Beautiful Options for Refilling Your Bespoke Perfume

One of my favorite parts of my job is doing custom consultations where clients come to my studio and together we create their signature scent.  I enjoy working one on one with people to create something truly unique for them.  I've kept all of the notes and the formula from our meeting and am now offering some lovely options for refills of your bespoke fragrance.

Quarter ounce straight sided rectangular bottle, $35

Quarter ounce straight sided rectangular spray bottle, $38

Half ounce rectangular bottle, $60

Half ounce rectangular spray bottle, $65

Half ounce round glass stoppered bottle, $70

One third ounce square glass stoppered bottle, $60

Interview in the Park Slope Food Coop's Linewaiter's Gazette

Laugh if you want but my food coop is badass.  We have 16,000 members working cooperatively to run a store based on good politics, good value and great food.  We members of the Park Slope Food Coop all work a two and a half hour shift every four weeks and with the help of our paid staff we run the coop. We are a model for cooperation and sustainability.

The coop has its share of critics.  There are people who think there are too many rules and find it punitive.  There are only two rules I'm aware of.  One is to show up for your assigned shift, or at least call and let them know you're not coming.  That seems reasonable considering we're trying to run a store.  If you don't call in you have to do a second make-up shift.  This is also reasonable - there has to be a deterrent to not showing up or finding someone to cover your shift.  The other rule is don't shop in line. That just seems like common courtesy.

Every time someone from The New York Times writes about us they always make fun of our organic food and "all of those rules" and the way we check out or the long lines.  Every article is the same, let's make fun of the vegan hippies.  I'm waiting for someone to write an article about what a miracle it is that 16,000 people can work cooperatively to provide ourselves with sustainable organic food at reasonable prices.  There's the real story.

Poet and playwrite Pat Smith was kind enough to invite me to be interviewed, I'm chuffed by his kind words.  Check out page four of the March 5th, 2015 Linewaiter's Gazette to read the full article.

Nice Write Up in Crain's New York

I've been remiss in posting this lovely article about myself and my perfume business in Crain's New York.  I was lucky enough to be contacted by the magazine for the interview.  They sent over a photographer with more equipment than I thought would fit into my studio or that he and his assistant could possibly use.  They used every bit of it!

Gift Certificates for Custom Natural Perfume Consultations

Give the gift of a private perfume consultation!  You'll be giving a unique and very personal experience.  Your gifted one will learn how to blend a selection of scents into their own personal perfume. In a step by step process they'll be able to choose from over one hundred essential oils, absolutes and concretes, some rare and exotic, to create a fragrance that is uniquely theirs. This fun, sometimes surprising and sometimes revealing journey into scent memories and preferences will result in a perfume that is theirs alone, one that works with their individual body chemistry and reflects their personality and interests. 
I've teamed with clients to create fragrances for different mood, occasions and seasons, fragrances that evoke memories or the unforgettable qualities of a particular location or experience.  A perfect gift for the bride to be.  This is a one-on-one consultation in Julianne's studio.

$190 for an hour and a half consultation, includes 1/4 ounce vial of perfume.  Call (718)788-6480 or email info@herbalalchemy.net to make an appointment or purchase a gift certificate.

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Fragrance Parties and Private Classes

A private class in my home studio.

I've been asked to do quite a few private classes and perfume parties this past season.  I'm getting calls from a lot of brides (and bridesmaids) to book showers and bachelorette parties and some event planners have gotten in touch to book private affairs.  I was recently hired to do a private party in a 42nd floor three bedroom penthouse suite at the Ritz Carlton.  Some days I just love my job!

I can accommodate five or possibly six students in my home studio in Park Slope.  There is a two hour minimum booking at $350, $125 per hour thereafter.   Parties offsite are $500 minimum for two hours plus $25 per head.  Call (718)788-6480 or email info@herbalalchemy.net for more information or to book a party or class.

Flora, a Perfume with Carnation at it's Heart

Carnations, underrated and maligned, are actually one of my favorite floral fragrances. Not the mass produced carnations available in every florist shop and displayed in funeral arrangements across the country. Those carnations have been hybridized to be big and showy but most have no scent whatsoever, and if they do it's faint and rather stinky. I'm talking about old fashioned carnations like the ones my mother grew in her garden when I was growing up. At that tender young age I wasn't put off yet by the florist industry so my appreciation of them was pure. 

I was approached recently by the floral industry giant, Teleflora. They were possibly interested in having a fragrance created to celebrate a new line of arrangements they were launching. At one time in my career I was a floral designer working for high end designers in New York City. We cringed at companies like Teleflora and FTD and the use of carnations in general. At first when I got the offer I wondered how I could reconcile my disdain for mass produced arrangements with the possibility of being hired to create a fragrance. Alas the job fell through almost as soon as it was offered but the challenge stayed with me. It became a quest to create the most beautiful carnation floral fragrance I could muster. 

The result is Flora, a spicy, earthy floral with carnation at it's heart. Mitti, an Indian attar of sandalwood saturated in baked earth, is the foundation of the perfume. Warm vanilla absolute bonds with the vanilla notes in the carnations to bring it's sweetness all the way into the dry down. A touch of agarwood co2 and dark patchouli add darker and more tenacious nuances. 

Clove bud absolute brings out the spiciness in the carnation which is sweetened just a bit with orange blossom concrete and apricot isolate. Wild lavender adds a floral aspect to the top with blood orange lending a touch of sweetness and linalool rich ho wood acts as a bright and warm invitation. 

"Flora evokes the kind of fairy that hovered around Juliet's bed just after Romeo left. Flora has Juliet feeling sultry and lustful, shimmering in that innocent radiance at its fullest when a maiden has found her naughtiest dreams come true." Victoria O. 

samples are available

Top notes: ho wood, wild lavender, blood orange 
Heart notes: carnation absolute, clove bud absolute, apricot natural isolate, orange blossom concrete 
Base notes: mitti attar, vanilla absolute, agarwood absolute, dark patchouli


You can purchase Flora from my website, herbalalchemy.net or my Etsy store, etsy.com/shop/herbalalchemy.

Lights! Camera! Action!

I was recently interviewed by the lovely Christie Clements for Cosmo Times.  Christie and I made a perfume together while the cameras rolled.  It was my first time being interviewed on camera and I learned a lot!  For all of you wondering what a custom perfume consultation is like...

Gift Certificates for Custom Perfume Consultations

Give the gift of a private perfume consultation!  You'll be giving a unique and very personal experience.  Your gifted one will learn how to blend a selection of scents into their own personal perfume. In a step by step process they'll be able to choose from over one hundred essential oils, absolutes and concretes, some rare and exotic, to create a fragrance that is uniquely theirs. This fun, sometimes surprising and sometimes revealing journey into scent memories and preferences will result in a perfume that is theirs alone, one that works with their individual body chemistry and reflects their personality and interests. 

I've teamed with clients to create fragrances for different moods and occasions, fragrances that evoke memories or the unforgettable qualities of a particular location or experience. A perfect idea for the bride to be.  This is a one-on-one consultation in Julianne’s studio. 

$175.00 for an hour and a half consultation, includes 1/4 ounce vial of perfume.  Call (718)788-6480 or email at info@herbalalchemy.net to make arrangements.

Teeny Tiny Mention in Marie Claire Magazine

It's so tiny you could almost miss it.  In fact I did miss it!  A client was on their way over for a consultation and was reading Marie Claire on the train and noticed it.  I don't even know who to thank!  Whoever you are, Madame Editor, thank you for the sweet inclusion!

Consultations are $125 per hour and include a quarter ounce vial of perfume.  To find out more click here.

Creating a Carnation Perfume

The sun hits the work in progress on Flora

Every once in a while I get a really enticing teaser.  "This is National Geographic, we'd like to interview you for a new show on scent" or "this is Time Out, we'd like to feature you".  Often these offers don't pan out and I've chosen to be flattered by the interest but not get too attached to the outcome.  The latest offer to dangle before me and never materialize is from the giant mass produced floral arrangement company, Teleflora.  They were sussing out some ideas for having a fragrance bar and new fragrance to celebrate their Mother's Day line of arrangements.

Once upon a time I used to be a floral designer.  I started in Boston and worked in two very sweet shops catering to a sophisticated clientele.  After I moved to New York I worked at a big shop on the Upper West Side before I ventured out into freelancing and working for party and event planners.  While in the shops I frequently would get Teleflora and FTD orders for arrangements that were not quite to my taste, and that of our patrons.  We designers would always do our best to fulfill the orders while raising the mark slightly.

Dianthus caryophyllus

When the call came I thought first that I couldn't associate myself with the floral industry giant but the more I thought about it the more inspired I became to create the most beautiful carnation perfume that I could.  Carnation is an underrated flower with an irresistible scent of vanilla and cloves that got a bad name from their association with just this kind of company.  I've decided to pair mitti, the Indian attar of distilled baked earth in sandalwood, with the carnation.  Agarwood co2, dark patchouli, vanilla and clove bud absolute have rounded things out and although the top notes have not been determined there is a very good chance for ho wood and wild lavender.  I've decided to call it Flora for the often overlooked and unfairly maligned carnation.

Fougere Workshop

The fragrance family known as the fougere is a fantasy concept meant to capture the scent of the natural habitat of ferns - the forest floor.  The principal notes are oakmoss, tonka bean and lavender. In this workshop we’ll be sampling Fougere Royale and Jicky, the instigators of this fragrance family, as well as a careful selection of the botanical world’s best perfumers.  Each student will create two perfumes using a collection of oils I’ve assembled for the the occasion including tonka bean, sweet clover, hay and a selection of lavender essential oils, absolutes and concretes.  This will also be an opportunity to work with a few rare and precious oils such as orris root, ambrette, choya nak, ho wood, buddahwood and wild sweet orange.

Fougere Workshop

Saturday, November 16th

1:00 to 4:00

$150 includes all materials

Park Slope, Brooklyn

Call (718)788-6480 or send an email to info@herbalalchemy.net for more information or register here.

It's a Good Thing: A Little Mention in Martha Stewart Weddings

This put a smile on my face!  A few months ago I got an email from someone at MS Weddings asking me for information about fragrance parties for brides.  They were writing a feature about alternatives to traditional bachelorette parties and wanted to include ideas for classes.  It's really a great idea.  I'd much prefer making jewelry, cheese, perfume or pretty much just about anything than drink too much and watch some smarmy guy undress!

To learn more or book a party click here.

A Nice Review of my Perfume Blending Class

A young woman approached me after my last Natural Perfume Blending class at 3rd Ward who had been sent to take the class from Brooklyn Magazine.  She had a few of questions and we exchanged contact info.  I was so incredibly delighted to read the review she sent me today from their blog.

I was most pleased to read that "Everyone in the class was really engaged and took notes and participated in the class in a way that was, frankly, really fun to be a part of", and that she though of me as "a lively, informative presence during the class, which she starts off with a history of perfume that manages to be both comprehensive and easy-to-follow for the novice.".  What I hope most about my classes is that they're informative and fun.  It's nice to receive some validation that I'm getting it right.

A Little Love from CBS!

A perfumer's scent organ

I'm so proud to be listed as one of the four best places to make your own perfume in New York in the CBS blog by features editor Corey Whelan.  I'm not sure I'm as ethereal as the write up suggests, but I'm pleased to be included.

A consultation consists of a little getting to know you, an explanation of how perfumes are built using top, middle and bottom notes and then in a step by step process learn how to blend a selection of scents into your own personal perfume.  Choose from over one hundred essential oils and absolutes, some rare and exotic, to create a fragrance that is uniquely yours.

Consultations usually take about an hour and a half and are $125/hr and include a quarter ounce bottle of perfume.  By appointment only, (718)788-6480, info@herbalalchemy.net