Monday 24 April 2017

WAFT'S Bespoke Fragrance Creation

The job of any good perfume consultant is to find the customer their perfect scent, but they're choosing from a selection of fragrances that have been made to fit into very specific trends. Even historic perfumes still have a particular style that was chosen by the perfumer in order to make it a commercial success. So, your "perfect" scent might not be as perfect as you actually want it to be. A new company has come up with a novel, and very entertaining, way to create your very own "bespoke" fragrance without even having to leave your home. Not convinced? Come with me and let me show you WAFT.

Valerie Boffy set up WAFT in 2016 as a way of providing customers with something that was more personal than a scent you could buy in a store. She wanted to give perfume fans the chance to "create" their own fragrance without having to pay the prices that would be charged if you went to one of the established perfume houses. Valerie partnered up with IFF (International Flavors & Fragrances) in order to create a large catalogue of scents inspired by emotion, situation and desire. The concept has been used many times to help customers choose commercial perfumes but how would it work when it comes to creating your own?

The way the online consultation works is that you're asked to select from a series of multiple-choice questions that relate to the perfume you want to create. Your sex, when you want to wear it, are you classic or modern? It's cleverly structured to draw as much information out of you as possible. The penultimate screen gives you a menu of ingredients that you're asked to select from before finally divulging your favourite fragrance. I was a good boy and selected very honestly, but what will you receive?

You get sent a 50ml bottle of your "bespoke" scent along with two other 15ml fragrances. These have again been selected from your choices and are designed to be layered with your main perfume. Freshen or Dare were my options and, whilst it might seem a little gimmicky, it is right on the button in terms of the current fashion for fragrance combining. My profile choices had been a male scent suitable for the evening in a classically elegant style, but I also chose Je Reviens by Worth as my favourite scent.

My main fragrance, which I called Let's Play, does indeed have the qualities of Je Reviens that I love. A tuberose and narcissus floral sits proudly in the centre but it has a masculinity that is provided by a pepper and woody base. The two layering scents were a bit of a shock. Freshen was a bright vetiver with a musky leather base which developed beautifully whilst Dare threw a large dose of effervescent citrus at me, along with a slight marine note. The combination of Freshen and Let's Play was definitely very sexy and I really enjoyed its floral leather combination. Your bespoke scent is obviously selected from the large catalogue that has already been created but it does still provide you with something that is tailored to your personal choices. It's great fun and at £69 also makes a great gift!

For more information about WAFT, or to create your own fragrance, you can visit the website at waft.com [Fragrances courtesy of Waft]

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