedback of my program so that future students can also benefit from it! Adding your review is simple and easy, and would help me a great deal in continuing this program and getting more students interested and engaged. Simply click on the relevant course listed on my Perfume School Courses page, and click on the "write a review" button near the customers reviews at the bottom of the page. 

REGISTEATION 
Registration ends January 31st, so please ensure you reserve your spot prior to that date. This can be done either by paying the registration fee online, or for the course in full. If you require a payment plan or another arrangement please contact me directly. 
 

Looking forward to seeing you at my studio this spring!

Warm regards,

Ayala
 
*Images from the desert courtesy of Yoav AvneyonYoaview  

Highlights of Florientals Week - Spring 2019

Florientals Week-Long Course, March 31 - April 4, 2019
The second perfumery course this spring was dedicated to the Florientals fragrance family - certainly one of the most charming and popular of all the floral categories. Narcotic white florals are the stars, supported by the contralto warmth of amber, woods and incense.

Florientals Week-Long Course, March 31 - April 4, 2019
Among some of my favourites lined up here are SamsaraSongesOpium Fleur de ShanghaiAzure de Soleil/BronzeGoddess, Velvet GardeniaFleurs d'OrangerVintage Gardenia as well as some serious bombshells such as Narcisse NoirGardnia and l'Heure Bleue.
Florientals Week-Long Course, March 31 - April 4, 2019
Some of my contributions to the genre include Moon BreathYasminWhite PotionTreazon and GiGi.
Our Spinning Organ for Florientals Week-Long Course, March 31 - April 4, 2019
Our palette seemed particularly indulgent, with all the gorgeous, intoxicating white floral absolutes: Jasmine grandiflorum and jasmine sambac, orange blossom, tuberose, and a few kinds of ylang ylang.
Raw Materials for Florientals Week-Long Course, March 31 - April 4, 2019
The base notes were no less rich and delicious, with sandalwood, tonka bean, ambrette seed, vanilla, benzoin and several other balsamic notes giving the characteristic ambery quality. We learned how to create amber bases and how to incorporate them within the Florientals genre.
Scent Strips from Florientals Week-Long Course, March 31 - April 4, 2019
We ran through thousands of scent strips (my scented paper project round 2 is underway). These were used not only to study close to thirty fragrant building blocks, and doing several "blind tests", but also longingly through the composition process.
At the Baha'ii Gardens in Akko with My Fabulous Students! Florientals Week-Long Course, March 31 - April 4, 2019
And we visited the Bahji gardens and tomb near Akko, which is the Baha'ii faith's holiest site, to seek inspiration and scout out new scents, smells and insights. Each student found a different aspect of the garden inspiring and built a unique Floriental fragrance based on what they've found. Perfume school is not just about theory and technique, but also about being open minded, open hearted, and with nostrils wide open for new smells and ideas. And most importantly - being perceptive to the other students and their process, because we always have something to learn from one another as well.
At the Baha'ii Gardens in Akko
Seeking inspiration in the forms and structure of the garden.
At the Baha'ii Gardens in Akko
Finding new fragrant plants...
Raindrops on Hibiscus at the At the Baha'ii Gardens in Akko
Inspiring visuals and textures (Raindrops on hibiscus).
My Fabulous Students! Florientals Week-Long Course, March 31 - April 4, 2019
Thank you so much for such lovely two weeks, with wonderful students from across the globe! It was wonderful to spend this spring together,  delve deep into the world of perfume and get to know you from up close. I'm truly blessed to have this opportunity to share my passion and knowledge with such lovely ladies who appreciate it and are so receptive to learning, respectful of one another, the raw materials, and this unique art form. I can't wait to see you all again this coming Autumn for the continuation of the course. We'll be studying Orientals (November 10-14, 2019) and Leather/Tobacco (November 17-21, 2019).
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