Ginger & Amber: The Third Party

zest, originally uploaded by ChrisB in SEA.

It seems to be moving in one month intervals with the development of this fragrance. And here comes the third entry for my amber and ginger fascination. Last time I was wishing for more of a dramatic dichotomy between the fuzzy amber and the zesty ginger. The 2nd mod was very close to what I wanted - turning up a little musky, surprisingly. I liked the dry out but wanted to amplify the zing of ginger.

The third mod tries to do just that, and with the addition of a third party, a new element: orange.
Wild orange, to be precise. It’s lively and zingy and mouthwatering. In addition, the candy-like sweetness of Tangerine Murcott and orange peel.

I have also decided to play up the musky qualities with the addition of ambrette seed CO2. And to increase the sweet drama of the amber with some naughtily animalic honey absolute. I have to say that so far I’m pretty happy with the direction, although it’s not finalized yet.

For the next mod, I would like to add some orange juice essence (which I run out of and need to order) and perhaps something floral as well to make it more perfumey and complex. I was thinking about gingerlily but quickly realized it’s the idea of using gingerlily (because of the name) and not the scent itself that is attracting me here. Gingerlily will be too complex and add a musty-earthy spiciness which is what I’m trying to get away from. I want the juiciness of ginger, not the rootiness of it.

Immortelle l'Amour

Fiery flower withholds
the moments of untold love
Written with the flames of phoenix feather
Leaving ashes forming into letters
Our walk was interrupted by the ghostly winds
and misty sea spray remained on our breath
Two hearts warming to the dancing flames in a fireplace
Skewered together with that same bleeding feather
Their longing for a kiss freezes on the snow
Like Tire sur la neige

The maple-like nuances of immortelle absolute are used here along with sweet orange, cinnamon, wheat and three different infusions of vanilla, creating a perfume that truly captures the aroma of cinnamon-pancakes and Tire d’Erable (“taffee on the snow”), an inseparable part of the Quebec heritage in the Maple Harvest Festivals. You’ll find it hard to resist licking this perfume, but it will prove to be a true friend for a love-injured heart. Immortelle l'Amour will be available as parfum extrait and in a tea-form.

Top Notes: Sweet Orange, Cinnamon
Heart Notes: Rooibos Tea, Broom
Base Notes: Immortelle, Vanilla, Wheat

* Immortelle l'Amour will be launched for Fall-Winter 2007-2008, along with a complementary tea blend, and will be available exclusively through Ayala Moriel Parfums starting November 2007.

More About the Inspiration of Immortelle l'Amour

Immortelle l’Amour, my new perfume created for the chilly fall and winter months tells the story of undying love. The formula was ready long ago, yet it was particularly difficult for me to name the perfume. Although I had a few names – all with an equal appeal of both meaning and sound – I had to choose the right one and know it’s right before releasing the perfume. When it comes to matters of love, it sometimes takes courage to say the truth. And so I ended up with the name that seemed to me, at first, to be too romantic, bordering on the cliché… Once I realized this is the right name, the best to describe both the botanical and inspirational origin of the perfume, I felt the time was ripe and it was just a matter of picking a particularly chilly day in November to release it to the world and add some warmth when its most needed.

Immortelle l’Amour was inspired by the immortality of true love and the unique aroma and energy of the everlasting flower – Immortelle. Immortelle is also known as helicrysum or everlasting flower. The essential oil is prized for its unusual healing properties, including pain relief and skin rejuvenation. The Latin name Helicrysum points to its connection to the sun and its own healing properties, bringing a soothing warmth to the soul.

In Immortelle l’Amour, the helicrysum (immortelle) flower absolute is used as the main theme for the perfume. Unlike the essential oil of helicrysum, which is herbaceous and honeyed (very similar to both chamomile and marigold), the absolute has a dark, ambery fragrance with a somewhat spicy-earthy underlining note, reminiscent of both fenugreek and maple syrup (incidenatally, both immortelle and fenugreek are used in the flavour industry to create a maple-syrup flavour.

The immortelle note is juxtaposed with a rich vanilla accord, using a few different varieties of vanilla: a dark absolute from Madagascar, a vanilla CO2 from Bourbon islands, and a tincture of vanilla which I made from plump vanilla pods (seeds and all) from Ghana. Another home-made tincture is used – that of red tea (rooibos), as this material is rarely available in the market as an absolute. Another interesting edible note that I’ve used is wheat absolute. It has a very subtle, iodine-like note, and along with cinnamon CO2 Immortelle l’Amour fills the air with an authentic warm cinnamon-waffles with maple smell… As it dries down, it feels as though an invisible maple taffee is spread upon the skin, sans the stickiness…

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