Perfuming With Natural Isolates

“My latest post for Perfume-Smellin' Things is a review of the excellent new book on working with natural isolates by Shelley Waddington of En Voyage Perfumes. Even though I am not a perfumer, I learned a lot from this book, and it was a fun read! The author made a technical topic very accessible for those of us who are not experts in the field, and I recommend it for anyone with an interest in how perfumes are created. Also included are short reviews of two fragrances, one of which is her lovely new Carmel Boheme.” – Donna Hathaway

Being an natural perfumer, a lot of the information I wanted from a book, just isn't there. It also does not have a very large list of natural isolates with descriptions. As a perfumer, when I buy a book, I want to know how each isolate blends with other essences and isolates and this information is flimsy at best.

An incredible book if you want to learn to use isolates. She has recipes that are amazing. Highly recommended!

great book

Pros: The book had a low amount of consolidated information on a small number of the available natural isolates. That may be worth the book to some people. It is worth something that the author has a reputation as a talented perfumer, and that she is not selling the materials she is writing about. There are a number of little jewels that saved me from being totally resentful of the money I spent.Cons: This paperback book was low on information overall, especially for the hefty price. Most of what is in this book can be found on the internet. It left me frustrated and well-short of what I was looking for. Despite the subtitle, this book was far from complete.

I had the honor of previewing most of the content of this book prior to its publication through the online Natural Perfume Academy, as Shelley's Natural Isolates course was/is one of the course units at the academy. The book, however, takes the coursework a step further and includes a few tidbits not included in class in which I participated. I would recommend this book to anyone studying or working in Natural Botanical Perfumery, regardless of whether or not the choice is made to include natural isolates in your perfume formulation.

The book is informative and contains fun and creative blending exercises. I am currently enrolled in her course on isolates which is furthering my knowledge. Shelley is a delight to study under.

The author gives us a lively and companionable tour into the bewildering world of perfume isolates. Waddington offer bite-sized bits of history, lore, tips and recipes so that we never feel too overwhelmed to follow along. Beautiful images are included to expand our understanding...all in all, I consider this a book to be a 'must' on every perfumer's shelf.