August 2009 Newsletter

Hello dear Purrfumery friends!

The “Name My New Scent” contest was a huge success and the response was beyond my wildest dreams! After receiving hundreds of naming ideas for my new, limited edition scent, I have finally selected one that captures the essence of nature and youth. The name is… Fir-ever Young! I have been working on this scent for 10 years, and all I needed was a name to finish it. And now, thanks to Kyoko Jackson, a scent lover in Berkeley, it’s finished! Thank you, Purrfumery friends, for sending me your wonderful, creative ideas. I couldn’t have named my new scent without you! People came up with the most wonderful, fun, delightful names. I loved “Fir-fume,” and found so much humor in it! I also loved “Un-fir-gettable” and “Fir-bidden.” Scent lovers sent personal stories – one even sent me the story of a romantic escapade with her suggested name, “Love in the Mist.” Another sent a poem with her suggested name ‘Woodland’s Heart.’ It was very connecting for me, and very touching. Other great name suggestions included “Emerald Dragon” and “Dragonfly Fog.” The range of names from romantic to humorous means this scent changed you from the inside! You experienced it in a very intimate, personal way, and that is always my goal. Thank you for taking the time to experience my new scent.

Fir-ever Young is a gorgeous fragrance with sweet, raspberry jam juiciness and notes of conifer, silver fir, blue spruce, and juniper. I also added notes of verbena, black currant, and a hint of rose for softness. The name Fir-ever Young really spoke to me because this scent was inspired by fir balsam absolute and my backpacking trips to the hot springs in Big Sur during my art school days. The name also reminded me of my favorite Bob Dylan song “Forever Young,” which was such an anthem for me when I was growing up in the ‘60s. Fir-ever Young is a limited edition – I couldn’t possibly recreate it the same way again. I added bits and pieces of this and that for the last 10 years. There is nearly every kind of tree in it, so to speak, and these elements will never be the same again. Here’s why: Natural essences have their own terroir. A French word used in winemaking to describe the influences land has on the taste of grapes, in natural perfumery terroir implies that natural elements have a “somewhereness” that you can detect in their scent. For example, the land conditions that existed 10 years ago when I began crafting Fir-ever Young will likely never occur again. Those land conditions influenced the scent as it exists today. And, I have aged this scent, so its natural essences have really softened and mellowed with time. I’m offering 5ml bottles of Fir-ever Young for $45 to my newsletter subscribers. It’s not up on my web site yet, but will be in the very near future. To order, please email me at laurie@purrfumery.com or call me at 510-528-8040.

The Purrfumery In the News

Joan Morris, Home and Garden editor of the Bay Area Newspaper Group, visited the Purrfumery in June and wrote the most amazing profile about us. The story ran in the June 13 edition of the group’s family of newspapers. Give it a read and consider following Joan Morris’ work in the future. She is a wonderful writer who really captures the essence of what she’s covering. Thank you, Joan, for the beautiful story you wrote about my work here at the Purrfumery. Thanks also to photographer Dean Coppola for his artful pictures of the garden and the Purrfumery. Get the story here. Another Joan – Joan Morais – also visited the Purrfumery recently and wrote about us in her blog. Joan is an aromatherapist with a passion for the natural world. She teaches fabulous classes about making your own cosmetics without nasty preservatives. The results, according to her web site, are products “that are friendly to the skin, people, animals and the earth.” Check out her web site at www.joanmorais.com for course information and overviews. While you’re online, check out the Scent Hive review of our Tuberose and Gardenia Face and Body Frostings. We made the Top 10 Summer Pastimes and Fragrances list!

Upcoming events

We’ll be bringing the Purrfumery to Rockridge from 11 to 6 on Sunday, Sept. 27 for the Out and About Rockridge Street Festival. Come say hi! I will let you know more in next month’s newsletter, but for now, visit the festival web site at http://www.rockridgeoutandabout.com/

I can't wait to meet our new Purrfumery friends! XOXO ~Monkey

Tea and Gifts in the Perfumer’s Garden

I just love to bring my Purrfumery friends together in the garden, and that’s exactly what I will do on December 5. Mark your calendars because this is going to be a very special day. We will lounge in the Perfumer’s Garden among tables of perfume, cologne, bath salts, hydrosols and body frostings, and sip tea and nibble on homemade kitty tea cakes and treats. Imagine! You can relax and meet other natural perfume lovers and get started on your holiday shopping! This will be all kinds of fun so I hope to see you here. I will be in touch in a month or so with more details about the event. Until then, enjoy the last days of summer!