Stephan Matthews

Showing posts with label Serge Lutens. Show all posts

Monday, 14 August 2023

STEPHAN'S SIX - JANE JOHNSON

Disappearing into a book is something that was instilled into me from childhood, and it’s still a wonderful alternative to costly airfares and long journeys. Jane Johnson is a Cornish author who splits her time between Mousehole and Morocco, and is lucky enough to work from home as a Fiction Publishing Director for HarperCollins. Her latest book, The Black Crescent, uses scented descriptions to help conjure emotions and locations, and so it’s the perfect time to discover her own fragrance memories in “Stephan’s Six”.

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Monday, 17 April 2023

STEPHAN'S SIX - NATHALIE FEISTHAUER

A picture of perfumer Nathalie Feisthauer

The third of my lost pandemic interviews comes from December 2019, just before we entered the two years of uncertainty. I met with perfumer Nathalie Feisthauer in Paris, in the sight of the famous Sacré-Coeur, but neither of us knew what was to follow. So, three and half years later, it’s finally time to discover her fragranced memories and scented secrets as we revisit Nathalie’s “Stephan’s Six”.

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Monday, 22 February 2021

STEPHAN'S SIX - EGLIJA VAITKEVICE

Studying 'Slavic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics' in Lithuania is certainly not the start that many perfumers take, but that is what Eglija Vaitkevice specialised in before retraining at the Grasse Institute of Perfumery. Her Exaltatum London collection of fragrances display an incredible skill at conjuring specific emotive moments in time, but what of the perfumer herself? I thought it was time to discover her scented memories during “Stephan’s Six”.

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Monday, 14 September 2020

STEPHAN'S SIX - SIMON CONSTANTINE

Following in the footsteps of a parental duo that redefined scented bath and body products is an enormous challenge, but it’s one that Simon Constantine has fully embraced. LUSH was the family firm and it’s where he created the successful Gorilla Perfumes, but in September he announced that he was leaving to concentrate on his latest project, ånd fragrances. So, with a renewed desire to encourage accountability and sustainability through scent, I thought that it was time to discover his perfumed memories during “Stephan’s Six”.

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Monday, 24 February 2020

STEPHAN'S SIX - DIDIER GAGLEWSKI

Didier Gaglewski was born in Grasse and, very quickly, became fascinated with the world of perfumery. Being brought up the spiritual home of fragrance meant that a career in the industry was inevitable and it led to debut collections being presented in Paris, Germany, and Switzerland. I met Didier at his beautiful boutique in Grasse to discover his scented secrets during “Stephan’s Six”.

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Thursday, 8 August 2019

The FRAGRANCE DISCOVERY BOX by Harvey Nichols and The Perfume Society

It’s very true that “variety is the spice of life” but, in the world of perfume, the continuous stream of new fragrances can become a little overwhelming. In the niche market it can be even more intimidating because the increased price means that you don’t want to make a costly mistake. So, where do you start? This month sees the launch of the Fragrance Discovery Box which is a collaboration between Harvey Nichols and The Perfume Society. Eight curated niche companies, many of them exclusive to the store, are gathered together in one scented experience and the results are, in the words of Edina Monsoon, “absolutely fabulous!”

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Thursday, 1 March 2018

AMBRE SULTAN by Serge Lutens

When the weather takes a turn for the worse, and snow starts falling as companies launch their latest “springtime scent”, many customers almost ricochet back to the familiar warmth and spice that you get with the great oriental fragrances. The woods, resins and intoxicating florals help transport you to sunnier climes as we fend off the icy winds. For my perfume of escape this week I chose Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens and, whilst it might not be exactly thought of as an oriental, it definitely packs a punch with the sensuous laudanum. So, let me introduce you the fragrance about which Serge warned, “don’t expect it to fit in”.

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Monday, 11 September 2017

STEPHAN'S SIX - HANS HENDLEY

With a start in photography and music, Hans Hendley was flexing his creative muscle from an early age. Pretty soon he realised that his philosophies and ideals didn’t really fit the strict commercial path and so he moved to New York to begin working with what he described as “small spirited brands”. Always fascinated by perfume, he launched his own range in October 2014. With the recent release of his ninth fragrance, Mown, I thought that it was time to find out a little more about Hans Hendley as I asked him “Stephan’s Six”.

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Monday, 16 January 2017

STEPHAN'S SIX - ROBERTO GRECO

The days of “point a camera at a bottle of perfume” have well and truly gone because a sense of creativity is now demanded by every company. One person who certainly has this gift is Roberto Greco, an incredible photographer who splits his time between Paris and Geneva. From Le Galion to Liquides Imaginaires, his work has been featured in the Harrods magazine as well as by The Perfume Society. So, I thought it was time to find out a little bit more about Roberto in the first of a new series of “Stephan’s Six”.

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Monday, 28 November 2016

STEPHAN'S SIX - VICTORIA FROLOVA (BOIS DE JASMIN)

Meticulous attention to detail is the quality that has set Victoria Frolova, aka Bois de Jasmin, apart from most other perfume writers. An encyclopedic knowledge and a wonderful way of making even the most stuffy subject feel exciting is why her website has become a regular stop for any perfume enthusiast. After writing about everyone else’s perfume, what would be the ones that resonate with her? I asked her “Stephan’s Six” in the hope that we would find out a little bit more about Victoria Frolova.

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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”?

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Thursday, 4 February 2016

Three Roses For Valentine's Day

Maybe it's cliched but the rose is still the epitome of romance on Valentine's Day. Inflated prices of a bouquet can take the lustre off the experience, so what are the alternatives? Well, fragrances don't have to have a three figure price tag in order to convey quality and so I thought it would be fun to see what some high street stores can offer. All of these are available from Edinburgh to Eastbourne, because none of them are "exclusives", and so you also don't have to worry about a journey to London or the lottery of mail order. So, here are three fragrances that cannot fail to impress, or break the bank.

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Thursday, 12 November 2015

SERGE LUTENS OLFACTORY WORKSHOP

Workshops are nothing new when it comes to fragrance, and having been "lucky" enough to attend a lot in my time the thought of another usually fills me with absolute terror. However, when I saw that Serge Lutens was going to be starting one at their Palais Royal boutique in Paris it was a must. Luckily I was already going to be in the city for three days so managed to book a place with their expert, Léa Murati. I admit, it was with some trepidation that I handed myself over. Would this be just another selling exercise, or would I actually come away having discovered something new about Serge Lutens?

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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.

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Monday, 14 August 2023

Monday, 17 April 2023

Monday, 22 February 2021

Monday, 14 September 2020

Monday, 24 February 2020

Thursday, 8 August 2019

Thursday, 1 March 2018

Monday, 11 September 2017

Monday, 16 January 2017

Monday, 28 November 2016

Monday, 31 October 2016

Thursday, 4 February 2016

Thursday, 12 November 2015