Now this is a nice idea from The Perfume Studio, a perfume you can make specifically to suit your tastes and then if you want you can even name it after you. I guess if it’s good enough for Sarah Jessica Parker then it’s good enough for us and let’s face it, you couldn’t do much worse than Brittany Spears’s awful creations.
Retail is all about personalization currently, trying to make the selling experience targeted to each customer’s very own needs, so this idea of creating your own fragrance taps right into this.Here you feel like you have created something unique and learnt something along the way AND you have a story to tell to people afterwards….clever.
First the smell. You create your own perfume by mixing -with some experienced help- from the 18 base smells created by the company’s master perfumer. As you smell the different bases you learn about how a perfume is constructed, what all the different types of smell are and get to play about with different combinations. There’s also a blending chart to try and help match your character to different smells if you feel a little overwhelmed with the process. Once you have an idea of what works for you, the perfume is ‘built’ and there you have it, your own special smell.
You then name it (I called mine Palm Springs as I was having a hot and sunny moment) and the company runs a competition each month to judge who came up with the best name. Mine smelt rather fab, old fashioned and florally talc-ish with a lingering rosy base. Each bottle of perfume costs £35, which is reasonable compared to much of the stuff on the market.
Then there’s the idea of having perfume parties, ideal for hen nights or special birthday parties, where you can create wedding smells or birthday smells, as a remembrance of a special time, or you can all just do your own thing. And of course the perfumer comes to you, which is fun.
The perfume is also sold in a number of beauty salons around the UK and Europe and also in Debenhams in Newcastle. For more info check the website The Perfume Studio