Yuck. The "patchouli" smelled like my dad's cheap whisky, and the amyris smelled like burnt...something. I know what patchouli is supposed to smell like. That was not it. I don't know what amyris is supposed to smell like, so I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt there. The oils were unusually cheap; I should have known better. The lack of apostrophe in Edens should also have given it away!
Real patchouli oil is dark and thick, a bit sticky. This oil was light, thin and not at all sticky. I have no idea what this oil is made of, but I wonder if it's synthetic. It certainly smells that way. I am keeping the oils for now, they do smell better after they've sat on the skin for awhile, but I don't have that deep patchouli scent I wanted. I will have to bite the bullet and pay more for the real thing.
I made the perfume anyway. I added himalayan cedarwood, bergamot, and lavender to improve the scent. The end result is very nice, but the unfortunate part is that the two oils that smell the worst are also the base notes, meaning they will last longer on my skin than the other scents. Well, maybe they won't, if they're not the real thing.
I still have plenty of beeswax beads left, and a bit of sweet almond oil, so that when I finally purchase actual patchouli oil I can have another go. Just need to find another container. The process of making the perfume was actually quite fun, especially watching it harden in the jar.
No more buying online, except for Mountain Rose Herbs. They're really the only online herb/oil store I trust. I'm going to check out a few brick-and-mortar stores to compare patchouli prices. I like Aura Cacia and NOW oils as far as in-store brands go. So we'll see. For now, I do have a rather pleasant solid perfume to last quite a long time.
And I think that this recipe will do well to make lip balm, with just a few added ingredients like shea butter or coconut oil. Something to look forward to.
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