16 November 2006

The Lab





Here are our mixing tables and a sample of the raw materials in the fridge. Most of the chemicals are liquids, but the powders, crystals and gums must be microwaved to make dilutions. Alcohol boils very easily, so we're talking 10 seconds max! The room with the fridges is SO smelly. It's not unpleasant but it's a real fruit-salad-soup, despite the fact that some materials are nestled Russian-doll-style inside three different containers.

14 November 2006

Busy!

Thanks to all the faithful readers out there. :) My intention was to update my blog more frequently, but that is complicated by a number of factors - progress on my computer is slow to nonexistent, and I just plain don't have much time to hang around the school computer lab. But there are healthy consequences to this as well. The time I spend in front of a computer screen each day has decreased about 500%. And the time I spend with my nose in a bottle has increased about 900%. (Don't worry, I checked our chemicals against the FDA's toxicology list and all my brain cells should be intact). Perfumery is quite challenging and I'm tired at the end of every day. But the key is that I always want to wake up and come to school. Today we tried to construct a Thierry Mugler ANGEL-like accord. All the vanilla and chocolatey notes in this perfume made me hungry. But the chocolate effect comes from patchouli, not cocoa.

Versailles has been a great transition for me after Fuji...it's slightly bigger and my location is more central, with a beautiful lake 5 minutes away. The open-air markets are the icing on the cake. So while I still miss Japanese food and my daily dose of Mt. Fuji (not to mention my FRIENDS there!), as a small city Versailles feels like a step in the right direction.

Want to ask me questions? Feel free to post them in the comments!


A few photos of the lab (and maybe one of my roommate) are coming soon...