Monday 26 February 2018

STEPHAN'S SIX - PIA LONG


Originally from Finland, Pia started her UK adventure working for Elizabeth Arden before training in perfumery. An eye for detail and a nose for success saw her move to Lush Cosmetics where she created HQ/29 High Street, “the smell of a lush shop in a bottle”. After moves to Equinox Aromas and Orchadia, Pia launched Olfiction in July 2016, which is described as “the hub for all things fragrance”. With a rich background in fragrance, what would she reveal about her own scented memories during “Stephan’s Six”?

Thursday 22 February 2018

Everything But The Kitchen Sink

It’s a common enough expression and one that seems to be particularly apt in the current perfume market when applied to sales assistants, “everything but the kitchen sink.” In a drive to arm employees with all of the necessary information to sell their latest blockbuster, companies have increasingly passed on information in a “quantity” approach as opposed to “quality”. The details of fragrance ingredients used to be a closely guarded secret but the arrival of the internet and social media blew that wide open. So, in an ever-competitive market, and with “transparency” still the key word, what information actually helps your perfume choices?

Monday 19 February 2018

STEPHAN'S SIX - AMANDA CARR


Amanda Carr is a freelance journalist and also the co-founder of The Women's Room and We Wear Perfume, an online blog that looks at the personal memories associated with scent. After asking others about their fragrance recollections, I though it was time to discover a few of Amanda's own as I asked her “Stephan’s Six”.

Thursday 15 February 2018

ENGLISH FIELDS by Jo Malone London

Now in its eighth year, Jo Malone London’s annual Brit Collection has gathered a loyal following for those looking for a transitory fragrance to take them from spring to summer. This year sees the release of English Fields, which is inspired by “the goodness of grains with the freshness of flowers”, and it promises “the rich, golden fullness of harvest-ready fields”. To realise this latest collection Celine Roux, Head of Fragrance Development, has once again turned to perfumer Mathilde Bijaoui, who had previously created Myrrh & Tonka for the company. With five fragrances to choose from, what does English Fields have to offer?

Thursday 8 February 2018

My Gift Choices For Valentine's Day 2018

Hot on the heels of Christmas and New Year comes Valentine’s Day with a new set of stresses about what to buy, when to buy and even who to buy for. It’s a gift that can so easily go wrong and one that many people greet with the phrase, “it’ll be half the price next week”. With this in mind I thought that I’d steer away from fragrances this year and focus on another perennial favourite. Candles, and everything that goes with them, are great choices as romantic gifts and there is something for the most modest budget and even the hardest of hearts. So, let me show you my top three choices for 2018.

Thursday 1 February 2018

Guerlain Opens Its Aqua Allegoria Archive

February is usually the month that we end up mourning the loss of one of Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria range. The yearly discontinuation of one fragrance to make way for a new scent is usually met with mixed reactions, but the series always needed to remain at the accepted five and choices had to be made. This year marks a major break in tradition however with Guerlain not only keeping the current five and adding a new one but also reissuing another four from the Aqua Allegoria archives. So, let me show you the four have come out of retirement to make the new collection of ten, and see if one of them is an old favourite.