Monday 31 October 2016

STEPHAN'S SIX - JIM CARUSO


Jim Caruso is best known among the Broadway theatre fraternity for hosting the famous Cast Party at Birdland, which he also brings annually to Brasserie Zédel in London, but his list of other credits is long. Actor, singer, dancer, he even co-starred with Kathie Lee Gifford in Personal Assistant … and survived! As one of Liza Minnelli’s long standing friends he performed with her on Broadway in 2009, but what would we learn about his own scented secrets during “Stephan’s Six”?

Thursday 27 October 2016

Two Scents For Autumn

With the clocks about to go back an hour, if you live in the United Kingdom, and the nights starting to really draw in, we are right in the middle of Autumn. The leaves beginning to change colour is always the cue to get out the woolly scarf, start preparing to carve your pumpkin and look forward to bonfire night. After that we find ourselves hurtling full speed towards Christmas. So, before we get all festive I thought it would be good to look at two perfumes, decades apart, that are guaranteed to make you want to start kicking those piles of Autumn leaves. Grab your scarf and gloves; we're going for a walk.

Monday 24 October 2016

STEPHAN'S SIX - JO FAIRLEY


When Jo left school at sixteen with six ‘O’ levels she knuckled down, worked hard, and became the youngest-ever UK magazine editor when she joined Look Now at twenty-three. Alongside that she had always had a love of fragrance, and so it seemed inevitable that Jo would go on to co-found The Perfume Society with Lorna McKay. After winning a Jasmine Award for her fragrant writing, I thought it was time that we turned the tables and discovered her scented secrets during “Stephan’s Six”.

Thursday 20 October 2016

Jo Malone Scent Christmas

"We've got Christmas all wrapped up"
. It's a phrase that you're going to hear a lot in the coming months, but there is still only one company that can truly can claim it as their own. When Estée Lauder purchased Jo Malone in 1999 they provided the expansion and distribution expertise that was desperately needed, and even after Jo left in 2006 they still held close to her original ethos of producing simple creations that blended effortlessly together to create something bespoke, but there is nothing "simple" about them. They are cleverly created to resonate with the wearer, and that also applies to this year's "Merry Mischief".

Monday 17 October 2016

STEPHAN'S SIX - GRAHAM SEED


On 2nd January 2011 Radio 4's listeners said goodbye to Nigel Pargetter. A long running character in The Archers, he fell off the top of his ancestral pile while removing a New Year banner in icy conditions! It could only happen in a soap opera. A regular since 1983, Graham had already had a successful career with appearances in I Claudius, Bergerac and Brideshead Revisited, but away from Borsetshire what would we find out about the real Graham Seed during "Stephan's Six"?

Thursday 13 October 2016

PETIT GUERLAIN - The Lost Innocence

Everyone talks about scent bringing back memories but this week it was a painting that triggered my recollection of a Guerlain classic. I’ve started renovating part of my house and this included taking out a built-in wardrobe. It was a typical nineties “Changing Rooms” style construction built of four-by-four and MDF, but what was hidden behind it really took me back. The wall was decorated with painted dolphins, so obviously it used to be a child’s room, and straight away I started to think about Petit Guerlain, which was released in 1994. So, let’s go back twenty two years and rediscover Guerlain’s innocence.

Monday 10 October 2016

STEPHAN'S SIX - GEOFF PERCY


When Geoff Percy was brought on board to try and turn around the fortunes of Bronnley, after it had fallen into administration, he came with a wealth of experience. Ten years as Chief Executive of Simple Health and Beauty had taught him the importance of a brand’s loyalty, heritage and appeal. So, I thought it was time we learned a little bit more about his own fragrance journey during “Stephan’s Six”.

Thursday 6 October 2016

Galimard's ORGAN OF FLAVOURS

I've written before about various Perfume Workshops and even I thought that the novelty would surely be wearing off by now. However, on a recent trip to Grasse I was invited to take part in the new Galimard Organ of Flavours, which offers an alternative approach to the traditional "leave with a bottle of Eau de Parfum". This time you're creating a Scent Diffuser along with a matching Room Spray, and the selection of ingredients takes a very different direction to the usual perfume palette. Combining foods and feelings, let me take you back to Grasse and introduce you to Galimard's Organ of Flavours.

Monday 3 October 2016

STEPHAN'S SIX - RICHARD E GRANT


When the film Withnail and I was released in 1987 it launched the career of actor Richard E Grant. Born in Mbabane he moved to London in 1982 after studying drama at the University of Cape Town. Whilst managing to maintain an impressive acting career, Richard surprised everyone in 2014 when he ventured into the world of fragrance with his perfume Jack. A self confessed fan of everything scented, what would we discover as he submitted to "Stephan's Six"?