The new perfumes are finally on the website

Hi folks, I have finally been able to get my new perfumes up on the website with some new packaging. I now offer 2 women’s perfume and 2 men’s perfume.

BLUSH: female floral gourmand fragrance. This is a re-formulation of the popular 010 geranium, vanilla and musk. It still contains those notes but I have removed the earthy component vetiver and amped up the chocolate note and added more florals – ylang ylang, orris and rose de mai.

AURA: female floral oriental fragrance. Featuring florals of jasmine, rose, orange flower, champaca and magnolia on an incense base.

COGNAC & ESPRESSO: male spicy gourmand. This is our cult fragrance 070. It was hands down the most loved fragrance at The Emporium. This fragrance simply cannot go into retirement, it is loved by both men and women and people are literally hunting me down for it. I kid you not!

BAY RUM: male exotic spice fragrance. Bay rum is a popular fragrance amongst men and so I have devised my own take on the fragrance. It is spicy as one expects from bay west essential oil with a gentle floral heart of neroli and jasmine on a base of wood and earthy vetiver to give it a greater longevity than a usual cologne.

I hope you love the new line up, labels and packaging as much as I do.

Kerry x

Preview! 070 cognac & espresso natural perfume

I am always experimenting with new perfume blends and being pretty fussy, many only make it as far as the bin! However, one blend that I have been working on for awhile and allowing to ‘age’ really grabbed my attention upon recent evaluation. I am super excited by the result. So excited that I have decided to add it to my range. I am hoping to release 070 cognac & espresso in February/March 2014!

070 cognac & espresso is my first natural perfume for men. It is a dignified, sophisticated, rich and utterly delicious blend of natural ingredients. These images sum up the inspiration for this perfume.

image from cognac.com

070 cognac & espresso natural perfume opens with citrus and spices of saffron, ginger and galangal to a rich coffee and rose heart supported by a sophisticated base of cognac essential oil, tobacco absolute, sandalwood, patchouli, vanilla and labdanum and will be made in a base of pure natural grape alcohol. (When it is available for sale it will be in a different bottle to that in the photo below).

To not miss this perfumes release date, simply like èrlithe’s Facebook page – on the right side panel of this blog or sign up for the newsletter at èrlithe.

Wishing all my readers a Merry Christmas! xx

Natural Perfume Profile 040 – Osmanthus and Yuzu

040 has been on a real journey – and nearly didn’t make it! This was one of those perfumes that came out of experimentation with no particular direction. Out of the experiment I created a beautiful juicy, fruity, tangy top note that I found utterly delicious. Much to my dismay though, the perfume’s beauty was only in the top notes that vanished after 15 minutes to reveal an essentially very boring heart and base. The introduction was so great that the rest of the perfume just let the whole thing down with a giant flop! So I tried many variations – however, I was dissatisfied with each. I either had perfumes that were great but didn’t last or else lasted – and you simply didn’t want them to!

So I put 040 aside – occasionally smelling it and wondering what on earth I could do to extend it’s fruity, juicy yumminess. Then I remembered my osmanthus absolute. Yet another costly material used in high end perfumery that I was scared to use and waste, waiting for a spark of inspiration as to how to do justice to it’s exquisite sweet-tart, fruity apricot, floral aroma.

I kept the top notes, re-structured the base completely and swapped out some florals for the osmanthus. The osmanthus absolute proved to be a saviour – it reaches it’s sweet fruity arms to the top and throws an anchor to the bottom of the perfume, the transition from top to base is now far more seamless – much better than an abrupt halt!

So, after much blood, sweat and tears – I give you 040, a delicious spicy, fruity, floral. 

040 opens with the tangy fruity citrus of japanese yuzu, a touch of spice before transitioning to a fruity floral heart of osmanthus, rose and davana  finishing on a base of amber, woods and ambrette musk.

Natural Perfume Profile 030 – Orange Blossom and Boronia

If you are an orange blossom lover, this natural perfume will be worth checking out, thanks to its hefty share of orange blossom. This particular perfume has no abstract concept to convey. I just simply wanted to create an orange blossom fragrance. It also features the incredibly glorious tasmanian boronia. It is a fresh, yet voluptuous orange blossom fragrance with a small shot of espresso on a sweet musky, earthy grass base.

Boronia

When I received the boronia absolute it was like heaven. I love all my botanicals but the boronia has been one of my absolute favourites. The first time I bought it, I purchased a 3% dilution due to its expense, to assess whether it was something I wanted to buy undiluted in a larger quantity – and yes it was. It just makes me go “wow” and I simply want to keep smelling it. Of course that is not a useful description to those who have never smelt the real thing! I initially get a green freshness, a slight spiciness and a rich, sultry floral aroma with fruity undertones. It is incredibly costly and not available in large quantities – in fact, it is sometimes unavailable for purchase and you simply have to wait for another crop. It is for this  reason that you probably won’t find the real deal in mass produced perfumes. This is what sets small indie, niche perfumers apart from your mainstream. When we can, we source these beautiful rare botanicals and are able to offer unique perfumes that guarantee you won’t be wearing what everyone else is wearing.

Orange Blossoms

Neroli essential oil and orange blossom are also expensive – making this a very luxurious perfume indeed! Neroli brings a sharp, aromatic, floral freshness to the perfume, whereas the orange blossom absolute adds a deep, intense, creamy sweet floral aroma. Orange blossom has good tenacity, so 030 is perhaps one of my stronger perfumes with a good longevity.

To buy this orange blossom and boronia perfume oil, click on the high-lighted text.

The main notes for 030 are – Top: basil, coriander, clementine, bergamot Heart: neroli, boronia, orange blossom, coffee Base: vanilla bourbon, haitian vetiver, patchouli, ambrette seed.

Natural Perfume Profile – 020 – Bottled Sunshine!

Before I moved to Tasmania, the beachside neighbourhood I lived in had a fair amount of frangipani trees. As the frangipani’s came in to bloom, my 2 boys when they were wee little guys, would love to collect the flowers for me. The frangipani is therefore associated with lovely memories of relaxed roaming during the early years of my boy’s lives and balmy summer evenings spent on the beach watching them play.

The 020 fragrance is built around the sweet summer scents of frangipani and honeysuckle – refreshed with tart cognac, gin and tonic notes and a tangy citrus sorbet. Perfect to refresh oneself on hot summer days and equally perfect to uplift the spirit on dreary, cold winter days.

Key Notes – Top: pink grapefruit, lime, mint, coriander, juniper berry Heart: frangipani, honeysuckle Base: madagascan vanilla, amber, peru balsam, sandalwood, green cognac.

Natural Perfume Profile 010 – Vespertine

Ever since beginning my perfume journey I have wanted to create a vespertine fragrance. A fragrance that represents an evening of opulence and decadence.

I have these memories as a child, of being up very early in the morning to accompany my mother as she cleaned an Inn. Within this Inn there were numerous bars and I remember distinctly the smell of stale alcohol and cigarettes. Ordinarily these smells would probably not appeal to most, but as a child there was something magical and intriguing associated with those smells in the early hours of the morning. It was as if the frivolity and laughter of the patrons from the evening before had been imprinted within the walls of this old stone Inn. The noise was very palpable on the backdrop of the actual reality – complete silence amid the stale odours.

So, I wanted to create a fragrance that was inspired by an evening/night concept. A fragrance with a sense of intrigue. The classic vespertine flower of choice would have been jasmine, however, as much as I like jasmine, I don’t particularly like to wear it. Instead I opted to create a fragrance that has a sweet, spicy, warmth that leads to a floral heart of geranium bourbon on a backdrop of cocoa, vanilla bourbon, smoky tobacco, earthy woods and vegetal musk. The overall composition is warm, spicy, sweet and intriguing – a perfect partner for a night out to a masked ball!

Venetian Mask

Notes – Top: sweet orange, rose geranium Heart: cardamom, geranium bourbon, clary sage, clove bud Base: vanilla bourbon, cocoa, cedarwood, vetiver, ambrette seed, tobacco absolute.

P.S. The links of the images don’t work when in a gallery as above. The first image is mine but the second I took from http://flemmens.deviantart.com/art/Venetian-masks-7-81699511 and the third from http://pantheonphotos.wordpress.com/2011/02/10/venetian-mask-venice-italy/

Perfume Profile 050

050 – I am profiling this fragrance first as it is my absolute favourite! I made it for myself and so regard it as my scent. Having said that, my husband also loves it for himself, so it’s a great unisex fragrance. This is a rose like you have never smelt before!

This fragrance contains a warm marjoram refreshed with a dash of citrus and mint, to add lightness and clarity to a sweet heart of rose and honeysuckle on a rich balsamic wood base.

I get images of the ice queen in Narnia

frosted roses

and freshly fallen snow.

My favourite ingredient in this perfume is fir balsam absolute. The smooth, sweet balsamic and fresh aroma is completely intoxicating. I simply had to buy it and use it when I got my first hint of its beauty within Mandy Aftel’s Fig fragrance.

So as a final run down, here are the notes:

Top: marjoram, pink grapefruit, lemon, peppermint. Heart: bulgarian rose, rose maroc, honeysuckle, pine, fir balsam. Base: sandalwood, cedar wood.