Smart Londoners don't want to smell like everyone else. We're busy hunting down tiny artisan perfumers and niche brands. From colognes at Santa Maria Novella on Walton Street to contemporary artisan perfumers at Les Senteurs in Belgravia, we're looking for a new hit. And we're very territorial.
— From Perfumistas are the new cool-hunters at the London Evening Standard, with many thanks to Pigoletto for the link!
Perfumistas are cool.
Well of course!
Boo to being territorial. If someone compliments me on a HTF fragrance, I am all about telling them the name, where to find it, heck, I’ll even hook them up with a sample. The more the merrier!
It’s such a bunch of goat dung, isn’t it? If what that woman is saying is true, it’s pettiness of the most hilariously infantile sort. But I suspect that it’s more along the lines of “Today, I met a woman who does this. Therefore I declare it the hot new trend, and everyone will be doing it tomorrow.” It’s content-free reporting, beloved by newspaper style editors because it sounds good, requires no research, and fills up space. Beauty journalism by numbers, innit? The sodding Evening Standard. I swear, it gives me hives.
But is that any worse than what every single newspaper and magazine does every month, by raving about new products (beauty in general) simply because they were sent freebies by the companies wanting column inches? I can’t think that those articles are heavily researched either (unless you count applying said freebie in work bathroom). But the concept of anti-commodification (is that a word?) is ridiculous of course. If you really don’t want to smell like everyone else, drop 10k for a bespoke perfume.
The author’s definition of a perfumista is not, I don’t think, at all the same as ours.
I always tell people what scent I’m wearing, if they ask. As soon as they realise it’s not a name they recognise, they usually lose interest, so I’m not worried that anyone would rush out and copy me. If they did, I think I would get into the habit of telling them it’s Secretions Magnifiques bought in Harvey Nicks. Heh, heh.
Me too.
We have a perfumer shop here in Portland, Maine that I haven’t even stepped foot into yet – 2 Note Perfumery. They’ve been around for a couple of years now, so they must be selling. Anyone heard of them or tried their scents? I’ll need to get in there and report back…
In the meanwhile, here’s their website (I am not promoting them as I know nothing about them…but posting in case anyone wants to check them out).
http://2noteperfumery.com/
Yes, I’ve heard of them and Kevin tried a whole bunch of them.
Interesting! Kevin, if you’re out there, what did you think?
I have a hugemongous bag of inherited sample vials and I admit I haven’t even cracked one of them open yet. The line is HUGE. Overwhelming, actually. I think that’s why I haven’t opened them yet (well, that and the what-seems-like 200 other sample vials I have piled up).
Sounds like the samples you have are from a different company, Joe? 2 Note Perfumery has only 13 scents…
No, it’s 2 Note. Believe me, 13 samples in a Ziploc looks like a lot, especially when you don’t know where to start between nondescript names like “Canto,” “Sonata,” “Rhapsody,” etc.
Ok, ok… I’ll break them open this week.
I’d be happy to send them on to you if you like… though the store is local for you, right?
Ha! When you said “humongous,” I was picturing hundreds of samples! Yeah, you’re right. 13 is a lot from one company!
Oh, and yes! I’m a local – 10 minutes from downtown.
What I want to know is, how tall are the tiny artisan perfumers?
My first thought, too.
Bwah ha ha! Love it.
And does one hunt them down with bow and arrow, or dart gun? Is taxidermy available?
Oh god, I love this line: “The perfumes are anti-commodification.”
What does that MEAN? No, seriously. You could put a dozen semioticians and philosophers in a locked room with an endless supply of krispy kreme donuts for a hundred years, and STILL never come up with an answer.
Whether a perfume comes from a drug store, department store or super-secret-knock-three-times-and-say-the-password store, it’s all about commodification. God knows I love perfume, but with all the best will in the world, it ain’t made by fairies to make me giggle with ecstatic delight. It’s a commercial product, not an adorable economic paradigm shift.
Yeah…the idea that niche perfume houses are not out to make money is kind of laughable.
“Adorable economic paradigm shift” made my day — thank you!
Wait a minute – do you mean that Shalimar wasn’t created by elvish imps gamboling about the storied fields of Grasse for no reason other than their love of fresh air and desire to please me?
I’ve started hunting around on the internet for perfume oils. My favorite is called Academic Accord. The only notes are Amber, Vetiver, and Lavender. It’s cheap happiness…
Academic Accord, IIRC from real life, must smell like old books, musty libraries, cheap stale coffee, and the hot electric smell of overheated CPUs.
Demeter also came out with Paperback — don’t know how easy it is to get ahold of…
Well, gosh, Liz Hoggard, now that you revealed all our secrets to every reader of The Standard!
It was a cute article though. Viva la Niche!
Except none of the niche lines want to be called niche any more…even niche is so overdone that now it’s considered a degrading term.
Wow. Really? What do they want to be called now? “Anti-Perfume”??
Let me guess… more of the “we don’t want to be LABELLED” trend?
It should now be clear to everyone that I A) didn’t get enough sleep and B) am wasting time posting inanities on serious topics.
Please. That’s what we’re here for.
Hehe.
Most people assume it’s not “good” if it isn’t sold in the mall. Fine with me.
And that makes no sense whatsoever . . . meant to reply to Nina.
Speaking of niche and hunting down tiny artisan perfumers, anyone know of any Mexican perfumes to try? I’ll be in Puerto Vallarta next week and am hoping to find something amazing but so far research hasn’t revealed so much as a special perfume store let alone a perfume house. Any tips or suggestions appreciated!
Oh dear, don’t know a single one! But jealous of your trip, do have a great time
Here’s the line I loved:
“…and it’s the perfume bloggers who can make or break a trend.”
All hail Robin and company!
Don’t believe everything you read
I’ve never tried Nez à Nez. Anyone have recommendations for what I should sniff first?
I didn’t like any of them. Hope someone else will chime in with a favorite.
Only tried 2, but ditto. And actually, “didn’t like” is an understatement for me.
Hmm, these comments don’t exactly inspire me to try them. Perhaps I’m not really missing anything then? Thanks, guys!
My main memory is that they were all pretty darned sweet. If you like sweet, you might like them better than I did!
Some of the older and less fashionable perfumes from houses like Givenchy, and Guerlain – Chamade for instance – are a good compromise between niche and department store, I think. Anyone can obtain them online but you are unlikely to smell them every day on the street because have to KNOW that they are there. Compared to a bespoke fragrance they are not expensive and you don’t have to knock-three-times-and-say-the-password to get them. You just have to be smart. Like us.
Thanks.