Go Ask Alice
Natural Eau de Parfum
By EnVoyage Perfumes
Post by Perfumer: Shelley Waddington
The popularity of in-your-face raw patchouli oil for perfume perfume among the hippies of the 60’s and 70’s – besides being the iconic fragrance of the movement - had definite functionality.
Patchouli masks odors. Including body odor and pot smoke. And, beyond serving as a scent identification with the movement and a signal to others, it likely served as yet another effective method for pissing off one’s parents.
Perfumer’s Diary
My goal was to compose a perfume that would define and contemporize the 1967 “Summer Of Love”, the time when young Americans protested the Vietnam war, sold flowers, smoked pot, swallowed whites and reds, tripped on acid, and trailed clouds of patchouli.
One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small,
And the ones that mother gives you
Don’t do anything at all…
And if you go chasing rabbits
And you know you’re going to fall,
Tell ‘em a hookah smoking caterpillar
Has given you the call….
When the men on the chessboard
Get up and tell you where to go
And you’ve just had some kind of mushroom
And your mind is moving low.
Go ask Alice
I think she’ll know.
—Grace Slick, The Great Society and Jefferson Airplane, 1966
My biggest challenges were in retaining the authenticity and the surrealistic quality of this iconic theme while achieving my goal to contemporize and raise it to the level of a classy, wearable, and versatile perfume, with vitality, longevity, and sillage.
Because this is a Summer Of Love fragrance, and must remain true to the free-spirited era, I needed to find ways of tying it to psychodelic 60’s culture with movement, tripping, and fleeting associations. I want ribbons and diamonds and bursts of light, but it must also contain something that is a little dark. It was after all a generation of the unusual and unexpected.
Fragrance Materials
Knowing it will have a primary role in the basic note and will influence the character of the perfume, my patchouli of choice was one that was purchased many years ago from SunRose Aromatics. It’s unusually radiant and has marvellous warmth and vitality. It makes me think of hippies in the sunshine.
The characteristics of patchouli are that it is stable, has the virtue of tenacity, is versatile, and is a good fixative for amber. Its initial flash of floral sweetness is followed by a rich, earthy- woody fragrance. The odor strength is moderate, but the fragrance is quite distinctive and can dominate.
Masculine/Feminine Oriental-Woody Gourmand
Mood: Edgy, Mysterious, Adventurous
Top Notes: California Orange Peel, Bitter Orange Caribe, Bergamot from Calabria, Sri Lankan Black Pepper, Orange Flower Enfleurage Laced With Fresh Raspberry and Strawberry
Heart Notes: Tinctured Patchouli Leaves, Mimosa Blossoms, Rose Absolue
Base Notes: Vintage Patchouli Sumatra, Sandalwood deux, Cocoa, Vanille, Tonka Beans, Labdanum Spain, Balsam Peru France, Beach Washed Ambergris
Additional Fragrance Materials: Natural Isolates. Enfleurage & tinctures by EnVoyage Perfumes.
GO ASK ALICE WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON AT EnVoyage Perfumes
also Monica Miller is selling DIVA silver perfume sprays of
#3 Go Ask Alice 5ml for $28
email skyebird@capecod.net to order 
Peace, Love and Patchouli!
Shelley Waddington
EnVoyage Perfumes
July 2, 2011
Disclosure: Summer of Patchouli LOVE 2011 perfumes are all natural. Perfume Pharmer and the Patch Test Bunnies received free samples for review. Monica Miller- Perfume Pharmer/ Skye Botanicals is selling select DIVA sprays from Summer of Patchouli LOVE plus sample boxes of all 13 perfumes for $65 plus shipping.
Related posts:
- A Conversation between Shelley Waddington of EnVoyage Perfumes (and Summer of Patchouli LOVE 2011 PLAP perfumer #3!) and Ambrosia Jones, Perfume by Nature (AND PLAP perfumer #6!) A series of conversations between the Australian Priestess of Perfume,...
- Grande Dame of Aromatherapy Jeanne Rose Posts her top 3 Natural Patchouli Perfumes! Summer of Patchouli LOVE 2011, Perfume Pharmer and the Patch Test Bunnies. PLAP! PATCHOULI PERFUMES Think the roller ball alters the odor...
- Smell my Finger by Rebel Perfumer Justine Crane ~ The Justine Report on Summer of Patchouli LOVE 2011 Natural Patchouli Perfumes… Summer of Patchouli LOVE aka Patchouli Bliss, aka Smell My...
- Meet Me at the Corner of Haight & Ashbury: PLAP Peace-LOVE-and-Patchouli Perfumer # 4 Jane Cate A Wing and A Prayer Perfumes. Summer of Patchouli LOVE 2011 Perfume Pharmer and the Patch Test Bunnies. Meet Me at the Corner of Haight & Ashbury:...
- Perfume Education *NEW* Book Perfuming With Natural Isolates by Shelley Waddington of EnVoyage Perfumes. Book review by Monica Miller, Permaculture Perfumista. How does Perfumer Shelley Waddington create such beautiful modern natural...
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Wonderful lyrics, I love that song by the Jeffferson Airplane ( when they were the airplane, before they became the starship).
The perfume sounds as wonderful as the song.
I like Shelley pairing the patch with fruit..orange, cocoa, and vanilla sounds yummy.
OK, here’s where I actually have to try a patchouli….and I bet anything I like it!
LOVE the name!!
I love the name of the perfume and Shelley is an amazing perfumer; all I can say is Perfect for both! Congrats, Shelley.