New Fragrance Oils for Spring

Spring is in the air -- and that's not all! We've just debuted seven new fragrance oils for soaps, body and hair care and cosmetics at Snowdrift Farm.

Maybe it was the long, hard winter of 2007 that made our customers think of all things green and fragrant, but I have to tell you, we've received dozens of requests for some basic fruity and floral notes. As most of you know, Snowdrift Farm is known for our designer perfume knock-offs. Because we specialize in perfumery products, including perfume grade alcohols, most of our budget for new fragrance oils is spent on duplications of popular perfumes. For instance, we were the first to bring you Stella (MacCartney's signature fragrance), Vera Wang's Princess and so many more. So, this venture into basic notes was something that, well, went by us for a while.

We are pleased to present Cranberry, Green Apple, Strawberry, Pomegranate, Cherry, Honeysuckle and Gardenia fragrances. You can find them, listed in alphabetical order, beginning here. Though we sniffed our way through lots of different versions of these scents, only a few candidates made it through to testing. In making our final selection, we strived for the realistic, true nature of these plant fragrances. Nothing cloying or annoyingly sweet.

And because we know that money doesn't grow on trees, we looked for the most economically convincing fragrances -- without sacrificing quality. I think you'll find we've achieved these goals. Care for a "sniffy sample" of any of our fragrance oils or essential oils? We've got lots. Visit our sample policy page for more information.

Your opinion counts at Snowdrift Farm. Let us know how you used our fragrance oils and what you think of them. And don't forget to tell us what you'd like to see on our fragrance oils menu next!

Chanel No. 5

Now, if I were smart, I probably wouldn't write about Chanel No. 5. So many better noses than mine have offered their opinions over the years. But this is not a review -- more of a personal memoir.

Chanel No. 5 happens to be the first "grown-up perfume" my father ever bought for me. I was probably 16 or 17, and easily impressed. And it smelled so good! I did not know the history of this fragrance, and probably if I did know that it was the first ever synthetic perfume to hit the big time back in the 1920's, it wouldn't have meant much at the time. Who was Coco Chanel?

I still like Chanel No. 5 because it smells grown-up. But now I know why it smells the way it does -- an aldehydic floriental. The mix of neroli and ylang ylang with the aldehydic top note really carry through the blend with middle notes of jasmine and rose and a lovely sandalwood-vetiver-vanilla bottom. And it's very tenacious. A little perfume goes a long way. Probably due to the synthetic civet used as a fixative in the blend.

In any case, I think I have always had at least a small bottle of Chanel No. 5 in my collection. It's one of my favorites.

Lotionmaking 101: The Movie

Well, Bill and I have finished our second how-to video, which we call Lotionmaking 101. We started the thing just before I became really sick last year. Now that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, we've had time to turn back to those things we really love to do.

In the video, we show you how to make our Easy Cocoa Butter Lotion two ways -- with a commercial preservative and preserving by use of alcohol. You can easily transfer the basic lotionmaking process information into any lotion made with emulsifiers.

Take a look at our video and let me know what you think. Suggestions may be edited into the video!

Trina at Snowdrift Farm

Remember me?

Long time, no blog...

I have a good excuse, really. Back at the end of October 2007, I was (finally) diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Stage 3C. Not bad, eh?

Since this is a blog about perfuming, hair and skin care and related subjects, I won't go on and on about the state of my health, except to say it is vastly improved after 3 surgeries and a bunch of chemo. I'm still in chemo, but that should end in May or June. My cancer marker is very low -- in the normal range -- but the protocol is to finish the chemo, no matter what.

I have greatly missed blogging here and look forward to writing more in the following days. Thanks to all of you who have sent me notes of encouragement along the way. Your thoughts and prayers are very much appreciated.

On with the show!

Trina at Snowdrift Farm