Dirty Sexy Wilde Dandy Launch Party /Jitterbug Perfume Parlour 1 year Anniversary

From our press release: Hollywood, CA – September 1st, 2009
Opus Oils, a Perfume Atelier located in the heart of glamorous
Hollywood, CA announced today the Official Release
of their all new “Dirty Sexy Wilde” Collection.
The Launch will mark the 1 year anniversary of OO’s
“Jitterbug Perfume Parlour” (retail boutique & HQ),
and the Debut of their Coffin shaped "Perfume Flasks"
with decorative frames and pictures.
It will all take place at Opus Oils’ Jitterbug Perfume
Parlour, 4959 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90027
on September 5Th, 2009.

I am happy to say that "Dirty Sexy Wilde" was a fragrant hit!
I took it as a compliment that multiple people told me it was
"Like nothing they had ever smelled before", and "Vintage,
but with a modern twist..."

The temperature was in the high 90's all night, but despite
the lingering heatwave, a "Dandy Good Time" was had by all!
Actually, there was something beautifully languid and
Southern-Victorian to it... Between the heat,the fine
company, the perfumes and the punch it was quite surreal!
With the fancy dress Dandy-inspired costumes, and all the
Velvet Fainting Couches it was easy to imagine that we were
in another time...













A very special thanks to all our friends who came by
to help us celebrate, and were such good sports to dress
in their "Dandy Best",despite the high temperature!
Extra Special thanks to our DJ's Harvey Wallbanger,
Professor LaCroix,Eva Bunny and our stylish
San Francisco chums who made the trek all the way
from the bay area (extra top hats & spats in tow),
Riddle & Feng for the groovy photos (above) &
the lovely wildflower sculpture from their garden,
and the La Dance Macabre girls who helped me keep
my hat(and my head)on all night long! We are so
lucky to have such wonderful friends who grace
our establishment with their fabulousness!

I like to think that Oscar would have been pleased...


For a good time call on:
~Dirty Sexy Wilde Punch~
Rose Petals
Raspberry Syrup
Rose Syrup
Pink Lemonade
Seven Up or Ginger ale
Vodka

We must have been thirsty - we got to the bottom of 4 huge punch bowls!


SOTN: Dirty Sexy Wilde (Of Course)

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT DIRTY SEXY WILDE:

Kezbekistan says,"I was warned this fragrance was
very earthy, but since I love earthy scents (vetiver is a
huge favourite)I thought, "what the hey!"And... "What the
Hey!" indeed! Not too earthy at all, actually I think the
person who warned me confused 'earthy' with 'musky, sweaty
and sated'.It has a beautiful, just barely there smokiness
about it. Not an incense smokiness; more a small fire deep
in the forest, to rest by after a night of carnal delights.
The citrus balances the deeper tones nicely. Honestly,
it's like laying on a bed of crushed grasses and flowers,
deep in a deciduous forest. With your lover in your arms.
And that little fire flickering beside you as you rest in
the afterglow. I wear it very lightly, and notice people
sniff and turn to see if they can track down the source of
the fragrance. Perfect sillage! And a little lasts a
loooong time. I've had nothing but positive comments
about Dirty Sexy Wilde. It's unusual, different and far
from common. I absolutely agree with Mirabelle Jee in
that it may be more for men... men who want to get laid!
And for the woman who wants to be not just noticed, but remembered."
(http://www.fragrantica.com/news/Dirty-Sexy-Wilde-perfume-by-Opus-Oils-new-coffin-edition-985.html)


**PRESS**
http://www.fragrantica.com/news/Dirty-Sexy-Wilde-perfume-by-Opus-Oils-new-coffin-edition-985.html

http://perfumesmellinthings.blogspot.com/2009/09/wilde-in-streets-opus-oils-dirty-sexy.html

TASTY TID-BIT:
"The Picture of Dorian Gray" was Wilde’s only full-length novel.

He wants a "Lady Killer" Scent...

Tiger sniffs at my wrist and wrinkles his nose, "Too earthy", he says..."and too leathery -I don't want to smell like leather,or s**t!"(Must be the Civet note).... It's too old... I'd rather smell like 'Old Spice' or better yet Drakkar Noir.

This is not what I want to hear! Especially when I was going for "Earthy, Leathery, Vintage, & Animalic"...

So for a point of reference,it's off to google I go, to look up the notes for DN . Come to find, they are very close to the notes in my working blend!
To please the Tiger - it's his image on the bottle,and he wants "A Lady Killer Scent" he can get behind, it seems all I have to do is a bit of rearranging. Hmmm....

Days later, after a bit of tweaking,and a healthy infusion of green notes(galbanum +),the working blend passes Tiger's rigorous sniff test, and I am headed to a gathering with some friends and a tester bottle in tow. My mission for the evening is to do a bit of market research...

After a healthy feasting on a most delicious spread, the guests were all gathered in the kitchen,as our host spontaneously broke out into song(A Capella,and pulled it off,no less!), when my little bottle started to get passed around... Well, even in my wildest dreams, I was not expecting the reaction it caused - I won't get any more specific than the squeals of delight and actual licking of persons
(AXE cologne eat your heart out!), but it was certainly something verging on the XXX rated... And by all accounts it lived up to the name "Dirty Sexy Wilde"...

SOTD: Dirty Sexy Wilde
KEY NOTES: Galbanum,Red Mandarin,Carnation,Violet,Rose,Night Jasmine,Blond Tobacco,Oakmoss,Coumarin,Musk,Civet,Ambergris


TASTY TID-BIT: (Per Wikipedia)
Sex pheromones
In animals, sex pheromones indicate the availability of the female for breeding. Male animals may also emit pheromones that convey information about their species and genotype. Many insect species release sex pheromones to attract a mate, and many lepidopterans (moths and butterflies) can detect a potential mate from as far away as 10 kilometers (6.25 mi). Traps containing pheromones are used by farmers to detect and monitor insect population in orchards. At the microscopic level, a gamete pheromone may provide a trail leading the opposite sex's gametes towards it to accomplish fertilization. Pheromones are also used in the detection of oestrus in sows. Boar pheromones are sprayed into the sty, and those sows which exhibit sexual arousal are known to be currently available for breeding. Sea urchins release pheromones into the surrounding water, sending a chemical message that triggers other urchins in the colony to eject their sex cells simultaneously.

The Birth of "Dirty Sexy Wilde"

"And so he would study Perfumes,and the secrets of their manufacture,distilling heavily scented oils,and burning odorous gums from the East. He saw that there was no mood of the mind that had not it's counterpart in the Sensuous life,and set himself to discover their true relations,wondering what there was in Frankincense that made one mystical,and in ambergris that stirred one's passions,and in violets that woke the memory of dead romances,and in musk

that troubled the brain,and in champak that stained the imagination;and seeking often to elaborate a real psychology of perfumes,and to estimate the several influences of sweet smelling roots,and scented pollen-laden flowers,or aromatic balms,and dark and fragrant woods,of spikenard that sickens,of hovina that makes men mad,and of aloes that are said

to be able to expel melancholy from the soul."

~ The Picture of Dorian Grey

Oscar Wilde

For our new class "Animalic Instincts", I will create a historically influenced scent inspired by Mr. Oscar Wilde. Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) Wilde was an eccentric Dandy (Per Wikipedia "A dandy[1] (also known as a beau, gallant or flamboyant person[2]) is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies. Historically, especially in late 18Th- and early 19Th-century Britain, a dandy, who was self-made, often strove to imitate an aristocratic style of life despite coming from a middle-class background." )

So what would Mr Wilde have smelled like? ... My mind wanders through 19Th century cafes & Parlours in search of clues... I stumble upon the spirit of Mr Wilde,lingering at his favorite Cafe,sporting a Malmaison Carnation (Oscar Wilde is famous for having had a fetish for the bloom, which he liked to dye each day anew in green.) Clue #1 - Carnation.

Clue #2 -I will take from the words of Mr. Wilde himself (above): Frankincense, Ambergris, musk & Champak.

Clue #3 - (Fortunately),I have a book from 1892 with formulas for "Handkerchief Perfumes", the list of popular notes used at the time included : Orris, Rose, Bergamot, Cassie,Violet, Jasmin,Neroli, Tonka,Patchouli,Vetiver,Santal,Vanilla,and tinctures of Musk,Civet ,and Ambergris.

The Animalic aspect of this scent is obviously going to play a key part in this scent's makeup as the purpose for making this particular product is as a historic compliment to showcase in my new "Animalic Instincts" class. Originally I had planned to incorporate the "Dandiliscious" civet note, but the hunt for "Free Range Civet" paste was disappointing,to say the least. The closest I got was a certain Ethiopian farmer who said "We obtain civet paste from cats in captivity. On our own farm, Cages are modern and animals are not abused or slaughtered in any way. "... Unfortunately, this goes against my animal loving grain,and our idea of "no animal testing". Until we can find a civet source that pleases us, we will have the true civet version of the scent on hand at the Jitterbug Perfume Parlour as an historic example only. The same will be true for the musk note. Ambergris will be the one true animalic used in the commercial release, as I do have a good source for "beach found" Ambergris.

On a side note,this has set me to wondering... Why are there no free range civet farms?

TASTY TID-BIT: (From article by Franny Syufy) http://cats.about.com/cs/basichealth/a/civetcat_2.htm
"The civet is a mostly nocturnal animal, from the Viverridae family, found in Africa,and the East Indies. It is approximately 17-28 inches in length, excluding its long tail, and weighs about 3 to 10 pounds. Although classified within the Carnivera order, the palm civet of Southern Asia (named because it can be found in palms), is a fruit-eating mammal. Although the Viverridae family is distantly related to the Felidae family of which the common domestic cat is a member, the civet "cat" is not a cat. Indeed, it is more related to the mongoose than to any cat.

The civet is a cunning-looking little animal, with a catlike body, long legs, a long tail, and a masked face resembling a raccoon or weasel. In some areas of the world, it has become an endangered species, hunted for its fur or as a food source. The civet's taste for fruit has been its downfall in at least one area of southeast Asia; as early as the 18th century, the durian fruit was also called "civet fruit," because it was used as bait for catching civets.

The civet not only is fond of fruit, but has had a love-hate relationship with growers of a particular coffee bean in Viet Nam. Civets love this bean, and search out the tastiest examples with their long, foxlike nose. The hardiest beans survive the digestive process of the civet, and are prized in caphe cut chon, or fox-dung coffee (Vietnamese call the civet "fox.")

Unfortunately for the civets, their habitat has been razed for new coffee orchards, and their decline has furthered because of the Vietnamese appetite for barbequed civet meat. A restraunteur admitted that he was not troubled by the scarcity of Caphe cut chon, saying that he'd rather "eat the fox." Actually, the new scarcity of fox-dung coffee beans has been a boon for entrepreneurs who market fake caphe cut chon as the real thing. However, that doesn't help the fate of the civet cats who are killed for food.

Last, the civet has been the source of a highly-valued musk, used as a stablizing agent in perfumes. Although civets were at one time killed for their musk, they more recently have been "recycled" for this purpose. Also called "civet," excretions are scraped from the civet's perianeal glands, a painful process. Both male and female cats produce these strong-smelling excretions. At least one civet cat farmer in Ethiopia raises civets for their musk, although this practice is dying out as perfumers move toward using synthetic fixatives.

Maligned, abused, and beleageured, the civet cat has an unknown future on many fronts. But it is not a cat."