Ingredients of Note
Perfumes are compositions, using fragrant material as the instruments. Perfumers are just like composers, choosing specific ingredients to hit particular notes at different times. The way the ingredients unfold adds drama to the experience.
A perfume’s ingredients can be grouped into “notes” categorized as Top, Middle and Base. These groups of ingredients are enhanced at different times in the perfume experience, bound to one another, but with solo performances throughout. Quality perfumes are crafted with this unfolding experience in mind, and how the ingredients interact in the air, on the skin and with one another.
When perfume is applied, lively Top Notes hit first, and finish first. Top Notes burst right out of the bottle due to how tiny their molecules are. These small, light molecules add an instant pleasure, but are really just the opening act. Classic examples of Top Notes are found in the Citrus Family, from both rind and blossom. The rinds of the fruit on Limes, Lemons, and Bergamots, for example, produce their essential oils, which are highly valued for their initial burst of happiness they provide. When you peel an orange, and a bit of spray is released from the unfolding rind—you are seeing a burst of its Essential Oil. Top Notes can also be known as head notes, and are carefully selected due to the first impression they give. They play an important role in nabbing attention. Take for example another popular Top Note, Neroli. Scientists have observed increased serotonin production in the brains of people introduced to the scent of Neroli. It’s extracted from the blossom of a Bitter Orange tree common to the Mediterranean, and highly prized for the pleasing rays of sunshine it lends a perfume.
As time passes...
Gorilla Perfume Volume II: Let's Get It On!
Volume II is the second round of perfumes being launched by our Gorilla Perfumers, the father and son team Mark and Simon Constantine. Inspired by ancient lore of the British countryside, tales of seduction, protective plants and beat poets, these perfumes are nothing like you've experienced before.
The Sun is an orange, tangerine and sandalwood oil blend, inspired by Mark's vision of a big orange sun on a lollipop stick. In the dead of winter, he reminisced about a road trip taken with friends in the middle of summer, driving down the New Jersey Turnpike to Cape May. Listening to Simon and Garfunkel croon "America", he flung open the doors to his fragrance cupboard and began recreating the happiness and contentedness of that warm, happy day.
The Voice of Reason is inspired by the generation of beat poets. It smells as is Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan and Jack Kerouac just walked past you and through a cellar door into a secret club. They are gone, and all you have is the faint scent of espresso, French cigarettes and whiskey swirling around you. Sandalwood and buddhawood soak into your skin, senses and soul.
Rose beats at the heart of the matter. Sikkim Girls is a scent of silent seduction. It is inspired by a Darjeeling café owner's tale of two women, the Sikkim Girls, who seduced his son-in-law with the subtle, sexual sway of their bodies. A blend of frangipani, jasmine...
Choose Your Own Sexy Adventure
Romance is in the air, and Valentine's Day is fast approaching. You've got a hot date, but do you have all of the right moves?
If "true love" is your aim we recommend that you practice your actions before the big night. Emily and Jesse are desperate for your help in, Choose Your Own Sexy Adventure...
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Buying Story: Cocoa Butter
The story of our Fair Trade organic cocoa butter started a few years ago when we began working with the Peace Community of San Jose de Apartado in Columbia. The quality of the cocoa butter is absolutely gorgeous, but the community it supports is even better.
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Gorilla Perfume Presents: How to Apply Perfume
Salome, one of our wonderful Perfumistas from LUSH France, sensually explains how to apply perfume. You might not fully understand the language, but you'll get the idea!
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