blending dilution DIY FAQ Making your own perfume
7 June 2012 by Pell Wall | 15 Comments on A method for blending
In this post I’m setting out the way in which I go about making a blend – including how to dilute the materials first to facilitate blending. This is because these are two questions I get asked by people starting out in making their own perfumes quite often. First I dilute all my ingredients in […]
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education ingredient Making your own perfume
28 May 2012 by Pell Wall | Leave a Comment
I thought this video presentation from Yann Vasnier was a fascinating insight into the way one perfumer came to join this odd industry and also gives a very clear idea of what it is to create a new fragrance. I hope you find it as interesting as I did.
education ingredient Jacinth Pretty in Pink
27 May 2012 by Pell Wall | Leave a Comment
The weather has been glorious for the last few days and the late Spring flowers are busy scenting the garden. But it was this first rose that was the surprise and makes it feel even more like summer has come early to the Pell Wall garden. It won’t be long before I’ll be able to […]
off topic pheasants the Perfumery
15 May 2012 by Pell Wall | Leave a Comment
I’m very lucky in my working environment. The perfumery itself has a large patio door overlooking the front garden, which in turn overlooks the quiet lane and fields beyond. Occasionally that results in some interesting visitors and last week as I sat at the Perfumer’s Organ working on a commission for a client, up pops […]
education nature of smell
14 May 2012 by Pell Wall | Leave a Comment
This article from Red Orbit discusses some new research that suggests odour detection in the olfactory bulb and brain may work in a different way from that previously thought. From an evolutionary point of view this new theory seems to make good sense – it will be interesting to see whether further research supports it. […]
choosing and classifying fragrance education
10 May 2012 by Pell Wall | Leave a Comment
For those interested in wearing and using fragrances, rather than making them, and curious to know more about the industry and how to get the best out of it I would recommend Michael Edwards’ ‘Top 100 Perfume Questions’ as a great place to start. Michael himself is charming as well as highly knowledgeable about all […]
DIY education equipment FAQ Making your own perfume the Perfumery
5 May 2012 by Pell Wall | Leave a Comment
Perfumery involves the blending of very large numbers of ingredients – a fine fragrance might contain hundreds of individual elements by the time it’s finished. Pell Wall Blending Bench Many amateurs coming to DIY perfumery start by counting drops of oils as they blend and working everything out in terms of the volume of the […]
off topic the Perfumery
3 May 2012 by Pell Wall | 2 Comments on Business Cards by Moo
I thought these new Luxe business cards by Moo were so impressive I had to include a picture in the blog: Each card has a picture of some of my products on the back and my details on the other side, with a clever line of colour visible in the cut edge as well. As […]
DIY education hyacinth ingredient Making your own perfume natural nature of smell Persian Prince Spring Flowers Collection
2 May 2012 by Pell Wall | Leave a Comment
What’s actually in the scent of a flower? It’s probably not a question most people ask, but if you’re interested in the answer I’m presenting here a discussion of the components of the scent of hyacinth flowers. Hyacinths in flower in the Pell Wall garden Most of these individual chemicals are available to the perfumer […]
education nature of smell news off topic
1 May 2012 by Pell Wall | Leave a Comment
This remarkable half hour interview with Nobel Prize winning scientist Richard Axel, starts with a discussion of the nature of smell and wanders on into gene splicing, the discovery of the mechanism by which the AIDS/HIV infection works, touching on the sex-life of snails and opera. Along the way we get a wonderful insight into […]