After thinking long and hard - I've made some changes to my sampling program on AyalaMoriel.com, to make it simpler for you to discover my perfumes.

From now on, you can order any scent you want (including the Liquid Poetry collection) individually or as part of a sample set of six, eight, ten, twelve or fifteen samples elegantly packaged in a jewellery box.

Naturally, the prices had to be adjusted accordingly. I based that on an average of $15 per sample, and about 50% off for all the sample packs so it's more affordable for customers the world over to experience my entire collection - including the more artsy and rare creations.

Happy 2013!

Not too many know it, but both tuberose and cacao originated in Mexico. Two raw materials that are of unparalleled, inimitable quality. Addictive and almost maddening substances. And Charna Ethier of Providence Perfume Co. have made the bold step of melding them to create something new and unique.

Cocoa Tuberose opens with tuberose as the main note, paired with juicy grapefruit for an uplifting effect of otherwise very dark, dense composition. If you're not familiar with pure, natural tuberose absolute, you might not find it to be as floral as expected. Tuberose absolute has an almost green, waxy feel to it underlined by a buttery sweetness. It's not as flowery as, say, jasmine or ylang ylang. And in this perfume in particular - tuberose is used in an original way, where its grassy and butter qualities balance the heavy, seductive gourmand notes of chocolate.

But the story does not end here: the chocolate is used very subtly as in the expert hand of a chef who just wants an accent of cacao in a savoury dish. Nutty vetiver comes forth, and plays a duet with powdery, caramel-like tonka bean. Despite the depth and complexity of these distinctive, opposing notes are seamlessly blended in such way that not only do they not overpower one another, but also create a new harmony that is unexpectedly savoury rather than decadent.

Cocoa Tuberose is one of the sexiest perfumes I've tried in a while, and although the name might imply a very girly scent - I know it would smell fantastic on both men and women. It appeals to a very grown-up, refined taste and is well-balanced and satisfying, like a square of smooth woody-floral dark chocolate.

Top notes: Grapefruit, Wormwood
Heart notes: Tuberose
Base notes: Cacao Absolute, Vetiver, Tobacco Absolute

Thank you for everyone's continuous readership, comments and support of what I do on SmellyBlog and beyond. These past 4 weeks I've been way too busy traveling and catching up with my family back home in Israel, and barely had a moment to contemplate 2012, not to mention post anything of substance here. Similarly, I've been barely following up on several giveaways from last year, which I would like to remedy before we proceed to more exciting territories such as perfume reviews, new ingredient features, recipes, and more - on a regular basis again.

First thing first:
The mystery plant of the Christmas giveaway is indeed the pine nuts from the stone pine (Pinus pinea).
Congrats to Mer - the lucky recipient of a care package including rose incense, chai rose tea, and wintery perfumes from my list of favourites.
You're the winner for this giveaway not only because you guessed the answer correctly, but also you were the lucky draw winner from among the 3 who guessed it to be pine nuts.
Please email me your address so I can send you the goodies.



Last but not least:
The winner of my Annual Perfume Review Contest.
Thanks to all of you for posting reviews and commenting! I had to wait till the reviews were moderated in all the various websites, so my apologies for the delay. The lucky winner is:
girlie123.
Congratulations!!! You will receive a mini of Treazon (value of $90) once you inform me of your snailmail addy. Hope you enjoy it immensely!