Sunny Mimosa

When I was a child growing up in small-town New Zealand, my parents planted Australian native Wattle trees (Acacia pycnantha) lining the perimeter of our property.

During the summer months while blooming, their soft, sweet honeyed fragrance would waft around the garden and through my bedroom window on the warm breeze, and this scent always takes me back to a simpler idyllic time.

Mimosa flowers from Acacia decurrens, with their yellow fluffy pom-pom like florets and delicate powdery floral fragrance, are used to extract a waxy concrete, from which a sticky toffee-like absolute can be produced.

The absolute is hard to work with in its natural state, being almost impossible to measure accurately without first diluting in Ethanol or a carrier oil with a long shelf life like Jojoba.

Mimosa in Bloom

I've found the easiest way to work with it is to warm it gently in its bottle in a Bain-Marie, and then dilute it to at least 50/50 with organic Perfumers Alcohol - it can take a good while to dissolve fully and requires repetitive swishing and swirling of the contents, but the fragrance is gorgeous once it's diluted right down... the alcohol helps to lighten and brighten the fragrance, and bring out its delicate ethereal beauty.

If you want to use Jojoba oil as a base for oil or solid perfumes instead of alcohol, it is easiest to warm both the absolute and the oil to the same temperature before adding together and swirling to mix. Oil will hold down the fragrance somewhat, inhibiting its brighter notes and keeping it closer to the skin.

Afterwards, the Mimosa dilution can be easily measured for use in various perfumes.

I've just finished diluting a new batch this week which I'm using to create a vibrant, sunny yellow smelling perfume for summer, bolstered with warm, spicy Ginger and bright, zesty Lemon amongst other delicious things - I'll keep you posted on the progress as we go along... :)

In the meantime, do tell - what's your favourite childhood scent memory?

Michelle xx