Friday, December 28, 2012

Fragrance: The Scent And The Bottle

Today I thought I’d share a little bit about my work.

As most of you already know, I’m in the beauty industry and have been for the past 27 years.

I spent 20 of those years primarily involved with cosmetics and skincare, then switched over exclusively to fragrance 7 years ago…and LOVE it.

Fragrance is a passion of mine.

Out of all our senses, smell is my favorite, which actually ties into taste because tasting also involves your sense of smell.

Which is why I also have a passion for eating (especially Italian food).

While eating, I thoroughly enjoy both my sense of smell and taste. I will often close my eyes and savor whatever it is that I'm eating; oohing and aahing as if I'm having a food orgasm.

I've even been known to cry out, "OH MY GOD....I JUST CLIMAXED OVER THIS CANNOLI."

For as long as I can remember, I have always had a keen sense of smell.

Smell is the strongest sense we have because it has the ability to invoke immediate and powerful memories.

Think about it, what happens when you smell something that reminds you of your childhood? You’re immediately transported back to that time, whether it reminds you of something positive or negative.

Scent connects you to an emotion. Therefore, whenever you smell something you actually FEEL it.

The first thing I do when introducing a new customer to my line of fragrance is ask them, “How do you want this fragrance to make you FEEL?”

From there, I can better judge what type of fragrance in my line that will best be suited for them.

Also, believe it or not, many customers are initially drawn to try or not try a fragrance simply by the design of the bottle. I’ve had many customers not choose a fragrance (even though they liked the scent) because they didn’t like the esthetics of the bottle.

Customers have said to me, “I would NEVER have that ugly bottle sitting on my bedroom dresser.”

So when designing a new fragrance, a lot of thought and care must go into not only the scent itself, but also the visual aspect of the bottle.

Here are some photographs I took of various fragrance bottles on the market.

Please enjoy….

Jean Paul Gaultier *love the bottles, but the scent is not particularly a favorite of mine because it's overly sweet.

Bvlgari Omnia Collection *the silver bottle is my favorite. Clean, crisp, fresh, and natural. The bottles are designed to replicate the classic and clean Bvlgari jewelry design - interlocked rings.

Jucy Couture: Viva la Juicy *loooove this fragrance! It smells exactly like the name....juicy.

Madonna Truth or Dare Naked *Madonna's first fragrance, Truth or Dare, was not a big hit for me - too much tuberose and gardenia. However, Naked, smells really good - rich and earthy.

Chanel Fragrance Collection *did you know that Chanel #5 is the most sold fragrance at Christmas, all over the world?

Bvlgari Man *this is actually the fragrance I'm currently wearing. I swear to god, I got into an elevator a few months ago and a woman who was also in the elevator turned around and said, "What cologne are you wearing because it smells incredible?" The next day she came into my store and bought it for her boyfriend.

Roberto Cavalli *this fragrance is spicy and sooooo sexy! It'll make a man wanna rip a woman's clothes off right in the middle of a grocery store!

Bvlgari Mon Jasmine Noir *elegant, sheer, and totally feminine floral scent. Classic, yet youthful. Love the black ribbon!

Marc Jacobs Oh, Lola.....Marc Jacobs Dot *these bottles give a clear peek into the fragrances themselves - bright, cheerful and playful!

Nicki Minaj *I'm both intrigued and scared SHITLESS over this bottle. You have to pull the head off in order to spray the fragrance. Gives me the creeps because it feels like I'm DECAPITATING her.

Wishing you a fragrant and fun weekend everyone!

X