Posts Tagged ‘Gerald Ghislain’

Ginger inspiration

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Ginger

I had a friend over for dinner this weekend and made a chicken curry dish loaded with ginger. It was divine, but I think I can improve. The dinner inspired me to create a new scent with ginger, cedarwood, tobacco and a touch of black pepper. The cedarwood stuck out like a sore thumb, probably due to the memory it triggered: my grandmother’s cedar chest, which was always loaded with furs. One in particular fur was this weasel wrap thingy.

You know the one I’m talking about…every grandmother had one. And she looked like she was trapped in a vermin Vulcan stun grip.

That thing scared the living daylights out of me, especially those beady little eyes.

Yes. All of this from a whiff of cedarwood essential oil in a blend. After a few minutes, the cedarwood took a step back and allowed the spicy and seductive ginger to show her stuff.

Hmmm. Would ginger be female? Not sure.

As I ponder that question, check out this interview with perfumer Gerald Ghislain.

My favorite graph:

The most important things I learnt at the ISIPCA weren’t the technical aspects or the smells but the scents’ vocabulary. I learnt 
to describe a scent with words 
and very quickly, I was able to describe an image with scents. Ultimately, I learnt to tell a story with 
a perfume.

That’s my main goal right now, telling a story with my creations.

So, back to ginger. Male or female? Devilish or divine? I sense her as a somewhat an ingenue, spicy, bright, but not quite sure of her power. She teases you, gently. Just a tickle on your nose is enough to make you remember her.

Image: Wikipedia