Yates Apothecary

http://yatesapothecary.bigcartel.com

This is a bit of a different kind of experience, but I wanted to post in case it helps anyone else. Here goes:

One recent Saturday, I made my way to the live + work loft of Yates Apothecary for the monthly Perfume Blending Workshop ($30) with a few of my friends. From the website:

"This workshop will introduce you into the world of perfumery. You will learn about the foundations of blending perfume oils: perfume notes, perfume classifications, and formulating ratios. You will work with a large selection of premium grade fragrance oils and have guided help along the way. At the end of the workshop, you will take home several vials of hand blended perfume oils….created by you. No experience needed (young adults welcome with supervision). Please know that our loft is home to two little boys, three little dogs, one cat, and a husband."

We arrived and sat down at a table. There were eight attendees to the workshop. We were given an information sheet and the host  (Melissa) explained the basics of perfume blending: top notes, middle notes, and base notes and examples of each; how long the different notes will last; the "ideal" blending ratios. After these introductions, we had the opportunity to begin testing the perfume oils that were set out for us. Melissa recommended that we use perfume testing strips to sample the notes and test our own blends. At the start there were 5 vials of each type (top/middle/base) note set out for us to work with, but Melissa indicated she had at least a couple hundred individual oils available, and took our requests for additional scents. I highly recommend trying out as many single notes and two or three note combinations as you can if you have the opportunity. It really helped me focus on and learn what I like and how different notes work together.

Once we had decided on our scent combinations, we were able to fill 6 sample vials each with our custom blends. I discovered that I prefer edible and floral scents and that I really like vanilla (5 of my 6 scents contain it!). We were also given "scent journals" to record our blends. Melissa also indicated that if we wished, we could contact her with requests to blend larger (10 ml) vials of our custom scents once we'd taken them home and road tested them for a few days (for the price of her Signature Perfume Oils, $15).

All in all, I was very impressed with how accommodating Melissa was. I thought that the workshop was well-organized and my friends and I had a great time. So far I love the scents I blended and I'm thinking about having a larger vial blended of one of my favorites, a slightly more complicated blend of bergamot, hibiscus, gardenia, coconut, and jasmine (I call it "Vacation"). Both of the perfumes I've tried out so far have lasted most of the day on me, though I'm not sure if that's due to the ingredient quality or skin chemistry, but it's certainly encouraging! I'm planning to go back to another workshop with another group of friends for the novelty of the experience. If you're near Cleveland, I highly recommend checking out Yates Apothecary's Perfume Blending Workshop.

If you're interested in blending a custom perfume, I recommend you contact Melissa through the website for pricing, availability, etc.--she doesn't have any kind of listing for custom blends on her site, but she certainly seems to have the ability to do them. I did have the opportunity to sniff two of the company's permanent offerings, the Signature Perfume Oils in No. 0398 and No. 3456, and while they're not in the scent families that I prefer, I could certainly appreciate the craftsmanship that went into them.

TL;DR: Check out Yates Apothecary, I don't think you'll be disappointed!


edit: I've had several more experiences with this brand lately and I still love it. I ended up ordering two custom perfumes from blends I made at the workshop, and they are perfect. I also chose the LE spring/summer 2014 scent which is amazing as well. At a craft fair, I picked up No. 1107 and No. 1014 (LE fall/winter 2014 scent) and I'm very pleased with both. The owner sent me Wren 001, a hair and skin oil, for my birthday. I have signed up for another workshop with family members and she offered to let me choose some notes for that if I'm interested. I love this place!