Stephan Matthews

Showing posts with label Amber. Show all posts

Thursday, 29 October 2020

The Car Freshener Collection from Lynx

When we think about scent the first things that usually come to our mind are perfumes and candles. We’re so used to wearing our favourite fragrance, or filling a room with the aroma of everything from Yankee Candle’s vanilla through to Gwyneth Paltrow’s fabled vagina, that we’ve forgotten a vital space that really benefits from some scent. We generally spend around four years of our lives behind the wheel of a car and so it’s time we started enjoying it. There are many car fresheners on the market, but one of the most novel must surely be the collection from Lynx. So, as we celebrate its first birthday, let’s go for a drive.

Click here to read the rest of this post >>

Monday, 10 July 2017

YOU ... The New Fragrance From Lynx

They're at it again and they've called back the big guns for the launch of their latest body fragrance! I'm talking about Lynx, or Axe if you live outside of the United Kingdom. Once treated with derision, or at best referred to as the scent of a teenage boy, they have recently started to command a real share of the perfume industry. With the launch of their Daily Fragrance range last year they managed to reposition themselves in an older market, and finally gain the recognition that they deserve. Forget Apollo, Phoenix and even Africa, 2017 sees the appearance of YOU and you're in for a very pleasant surprise.

Click here to read the rest of this post >>

Monday, 6 March 2017

STEPHAN'S SIX - OXANA POLYAKOVA

One thing that London has a lot of is perfume shops, but carefully curated ones are more of a rarity. In August 2012 Oxana Polyakova turned her fascination for fragrance into a business and Bloom Perfumery opened its doors. Located at 4 Langley Court in London, her selective range of perfumes covers the familiar to the exclusive. So, what would we find out about Oxana’s own fragrance memories when I asked her “Stephan’s Six”?

Click here to read the rest of this post >>

Thursday, 25 February 2016

AMBRE ÉTERNEL by Guerlain

When Guerlain launched Santal Royal in October 2014 it is fair to say that its success took everyone a little by surprise. It seemed that every week brought a new Oud fragrance, and the market was becoming saturated. Somehow this black beacon, itself a reworking of the classic Aqua Allegoria bottle, grabbed the attention of the customer and its place in Guerlain's catalogue was secured. However, in the way of all perfume houses, its success meant that there had to be a successor. It arrived in January 2016 and was called Ambre Éternel. With a lot to live up to, what would the new fragrance bring to this once classic brand?

Click here to read the rest of this post >>

Wednesday, 19 August 2015

Eau de ROOM SPRAY

It's time to admit it, we've all done it. At one point or another you've spritzed yourself with room spray instead of your favourite "perfume". Sometimes this has been accidentally, and sometimes very much on purpose, but unless it was made by Glade nobody probably noticed. So what exactly IS the difference between your room spray and the worlds finest perfumes? Well, brace yourselves because you might be surprised at the answer.

Click here to read the rest of this post >>

Wednesday, 10 June 2015

ENJOLI - A Woman CAN Have Everything

A fragrance for the modern woman who wanted it all; a career, a husband, and to still look sexy as she read her children a bed-time story. My personal experience of the latter is that you're usually exhausted and covered in baked beans! Created by Charles of the Ritz in 1978, Enjoli promised an "eight hour perfume for the twenty-four hour woman". Boasting the female ability to "bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan and never, never, never let you forget you're a man", the Enjoli woman allowed her husband to think he was in charge, although really she was. So, thirty seven years later, has the perfume stood up to changing tastes?

Click here to read the rest of this post >>

Wednesday, 3 June 2015

LAYER ME

The question I get asked most often is, "How do I make my fragrance last longer?" There have always been a myriad of complimentary products to go with various scents but the quality of these has been pretty variable. Also, with the trend for using more than one fragrance at the same time to create a truly unique personal scent we've actually been missing the most vital piece of the puzzle. You wouldn't paint a wall before preparing the surface but we are happy to just spray perfume and hope. So, I went on the hunt for the perfect base for my spritzing, and I found it in the most unlikely of places. I went through lotions and creams, both fragranced and unfragranced, dry oils and even moisture mists, but nothing was doing what I wanted... "Support any fragrance that goes on top, prolong its life and bridge the gap between layered scents," and obviously moisturise as well.

Click here to read the rest of this post >>

Monday, 1 June 2015

SOPHIA - Wear It With Passion

In 1981 Sophia Loren declined an offer to play the iconic role of Alexis Colby in "Dynasty", and so the part famously went to Joan Collins. However, the same year did see the release of the perfume SOPHIA by Coty. Described as “the fragrance of living and loving”, Sophia Loren told women to “wear it with a passion”. With an Italian sexuality that she was famous for, that message was clear. Thirty-five years later she would return to the world of fragrance in Dolce & Gabbana's Rosa Excelsa campaign, but for now, after a cold shower, I gently caressed the bottle to see whether the original passion could be rekindled!

Click here to read the rest of this post >>

Sunday, 24 May 2015

I AM WOMAN ... Hear Me Purr

Fifteen years after the launch of her last perfume, Spectacular, Joan Collins returned to the stage with I AM WOMAN. The fragrance premiered on 28th February 2014, so a year on I think it's time to revisit and see whether the lady has aged gracefully. The perfume is part of a wider range called "Joan Collins Timeless Beauty", which also includes makeup and skincare, and was initially exclusively sold through QVC. Don't pull that face, QVC is now a major cosmetics outlet and companies ignore it at their peril; they can launch, maintain and promote any brand which takes their fancy.

Click here to read the rest of this post >>

Tuesday, 19 May 2015

The SPECTACULAR Joan Collins

With Dynasty about to finish its nine series reign over prime-time television, Joan Collins decided the time was right to launch her first fragrance. No stranger to perfume promotion, Joan had been the face of Revlon's Scoundrel from 1983-1986, but this time she was very firmly in charge. Under the name of "The Design House of Joan Collins", but actually produced by Parlux Fragrances Ltd, the first perfume in a planned line was Spectacular. At the time of the launch Joan was very open about the fact that she wanted an independent income and, alongside other "Design House" ventures, Spectacular came with very high expectations.

Click here to read the rest of this post >>

After twenty successful years as an actor, I decided the time was right to begin a new career, and that was in the perfume industry. Scent had always been a passion of mine, and working alongside a new group of creative minds ended up being the perfect fit.

As a Brand Consultant, Evaluator, Copywriter and New Business Advisor, the variety of work is exciting, and definitely draws on my acting background. Every day brings new challenges, experiences and delights to a workplace that is crammed full of new releases, evergreens, and fading classics.

This website brings together my ramblings on all aspects of the perfume industry from bottle design to fragrance, companies to noses, and everything in between.

Opinions are my own and do not in any way represent the views of the companies mentioned. Where products or services have been provided by the companies it is stated at the end of the article.

Companies and readers are welcome to contact me by using the Send Me A Message option below.

Pages

Thursday, 29 October 2020

Monday, 10 July 2017

Monday, 6 March 2017

Thursday, 25 February 2016

Wednesday, 19 August 2015

Wednesday, 10 June 2015

Wednesday, 3 June 2015

Monday, 1 June 2015

Sunday, 24 May 2015

Tuesday, 19 May 2015