Monday 7 November 2016

STEPHAN'S SIX - SYLVAINE DELACOURTE


The undisputed Queen Bee of Guerlain, Sylvaine Delacourte joined the company as a makeup artist before becoming their International Makeup Trainer. However, the perfumes fascinated her and, after much hard work, she achieved the coveted role of Director of Fragrance Evaluation and Development. Whilst still a consultant for Guerlain, Sylvaine has now launched her own brand, so what would we learn about her during "Stephan's Six"?

What is the first smell that you can remember?
The first smell would be the face powder of my mother, but I also remember sniffing (and eating) the glue at school! It was the famous one of the time called Cleopatra, which smelled of heliotrope and vanilla.

What was the first perfume you remember your mum or dad wearing?
It was Guerlain’s Shalimar for my mother, but my dad only liked Eau de Cologne. He found Eau de Toilette, at that time, too feminine for him.

What was the perfume of your twenties?
Oh it was Oscar de la Renta! I discovered later that this perfume had been inspired by Guerlain’s L’heure Bleue, and when I joined the company I immediately fell in love with it. After all of this time L’heure Bleue is still my signature perfume.

What was your biggest perfume mistake?
I tried on some chypre perfumes, like Courreges, and some strong ones from Estee Lauder like Cinnabar, but it is not me. Too punchy! I need a perfume closer to my personality, a perfume with nuances, more pastel. I need to be dressed with lace, with powdery notes and vanilla, because I am a big fan of iris, violet and heliotrope.

You can only choose one perfume?
It would have to be L’heure Bleue of course, but I developed Cuir Beluga for myself when I was at Guerlain. I now wear Florentina, from my brand, which is closer to who I am.

What perfume should I try?
For me perfume is an emotion and it goes beyond male or female. It is linked with your olfactory patrimony, so it is important to know which smell you were fond of before you were seven years old. Also, along with the perfume, scent is linked with your memory and with the positive smells you have had in your life.

For more details of Sylvaine's company, or to order the sample set of her first musk collection, you can visit www.sylvaine-delacourte.com

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