Perfume Room

FINALLY — a very *high requested* episode — I am sharing my top picks for designer fragrances currently on the market! And to give you an every bigger breadth of choices, I am doing so alongside my friend, fragrance collector, Olya Bar (last week’s guest). In order to give you our most up-to-date opinions, we traversed the streets of Herald Square, starting our journey first at Ulta and ending it at Macy’s.  TL;DR: We smelled hundreds of fragrances so you don’t have to, and in this episode, we share our favorites. FRAGS MENTIONED: 1509 Oil Elisabeth, Aerin Ikat Jasmine, 1509 Oil Joan Rose, Nemat Amber, Essential Faith, Riddle Oil, Glossier You, J’Adore Dior D’Eau, Marc Jacobs Perfect Intense, Lancôme Idole Nectar, Comptoir Sud Pacifique Vanille Banane, Tocca Stella, Coach Dreams, Britney Spears Curious, Le Labo Bergamote 22, Dior Homme Cologne, Dior Sauvage Elixir, Dior Sauvage, Chanel Egoiste Platinum, Ralph Lauren Blue, Valentino Born in Roma, Armani My Way EDP, Nemat Amber, JHAG Not A Perfume, Chloe Naturelle, Chloe EDP, Jo Malone: Gardenia & Oud Absolu, Violet & Amber Absolu, Rose & White Musk Absolu; Givenchy: Irresistible Rose Velvet, Irresistible EDP, Amarige, L’Interdit; YSL: Mon Paris, Mon Paris Intensement; Armani Si Intense, Armani Si, Fragrance Du Bois NY 5th Ave, Penhaligon’s Cairo, Issey Miyake A Drop D’Issey, Narciso Rodriguez: Musc Noir Rose, Narciso For Her; Armani: My Way, My Way Parfum; Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Granada Salvia, Jean Paul Gaultier La Belle, Guerlain Angelique Noire, Liis Studied, Jean Paul Gaultier La Belle Le Parfum, Tom Ford: Electric Cherry, Cherry Smoke, Lost Cherry; Kilian Rolling in Love, BDK Parfums Rouge Smoking, Kayali Lovefest Burning Cherry, Commodity: Gold -/expressive/ +, Paper +; Tom Ford Noir Extreme, Kayali Deja Vu, Kilian: Roses on Ice, I Don't Need a Prince by my Side to be a Princess; Commodity Milk, Maison Margiela Replica On a Date, Aerin: Mediterranean Honeysuckle Mimosa, Evening Rose; Chris Collins Citrus Grandis, Phlur: Tangerine Boy, Lost Cause; Dedcool Blonde 03, By/Rosie Jane Dulce, The 7 Virtues Vanilla Woods, Clean Reserve Sparkling Sugar, The 7 virtues Coconut Sun, Commodity Moss -/+, Santal 33, DS & Durga IDK What, Commodity Paper +, Chanel No. 5, MFK Baccarat Rouge 540 SHOP MY DESIGNER PICKS: https://shopmy.us/collections/118058 FOLLOW OLYA: @olyabar 10% OFF TWISTEDLILY.COM CODE 'PERFUMEROOM10' 10% OFF COMMODITYFRAGRANCES.COM CODE 'PERFUMEROOM10' FOLLOW PERFUME ROOM: @perfumeroompod (IG) @emma_vern (TT)

Olya Bar is *Our Fragrance Keeper.* With a collection that runs 900 bottles deep—YES I SAID 900—she’s transcended being a collector, and at this point, is more of an archivist. Want to know how or if a bottle design has changed since it first launched? Olya can tell you. Which reformulation is the sweetest? Olya can tell you. In addition to being a lover/keeper/creator, she’s also an industry vet with over a decade of experience in both retail and marketing. Currently, she works as Twisted Lily’s Digital Strategist. We cover all the hard-hitting issues like Mercari vs. eBay, niche vs. designer, and of course, the hidden and obvious gems of her… erm… archives.  Plus, stay tuned for part 2 next week where Olya and I share all our favorite designers fragrances currently on the market! FRAGS MENTIONED: Louis Vuitton Étoile Filante, GAP Dream, M. Micallef Note Vanillée Nectar, Liz Claiborne Vivid, Givenchy Amarige, Guerlain Shalimar, Dior Dune, Mancera, Montale, Amouage, Vilhelm To My Father, Richard Red Square, CK one, Red Moscow, Lancome, Shalimar, Ralph Lauren Blue, Ralph Lauren Ralph, Paco Rabanne XS Pour Homme Sensual Summer, Roccobarocco Silver Jeans Men, Chanel Egoïste, Tom Ford Vanille Fatale, Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady, MFK Baccarat Rouge 540, Montale Dark Aoud, Narciso Rodriguez Musc Noir Rose, Narciso Rodriguez Musc Noir, Lanvin Éclat d’Arpège, Keiko Mecheri, Frapin, Marc-Antoine Barrois Ganymede, Heeley Sel Marin, Carner Barcelona Tardes, ELdO Remarkable People SHOP THIS EPISODE: https://shopmy.us/collections/130311 FOLLOW OLYA: @olyabar 10% OFF TWISTEDLILY.COM CODE 'PERFUMEROOM10' SIGN UP FOR SMELL CLUB: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/march-smell-club-tea-tickets-571006203927 FOLLOW PERFUME ROOM: @perfumeroompod (IG) @emma_vern (TT)

ARQUISTE® Founder Carlos Huber is in the Perfumer Room today! Carlos’ love of old cities led him to his first career as a Preservation Architect, but it was his fascination with how they smelled that led him to his second: as a fragrance developer and founder of an award-winning fragrance brand focused on preserving history and architecture through scent. You can also thank Carlos (as well as legendary perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux, who, btw, personally trained him(!)) for the vacation in a bottle smell that is Vacation by Vacation Inc! Carlos shares so many fun personal stories including how he broke into the industry and *spoiler alert*: if you’re thinking about flaking out on upcoming lunch plans, don’t, because for him, that’s where it all began…  FRAGS MENTIONED: Givenchy Irresistible Rose Velvet, Amyris Femme, Kilian Flower of Immortality, Centauri Antheia, 4711, Agua Brava, Serge Lutens: Bois et Musc, Ambre Sultan; Gucci Envy, Arquiste Misfit, Tom Ford: Champaca Absolute, Neroli Portofino; Clinique Happy, Arquiste Boutonnière No. 7, Guerlain Jicky, Trudon Merida, Vacation EDT, Le Tan sunscreen, Arquiste Sydney Rock Pool, Robert Piguet Fracas, Frederic Malle Carnal Flower, Nenuco SHOP THIS EPISODE: https://shopmy.us/collections/127195 SHOP ARQUISTE: arquiste.com SHOP VACATION: https://www.vacation.inc/ FOLLOW: @arquiste @arquistecarlos @vacationinc FOLLOW PERFUME ROOM: @perfumeroompod (IG) @emma_vern (TT)

Liis Co-Founders Leslie Hendin and Alissa Sullivan are in the Perfume Room today! It seems like every day a new niche fragrance brand pops up, making it all too easy to get lost in the shuffle. Liis has been able to make waves and grow a cult following in the fragcomm because of their fragrances’ easy-to-wear, minimalist and ethereal-like qualities. Alissa and Leslie share how Liis came to be, dating all the way back to their meet cute many moons ago in London. They talk about their learnings as a small business including everything from figuring out how to engineer their [UM PERFECT] ball caps to how they ideate new concepts AND GET THIS: We have a *Perfume Room Exclusive First Look* at their newest launch (coming out in March), Lucienne! Plus I review Le Labo’s newest candle Ambroxyde 17 as well as Maison Margiela’s newest scent, On A Date. FRAGS MENTIONED: Le Labo Ambroxyde 17, Phlur Tangerine Boy, Baccarat Rouge 540, DS & Durga I Don’t Know What, Le Labo Another 13, Commodity Book, Umema, Liis: Studied, Lucienne, Bo; Mugler Angel, Lolita Lempicka, Body Time China Rain, Estée Lauder Paradise, Marc Jacobs Blush, Prada EDP, Antonia’s Flower Floret East Hampton, Comptoir Sud Pacifique Vanille Abricot, Yosh, Serge Lutens Santal Majascule, The Different Co., Maison Margiela Replica On A Date, Escentric Molecules Escentric 04, Santa Maria Novella Rosa Novella, Liquides Imaginaires Dom Rosa, Liis Studied, Victoria’s Secret Pear Glace, A.P.C Orange Blossom, Jean Paul Gaultier Classique, Dior Poison, Liis Rose Struck SHOP THIS EPISODE: https://shopmy.us/collections/123249 SHOP LIIS: www.liisfragrances.com FOLLOW LIIS: @liisfragrances @alissagramm @lesliehendin FOLLOW PERFUME ROOM: @perfumeroompod (IG) @emma_vern (TT)

Dana El Masri, Perfumer/Founder of Jazmin Saraï, is in the Perfume Room today! Trained at GIP, Dana combines her classical training, scent memories, love of music, and strong intermodal perception to create multi-sensorial fragrances and experiences. Today we chat about everything from woes and wins of perfumery school, channeling memories and music into scent, the content TikTok seems to think she wants that won’t disappear from her FYP, plagiarism in fragrance, the smells of Dana’s childhood across cultures and countries, and related to that, why the O word is not only offensive, but inaccurate. Dana shares what we should be using instead. FRAGS MENTIONED: Umema, Phlur Lost Cause, Etat Libre D’Orange Secretions Magnifies, Mugler Womanity, Andrea Maack Pavillion, Serge Lutens: Féminité du Bois, Clair de Musc; Indult Manakara, Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur, Monsillage Eau de Céleri, Joya, The Body Shop White Musk, 4711, 555 Cologne Chabrawichi, Dior Diorella, Jazmin Saraï: How You Love, Fayoum; A Thousand Flowers, Kismet Olfactive, Estée Lauder: Tuberose Gardenia, White Linen; Boucheron Jaipur, Fragonard Soleil, Jazmin Saraï: Jaz, Fayoum, Neon Graffiti, Led IV, Otis & Me, How You Love; Saint Laurent: Rive Gauche, Kouros SHOP THIS EPISODE: https://shopmy.us/collections/119954 SHOP JAZMIN SARAÏ: www.jazminsarai.com FOLLOW DANA: @jsparfums LISTEN TO ON THE NOSE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-nose/id1519477545 20% OFF THROUGH FEB 20 ANDREAMAACK.COM: code 'perfumeroom20' FOLLOW PERFUME ROOM: @perfumeroompod (IG) @emma_vern (TT)

IT’S ME (!) coming to you with a quick solo ep. Here’s what I’m talking about this week: why you need to stop what you’re doing and get tix to Monster Jam (hehe lolol) my experience at the FragranceNet brick & mortar (/who knew there was one?) a BIG 2023 trend prediction a personal hot take that will leave you *shaking* And of course, I answer several of the burning Qs that you wrote in on Instagram (@perfumeroompod)! FRAGS MENTIONED: Jazmin Saraï How You Love, Giorgio Beverly Hills Giorgio, 4711, Boucheron, Bijan Bijan, YSL Opium, Van Cleef First, Paloma Picasso, Baccarat Rouge, Robert Piguet Fracas, Frederic Malle Carnal Flower, Santal 33, Dior Eau Sauvage, Fracas, Thameen Diadem, Penhaligon’s Halfeti, Jazmin Saraï How You Love, Comptoir Sud Pacifique Vanille Banane, Atelier Cologne, Ourside, Phlur: Not Your Baby, Missing Person; The Body Shop White Musk, Phlur: Apricot Privee, Phloria; Michael Kors Michael, Marc Jacobs EDP, Tom Ford Soleil Blanc, Phlur: Somebody Wood, Lost Cause, Tangerine Boy SHOP THIS EP: https://shopmy.us/collections/116312 10% off Luckyscent.com: code ’10pr’ (affiliate) 10% off twistedlily.com: code ‘perfumeroom10’ (affiliate) FOLLOW PERFUME ROOM: @perfumeroompod (IG) @emma_vern (TT)

ARE PHEROMONES PHER REAL? CAN A SPECIFIC FRAGRANCE REALLY GET YOU LAID? ARE THERE ANY ACTUAL SCIENTIFICALLY-PROVEN APHRODISIACS? Why do we like one person’s natural scent and not someone else’s? If pheromones aren’t real, why do scientific studies that seemingly prove their validity exist? Are our scent preferences determined by nature or nurture? So many questions and today we cover them all with award-winning Author and Evolutionary Biologist, Dr. Tristram Wyatt. Dr. Wyatt is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford and an Emeritus Fellow of Kellogg College, Oxford. His focus is in animal behavior and pheromones, and on this subject, he’s given a TEDx talk, as well as authored an award-winning textbook called Pheromones and Animal Behavior. READ MORE ABOUT DR. WYATT & HIS WORK: https://www.biology.ox.ac.uk/people/dr-tristram-wyatt FOLLOW PERFUME ROOM: @perfumeroompod (IG) @emma_vern (TT)

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, lovingly referred to as DSH by her customers/fanbase, is in the Perfume Room today! And here’s the thing: WE SIMPLY CANNOT DISCUSS THE AMERICAN INDIE/ARTISAN FRAGRANCE MOVEMENT WITHOUT DISCUSSING DAWN. DSH Perfumes, the brand she launched over 30 years ago, essentially laid the blueprint for all brands and perfumers that followed. Dawn is an absolute delight and we chat about everything from vintage notes and accords that are making big comebacks, to how DSH came to be, what synesthesia really feels like, vintages that feel modern, and Dawn even shares  the real gems (both hidden and obvious) of her perfumer’s organ. FRAGS MENTIONED:  Andrea Maack Pavillion, MFK Oud Satin Mood, Lush Rose Jam, DSH Jacinthes Noires, Chanel Cuir de Russie, Chanel No 5, Guerlain: Shalimar, Jicky, Mitsouko; Parfums de Nicolai, Annick Goutal, Mandy Aftel, Coty Chypre, Guerlain Apres l’Ondee, Coty Ambre Antique (1911), Balenciaga Fleeting Moment, Jacques Fath Iris Gris, Jean Patou, DSH: Emerald Hyrax, Chinchilla, Foxy, Bergamot Trio (Grappa Y Bergamatto, Herbe Bergamot, Potager de Bergamot), Electric Summer, Rose Vert SHOP THIS EPISODE: shopmy.us/collections/111387 SHOP DSH: dshperfumes.com FOLLOW DAWN: @dshperfumes FOLLOW PERFUME ROOM: @perfumeroompod (IG) @emma_vern (TT)

Ever wonder how certain fragrances make their ways into different publications’ ‘Best Of’ lists or editorial roundups? Is it determined by the quality of the product OR perhaps just the quality of the PR team behind it? Today, Refinery29’s Sr. Beauty Editor Amanda Mitchell is answering all the hard questions. As a beauty editor, Amanda is not only constantly testing new products, she's also trying all the latest beauty treatments, procedures, and experiences.  Amanda shares her thoughts on press events/experiences vs. influencer ones (/including some piping hot takes on editors vs. influencers), but we also get into a much more important conversation surrounding these types of events: inclusion (or... lack thereof). Amanda discusses this industry-wide issue as well as how she's helped change it, plus she shares her process for curating her own editorial rounds ups and tells us what she's loving most right now. Oh and PS — if you didn’t know, Amanda is single so slideeee into those DMs. FRAGS MENTIONED: Phlur Tangerine Boy, Ourside Nostalgia, Ellis Brooklyn Vanilla Milk, Lake & Skye: 11 11, Midnight 07; Betsey Johnson EDP,  Maison Margiela Replica By the Fireplace, YSL Black Opium, Mugler Angel, Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum Cream, Laura Mercier hand cream, Chanel No. 5, Glosser You, Eilish 2, Eilish 1, Moodeaux, Ourside Dusk, Kayali, Byredo, Kilian Love Don’t Be Shy, Le Labo Santal 33, Dossier, Kierin Pier NY, The Maker Fire, Malin Goetz x Kith Vapor, Maya Njie Tobak SHOP THIS EPISODE: https://shopmy.us/collections/108488 FOLLOW AMANDA: @lochnessamanda FOLLOW PERFUME ROOM: @perfumeroompod (IG) @emma_vern (TT)

If you made potions with your parents' beauty products as a kid, congrats there is a 99.999% chance you are now a fraghead. Today's guest went one step further -- from potion-making to perfume-making.  Chronotope Founder and Perfumer Carter Weeks Maddox is in the Perfume Room today! Though Carter is an entirely self-taught perfumer, the lens through which he creates is backed by an MA in Critical Theory. He wrote his thesis on manifestations of the chronotope within women's postwar life writing and his fragrances in many ways exist as the olfactive manifestation of his studies. We discuss issues of colonialism in scent culture, how Carter reclaimed (and recreated) smells of his personal trauma (for profit hehe), the notion of fragrance as performance art, as well as the question at the heart of it all: for whose gaze do we wear scent? FRAGS MENTIONED: La Perla My Day, Frederic Malle Iris Poudre, OURSIDE Nostalgia, PHLUR: Tangerine Boy, Lost Cause; DSH L’Or{ris}, Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose, DSH: Special Formula X, The Absinthe Drinkers; Balmain Jolie Madame, Halston, Balmain Vent Vert, Chronotope Intra Venus, Clinique Aromatics Elixir, Brut, Aramis, CK Obsession for Men, Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds, Giorgio by Giorgio Beverly Hills, Polo Green, Chronotope: Buen Camino, Nanas; Curve, Adidas Moves, Azzaro Chrome, Chronotope: Playalinda, Spite EDP; Bal de Versailles, Chronotope Spite EDT, YSL Paris, Effronte et Evocateur SHOP THIS EPISODE: https://shopmy.us/collections/106298 FOLLOW CARTER: @chronotope_perfume SHOP CHRONOTOPE: chronotope-perfume.com FOLLOW PERFUME ROOM: @perfumeroompod (IG) @emma_vern (TT)