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The last few days were dead on SmellyBlog but very busy otherwise for myself. I apologize for posting nothing whatsoever. Being the last weekend of the month there was of course the fantastic Portobello West Fashion + Art Market on Sunday; and Saturday was my first Foundation of Natural Perfumery Course, opening with a full day of classes here at the studio. Although not all of the students could attend (most of the correspondence students live out of the country, including overseas) it was an exciting and productive day and of course a very busy one. We covered fundamental topics such as:
- Studio set-up
- Methodology and Recording
- Defining "perfume" and what is "natural"
- The Building Blocks - Unveiling the Mystery of Aromatic Extraction
- Olfactory Journey - where the students began their own personal journey of getting to know the essences and their aspects, both subjective and objective

This weekend session was the first in a total of 6 monthly sessions for this group of students (one of which is an individual, one-on-one session at the lab/studio). Correspondence students may need to rely more on th extensive handbook that accompanies the course, but will still get the same one-on-one guidance only via phone and by sending in their work for evaluation and feedback. The book turned out better than I imagined, and there were only 20 copies printed for the 1st edition. Although the book could stand on its own in your studies it is really important to have the classes and/or personal sessions with me to get the most out of the course. Just like with my perfumes, the course is as personalized as could be. There are some exercises that may not appear in the book and would be assigned to individual students based on their level and specific needs. It's really tailored for each one of my students to excel and get a head start in the field.

The next course will start in September after the Summer hiatus, and registration is ongoing until than. Contact me directly if you are interested in the course and would like to apply.

Mental Notes: l'Écume des Jours, Gardenia, Lily


Gigi, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

My parfum de jour is l'Écume des Jours. Some spilled as I was filling up purse roll-ons with the perfume oil. Some spilled on the table and that was the best use I could think of, so it wasn't quite intentional so to speak. Which is sometimes the best way to introduce scent into one's day.
I'm surprised at how indolic it is in the oil concentration, on my skin. The pink lotus is really coming through beautifully underlined with those salty seaweed notes. The alcohol version shows more of the boronia in my opinion.

I also visited several flower shops today, mainly in search for a descent gardenia plant with some flowers for my Gigi photoshoot, and found only a couple that are sort of in bloom. The scent is beautiful. And so was the scent of lily of the valley that I decided to postpone buying till tomorrow so they stay fresh and lively for the weekend.

Mental Notes: l'Écume des Jours, Gardenia, Lily


Gigi, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

My parfum de jour is l'Écume des Jours. Some spilled as I was filling up purse roll-ons with the perfume oil. Some spilled on the table and that was the best use I could think of, so it wasn't quite intentional so to speak. Which is sometimes the best way to introduce scent into one's day.
I'm surprised at how indolic it is in the oil concentration, on my skin. The pink lotus is really coming through beautifully underlined with those salty seaweed notes. The alcohol version shows more of the boronia in my opinion.

I also visited several flower shops today, mainly in search for a descent gardenia plant with some flowers for my Gigi photoshoot, and found only a couple that are sort of in bloom. The scent is beautiful. And so was the scent of lily of the valley that I decided to postpone buying till tomorrow so they stay fresh and lively for the weekend.

Spring Essentials - Part Three: Bitter Herbs


Unwanted, originally uploaded by vlastik.

On the Seder plate, you’ll find a special place for bitter herbs and horseradish. Bitter herbs include celery leaf and Romaine lettuce (both very bitter when grown in Israel, since they are not as watery as in North America so the flavour is so concentrated it’s bitter). This year was the first time when I noticed that there might be other use for the bitter herbs, aside for symbolizing the bitterness of slavery*. Bitter herbs, as my friend Dawna has taught me (along with her infectious passion for tea, herbs and plants in general), act as liver tonic and stimulant and are an excellent way to welcome Spring and kick off any getting-healthier plans towards the summer.

In the winter, our metabolism slows to save energy and overall we get into the introvert mode of hibernatnion. Spring being a time of awakening and renewal is an excellent time to stimulate and cleanse the liver. This does not necessarily mean three weeks of hot water and lemon diet; it may just mean looking around to see what grows locally and what is available and turning it into an inspiring yet nutritious meal. Nature has her strange and magical ways to give us what we need when we need it. In the Pacific West Coast, you may notice plants such as dandelions, stinging nettles and fiddleheads. In the Middle East where I grew up, aside from dandelions there is also an abundance of other bitter herbs, a little earlier in the spring (so some are already too aged to eat), i.e. chicory and wild artichoke; but some are just at the peak of their season now, such as field mallow. Most green leaves are rich in nutrients such as calcium, iron and vitamins (Vitamin C in particular).

Other bitter herbs that you may consider using are watercress, nasturtium flowers and leaves (very rich in vitamin C), and fenugreek leaves or sprouts.

Idea for a Spring Menu
The following are suggestions for a light meal that could be as festive or casual as you wish.

Appetizers:

Dandelion & Nasturtium Salad
Bitter dandelion leaves garnished with nasturtium flowers and immersed in a light vinaigrette based on olive oil and either apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar.

Foug Fiddleheads
In butter and lavender buds sauce

Main Course:

Nettle or Field Marrow Soup

Cornmeal Bread
Flavoured with rosemary and sour apple

Dessert:

Gaucho tea

Bitter Almond and Buckwheat Cake

*Similarly, the unleavened bread (Matzoh) might just have another purpose of cleansing the system of excess of yeast. But who knows...
** More detailed recipes will be published next week.

Mental Note: Green Powder Addiction


sencha in blue, originally uploaded by pzed.


I am willing to admit of having one addiction.
Matcha.
Perhaps the only thing I drink (almost) every day.

Today's mental note is for the scent of green tea. There are many types and grades. But I'm particularly smitten with the ones grown in Japan. The other day, my friend Junichi gave me a couple of tea bags that are a non-traditional alternative (shall I say sacrilege? But since it was given to him by his mother, who is Japanese through and through I think it can be trusted) for a loose-leaf brewed tea. It's a blend of sencha leaves and matcha powder. I couldn't help but deelpy inhale this green goodness (only to find some suspicious green powder residue up my nostrils a bit later...). What a way to start the day.
The brand I believe to be Kirkland and it is quite good actually. I particularly like the fact that the tea bag is not made of paper but of some kind of sheer fabric of sorts, through which the appearance and aroma of the leaves and the matcha powder comes across quite invitingly.

And throughout the day I was sipping not matcha, but my own (first) tea invention: jasmine tea with lemon verbena leaves (the latter are organically grown at my mother's garden, harvested, dried and packed with plenty of love which makes it taste all the more magnificent).

Today was an ode to tea. Of the green kind.
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