This is day 14 of the advent calendar and today (and tomorrow) I am abroad, visiting friends and perfumeries. Internet access is an issue here and thus, my posts are short and concise. Just leave a comment telling the world where you guess I am or where you are or where you wish to be right now. Every comment enters the draw and you can win a cologne du Maghreb. Fragrant greetings from planet earth.

Welcome back today. It is day 12 of the advent calendar, with another chance to win a flacon of the all natural, all botanical Cologne du Maghreb. The only thing you have to do: Leave a comment on this blog post.

Today I share an intimate detail with you: You see below the only white, free spot on my desk. The rest of the desk is filled with computer, printer, perfume bottles from brands that I like, like Hermes’s Eau de gentiane blanche, some paper, although I am pretty good in keeping the piles of paper small. Here I have a simple rule. For every piece of paper I ask myself immediately whether it is important or not. If not sure: I through it away. Thus, at least there are only small piles with important papers on the desk.

But there are more bottles: 30 ml brown flint glass bottles where I store my experiments. I usually do my experiments in 12.5 ml -25 ml size, depending  on how much diluted raw materials I use. Right now, I am working on an aldehydic rose, some colognes and fresh cologne inspired eau fraiche, I am doing last inspections on the third Tableau de Parfums fragrance, Ingrid, and I am testing a lot of raw materials that I want to get in 2012. Cypriol coeur, Champaca, rose specialities, and other delights.

And you also find a lot of small spray sample size vials, where I test dilutions of experimental fragrances. The concentrate needs to mature for at least a week or two. Later it gets diluted and filled into into small vials. And then the experimental fragrances get tested. And usually, we start over again.

Thus, you see: my desk is sort of dominated by bottles.

Now, I invite you to make sure to take your chance to win this cologne. Your comment can be as short as you wish, or you can tell the world what your desk looks like.  Just make sure to leave a valid e-mail (will not show on the blog) allowing us to contact you.  Good luck!

This draw is closed now. See the advent calendar for your next chance. Thank you to all of you who participated.

Welcome to day 10, and another chance to win a Cologne du Maghreb, by leaving a comment below on this blog post. Today is Saturday and I prepare for the scent apero in Zurich. We expect some 30-50 people and will do some sniffing, reading, eating, drinking and chatting.  I will show a few essential oils, such as clary sage, dill, rosemary, marjoram. And I will show the Cologne du Maghreb as this cologne  is built – quite the classic way- around the contrast of citrus notes and herb notes such as rosemary and lavender.

Yesterday, I diluted the herbs and the room filled with the perfume of a Provence garden. Lovely. Summer was back for a fleeting moment.

I wish you a great start into your weekend.

And please do not forget to comment to make sure you take your chance to win.

This draw is closed. See the advent calendar for the next opportunity to win. Click here.

Welcome to day 9 of the advent calendar 2011. The last few days were just wonderful and I thank you ALL, for your enthusiastic comments. Today, you can win something that you cannot buy. Nowhere.  Just leave a comment below and make sure that you take your chance today.

This very morning, I saw the sun rising and the sky exploding in colors. It was the first thing I saw. Well, actually: It was the second thing. The first thing was my face in the mirror, after a short night and a bit too much work yesterday. I took the phone and did a quick photo (of the sky, not my face) . You see it bellow. Actually, it looks almost nicer than reality.

And then I figured: I will need to make the soap “Mandarines ambrées” today and started my working day. It is a glycerin soap that I make every year for X-mas, as gift for friends and family and a few, very few selected winners. I will pour them in a few hours. And you can win one. It smells fresh, citrussy, yummie and with a hint of a vibrant amber gris. And it is expensive to make….And, as we got so many comments in the last posts: I will also give a consolation prize: A cologne du Maghreb. Thus, two chances for you today!

Just leave a comment, anything goes. As always: I will pick the winner by random.org and let you know by e-mail. If you wish you can tell the world what you have seen, first thing, in the morning. Enjoy your day!

This draw is closed now. Please visit the advent calendar page for the next draw of December 10.

If you looking for the day 8 advent calendar giveaway: It is here on the blog of Brian Pera. Click here to get there. This post is NOT the day 8 of the advent calendar.

This is a serious post on a few things developing in front of my nose or eyes that I feel like sharing today. We have been busy stocking up. Air, Le Maroc, Carillon, you name it. And next will be -after a short trip abroad next week- soaps for friends and family. The Mandarines ambrées soaps need to be poured and packed like every year as little gift together with a holidays card.

I finally came up with this year’s holidays card. I am sort of tired already and have seen an overdose of candles, fir twigs, deers, stars, and more. Thus, I will do the holiday cards totally different this year. You see to the left an all white Origami prototype. Later, I will used different paper, of course.  I was told it is a Pochibukuro, and is actually used to give money to children in small decorated envelopes. I will put inside a simple card saying “Merry holidays and a happy 2012″. Thus, the coming days will see us folding paper.I am looking forward to it.

On Saturday, we will have the Scent Apero get together in Zurich and I need to dilute the few essential oils that I will show, such as Marjoram and Dill etc. and label the bottles and get some things organized there. I am so much looking forward to this event. It is casual, fragrant and it is about saying thank you. And then, next week, I will be for 2.5 days in Paris. We will have to see how this advent calendar of ours will do doing these days.

Talking about it, if you are still here reading: It is about time you get there, to day 8 of the advent calendar 2011, and leave your comment there. Not here. And watch that short silent movie by Brian Pera. I love it.

This is day 7 of the advent calendar and it comes — due to force majeur! –with a delay. But I will leave it and the draw open a little bit longer tomorrow to compensate.

Here in Zurich it is windy, cool, grey, very grey, rainy, and … yes, grey. soon it will be dark, but  right now it is like it was 5 hour ago. grey. And if I say grey, I mean it.

Thus, the prize of today’s post is a bright Cologne du Maghreb, sent to the winner where ever he or she lives. Picked from the comments section below by random.org. The only thing you have to do is leave a comment. Maybe you want to share what the sky looks like on your side of the planet. Or just say hello. Everything goes.

Have I told you already: Here it is grey.

This draw is over. Click here for the day 8 advent calendar page.

Hohoho. It is Santa’s day!

And Santa brings you fragrant things in his big, big bag. Today, we have a special treat for you. But first things first: I happily announce that we hit an all time new record yesterday on day 5 of the advent calendar. We got more than 400 comments. That’s kind of special. Wow!

Thus, in light of this all time record and Santa knocking on our doors, we expand the give-away of today a bit. Today, Santa brings prizes for three winners: You can win a Cologne du Maghreb, or two sample discovery sets with 5 samples each of your choice from my range.

The only thing you have to do: Leave a comment here on this post and tell Santa whether you have been nice this year. If not: Santa does not really care.

Have a lovely Santa day!

Isn’t this amazing? It is day 5 already of the advent calendar 2011 bringing us closer to the holidays and the end of this year. Tomorrow, December 6, will be Santa Claus day, and I remind you to make sure visiting the advent calendar starting page again tomorrow. Maybe in the afternoon (Central European Time), as the Santa comes by when the sun reaches the horizon.

Thus, more too look forward to. I am looking very much forward to 2012. It will bring a lot of changes and new developments; And flowers blooming on the side of the path where we will walk. One of the flowers I look most forward to in spring 2012 is actually Hyacinth blooming in the gardens. I love this spicy floral silvery delight.

Today’s draw:  we will pick a winner by random.org  and you just need to leave a comment here in order to win an all natural Cologne du Maghreb. If you wish: Feel free to share which flower you look most forward to in 2012.

Thus, a happy December 5 to you!

(this draw is closed). See the advent calendar page for the next draw.

Weekend greetings from Zurich. It is day three of our advent calendar, and today you can win a purse spray size MIRIAM fragrance from the Tableau de Parfums series.
For me the advent time is a very busy time and I do not have usually a lot of time to reflect. But if I do, I look back into the year and wonder like “wow! this all happened in this one year?”  For sure, when looking back into 2011, the exchange with Memphis based movie maker Brian Pera, and the building of Tableau de Parfums with him is one of the WOWs this year. 2011 has seen the building of fragrant stories like MIRIAM, the fragrance, inspired by film portraits created by Brian and I am happily looking forward to sharing more of these fragrant portraits in 2012.

We will pick the winner tomorrow, all randomly, and everybody can participate. The only thing you have to do is leaving a short comment and a valid email address (not in your comment). A simple hello is enough.
If you wish, feel free to share a “WOW! ” reflection looking back into 2011.

I wish you a lovely weekend. And please make sure that you will visit the Tauer Perfumes advent calendar 2011 page tomorrow again.  A special treat is waiting for you there.

(this draw is closed). See the advent calendar page for the next draw.

Fragrant greetings from London. It is day two of our advent calendar, and today you can win a full bottle of the all natural, all botanical Cologne du Maghreb.
We will pick the winner tomorrow, all randomly, and everybody can participate. The only thing you have to do is leaving a short comment and a valid email address (not in your comment).
If you wish, feel free to share what your favorite cologne is. Mine is an experimental one with lots of lavender, but my favorites change on a daily basis.
I wish you a lovely day.

(this draw is closed). See the advent calendar page for the next draw.