Stephan Matthews

Thursday, 18 March 2021

SUPERFUSION by J.U.S Parfums

Time has most definitely raced by over the past twelve months, although it might not have always felt like that when we were living it. This lost year has meant pauses to perfume schedules and a quieting down of the usual advertising, so you could be forgiven for having missed some emerging brands. One such company is J.U.S Parfums, which celebrates its third birthday this year. Their credentials are honestly through the roof and, whilst it’s true that the collection really does have something for every taste, I was instantly entranced by the shimmering, musk-laden Superfusion from Céline Ellena.

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Monday, 15 March 2021

STEPHAN'S SIX - ISAAC MIZRAHI

How do you begin to describe Isaac Mizrahi? He’s a designer, an actor, a TV host, a writer, and a producer... and he is also unbelievably funny. Born in Brooklyn, he was torn between fashion and theatre, so decided to do both. He received early backing from Chanel, had a client list that included Naomi Campbell and Liza Minnelli, and also does the perfect imitation of Barbra Streisand. Isaac eventually released his autobiography, I.M. A Memoir, in 2019 but I wondered what extra scented secrets we’d discover during “Stephan’s Six”.

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Thursday, 11 March 2021

TOBACCO FRANKINCENSE & CARDAMOM by Matt Meleg

When we think about the process of creating a perfume it often ends up becoming a romanticised image of a pair of hands holding a mound of jasmine petals, or a perfumer surrounded by a bank of meticulously laid out essential oils. What we don’t usually consider is that the intimate process of creating a perfume can actually also be a means of dealing with personal trauma and managing mental health. One perfumer that has spoken openly about his past and present struggles, and how they feed into his creativity, is Matt Meleg - and this shines radiantly through in his exceptional Tobacco Frankincense & Cardamom fragrance.

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Monday, 8 March 2021

STEPHAN'S SIX - JULIE HALSTON

How do you introduce someone like Julie Halston? She’s an award winning American actress and comedienne, she’s kept us entertained online during a “global pandemic” courtesy of Virtual Halsten, and her list of credits include everything from Hairspray to Sex and The City. Never one to shy away from a one-liner, I thought it was time to find out a little more about this Flushing girl and ask her “Stephan's Six”.

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Thursday, 4 March 2021

ROSE GERANIUM & PETITGRAIN by 1000 Flowers

Over the past twelve months the main thing that I've learned about myself and my surroundings is how refreshing simplicity can be. Having the metaphorical rug pulled out from under us all threw our preconceived ideas and entrenched habits out of the window as well. What we were left with was almost the essence of what we all individually needed, and personal lessons have been learned that shouldn’t be forgotten. Perfume has a habit of being complicated and shrouded in mystery, and so finding a scent that revels in this idea of simplicity is rare. That is until you discover the exquisite Rose Geranium & Petitgrain from 1000 Flowers.

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Monday, 1 March 2021

STEPHAN’S SIX - SARAH IRELAND

Many people dream of starting their own perfume brands but few actually turn it into a reality. One person who did, and went on to be award nominated, was Sarah Ireland. Originally a teacher, her debut collection of four fragrances are described as “a small story shared.” After recently launching the charity cologne Speranza, I thought that it was time to find out a little more about Sarah Ireland as I asked her “Stephan’s Six”.

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Thursday, 25 February 2021

KISS IN RIO by Jonathan Ward

One of the challenges that I always face when writing for this website is keeping a varied selection of products and fragrances. It would be very easy to just feature everything that drops through the letterbox, and there are many reviewers that do, but I will only ever recommend what I like. I’m never paid to promote anything and certainly never “encouraged” to post on social media. The reason that I’m saying this is because today’s review is for a brand that I’ve featured many times, and I don’t want that fact to detract from this outstanding creation. I’m talking about Kiss in Rio from Jonathan Ward Candles.

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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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Thursday, 18 February 2021

ACQUA DI GENOVA - An Italian Masterpiece

I think we can all agree that February is usually a month filled with thoughts of where we’ll be going on holiday during the summer or, if we’re lucky, locations for that quick escape over the Easter break. There are obviously still some pretty big hurdles to get over before there’s any chance of retreating to a sandy oasis of calm this year, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t close our eyes and indulge in a little bit of well deserved armchair travel. As we come out of the winter fragrance season there are plenty of sunny scents that can be reached for to simulate sunshine, and one of the finest is surely Acqua di Genova.

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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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