Bespoke Perfume – a Workshop with the Experimental Perfume Club
I have always been a lover of perfume, forever searching for the perfect scent, so I was absolutely delighted to be invited to go to a perfume-making workshop to celebrate the recent opening of the Experimental Perfume Club and Laboratory, and to have the amazing opportunity to create my very own bespoke fragrance.
A short walk from Dalston station tucked away from the main drag is a hidden gem. Fragrance expert and Creative Olfactive Director, Emmanuelle Moeglin has created a heavenly lab, where she runs a series of master classes and workshops where you are able to get hands-on and up close and personal with your nose, learning from the real experts about the secret language of scent.
We were a congenial group of six bloggers and writers, sat around a table, Emmanuelle provided us with tea and fresh coffee and some beautiful mini meringues whilst she told us about her background in the industry and some of the secrets in the art of creating scent.
Our workshop was designed for us to be able to get an understanding of the smells we liked or disliked, thereby finding out own scent profile, using our instincts, and having an opportunity to play and concoct and then to create our very own scent.
Fragrance we learnt is built in layers, which helps us understand where art and logic meet, it was described to us as a triangle. At the top is the instant fleeting aromas like citrus that only actually remain on the skin for 10 minutes. In the middle of the triangle is the heart, the signature, where the most important characteristics lie e.g. floral, aromatic, and spicy. This will stay on the skin for approximately 2 to 3 hours. At the base is the depth, which lingers the longest and roots the scent e.g. oriental, woody, musky. Typically a scent will be 30% top, 40% heart and 30% base.
Our first task was to identify the different aromas, sniffing and taking notes of our first impressions and then discussing what we had pinpointed and what were the ingredients of each accord (or blend). We then were asked to choose between 3 and 5 of our favourites, of the 9 different accords in order to obtain our own scent profile – our signature scent. It was important to have chosen a least one from the top, the heart and the base. Apparently the fragrances you usually wear often fall within these families without you knowing about it.
Then with Emmanuelle’s advice and help we were able to put together a recipe for our very own unique scent and then go on to make and bottle it. I am pleased to say that I am genuinely rather proud of my fragrant creation. The combination of the spicy and amber aromas with a touch of musk and citrus have made a very appealing perfume, needless to say, last night I wore it out and received several compliments. The joy of it is that my distinct and individual scent ‘Hiver Nuits” can be made again and again, as the Experimental Perfume Club keeps it on file so it can be replicated in the future.
So if you would like a unique, creative and genuinely fun experience where you can discover how to design and create your very own bespoke perfume or fragrance, the Experimental Perfume Club is just the place to go.
For more information email contact@experimentalperfumeclub.com
Experimental Perfume Club
29 Bentley Road
London
N1 4B
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