Nepal Earthquake - Charity One Day Sale

I'm sure you've all heard about the two recent, devastating earthquakes that have hit Nepal. There are a lot of people who need a lot of help, and I want to do my part.

Firstly, if you are able to donate, there are several places to consider:

Oxfam
World Vision
Red Cross
WaterAid
UNICEF

There are more suggestions in this article too.

Secondly, I'm going to be running a one-day sale on Sunday 17th May, with all proceeds going to World Vision. I'll be offering 10% off all perfume oils (5ml and 10ml sizes). I wanted to do something like this in May anyway, as I'm probably going to take some time away in June and thought it would be a good way to say bon voyage to you all briefly, and if I can combine that with raising money for charity, well, that seems ideal.

So. Sunday 17th May. One day sale. 10% off all perfume oils, with all proceeds going to World Vision for their Nepal projects. Be there!

"...you don't smell the smoke, you only see the temptation of a perfume."

Laura Gentile, Seraphic Addiction

So we've talked a bit about Shy Saliana and my plans for that little side project. I thought now it might be fun to talk a bit about some of the new things I'm trying out as part of Shy Saliana's inception, and one of those things is chypres and accords! This is actually something I started working on last summer, and it's been a great learning curve. Since I'm already using my chypres in some of my (yet-to-be released) blends, it makes sense to start there.

So what's a chypre, you may be asking? Technically speaking, it's French for "Cyprus." As far as perfume-lovers are concerned, it's a category of scent (think "floral," "oriental," "fresh," etc...). It probably began life somewhere in the Middle Ages, with Cypriots and their "Cipria powder" - a scented face powder that gained popularity in the 17th Century when it was used for powdering wigs. And what makes a chypre a chypre as we know it? There are varying accounts as to how the classic chypre scent came together, but it's generally agreed that the basic accord is a blend of bergamot, oakmoss, and labdanum (or rock rose), all common products in and around the Mediterrean. Working together, these three notes create a distinctive, earthy perfume with just a hint of powdery, citrus freshness. These three main notes can also be enhanced with others to create different sub-categories of chypre.

In 1919, Guerlain introduced Mitsouko, which took the classic chypre notes and added delicate peach, jasmine and May rose to give a fruity, floral twist to the scent. Other floral chypres blended florals like lily of the valley and tuberose to smooth out the mustiness of the classic notes. Guerlain's 2009 scent, Idylle, is a good example of this, using Bulgarian rose, lily of the valley, lilac, freesia, and peony to create a "mist of flowers" over the earthy chypre background.

Add in notes of "green" florals like hyacinth, and you get a green chypre. Vetiver, patchouli, and pine create woody chypres. We also get aldehydic, leather, and animalistic chypres (although it terms of my own creations, I've stayed away from these categories).

So you can see there's a lot of variation, but the basic accord always comes back to bergamot, oakmoss, and labdanum. So when I decided I was going to have a crack at my own chypres, that's where I started.

Generally speaking, when I work with oakmoss and labdanum, I'm using absolutes that have already been diluted down in jojoba oil to make them easier to work with. But I figured if I was going to do this, I should really do this and invested in oakmoss and labdanum absolute. Alright. Let me tell you about oakmoss absolute. It's really thick, almost a solid.
And let me tell you about labdanum absolute. It's even thicker. You can quite safely hold bottles of this stuff upside down over your head, and not a drop will touch your precious locks, I assure you.

So obviously the first challenge I faced was getting my materials into a workable state. This was about the point where I questioned my dedication to the cause. But, several hours of experimentation with home-made bain-maries later, I had both absolutes in a slightly more liquid state. (Bergamot essential oil poses no such problems. Let's all take a moment to appreciate bergamot oil).

And then comes the next problem: these absolutes won't dissolve in carrier oils. So how are you supposed to keep them liquid and usable?

The answer: dipropylene glycol, a chemical compound with solvent properties that make it great for use in perfuming. So here's your basic formula for DIY chypres:

Bergamot essential oil
Oakmoss absolute
Labdanum absolute
Dipropylene glycol
A water-bath
A kitchen that you're prepared to have covered in oil
The patience of a saint

You can get more complex if you're also working with aroma chemicals, but I don't want to worry about methyl salicylate or ambrene 50 (I can barely spell them), so I stuck to as simple and natural a formula as I could find.

So that's a brief overview of what a chypre is and what my interpretation is...Next week I'll get into a bit more detail about the blends I've created and how I'm using them!

(Cross-posted to Shy Saliana)

Introducing Shy Saliana

What's Shy Saliana all about, you ask?

 Christian Meyn http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Simply put, this is really all about is curiosity. When I first started making solid perfumes in 2012, it was purely for myself, to see if I could and to see if I'd enjoy it. I could and I did, and I was quickly gripped by an obsession. Even so, I never imagined perfume-making would become such a huge part of my life. Yet it has. Maybe, just maybe, the most important part of my life (don't tell my cat). In 2013, it was important enough to me that I opened Common Brimstone. More than that, it was exciting enough to me to open a shop and offer my creations to the world. That was a big step. I'm not a natural self-promoter and the idea of saying, "hey, I think this thing I made is worth your money," is still a really alien idea to me.

How does that lead us here, you ask? Curiosity again. I'd answered some question for myself: Yes, I can make perfume; yes, I can do it well; and yes, other people like them. The next question was simple - what else can I do? How can I push this - and myself - further?

And the answer was simple too: try more. I'd shied away from perfumer's alcohol when I first started as a hobbyist, because it seemed so...professional. Something experts worked with. And something that, honestly, was a step away from the natural-as-possible ethos that is part of Common Brimstone. But it was also pretty damn tantalising. New possibilities appear on the horizon! New questions are raised. How different are the results? What materials can I use that I can't now? A prime example, green tea absolute is the consistency of old chewing gum and about as pleasant to work with. It's also insoluble in carrier oils like sweet almond oil, which means it's pretty much useless for my Common Brimstone projects.

But with perfumer's alcohol and di-propylene glycol?* Different story! Suddenly I've got a whole new range of materials to play with. And that is just an irresistible lure.

So this is my journey. I don't like to think of it as "the next level" in my perfuming endeavours, because frankly I think Common Brimstone is already a pretty huge accomplishment, and nothing is going to dwarf my pride in it. So this is more a journey to a parallel place. The goals are the same: beautiful, unique, handcrafted perfumes inspired by the things I'm passionate about. The methods are different, but I hope you'll enjoy it all just the same. So stick with me - I'll share plenty more about Shy Saliana and where it's going soon.

In the mean time, you can track my (rather slow) progress on social media - Twitter, Facebook, and on the blog, and you can visit the (currently empty) Shy Saliana shop.

*I'll explain later!

Happy Birthday To Me!

Well, to the shop, anyway. February 21st marks Common Brimstone's second birthday. Since it doesn't seem quite right to give myself presents, I'm going to give you guys some instead.

I'll keep this brief, since the As Yet Undiagnosed Arm Injury is playing me up today, so just imagine this blog is filled with witticisms and jokes, and let's get to the important part:

A GIVEAWAY!

To celebrate Common Brimstone's entry into the terrible twos, I'm giving away a fabulous prize to one lucky blog commenter. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and you'll be in the running for...

A 10ml bottle of Unbirthday Cake '15, my limited edition new perfume oil. 

This beautiful butterfly necklace from Laura's Jewellery.

And a 5ml bottle of your choice of any perfume from the shop - Raw Brimstone or the general Common Brimstone catalogue!

Two runners-up will also get a 5ml bottle of Unbirthday Cake '15!

That's it! Sound good? You've got until 5th March to leave your comment and be in with a chance of winning.

As always, I couldn't be doing this without all of you guys, so thank you, thank you, thank you!

“Perfume is like cocktails without the hangover, like chocolate without the calories, like an affair without tears, like a vacation from which you never have to come back”

cbenjasuwan, http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Marian Bendeth

First of all: Happy New Year! I hope you all had amazing Christmasses and New Years, and that 2015 is going to treat you well. I have loads of stuff planned for this year, including a Secret Project that I hope to let you in on soon, as well as (of course) as many new perfumes as I can possibly make!

Now, to business! I mentioned over the Christmas period on Facebook and Twitter that I was going to be changing the way I make my perfume oils in 2015. Don't worry – you're going to have the same amazing scents, but I've finally been able to do something I've wanted to do since...well, since opening Common Brimstone really, and that's change the type of carrier oil I use.

Allmy Common Brimstone regular perfumes will now be mixed in a blend of fractionated coconut oil and vitamin E oil. All Raw Brimstoneperfumes will be mixed in golden jojoba oil. I've already started transitioning from sweet almond oil to the new carriers, so going forward you can expect the same perfumes you know and love, but with a new and superior carrier!

Why the change? Well, first and foremost, fractionated coconut oil is feather-light so it absorbs readily into your skin, and the fractionated nature of this oil means it has an indefinite shelf-life, unlike some other vegetable oils. Combine that with the amber bottles my perfumes come in, and your perfume is going to be perfectly preserved for a very long time! In addition, it's silky, non-greasy, and highly nourishing for your skin. Add in a touch of vitamin E and my perfumes are now even kinder to your skin.

As for jojoba oil, it has an almost endless list of health and beautybenefits. It also closely resembles the oils of our own skin and is naturally protective, making it great for sensitive skin. My aim for the Raw Brimstone line has always been 100% natural and 100% awesome, and jojobo oil makes the perfect carrier oil to complement the essential oils, absolutes, and CO2s I use.

What does this mean for you? You will see a small price increase across the shop. I've ummed-and-ahhed about this for a long time. Part of the ethos I started Common Brimstone with was “affordable luxury.” I wanted to make perfumes for people like me – people who loved them, but couldn't afford to spend a small fortune on them. I believe I've kept to that ideal with this change, but of course I have to be realistic about my outgoings! And I do believe that I'm giving you a better product all round.

As a final word, I want to say that I wouldn't be able to make these changes – or work on my Secret Project – without all your enthusiasm, support, and love, and that means the world to me! I hope you'll stick with me through 2015 to see where Common Brimstone can go next.

Handmade Monday 2014

If you were with me last year, you may already know about Handmade Monday. If you're new to the blog, I can best describe it thusly: the handmade alternative to Black Friday, a day to buy handmade, artisan products and show your support for small businesses, artists, and crafters of all kinds. This year it falls on November 24th and I'll be running a sale that day, as I did last year.

Now, being very firmly British, I don't celebrate Thanksgiving, but I've had plenty of reasons to be thankful this year. Common Brimstone has grown in leaps and bounds and I've been able to financially support my little family (two snakes, one cat, one man) as well as keep indulging my love of perfume-making by investing in rare and unusual materials. I've been able to raise money for charitable causes close to my heart. And that wouldn't have happened with the support, reviews, tweets, and general word-of-mouth that you guys have given me. You've all also been incredibly patient and supportive whilst we dealt with some pretty tough family matters over the past few weeks. So I want to give back.

So for Handmade Monday 2014, I'm offering 15% off everything in the shop. That's perfume oils in both 5ml and 10ml, the Raw Brimstone line, all sample sets, and all solid perfumes. Whether you want to get cracking on Christmas shopping, you're looking to treat yourself (you deserve it!), or you're just a massive perfume junkie like me, Monday 24th is the time to indulge.

I have three new perfume oils I'll be adding to the shop on Sunday, too. They should have been part of my autumn collection, but...life happened, and I like to think it is always autumn somewhere in the world, so they still count. Look out for Spindrift, The Autumn Queen, and Penny Dreadful this weekend. Happy Thanksgiving!

"O river, I see drifting deep in your flux of silver those great goddesses of peace."

Lorelei - Sylvia Plath

Through dangers untold* and hardships unnumbered**, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City  blog to take back the child that you have stolen finally tell you about the new Raw Brimstone collection.

Can you believe I thought I'd be launching this back in August? I can't imagine what I was thinking. But perhaps November is a better month for this particular collection anyway, inspired as it is by the goddesses of death, darkness, and the underworld.

I'm a folklore and mythology buff, and I'm never happier than when working myth and legend into my creative projects. For this Raw Brimstone collection, I knew I wanted the focus to be goddesses, but that really was too broad a scope by itself. From the Greeks to the Celts, from Hinduism to Vodun...sometimes there's such a thing as too much choice. So why go for goddesses associated with death? Bit morbid, right?

Right, but also fascinating. Each goddess represented in the collection is not simply a goddess of death, but has numerous other associations and roles within their respective mythology. Kerbechet, for example, is a deification of embalming fluid in Egyptian mythology, and gave water to the spirits of the dead while they waited for their mummification. Marzanna, a Polish goddess, was tied to seasonal rites linked to death and rebirth, wherein an effigy of the goddess is drowned or burned to symbolise the end of winter. Maman Brigitte is a death loa who protects graveyards and drinks rum infused with hot peppers...Once I started researching, I was struck by how every culture's take on death and the underworld varied so wildly, and I knew I'd found my theme.

Serket

The challenge of the Raw Brimstone line is creating beautiful, unique perfumes using all-natural materials. It would have been great to make a Maman Brigitte perfume with rum fragrance oil, for example, but it would also have been cheating. One of the reasons this collection is coming so late in the year is that I've spent a lot of time this year sourcing some of the weird and wild essential oils featured in these perfumes. That itself has lead to some failed experiments...I had planned to include a perfume using green tea absolute in this line, but it turns out green tea absolute is the consistency of dried chewing gum and...well...I made a real mess of a perfectly good mug and several spoons before I decided that perfume wasn't going anywhere...

What I have ended up with is nine dark and delicious all-natural perfumes that are absolutely perfect for heading into the long, cold winter months. Whether your inner goddess is tempestuous Kali or ancient Ereshkigal, I've got something for you. 

Want a sneak preview?

Belet-Seri - A Babylonian goddess of the underworld known as The Scribe of the Earth and the Queen of the Desert. Her scent is a rich, Oriental-type with warm spices, luxurious flowers, and just a hint of desert heat.

Dea Tacita - A Roman goddess of death, Dea Tacita was known as the silent goddess. She was the personification of the terror of obscurity. Her scent is a calm, still blend of greenery and soft florals inspired by the Italian wilderness.

Ereshkigal - The Mesopotamian Great Lady Under Earth, ruler of the land of the dead. Her scent is earthy and deep, infused with sweet exotic fruits and flowers.

Kali - Surely a goddess who needs no introduction. She is the goddess of time and change, ferocious, destructive, and frenzied. Her scent is a hot, wild blend of spices and deep, dark incenses, with a hint of a blazing fire.

Kebechet - The Egyptian goddess of embalming, daughter of Anubis. Her scent combines the traditional ingredients of the embalming liquid, coupled with a touch of fragrant flowers.

Maman Brigitte - Wife of Baron Samedi, a loa who is today equated with Mary Magdalene and Saint Brighid. Her scent combines fiery peppers and spices with sharp fruit and elegant florals.

Marzanna - Polish goddess of death, winter, and nightmares, tied to the change of seasons. Her scent is that of a winter forest awaiting spring, woods and trees with a hint of cool rose.

Santa Muerte - A folk saint associated with not just death, but healing and protection, Santa Muerte is venerated in Mexico and the Southwestern United States. Her scent comprises some of her favourite offerings - tobacco and fruits.

Serket - An Egyptian goddess of venomous stings, once a deification of the scorpion. She is a protector of the dead and patron of the Pharaohs. Her scent combines sticky-sweet honey with sharper resins and extravagant florals.

Sound good? Excited? Can't wait to try them? Don't worry! I will be taking a short break in the first week of November to stock-take and catch up on some custom requests, but after that, this line will be launched and available for sale. Keep an eye out on the week starting November 10th. In the mean time, I'm off to research the next line...

*Family stuff
** A sinus infection