I went back to the previous popular mod of ET and decreased the musk a tad and added elemi, then I added vanilla absolute to the ET formula and eliminated the ethyl vanillin completely. I like this mod better with just natural vanilla because it adds some woodsy nuances and does not have that powdery aspect that vanillin has. I like what this change has done to the drydown.
I’m sending out two testers tomorrow to a couple people — the sample mods are identical except that one has just a tiny trace of tonka with the vanilla and the other does not. After choosing between these and possibly adjusting if needed, I can send a tester to more of the people who have test sniffed this.
I wore the no tonka version this weekend and liked it — the drydown is dry incense and sandalwood with just a bit of softening from the light vanilla. I think the cistus level is right now, and hopefully the musk level will be about right for most people (it’s pretty soft now). ET is very high in naturals and I wanted it to smell that way, so softening the musk and switching to all-natural vanilla helps meet that goal. The notes are frankincense, myrrh, elemi, sandalwood, cedar, patchouli, orris, labdanum, cistus, oakmoss, guaiacwood, angelica root, vanilla, and musk. I’ll take a few days off from sniffing it and test again, but I’m hoping this may be it.
My new 1 oz bottles will ship on March 1st and will arrive around March 21/22. I’ve not imported anything by sea before, so this is a new experience. Customs forms and procedures are a bit daunting (I usually import ingredients via FedEx and they make it easy). It will be great to have these bottles though. I’ll post pictures when they come, and I’ll update all the photos on the website, which will be a big job. I’m just now getting back to work on Bouquet Blanche and want to finish it before spring.
The daffodils from the garden are still a treat, and the plum tree is just starting to open its buds. Still feels wintery, but the garden is waking up. It’s been fun to watch some of the winter Olympics in the evening — I enjoyed the men’s skating finals a few nights ago.
