Three years ago, I switched my website to Shopify. While this made the website way more user friendly, it also forced me to seemingly increase my pricing. In reality, what truly happened is that while you were all used to them being presented in USD (which reflected the true cost of my raw materials), they now had to be shown in CAD. This made the prices look higher by about 30%. Not a good thing for sales. Even though there was no real price increase!

I tried everything to make this less confusing and reduce its effect on my sales. For example, making the price visible in USD conversion (but still customers would be billed in the end in a seemingly "higher amount" because it charged them the value in CAD). Besides being confusing to the eye, I imagine it also did not add to the credibility of a business who increases their amount at the checkout ;-) Sigh...

Not surprisingly, this has hurt my business quite a bit, so I'm trying to change this, although this will continue to affect my business. I have recently went through the entire website, and brought back the "original prices" when everything had a price that reflects the actual value of it, and was viewed and billed in USD. So that you will be able to see the true value of each item, what I did was go through the ENTIRE WEBSITE, and create a "sale" on each product, by reverting the prices to the numbers you are all used to from the good old days (and still showing the original amount that it should have cost), only that this will be in CAD.

Needless to say, this will make me lose a lot of money per product - but I hope will win some new customers (and bring some of you back). This is not an easy step for me, and one that I have been debating with myself ever since the website has started. Because, the fact and the matter is, that my raw materials pricing has only increased. For example: 3 years ago, the price of an ounce of jasmine was just a little over $100. Now it is more than $200. Similar price increases are found in everyone of the core ingredients that I use across most of my creations - rose, vanilla, and more. The prohibitively costly raw materials such as boronia, osmanthus, champaca etc have gone through the roof, and still I stick to my old formulae and never compromise. If I ever reformulate it is only to make a perfume BETTER - never cheaper.

Part of my values (which are not listed anywhere formally), are that I don't particularly have any interest in making my perfumes an "unattainable" item, something that only celebrities and oligarchs can afford. Neither do I want everyday people who feel the pressure to be like celebrities or oligarchs need to break their banks and go into debt to obtain them. I want real people like you and me to enjoy my very real perfumes: creations that come straight from my heart... and hopefully also touch yours.

Neither do I ever have any interest in mass marketing (and producing) them. I create everything in small batches, and sell them in small sizes that allow anyone to afford them - at least once a year on your birthday or anniversary, if you save up a little bit (but most likely more than that). Most of my sizes, when used daily, will last you anywhere from 6-12 months.

Another thing is the actual volume in containers vs. the amount listed: my roll-on bottles changed, and even though when I purchased them as 5ml bottles, they take 6ml to fill. This may sound like a small change, but when we're talking about a parfum at 30% concentration, this is adding up a lot to my costs... So consider yourself lucky to get one extra millilitre, and for way less money than ever before... Ditto the miniatures, they are usually filled with more around the 5ml than 4ml. But I just didn't want to make a big deal out of it and increase the cost. So there you are.

So, this is all good news for you, and I hope this will allow you to
purchase this perfume you always thought was too expensive... Even though you probably didn't know it was the same price as it was 3 years ago...

As part of re-opening at the new studio location across the world, I'm offering for sale many special perfumes that have been part of my creative process over the years - olfactory sketches and perfumer's liquid drafts, that are too beautiful to hide and stash away. Make one of them yours!

Perfumer's sketches + vintage testers for sale, from 17 years of perfuming at Ayala Moriel Parfums - several of these were part of our moving sale and many others were added after unpacking all the liquid treasures in the new space in Clil.

after many years of creating custom perfumes I realize that if clients don't reorder (or even bother to pick up their signature perfume) - I can no longer keep it for them either.
If 7 years have passed, I reserve the right to repackage/resell to someone else...
One-Of-A-Kind Perfumer's Sketches (1/2oz lab bottles):

Amber & Ginger
Pre-cursor to Zangvil, an ambery-gourmand fragrance; a bit darker and sweeter than Zangvil, containing Immortelle absolute (Helicrsyum).
15mL $60

Rose & a Thorn 
Green rosy Chypre with antique patchouli, hyraceum, osmanthus, Japanese rose, violet and curry leaf. Melancholy yet grounded.
7.5mL $69

Assam Oud
Animalic-boozy oud with a spicy garam-masala finish...
Notes of Sandalwood, labdanum, patchouli, helichrysum, honey, spices, ruh gulab (Traditional Indian steam-distillation of roses), jasmine, ylang and a garam masala accord.
4ml $20
Audrey series 
Chypre with oakmoss, patchoui, hay and vanilla, exotic floral heart of tuberose, jasmine and osmanthus, and intriguing top notes of curry leaf, lime and citrus. Each has a bit of its own twist though.

Audrey No. 2 - Chypre Fresh, bright and refreshing, with notes of lime, jasmine, curry leaf, oakmoss, hay and basil.
15mL $60

Audrey No. 7 - Chypre Fruity, with notes of osmanthus, jasmine, ylang ylang, rose, orris, garam masala, curry leaf.
15mL $60
Black Licorice No. 2
A sequel to our classic candy-inspired fragrance. This one has a hint of orange blossom,
15mL $40

Bright Angel
Fresh, green and naturally musky angelica soliflore. With notes of clary sage, ambrette seed,

Cacao Anise
Rich gourmand fragrance whose charm lays in its simplicity. Cacao absolute, coffee, honeyed, vanilla, marzipan and anise notes. Yum.
10mL $30

Chocolate Pernod
Delicious gourmand of boozy Pernot (anise liquor), mingled with créme de cacao, honey, almonds and powdery vanilla sugar.
CocoaNymph Berry 
Highlighting the berry and wine-like aromas of cacao absolute. Notes of cacao, dark patchouli, botanical musks, geranium, tuberose, yang yang, davana, cassis, blood orange and pink peppercorns.
(created 2010)
15mL $60

Frangipanni 
Frangipanni (Plumeria) soliflore. Delicate tropical flower with waxy, suave and skin-like tones.
7.5mL

Gentille Alouette
Sophisticated, whimsical, gentle yet elegant floral with boronia, tuberose, orange blossom, jasmine and rose.

Gentille Alouette 1
Delicate floral bouquet over incense and Asian spices.
Notes: Sandalwood, frankincense, tarragon, orange blossom, jasmine, tuberose, violet, boronia, rose, lavender, grapefruit, blood orange, fresh ginger and star anise.
7.5mL $65

Gentille Alouette 2
Geranium & Cacao
The name says it all. Rosy geranium leaves nestled in a sweet cacao and amber base. What else you should know is that the base also has botanical musks and sweet benzoin; some lemon drops at the heart alongside the geraniums, and lavender, grapefruit and bergamot at the top to give it a lighthearted freshness.
7.5mL $28

Ginger & Amber 
Pre-cursor to Zangvil, an ambery-gourmand fragrance. Light, honeyed, delicious and slightly floral. Notes of honey,
(24.05.2008) 5mL $15
Honeysuckle & Curry Leaf
Lovely and original floral green with milky undertones.
Inspired by the random juxtaposition of honeysuckle in bloom on the streets of San Francisco and a marvellous coconut dessert in a Southern Indian restaurant, decorated by crystallized fresh curry leaf. Notes of massoia, sandalwood, honeysuckle, tuberose, narcissus, rhododendron, kaffir lime leaf and curry leaves.
15mL $150

Hygeia Series
Series of fragrances of clean and natural Mediterranean fragrances,, inspired by the Greek Godess Hygeia. Notes of olive, myrrh, cistus, orange flower and other historical Mediterranean plants prevail in all three versions offered, with slight variations in the proportions.

Hygeia No. 2
Notes of myrrh, Haitian vetiver, honey, cistus, lemon leaf, olive leaf, violet leaf, orange flower water absolute, bayberry, juniper and lime.
Incense & Chocolate
A perfume that combines elements of two ancient rituals of offerings - burning of incense, and drinking a sacred beverage (hot cocoa, consecrated wine, etc.) as offering to the gods. Both the burning of fine incense and consuming (responsibly!) quality dark chocolate can be practiced as daily moments to easily create a sanctuary anywhere and anytime for mindfulness and self-care.
So exhale all your worries, uncork this bottle of magic and breath in the aroma of dark chocolate, olibanum, prehistoric fossilized amber resin, oak wood, champaca, cardamom and oud.

Jasmine Pho
Inspired by a good cup of Pho and Lab-style vat of the beloved limited edition.
15mL $60

Patchouli & Camphor
The scent of antique Indian mahogany chest filled with fabric treasures preserved with botanicals such as camphor and aged patchouli leaves and cedarwood shavings.
(2012)
7.5ml $15

Noriko
Delightful and delicate Japanese bouquet of honeysuckle, osmanthus, magnolia, Japanese rose (Rosa rugosa) and orange blossom with top notes of yuzu and base notes of hinoki, siamwood and Indian sandalwood and Kyara.
15mL $120

Tea Olive
Lovely osmanthus soliflore!
Luscious, delicate fruity-floral with the distinctive and rare osmanthus aroma of apricots, tea and hints of leather backed up by jasmine, gardenia, tea rose, ginger, vanilla and milky oolong. Top notes of ruby red grapefruit make it sparkle.
10mL $96

Tea Rose
Soliflore hybrid tea rose - which is more fruity and violet-like than the Damascus and Centifolia roses.
Tea Rose perfume celebrates the bliss of Asian roses. The sheer quality of Chinese tea rose (rosa odorata) and Japanese rose (rosa rugosa) is highlighted by osmanthus, green tea, cassie and a hint of musk. Tea Rose is a harmonious, sweet rosy perfume with violet and tea accents.
Notes include: Cassis, Tea Rose, Japanese Rose, Osmanthus, Green Tea, Ambrette Seed, Vanilla
7.5mL $26

Thé Vert
Refreshing and subtle green tea fragrance, with tea leaves, sandalwood, lemongrass, honey, citrus notes and hints of freshly grated ginger and green peppercorn.
(created 2003) 10ml $15

Cobalt Blue Lab Bottles with Spray (50-60ml capacity, but contents vary so read each item listed carefully): 

Elixir - an herbal Chypre from 2006, 1oz $40

Finjan (2005) Turkish coffee fragrance1oz $60

Democracy Classical ambery Fougere from 2001. 1oz $30 


Cucumber (2002) as cool as its name. Natural fragrance that is as refreshing as cucumber water 20ml $15

Terlona (tropical-inspired, full-bodied fruity cacao with marigold) 20ml $15

Bleeding Hearts - green, fruity floral Chypre with galbanum, ylang ylang, hyacinth, cassis, oakmoss and vanilla. About $15mL $130

Jasmine Stars, 2003, 15mL $130

Eau de Tinkerbelle (2002) a boronia soliflore - about 20ml $140

Libra - lovely remnant from the oldie but goodie Zodiac collection in its very first incarnation.
Contains a vintage sweet pea base (not 100% natural). 2oz (60mL) $60

L'Ecume des Jours first module, with tuberose which I sadly discovered to be a faux later on. Smells lovely all the same. 1oz (30mL) $120

Nope, I still don't feel comfortable with the "Black Friday" phenomenon, which has crept even to the most remote areas of the planet, without any connection to anything besides pure consumerism. It has even pushed aside Canadian Boxing Day, which used to be kind of fun but became an extremely stressing compulsive-shopping event with lineups and even (polite) fights over merchandize.

It's essentially the anti-thesis of what I'm trying to create with my business: inspire people to connect to their senses and to each other through fragrance.

Thanksgiving resonates with me much more than the stressful consumerism that follows it, but whether or not I feel comfortable with the "Black Friday" phenomenon, it has dominated the buying patterns of the holiday season and customers rarely plan in advance, but rather wait for the last minute and all the great deals.

To help you prepare for the holidays and reduce the stress, I'm offering a little 20% discount of you shop now instead of last minute (!). All orders will be shipped via EMS, the most affordable and reliable method at this point of time, trackable, insured and most importantly - delivers within less than a week.

I don't like using you to over-spend. And also, I could never compete with all the other big brands offering deep cuts to their products. This is simply not feasible for a brand like mine. , I would rather encourage you to shop responsibly, both from financial point of view, and ecologically. If you are giving presents this holiday season, please support artisanal, local and green businesses.

If you are not planning to spend any money on presents this holiday season, plant a tree or cook a meal with your loved ones - or: cook a tree and plant a meal somewhere where there was no food before. I've been sharing plenty of fragrant recipes over the years on my SmellyBlog.

If you've read this far and enjoy shopping - I'm very grateful to you for choosing my perfumes and for that I'm giving you a 20% off any purchase on my entire stock, with coupon code Holidaze17. Valid thru November 27.

Wishing you all a cozy and stress-free holiday season!

XO
Ayala