Indie natural house Anya's Garden has launched two fragrances, Amberess and Light. The new scents were developed in conjunction with owner Anya McCoy's Outlaw Perfume Project.
Amberess ~ a floriental with musk rose, ylang ylang, rose geranium, patchouli, Himalayan amber oil, styrax, labdanum, tonka bean, tolu balsam, Peru balsam, benzoin and vanilla.
Light ~ a classic cologne with cedrat, grapefruit, juniper berry, aglaia flower, genet flower, ambergris, Hojari frankincense and edible frankincense sacra resinoid.
Anya’s Garden Amberess and Light are available in 3.5 ml Parfum Extrait or 15 ml Eau de Parfum ($60-125), and can be found at the Anya’s Garden website. Both fragrances are included in the 10-sample set for $65, and you can take 10% off with coupon code outlaw, good through 12/20. (via anyasgarden)
I’m tempted to buy these just because I like Anya’s flouting of the ridiculous IFRA regulations. I’m a little bit of a nonconformist myself. I don’t object to all rules–rules are necessary for civilization to exist–just stupid rules. I am seriously thinking about her sample set.
Yes! I am defiant when it comes to stupid rules so I can relate to her.
Ditto! I don’t understand rules that restrict what we can put in or on our own bodies, when it does not significantly impact anyone else. I would be OK with advisory labels, such as we have on food. If the perfume contains a know allergen or sensitizer, tell us. That way, if you know you are sensitive to oakmoss or whatever, you can choose not to buy a perfume that contains it. These IFRA rules, however, are tantamount to banning peanut butter or milk from grocery stores because some people are allergic to them.
I know this is not the most suitable place to ask this question, but i quite recently purchased Paloma Picasso, after trying it several times over some time. Strangely though, I have been feeling quite hayfevery from the scent every time I wear it. Perhaps this is because I apply it more heavily now that I own the bottle…Anyone have any idea what could be causing the reaction? I tend to think it is something synthetic, but may be wrong.
Merlin- I say if it continues to bother you, perhaps you should contact an allergist. WebMd may be of some help also as I beleive they do have an allergy consultant on their site. Hope this helps.
I can’t help you with identifying the exact culprit, but the dosage issue makes sense. I do know that I tend to apply perfume more heavily when I have a FB than when I am dabbing from a small sample vial. I love roses (and gardens in general) and have more than 50 of them in my garden, spread out over several flowerbeds, and have no trouble from them. I have noticed, however, if I go somewhere where there are a lot or roses crammed in together, such as a nursery or a rose garden, I will start sneezing. It is not bad, and I don’t actually get congested and it stops as soon as I leave the area, but apparently I am slightly sensitive to roses!
Roses-My husband has the same problem with animals. One will bother him, but get a housefull and it’s like anaphyllaxis.
Thanks for the advice: I guess there are more serious allergies that the Paloma Picasso kind!
But maybe I should see whether I can get the stuff banned…teeheehee
I don’t know, but would try dabbing and see if that improves the problem. If not, I’d stop wearing it.
The more times you come in contact with something, the likelier you are to become allergic to it. That’s because in order to develop an allergy, your body has to develop an (inappropriate) immune response. So, if you’re allergic to something in Paloma, it may be that you’ve finally developed an allergy to it.
That is to say, it may be a matter of how many times you’ve applied it, rather than how much you apply in one go.
Hurrah! I beleive the choice should be up to the individual. It seems that we have fewer choices these days.
“edible frankincense sacra resinoid” is quite a note description. Not sure I’d want to eat it even if it is edible. They both sound pretty. I haven’t tried any of this line – just getting my feet wet on the naturals – took advantage of that Aftelier coupon but still spent more than $40 on what will amount to about 3 or 4 mls. lol
I already went ahead and ordered the sample set from Anya’s Garden. They are pricey–$65 for for a total of 5 ml–but then they are extrait concentration, and natural essences to tend to be expensive. After all, back when all perfumes were natural, perfume was very much a luxury item. It was only the development of synthetic aromachemicals that allowed perfume to be available to a larger market.
Oh I know – yesterday I fell all gaga over Vero Profumo Onda edp. Her stuff is pricey too but if you love it, it’s worth it.
It is so true: naturals are NOT cheap.
I have samples of both of these – Light is indeed very light and fresh, and Amberesse is awesome – very long-lasting and sexy. I am not really much of an amber wearer as a rule but I loved it!
I appreciate the comments and wish to add that I appreciate that you get we in the Guild are fed up with *stupid* rules. Rules do exist for a reason, but sometimes bureaucrats get carried away, and we’re pushing back in the quest for some sanity regarding perfumes. Plus, preserving and evolving the art of natural perfumery is our passion.
About the allergies – it’s just common sense to avoid what doesn’t agree with you. I am sensitized to eugenol, due to using a pain-killing tooth product, so I can’t bring myself to use clove, cinnamon, et al in my perfumes. Perhaps one day I will, but not in a perfume I’ll wear.
50Roses, yes, natural perfume is a luxury, as you mention, and we do hold true to the concept of the finest raw materials, well blended and offered as a modern link to the past. Finding the rare musk rose from Zambia, of all places, excited me. The modern perfume industry focuses on damascena and centifolia, and I can only hope more suppliers explore the boutique production of rare and unusual plants.
PS same holds true for the aglaia flower in my Light perfume – it wasn’t even available until a few years ago! It’s one of the prettiest extracts in my perfume organ.