PONK module 8 - odour descriptions here (spoiler alert past post 1)

[mumsy]

PONK is an organised regular blind smelling group gymnosium. Fun nose practice for any level of perfumers with a monthly mystery box of untitled materials.

This is open house practice to learn and share information on BN. Those who do not wish to order a pre-prepared box can still join in with a single module lag.... by going to the relevant reveal first to get the right materials for yourself, and then just join in the discussion on that thread.

Module 8 is the eighth box in this series and this is the thread to post your smelling observations and comments.

It is purely for nose training practice and discussion amongst beginners and seasoned noses alike. You do not have to identify the material to join in. Just come on thread and say whatever you like. There are no barriers or judges. It is encouragement to trust your own nose.

The aim is NOT to guess the mystery ingredients....but to use your nose to contemplate it fully without that pressure to recognise the material.

For this who have ordered one then look out for these landing on your mat soon (I hope)

Guess the investigative nose..... for the nosy.

When you get yours, please do not spoil the fun for those without their boxes by saying what you think it actually is, but by all means do post your thoughts and observations. These modules are not about guessing the identity of the notes in the slightest, only observing them.

Each box contains the materials in numbered vials and the reveal is within the box in a semi sealed document. Partly for customs inspection reasons. Have a bit of fun and test yourself by smelling blind whilst making notes, but then wait and discuss before peeking.

In most modules, the contents are related to the nose image in a roundabout way. See what you think.

After this post, then don't read anymore on this thread if yours isn't there yet (unless you want to).

For an evaluation sheet, press this nose.



(Anyone can raid these for their own use. There is a different one for each module on the evaluation page here)

BTW... Please do NOT test these on your skin but only on smelling strips before knowing what they are.

They are at various strengths to suit each project module. These are concentrated chemicals at the end of the day and need respecting as such. Please only use smelling strips until you know what they are and how much to use.

The dilutions are at a perfume strength of 20% in this box....
...except vial 5 which is still very strong at 10% and why I have put it last. I recommend you put a glass over the strip or have good ventilation during the smelling of that vial. It was suggested to be smelled even at 5% but I wanted you to be able to have enough to use afterwards, so if you wish to further dilute, then do so on that vial with impunity. It will happily go down to even 1% for use.

This time I used a diluent of 50% IPM to PA. I used the PA alongside the IPM to at least obtain some projection whilst toeing the line for flash points. I think this makes a good compromise for the postal restrictions.

Don't rush these. There is plenty of time, and learning to smell isn't a race. Enjoy them and post your thoughts whenever you like... or not.

 

[mumsy]

Welcome to the new PONKies. Please do not be shy of putting your thoughts and questions here. This is not a judgementally based game. More about observation of what your noses tell your mind.

This module is fairly lighthearted and is a bit of nose sport. These ingredients are probably not ordinarily found in a regular organ unless you have pushed this direction before, but these materials can be very useful for subtle nuances and playful directions.

 

[StellaDiverFlynn]

1. The first few minutes on scent strip, it smells like washed orange to me, and has a nuance akin to metallic. 1 hour later, it becomes more medicinal, actually reminds me of an orange flavour in a medicine for children. It's not 100% sweet and has some tartness but doesn't have the zing like real citrus fruits do.

2. This one also reminds me of orange flavour and has a kind of metallic/mineral/dirt-like undertone. It also smells more "concentrated", more "syrupy" and more opaque than No.1.

3. This one also reminds me of orange flavour, but is more opaque and more powdery than others, kind of like ground glass compared to normal transparent glass. The orange flavour combined with the powdery texture, make me think of how VC pills and orange jelly bears smell like.

4. This also smells of orange and is the easiest one to recognise for me. It smells like juicy sweet oranges, with some fizziness like VC pills got melted in water. It becomes more like aromatic citrus peel with time.

5. This is the least like orange to me. The first few minutes make me think of a combination of celery and citrus peel. It's the sharpest among the five, and has a sort of minty, herbal undertone. The whole is like super concentrated orange peel. It becomes a bit citrus-tart on the blotter after a few days later.

 

[mumsy]

Lovely descriptions. You've found a lot of orangy smells there so here is my method for learning to find others to see if the nose can work on some more facets. Once the mind fixates on one, it doesn't want to let go of it.

Take a strip for each and after dipping again, place it under a glass on a tissue either in a smaller bottle or at least so the scented end is free. Keep this little glass hut as a nose resting place. When smelled inside the glass, then the smell within can sometimes reveal things the actual strip doesn't.

Take the strip and relax again. I close my eyes to do this and pretend I'm a scent dog. Once one has mentally found a recognisable facet, then pop it to one side in the mind and smell 'past' it. What else can be smelled in there? Once one finds another, then again, mentally pop it to the side with the first in a mental side shelf. Then smell past both looking for more nuances and continue until the nose is tired. Pop it back under the glass for a rest.

Reset the nose on skin or fresh air and try to repeat the 'smelling past' thing to find the ones that have already been discovered. Are they still the same as before? Keep doing this until there is everything put aside on the mental shelf and no more can be found.

Here are mine I am working on now for another project.



I give myself a sort of mental checklist to work through. More for whole perfumes, but it goes something like this....
"There must be a top note in here, so what area is it in? Is it fresh, linen, fruity, green, woody or what? Do I know it or not? If I recognise the area it is in like fruit, then is it citrus fruit? If yes, is it citrussy sharp or citrussy soft? Is it peely or fleshy? If not then what fruit might it be. Is it ripe,is it soft, is it berryish or fleshy."

Then begin on the next section such as flowers, then greens, then woods, then musks .....etc etc....and start all over again... and sniff like that through all the areas to see if there is anything there.

I sort of invent a questionnaire for myself like that TV game called 'call my bluff' but in reverse.

 

[StellaDiverFlynn]

Thank you for the tips! I just started again after reading the spoilers, this time taking ample time between each one and putting them under different cups. Wow, what a difference! Especially for the 4 and 5. I think the last time I was already in a state of fatigue when I reached 4 and 5.

 

[mumsy]

That, I hope, is the very point of these modules. To allow your nose to play and to sense without any pre-thought applied to the findings by the mind... The olfactory fatigue is not imagined. There is a scent memory left behind in the mind that can influence further thoughts. it is important to recalibrate the nose and reset the mind to blank again. Much harder to actually do than to say.

The project I am working on now and shown in that photograph, involves very fine tuning between similar ingredients. It is supremely difficult to let go of what the mind insists is there, and embrace what the nose really suggests. I will do the test twice with knowledge and then again blind to make sure the findings are consistent. So far, they are not because of the same sort of fatigue that you found.

 

[filousoph]

I'm not as inspired to write this time, the impressions remain rather technical.

1: This is an interesting one I have no association to. It smells like a sweet-herbal: it is very fresh and light but has a nice powdery sweetnes to it. Rather shortlived.

2: A full fruity-green scent with herbal overtones, and not overly strong to me. Reminds me strong of pineapple flavouring. I would use that in a revisited Pino Silvestro.

3: Has at once piney-herbal and floral aspects, sometimes fusing toghether to a rough pinapple image. Less complex more straightforward than 1 and 2.

4: Something very fresh and citrussy, with a touch of lemon candy. Fills my nose nicely with lemons. Not very sophisiticated as a scent. Rather shortlived.

5: Two main aspects: One is stronger and rather sweet and slightly floral, nearly cloying. The weaker one is green-fresh, nearly acrid. Together they make up something like a sweet citrus-floral with piney aspects. Something I*would use for an eau de cologne for girls. — It saturates fairly quickly and it seems that the green-fresh aspect vanishes faster than the sweet one.

 

[mumsy]

It strikes me that this particular category of materials is not one that inspires much adoration in themselves. However they are extremely useful nuances. The last material appeared to be one of the most popular ingredients within many of the newer 2016 perfumes presented at the BSP yearly bash. It has a very piercing, fresh effect within a blend. A highly effective material.