weekend update

I finally have a tester formula to send out for the Lieu de Reves take-off as soon as we make more samples of it. It’s different enough that it should be a new scent with a new name and I’ll keep the original as is. If people like the new one, I’ll add it to the Boutique group and I’ll keep the original Reves as an Exclusive.

The original has more hedione, heliotrope, and musk. The new has a woodsier base with oak extract in addition to the cedar and with a light touch of suede. It also has a little cocoa note and more rose than the original. It has just as much violet on a percentage basis, but the violet feels less intense because of the increased complexity of the woodsy notes. I’ve been adjusting to keep sweetness in check and need feedback on that. I’m still working on the classic inspired scent and not ready yet to send it out for testing.

I’m about done with the special orders for the 34 ml old style bottles. I hope to put the 5 ml and 17 ml sizes up soon, but I’m going to wait until the end of the month after I get a root canal out of the way. I had one about 15 years ago and hoped not to do that again, but it seems many of us accumulate a couple of these along the way. I had hoped I could last until my appointment on the 26th, but it’s worse this weekend so we’ll call in the morning to see if they can squeeze me in soon. There’s always something crazy going on, lol.

My wrists have improved a lot but are not yet able to do pipetting, so my helper is doing the batching with me. I think it should be possible to put up the smaller sizes and the 34 ml in the Boutique scents. I’ll decide in a week or two, but that’s my plan at this time. I don’t think I’ll be able to do the shea cream this holiday season but maybe I can do that after the holidays this winter.

My brother was up for a short visit this weekend. We have our first real rain of the season today, which is quite a switch after the hot Indian summer we’re been having.