“But not in Pera’s universe”… Elena from PerfumeShrine posted a review, an introduction to Miriam and I invite you, my readers, to visit her blog and leave a comment (anything goes, just a hello). The reasons:

First , her review puts the fragrance into context.

Second, because she runs a draw and you might want to take your chance to win samples and be the first to smell Miriam. Thus, please follow this link to her post.

On another happy note: I visited the hairdresser today, getting all nice and shiny for Florence, and Pitti Fragranze. The result is as always….stunning. I look different, and smell like a gigantic peach thing. Not bad, though. On my way back, I thought in a couple of perfume reviews where the reviewers were comparing fragrances to the scents of shampoo and usually negative.  I am not sure. I feel there are a lot of wonderful shampoo scents out there. So I walked back and realized that making the fragrance for a shampoo might actually be a much bigger challenge than a perfume that you spray on skin.

The shampoo scent needs to be cheap, I mean: real cheap. And it needs to smell nice. I mean really nice. If I had to do a shampoo scent, I would have a hard time. I am glad I do not have to do it. I create my scents always without budget tag in my head. The sky is the limit, almost.

I wish you a lovely weekend. And I thank you all for following me and Brian on our journey through fragrant land and moving pictures.

If you have not done so, now is the time to catch the chance to win a Tauer scented soap:  “LIKE” woman’s picture on facebook. Brian Pera hosts a give away with 30 scented soaps that I have sent him, called “MANDARINES AMBRÉE”, made for the occasion. You cannot get them anywhere. The only thing you have to do to enter the draw: Like Woman’s picture on facebook. Here is the link http://www.facebook.com/womanspicture .

Brian Pera announced this draw on Evelyn Avenue, under “latest”, by the way, and always worth checking. There, you find more on Tableau de Parfums, Woman’s picture and what it is that Brian and me have cooking together these days. I got the last packaging zero series part on which I need to give the ok before it goes into production: The envelop for the 7 ml purse spray. This is the last piece and it is simple, like an envelope, to keep costs down, but protective, and will be in line with the sample envelop, and distinguish itself from the packed 50 ml flacon. And now I have to wait until all labels and envelops and boxes come in. As soon as they do I will publish pictures, as I cannot wait to share.

Initially, I wanted to pack the purse spray in a box, too. But I figured, that the purse spray does not need an expensive, vintage inspired box, like we get it done for the 50 ml flacon: With linen texture, printed card board inlays and all that. I rather try to offer it for a cent or two less.

Yesterday, on the way to the movies, my book keeper and me discussed on the stock we have these days and the expenses that we face the next weeks. For this year, my investments are sort of over. My stock grew heavily and the new brand Tableau de Parfums is all paid for from my savings. Building this brand is expensive, but important: Tableau de Parfums is different to Tauer Perfumes, in its aesthetics, in its fragrant language, in its source of inspiration. I cannot wait to share the first perfume, Miriam, early October in Los Angeles, at Luckyscent, who supported it all.

This is the day after the blog birthday and the lucky winners of a fragrance of their choice form my range are:

elizabeth, J Champion, Asali, Alexandra, Tara, Borko Boris

The random number was, by the way, 933.

The happy winners will get an e-mail from me and the others get a thank you for participating. Actually, this time the chances were very good. Statistically it was about 4% . That’s not too bad a chance to win.

Wishing you all a lovely day.

THIS draw is closed.

See the post of July 13 for the winners. Congratulations to the winners and thank you to all who participated!

today is the Tauer Perfumes perfumery blogging 6th anniversary. Time to celebrate with a little draw. I give away 6 fragrances.  Here is what you need to do in order to take your chance in my 100% (promised!) random draw, using random.org:

-> Pick any 3 digit number that you like and write this number in your comment. (If you write the right at the beginning you help me to find it easier )

-> make sure you leave a valid e-mail when commenting (not inside the comment)

That’s it!

And if you wish, you can tell the world why you picked your particular 3 digit number.

I will pick the winner: I will ask for a 3 digit random number on random.org and the 6 happy comments whose numbers get closest  will win. For multiple winners with the same number: I pick one of them (again, randomly)

The fragrant prize is a full bottle from my range of fragrances, and it is your choice which one, including the PENTACHORDS White, Auburn, or Verdant.

The draw is open for AT LEAST 24 hours  and when closed, it will say here. THIS DRAW IS CLOSED.

For our privacy policy: See details here. In brief: I will not use your address for anything else than contacting you if you won, and I will not forward it to nobody, nor sell it).

SUNDAY, July 3 :

THIS DRAW IS CLOSED. Congratulations to the winners: Kelley Vandiver, Anne-Marie and Susan (…ss@gmail.com).

Thank you to all who participated and shared! I was fun and a joy reading all your comments.

===============

Today, I will give a speech, at the occasion of a Zurich local excursion of the board of xyz.

I was asked whether I could talk for about 30 minutes and give a fragrant  impression of a start-up entrepreneur. I said yes and look very much forward to it. On one hand because I like to talk about how everything started ; I really love, love this story. On the other hand, because I am sure I can learn a bit by talking and reflecting on all the ups and downs and all the mistakes we did.

Mistakes, like (tatata! here comes the samples story again….) SAMPLES: When we started, everybody got free samples. You only had to fill a form (yes!) asking for a free sample. These times are over, most of the time, except when we do a little give away. Like today!

In order to celebrate today and how my venture and all and more started, I make a little give away. Just leave a comment, and I will pick the winner with random.org, and the winners will get a set of discovery set. The winners will choose the 5 samples that go into a discovery stet. We ship this sample set for the winners for free, world wide, no questions asked except for your address. I will pick the three winners over the weekend.

As always: I do not store your address but will use it only for the purpose of shipping the samples,  nor do I forward it or sell it. More on our privacy statement: click here.

Thus, just leave a little comment, on anything,  and I will pick the three winners.

Today’s picture: A selection of scents and naturals that I will show today.

THE DRAW IS CLOSED: I WILL INFORM THE HAPPY WINNERS IN A MINUTE.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS AND THANK YOU TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED. AND AN EVEN BIGGER THANK YOU TO THOSE CREATED A HAIKU.

Zeta – a linden blossom theme-  is ready. Yesterday, I put the samples and the discovery set options online and today, the real thing, the 50 ml flacon, will go onto the shop. And I go to Milan today for the Esxcence.

And with that, this linden blossom story is a thing of the past for me. Contrary to you, I guess. I have to worry about stocks and production later, but for the moment I am fine and have room for new adventures. But before we all engage into new fragrant stories: Here’s a thank you to all of you who follow my blog and my venture. MERCI!

It is important for me to know that you are there, on the other side of the planet maybe, on the other side of my computer’s screen, listening to what I try to say. Merci again.

Now let us celebrate: Here’s a little draw. You can win a ZETA- a linden blossom theme- full flacon, boxed and packed, sent to you from Zurich, to any place on planet earth. Please make sure to leave a valid e-mail. Here is my promise: I will not make use of your personal data nor hand over your data to any third party. I will only use it to get in touch with you , if random.org picked your comment as the winning comment.

Besides the ZETA, full flacon, 50 ml, you can also win a discovery set with 5 samples of your choice as consolation price. Just leave a comment now to be in. I will pick a happy winner next Monday.

If you do not know what to write: Maybe you wish to comment on the HAIKU going with the ZETA?

A linden blossom theme

Linden shade in June-
sweet rose petals and the light
of Syracusa.

======

EDITED:  March 09 17.30 Swiss time. THE DRAW IS CLOSED. Thank you to all who participated.

The winners, picked with random.org truly in a random way, are:

Olivia A.

Aster

Monica

Congratuluations again

===========

Believe it or not: We started working on the design and packaging for the Collectibles in  autumn. Some stuff we ordered in November. Now it is soon spring and as always: Everything gets in with delays. Accidents here, technical troubles there: I am getting used to it. In theory, I should be able to pour and label and box the flacons now, or no: Last week.

It will – in reality – be in about 2 weeks. For you this means that you have to wait a bit longer for the Linden blossom theme. But wait, here’s a treat:

I got the manual stamping things that I will use to stamp information onto the sample papers. Today’s picture shows you my first trials using them; as you may easily see: I need some practice there. The same stamps I will use to bring information onto the packaging. Kind of cool, as it allows me to easily change information from batch to batch (you remember: Collectibles are subject to change from time to time).

In order to celebrate my first happy stamping of the sample flyers, I will make a little draw: Be the very first to smell the COLLECTIBLE fragrance: ZETA-a linden blossom theme!

I will pick 3 happy winners using random.org in a  day or two. Just leave a comment below and you enter the draw and your chances are good to win a 1.5 ml sample in a spray atomizer. Once I picked the winners and close the draw, I will announce it here. The draw is international, independent of where you live. And, just in case you do not know what to write in your comment, here’s a question for you: “what means linden blossom to you”?

Your privacy is important to me: You have my word that I will not make any use of your private data except for contacting you after this draw, nor forward them or sell them to any third party.

===ADDITION: January 25, 2011. THIS DRAW IS CLOSED===
= =The winner is Marianne, second comment on this post==
= THANK YOU ALL FOR PARTICIPATING,and good luck the next time!=

Dear all

we have guests for a while (until mid next week) and hence  my blog writing is a bit hampered. Thus, I figured we could do a little draw.

In order to make this draw a bit special:  You can win a Cologne du Maghreb. This fragrance is all natural, all botanical. It is a classical cologne that is incredibly rich and fresh and long lasting due to hints of vetiver, cistrose and cedarwood from the High Atlas.

You can win 50 ml of it, in a simple flacon, packed in cardboard box. And you cannot get it anywhere else for the time being.

The only thing you have to do: Leave a comment here. I will pick the happy winner using random.org and I will do so next week.

Thank you for commenting and have a lovely weekend everybody. And good luck!

(for our privacy policy: See details here. In brief: I will not use your address and I will not forward it to nobody).

Yesterday we sent the newsletter off and now we enter the road that will bring us right into the weekend. With the newsletter we aim at addressing interested perfume lovers who do not want to follow the brand on the blog or facebook or twitter but who wish to get a summary from time to time. And I aim at concentrating the brand’s development in 3 or 4 wrap-ups over the year.  Later, when I got used to the newsletter communication and when I learned more what works and what does not, I want to add other features. Anyhow: It went out and all those who subscribe to it until beginning of October will enter the draw of a perfume from my collection. We will pick two winners from the list of subscribers on October 1.

Uff!

This was a tough week, strenuous and intense.

Today, we finish some bottle pouring and labeling and if I find time I want to start working on the Pitti video that I wish to publish here. Later in the afternoon it will be my creative free space again;you remember: Tauer declared Friday (afternoon) as his free creative playground time. Today, I want to have a look into ambreine (again) and I want to play a bit with roses.  And I got these samples of neroli and rosmarin….

But first things first: getting those bottles filled!

Today’s  picture shows you the stand at Pitti, free floating with a lot of free space around it, in a hall that used to be sort of a rail way station hall.

Before we take the retrospective scalpel again and do some EAU D’ÉPICES heart inspection: here is a note on an upcoming draw in our upcoming newsletter.

Yesterday, after having boxed some 100 flacons of Orange Star, I managed to finish a draft version 1 of the newsletter 1 that I schedule for publication September 15, after Pitti. This newsletter is a bit a pet of mine these days, allowing me to communicate beyond the daily business as I do it on the blog. And maybe I will reach some readers who do not have time to read all my blog posts. I guess those might just have missed this post, though.

Anyhow: I decided that I will make a DRAW among the subscribers of the newsletter, October 1 2010. I will pick two winners from the active subscribers list and they get a perfume,  a full bottle, boxed as we sell them, at their choice from my range. But it is only a draw for those having registered for the newsletter. If you haven’t subscribed and want to join in: Here’s the link to do so (click here). If you are subscribed already: No need to do anything.

And we continue with a short inspection of the floral heart. We have discussed ORANGE BLOSSOM two days ago.  I used orange blossom absolute and jasmine absolute as flowers in the middle; and -by the way- orange blossom absolute IS expensive. Jasmine absolute is cheap in comparison. Anyhow. The challenge with floral hearts is: They do not last and need to be fixed. And you should announce them, building bridges from the initial head notes. Like a little red carpet telling folks that is worth picking up the camera and wait for the beauties appearing on their way to the stage where they would bloom for an hour or so.

I used RED MANDARIN essential oil as a bridge into the floral heart,  also to soften the spices a bit. This essential citrus oil has excellent lasting quality and I broaden it up with Methylpamplemousse, a molecule that smells a little bit an effect like a GREEN SILVER CITRUS. It supports citrus oils, makes them last longer, and brings in a bit of a vibrancy and lightness. Mandarine is the only citrus that I use because I do not want to distract from the core axis: Spices, orange blossom, incense, woods.

But wait, wait: There is another aspect…One thing that I changed two years ago from a previous version: I added a hint of a green leave, and a white flower note. If you want you can call it a green lily of the valley trace, but I would not go that far. Just call it a green spot, that sits there to set an ACCENT and a floral dress to highlight the orange blossom. Made of Undecavertol and Lilial and some Ionones (green leaves, flowers, lily of the valley, powdery floral sweetness) it is a spotlight that lets you see the star on the central stage. And the star shines a bit brigher and longer…

Today’s picture: an orange blossom and a lot of green.