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abendgulesThank you all for feedback on the perfumery and smellies stuff. I've dropped a note to Isis about her sources. Small world - she has a link to frualeydis, who is an active SCA person in Nordmark.
Baldwins definitely seems a good source for some specific items, tied with Pans Pantry.
So I'm compiling a list of items I want, and comparison shopping.
Sourcing civet and musk oils is still proving elusive. Found it in one pagan-ritual supplies shop sold in 2-drachm bottles for ritual use, but it seemed far too cheap to be a good product.
Researches so far:
http://www.baldwins.co.uk/ (no civet, some musk products, lots of other useful items)
Baldwins definitely seems a good source for some specific items, tied with Pans Pantry.
So I'm compiling a list of items I want, and comparison shopping.
Sourcing civet and musk oils is still proving elusive. Found it in one pagan-ritual supplies shop sold in 2-drachm bottles for ritual use, but it seemed far too cheap to be a good product.
Researches so far:
http://www.baldwins.co.uk/ (no civet, some musk products, lots of other useful items)
http://www.panspantry.co.uk/ (no civet or musk, but many other useful things)
http://www.amphora-retail.com/index.php (musk seems cheap, no civet)
http://www.hermitageoils.com/ (new civet absolute listed, no info about source though; no musk)
http://www.naturallythinking.com/ (no civet or musk)
http://www.essentially-me.co.uk/extraits_botanical_musk.php?cat=21 (botanical musk fixative for perfume - out of stock)
Ordered and received the book about cosmetics by Sally Pointer (abebooks rocks as usual). The survey of cosmetics through the ages seems quite good - the Viking, 'Dark Ages', and early medieval is (unsurprisingly) a bit light, lacking examples, particularly compared to the print-era options which is so thick with sources.
My one whine is that the author footnotes things that I'm not interested in, and leaves no references to things I do want to know more about (11th century manuscript of cosmetics citing 'Trotula' is mentioned three times, but is not footnoted! no source! argh).
I'd also hoped for a list of UK sources/shops; no such luck.
Pointer does mention a couple of interesting items though - 'Water of Hungary' may be the earliest alcohol-based scent, for home and person, dated to about 14th c (mainly rosemary scent, with other herbal options), and provides a recipe that looks perfectly do-able.
And the idea of scenting leather (soaking leather scraps in a perfume mix, then sewing it into small bags) is very promising, and worth persuing. I'd love to fence in scented gloves - (almost) anything could improve the smell of my fencing gloves.
Soap-making also looks easier than I thought; requires care because you're handling caustic chemicals, but otherwise perfectly do-able.
So: worth getting the book, but got fewer answers than I hoped.
I've checked with my sweetie, and he's ok with me possibly smelling out the house with this project...presumeably if I come away with more night-cap powder, all is good.
In chasing round the Intawebs, I discovered a forum of people whose hobby is apparently collecting commercial perfume. I thought I had a silly pastime (or bunch of pastimes, really) but wow, this group sounds like a marketer's dream.
ETA: wiki link to Trotula
Ordered and received the book about cosmetics by Sally Pointer (abebooks rocks as usual). The survey of cosmetics through the ages seems quite good - the Viking, 'Dark Ages', and early medieval is (unsurprisingly) a bit light, lacking examples, particularly compared to the print-era options which is so thick with sources.
My one whine is that the author footnotes things that I'm not interested in, and leaves no references to things I do want to know more about (11th century manuscript of cosmetics citing 'Trotula' is mentioned three times, but is not footnoted! no source! argh).
I'd also hoped for a list of UK sources/shops; no such luck.
Pointer does mention a couple of interesting items though - 'Water of Hungary' may be the earliest alcohol-based scent, for home and person, dated to about 14th c (mainly rosemary scent, with other herbal options), and provides a recipe that looks perfectly do-able.
And the idea of scenting leather (soaking leather scraps in a perfume mix, then sewing it into small bags) is very promising, and worth persuing. I'd love to fence in scented gloves - (almost) anything could improve the smell of my fencing gloves.
Soap-making also looks easier than I thought; requires care because you're handling caustic chemicals, but otherwise perfectly do-able.
So: worth getting the book, but got fewer answers than I hoped.
I've checked with my sweetie, and he's ok with me possibly smelling out the house with this project...presumeably if I come away with more night-cap powder, all is good.
In chasing round the Intawebs, I discovered a forum of people whose hobby is apparently collecting commercial perfume. I thought I had a silly pastime (or bunch of pastimes, really) but wow, this group sounds like a marketer's dream.
ETA: wiki link to Trotula
