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Originally Posted by GAIVS IVLIVS CAESAR
Actually, I was looking at your Yasmin since that article on your line on appeared on the basenotes frontpage. I guess this is a good opportunity to ask you a few questions then. Please excuse my ignorance! I'm new to most of this.
Hey Gaivs Ivlvs Caesar!
Thanks for your interest in my perfumes and for all the great questions!
I am going to try to answer them one by one here:
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Originally Posted by GAIVS IVLIVS CAESAR
Why is something called a soliflor if there are about ten oils listed in the head, heart and base? Is it because the jasmine is by far predominant?
A soliflore scent is a scent that smells strongly and dominantly of one note (it doesn't have to be a flower, though most soliflores are floral). The other notes are added for three main reasons:
1- To accentuate certain aspects of the note (i.e.: the greenness of a rose, the spiciness of a carnation, the sweetness of orange flower, etc.)
2- To create a solid structure for a perfume, which will include base, heart and top notes. Jasmine, for example, is a heart note. But if you only use jasmine, it will not have a lot of presence in the top notes, and also will not last for long enouhg. That is why certain notes are added at the top and the base (I added cassie, which is a floral base note slightly reminiscent of jasmine to extend the life of the perfume on the skin; and I added mimosa and frangipani as the top notes - they are light and bring out the effervescence of the fresh jasmine petals).
3- The other notes also add interest and depth. It is known that most humans find a complex scent more pleasant than a single note, and I guess that is why perfumes are made to begin with...
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Originally Posted by GAIVS IVLIVS CAESAR
When you have an 8ml parfum extrait how is that meant to be worn? Is it meant to be diluted by the buyer into and eau de toilette/parfum? Is it a roll on where you only need to use a very little?
Extrait is more common in the world of feminine fragrances - it is worn on its own, and is simply the most concentrated perfume product. It is dabbed (or can be put in a roll on if you prefer; some even spray it, but I won't recommend that). Parfum Extraits are usually deeper, stay close to the skin, and last longer than the EDT and the EDP.
They can also be layered as a base underneath the EDT or the EDP - but this is not necessary.
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Originally Posted by GAIVS IVLIVS CAESAR
Also, Yasmin has Gardenia listen in the heart - someone just told me that there's no such thing as gardenia oil, and that's why there aren't any gardenia perfumes. I guess they were wrong?
And definitely I'm not ashamed of florals - give me lilacs and jasmine and stargazer lillies and bougainvillea any day! (Why are there no fragrances with bougainvillea?) The one floral I have is a small vial or Iris Nobile which I really enjoy.
Gardenia absolute is very rare and expensive. It is not cost effective to produce gardenia, as it is easier to reproduce the scent with a combination of natural essences and aromachemicals. I refer to a gardenia accord not to a specific gardenia essence, which is really hard to procure. The gardenia note I refer to is the impression that is created by the different essences in the parfum rather than a specific note. When I use certain types of jasmine together, there is a subtle yet recognizable gardenia presence. I have also created an accord for violet flower (as in my perfume "Viola"), though violet flower absolute is almost impossible to obtain, for the same reason (cost effectiveness).
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Originally Posted by GAIVS IVLIVS CAESAR
That said, and given the fact that you refer to the male female division of your lines as somewhat artificial - why does it exist at all? Is there a marketing aspect to dividing fragrances? I've always thought that the great bulk of men's colognes work well on women, and should be unisex, and thus imagined that if they're divided up it must be for some kind of marketing reason.
This division is something I offer on my site to make it easier on the customers who do think by those paradigms. I often get approached by customers who want me to point out to them the "most masculine perfumes I have", so I think this may make things easier on them. Most males are quite conservative when it comes to fragrances, and won't be too comfortable wearing a floral perfume. For them, I grouped all the scents that have a definite "masculine" tone (as is the accepted definition of it in the market), and can be worn as such. Women, it seems to be more comfortable than men (except for in this wonderful Basenotes community) to do perfume "cross dressing" for the most part. I hope this will change in the future (I think it is already changing, actually).
Hope this answered the questions, and if not - drop me a ling!
This seems to be a very hot potatoe! To be honest, the only man I know who is wearing strong jasmine scents is a performing artist. He loves them but he sometimes indeed performs in a dress. But..who cares? In my fragrance wardrobe I have indoor and outdoor scents. Basically indoors is a scent that is very strong but much loved by myself and my DH. I think a feminine jasmine scent on a man can be great, but possibly also gives a 'feminine' signal. If you don't mind: wear it and be proud of it. The moment you are afraid that other people 'read' your scent signal wrongly, start wearing it in the safety of your home. Enjoy it, get used to it and then when you will feel confident about it, wear it also when you go out. There always will be scents that you love, but will be disliked by the ones who smell it. Can't please everybody. In the end it is all about you: do you feel confident enough to wear a scent that is supposed to be 'the scent af a woman'. I would certainly give it a try. And...collect as many samples of your beloved jasmine as you can get. Trying a lot of scents on your skin is the best thing you can do right now IMHO. Good luck and please let us know what your experiences are 
