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.

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

Hierbas de Ibiza

Ibiza is an island located in the Mediterranean Sea and belonging to Spain. Ibiza's claim to fame is its everlasting summer of love and fun. Every summer, free spirits from all over the globe gather here to party. There are plenty of designer fragrances that invoke the name of this island, in an effort, I believe, to get you to believe you are (almost) there when you wear them. Escada's Ibiza Hippie (great name!) and Cathy Guerrera's Ibiza come to mind immediately.

Hierbas de Ibiza was the brainchild of Antonio and José Torres, two Ibizan brothers -- and jewelers. They perceived a need for a signature fragrance for the island -- from the island -- and in 2005, Hierbas de Ibiza was born.

Packaged in the apothecarian style, this "agua de colonia fresca" or eau de cologne is appealing to both men and women. Made from an artful blend of plant extracts that are indigenous to Ibiza, this colognes' fresh and sparkling citrus accord opening magically morphs into a sweet orange blossom middle and a sweet and luscious bottom. The background of jasmine, geranium and lavender gives this fragrance beautiful support and the sweet cinnamon and vanilla help keep the drydown sweet and low. Very nice.

I purchased mine at Aedes. We're going to have to see if we can knock this one off at Snowdrift Farm.

Miel de Bois by Serge Lutens

Got a care package a few days ago from Aedes. Actually, I had to pay for it, but it was worth it. The Tubereuse from L’Artisan Parfumeur came along with several samples of different Serge Lutens fragrances –something for winter -- that I had requested. We’ll get to the Tubereuse a little later. I’m too compelled to discuss one of the Serge Lutens samples: Miel de Bois.

Before I started writing this, I googled Miel de Bois to see what other people might think about this perfume. It is different. By and large, the jury does not seem to be with this one. This doesn’t surprise me, but I am a bit disappointed. Different does not have to mean awful.

I really like Miel de Bois, but it's unusual, oh boy. I mean you either love it or you hate it, from the reviews I have read. It’s kind of like a study in black and white -- set in a Catholic Church. Right out of the bottle, Miel de Bois opens with a fragrant blast of sweet wild honey immediately tempered with the pontifical scent of guaiacwood. What? That’s right. Guaiacwood. For the uninitiated, guaiacwood is a smoky, deep, woody scent, highly reminiscent of the incense that Catholic priests wave through the air on high holidays. I am sure there are lots of other notes in between the honey and the guaiacwood, but I’ll be darned if I can smell them. I sense myrrh and frankincense and perhaps a tip of the hat toward galbanum.

The drydown on Miel de Bois is the best part. The smoky scent of the wood melds into the honey and takes on an ephemeral, powdery dimension. I find the scent to be fleeting in drydown, but when I inhale deeply at a pulse point, I can smell the guaiacwood again and it seems to linger.

Miel de Bois is a puzzler. It works well for both men and women. I am wondering how it might smell as a soap – if the scent will transfer nicely, or if it will morph into something else.

My First Post

Welcome to Fragrant Fields, a blog about the way things smell.

I know, this may seem a bit far-fatched, and certainly, I won't be discussing the smell of everything -- just the things I like to smell: always perfume -- and frequently, food.

My name is Trina Wallace, and I co-founded Snowdrift Farm, a labor of love that has become an S-corp over the past 12 years. Not bad for a music major from New York, eh? At Snowdrift Farm, we are soap, lotion and perfume maniacs. My husband, Bill, is a chemist, and got me started on soapmaking back in the late 1980's. Let's just say we've progressed a bit over the years, and we are now a leading supplier of materials used in the manufacture of soaps, lotions and perfumes. From essential oils and absolutes to packaging to ethyl alcohols, you name, we've got it, or can get it. Try me!

So, what's up with this blog? Like I don't have enough to do. I love to write, though, and I really love to write about perfume. I figure it's a good way to share what I know and learn more about what I don't know. I could be all wrong about this. We'll have to wait and see how it goes, n'est pas?

I thought that a good way to start is to talk about things I know about. I love to create perfumes as well as buy them, but I thought I might start out with perfumes that are available for purchase, rather than those you make yourself. Stay tuned....first up is Fleurs d'Oranger by Serge Lutens. Then, maybe a chat about Aedes de Venustras, my most favorite perfume shop in the entire universe.