Spanish Skin, otherwise called perfumed skin:
This very strongly scented leather is worn like a sachet or placed in wardrobes, baskets, and similar containers to perfume linens, clothing, and other toilette items. Take a lambskin tanned in soft, slightly thick white mégie leather. Purify it in rosewater and orange-flower water in which a few egg yolks have been mixed. Knead the skin well in this mixture and let it soak for five to six hours. Then remove it, press it thoroughly, and spread it out until the next day, taking care to stretch it from time to time so it does not dry out too much.
Next, soak it again in rosewater and orange-flower water to which you have added a few drops of ambergris essence and musk. Work the skin well in this scented water and let it soak for several hours. Remove it once more and press it thoroughly.
Prepare a light mucilage using gum tragacanth mixed with rosewater and orange-flower water, extract of balsam of Tolu, extract of vanilla, and a few drops of ambergris essence and musk. Warm a small mortar and its pestle slightly. Place in the mortar about 15.3 grams of ambergris and about 15.3 grams of musk. Grind these thoroughly with a little of the mucilage until no visible particles of musk or ambergris remain. Continue adding the mucilage little by little until you have enough to soak the entire skin. Leave the skin in this preparation for five to six days, kneading it daily with a spatula and keeping it well covered.
At the end of this time, remove the skin from the mucilage, press it well, and stretch it out, handling and loosening it occasionally so it remains soft. When dry, take half an ounce of ambergris essence, half an ounce of musk essence, and the same amount of vanilla essence. Mix them with a little of your mucilage. When blended, lay out the skin and brush this mixture over it with a small brush or puff. When the first side is nearly dry, apply the same amount to the other side. Leave the skin between two sheets of paper so it can dry gently. Once dry, keep it tightly sealed in a box with the same papers on which it dried. The older this perfumed skin becomes, the better its scent will be.
If any mucilage remains, save it for future use in fine scented waters such as ambergris, musk, Cyprus, Maréchale, etc.
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