I’ve been invited on behalf of the BSP (British Society of Perfumers) to give an evening lecture on the subject of social media and influencers in the perfume industry. There are two dates – London (Thursday 18 October 2018) and Manchester (Monday 22 October 2018) – and it promises to be an interesting insight into my world, which is the world of an influencer in the perfume industry! Tickets are £25 for non-members and can be purchased here.
Consider the above a date for your diaries, people! To celebrate the launch of edition 4 of NEZ The Olfactory Magazine, I will be joining perfumer Lyn Harris (of Perfumer H) and art historian Christina Bradstreet (also Events Manager at the National Gallery) as part of a perfume roundtable hosted by Fragrantica’s Eddie Bulliqi. The subject is ‘Is Perfume Art?’ so I’m positive that we will have lots to talk about, with varying viewpoints from a panel consisting of a perfumer, historian and blogger.
Have you ever wanted to raid the archives at La Maison Guerlain in Paris? I know I certainly have and if you have too, then The Perfume Society have arranged the perfect trip for you. On Saturday 25 February 2017 they will be hosting a group of Guerlain-addicts at the brand’s Champs-Élysées HQ to sniff a number of scents recreated masterfully from the Guerlain archives. The event is described as follows:
La Maison Guerlain is inviting you via The Perfume Society for a very special two-and-a-half hour session at which you’ll be able to smell treasures including the original Après L’Ondée, Guerlain’s own Chypre de Paris, Coque d’Or, Pourquoi J’Aimais Rosine?, Rue de La Paix, and other lost legends: fragrances which had literally vanished, until Thierry and his colleague Frédéric Sacone brought them back to life, following the original formulas in the historic ‘recipe’ books. They can only be smelled at these very exclusive, private workshops, which take place in the beautifully appointed private drawing room. So we’re delighted to be able to share this incredible behind-the-scenes experience over tea with our subscribers.
Newsflash, Perfume Lovers! Frederic Malle is coming to London for a meet and greet at Selfridges on Oxford Street on Thursday 17 November 2016. Being at the helm of one of perfumery’s greatest brands, Frederic Malle is quite the scented celebrity and he’ll be in Selfridges greeting customers and signing bottles of fragrance from his line. It’s an opportunity not to be missed!
I am absolutely thrilled to announce that the wonderful Lila Das Gupta of the equally awesome Perfume Lovers London, has invited me back for the third time to host an event in October. In a departure from my two previous summer-themed talks, this year I will be taking my Jasmine Award winning Guide to Violet on the road for an interactive look at some of the world’s most beautiful and fascinating violet perfumes.
‘The Candy Perfume Boy’s Guide to Violets’ will be held at the October Gallery in London on 23 October 2014. Tickets are £16.50 and can be found, along with further event details, on the Perfume Lovers London Meet Up page. I do hope that you can join me, as the event promises an entertaining evening of sniffing along with refreshments, and where possible a sample of your choice.
I’ll see you there…
4160 Tuesdays is an exciting niche brand, there’s no denying it. Perfumer Sarah McCartney successfully blends British eccentricity, good-quality ingredients and unique accords to create perfumes that are unusual, fun and unsurprisingly, rather beautiful. It’s hard not to fall for the charm of a perfume brand that is founded on the principle of not-wasting away one’s days and doing something different with those 4160 Tuesdays one has before reaching the ripe old age of 80 – I certainly have.
I therefore, could not resist an invitation to Sarah McCartney’s London studio this past weekend for ‘The Wall of Scent’, a regular event scheduled at 4160 Tuesdays HQ as an introduction to the world of perfume; it’s families, ingredients and masterpieces. It’s an informative day that allows one, no matter whether they’re an expert or a novice, to really get to grips with the way perfumes are made and some of the raw materials, whether natural or ‘synthetic’, that are used in making the perfumes one wears on a day-to-day basis.
Following the release of their new fragrance – ‘Le Parfum‘ – historic french brand Carven have scheduled a fragrance masterclass with perfumer Francis Kurkdjian at the luxury London department store Selfridges. Having created Le Parfum and a number of other luxury fragrances, Kurkdjian is a fascinating individual with a unique insight to the perfume industry.
“The afternoon event invites guests to enjoy a glass of champagne and canapés whilst Francis journeys through the intimate and captivating charm that encapsulates the couture spirit of the legendary Parisian fashion house, Carven. Guest will discover the history, delicacy and grace of the Carven woman and discuss the raw ingredients of the beautiful new Carven female fragrance, Le Parfum.”
I have to admit that I’m not the hugest fan of leather in fragrance, mainly because I really haven’t a great deal of exposure to the note, which is why I was particularly interested in attending last week’s ‘Evening of Leather’ organised by Lila Das Gupta of Perfume Lovers London/Olfactory Events. I wanted to explore leather, deconstruct and understand it, but most of all I wanted to find a leather that I loved.
Perfume Lovers London is a Meetup Group run by Olfactory Events in conjunction with Basenotes. They have so far held two events, with many more exciting meet ups in the pipeline. An Evening of Leather was hosted by Lila Das Gupta who has a penchant for leather fragrances, was the perfect captain for our voyage of discovery of a note that is steeped in history and comes in many guises.
An Evening of Leather promised to “map out the geography of leather fragrances from the meaty to the haughty” and I’m please to say that it was an event that delivered on all counts. I may have walked into the event being clueless about, and not really loving leather but I left with a new found appreciation for the genre and a head full of leather fragrances that demanded to be explored further.
“I invite you to trust your nose” was just one of the many perfumed pearls of wisdom offered by Andy Tauer at Thursday’s rose master class held at Les Senteurs brand new store in London. Of course, an invitation to an evening with Andy Tauer at London’s premiere perfume stop was definitely not to be missed and the event offered a fascinating insight into the world of Tauer and roses.
Andy Tauer, as I’m sure you all know, is an independent perfumer from Switzerland with a natural flair for creating beautiful and thought-provoking pieces of scented art. If there is one particular ingredient/note that makes me think of Tauer perfumes it is rose, and Andy has created three exceptional rose-centric fragrances (the polar-opposites Une Rose Chyprée & Une Rose Vermeille and the wonderful Incense Rosé ) and rose is a staple note in most of the line. So, who better to hold a rose master class than Andy Tauer?
The Candy Perfume Boy 