Our natural surroundings are being destroyed and disrupted by mammoth building projects and ill-thought-out renovations. It's a fact. City streets are having their trees uprooted, parks are being locked outside of “respectable” hours, and wild habitats are being constantly covered in concrete and breeze blocks. We’re in danger of forgetting that nature and architecture used to once coexist happily alongside each other, so it’s the perfect time to be reminded by the inventive Contradictions in ILK. Famous for offering us all two sides of the same coin, you're going to love their latest fragrance Nature.
A journey into the world of perfume can come in many ways, but for Nancy Meiland it was a coming together of two disciplines. Originally a successful actress, Nancy also worked as assistant to renowned perfumer Anastasia Brozler. Now a perfume run her own right, this combination of theatricality and technical knowledge shines through in her fragrances, but I wanted to see what scented secrets she would reveal during “Stephan’s Six”.
There are certain fragrance styles that forever feel as though they’re pushed to the limit with overwhelming volume and aggression, and so finding one where the perfumer has deliberately gone in the other direction is always an absolute joy. Delicacy and contentment mixing with a feeling of intimacy and fascination may sound like a combination that is impossible to achieve, but I’m happy to say it has. Encens et Cedre is the latest release from 1000 Flowers and, under the ever-inspiring eye of perfumer Jessica Buchanan, sits seamlessly alongside her existing “eau de bien-être” fragrances to create an unrivalled trio.
When Brooke Belldon drew on her long-term passion for fragrance to launch the retail website Sainte Cellier, she quickly gained a reputation for stocking a carefully curated selection of the best that niche perfumery has to offer. Brooke has been a well-known face in the fragrance community for over a decade but, even after becoming a go-to voice for the niche market, still playfully describes herself as “an obsessive collector and enthusiastic student”. With such a wealth of knowledge, it was great to finally sit down with her and discover her scented memories during “Stephan’s Six”.
The first fragrances released by a company can often set the template for everything that is to follow. Whether it’s favoured ingredients, particular scent styles, or even the inspirations, getting that first collection right is so important to the long-term success of any perfume venture. Even after the fragrances have been created, the amount of work that it takes to get them seen by customers can often feel like an uphill struggle. That’s where having an existing core base of followers can be a lifesaver. Country from Wales Perfumery is one of the company’s debut trio of scents, but is the land of song singing its praises?
Independent businesses in seaside towns have a habit of vanishing after a single season, but there’s one in Cornwall that's just celebrated its third birthday. The St. Ives Co. was founded by three sisters, Tegen, Ainslie and Safi, with the aim of championing the Cornish way of life through home, body and lifestyle products. While their iconic Grapefruit, Lime & Bergamot Body Cleanser was chosen for the G7 Summit, I wondered what other scented secrets The St. Ives Co. had? I settled down with Ainslie Fowler to discover more during her “Stephan’s Six”.
Simplicity is a word that seems to be rarely used in the world of fragrance, and is almost seen as a negative concept that should be avoided at all costs. Perfumes and aromas need to be complex, they need to have a structure that fascinates and astounds the wearer, but is it starting to become exhausting? Fragrances have always been experimental, but more and more they’re becoming an assault on the senses. Thankfully, in amongst the explosions, there’s someone that continues to strip back their scents and present the beauty of simplicity. I’m talking about Tessa Williams, and specifically her Lemon Candle.
The joy of travel was something that was taken away from us all during the two years of global upheaval, and so any fragrance that references the incredible ability that journeying has to reset our internal clocks is absolutely one to explore. The way that perfume can be used to balance emotions, as well as encourage decision making, is a trend that many companies are now actively promoting with each of their new releases, and that is definitely the case with TUMI. Their Atlas fragrance is described as “the spirit of a man who chooses his destiny with individuality and determination”, but did I discover mine?
An increasing trend in perfumery in recent years has been the desire to hunt out fragrances based on ingredients rather than the overall composition, so almost the reverse of the well-known saying “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. This quest for a specific ingredient can often leave the hunter disappointed, as there are multiple varieties and strengths available to a perfumer, so is this really the best way to choose a scent? Long counters filled with endless choices used to be the norm so, instead of an ingredient-focused approach, are you ready to choose by complementary odour profile instead?
