HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN PERFUME WITH EXPERIMENTAL PERFUME CLUB
When I went along to Stylist Live recently I came across Experimental Perfume Club who run classes in how to create your own perfume. After reading the book 'Perfume' by Patrick Süskind a year or so ago I became fascinated with scent and what it means to us as individuals (sidenote - to the character in the book it meant murder, to me it just means wafting past smelling fly)... So when EPC got in touch and asked if I'd like to go along and try out a mini class to create my own perfume I was all over it!
EPC are based in a little studio in Hackney downs and run group workshops, corporate classes and individual sessions where you can work with the founder, Emmanuelle. Emmanuelle is a 'nose' - that's what people in the perfume industry calls someone who know's their shit when it comes to fragrance. Emmanuelle helps you create the perfect fragrance for you after you create your own scent profile, inspired by all of the things you love.
STEP ONE: IDENTIFYING YOUR SCENT PROFILE
The class I was in was called the Le Petit Parfum, this is usually a one-to-one class but for this influencer event we all worked in a group. We started by identifying our scent profile. You do this by smelling a few different pre-made blends 'blind' (with no labelling so you have to let your nose lead the way), identifying which accord (blend) it was and then whether it was a base, mid or top note.
Emmanuelle is great at explaining what everything means but ultimately you have to trust your nose - mine wasn't great at picking out some of the accords but I started to pick it up as I went along! What I did find interesting was which ones I was instantly drawn to and which ones I instantly hated. I discovered I love oriental accords the most and I also like spicy and woody fragrances. I HATED the green accord and I really wasn't into the citrus ones either.
STEP TWO: MEASURING UP
After understanding what we liked, we were then asked to rank the different accords and end up with three that you like. Mine were Oriental, woody and spicy. This blend will create your own bespoke scent, the ratio of which is up to you, but Emmanuelle advises throughout as she knows which combinations will create the most pleasing fragrance. We then set to slowly measuring out, drop by drop, the accords which would make up our fragrances.
I found blending perfume very similar to cooking. Certain flavours have more depth and longevity, some are light and fresh and grab you instantly, but it's the perfect combination that creates the best dish.
STEP THREE: SNIFF, ADJUST, name it!
What comes next is a lot of sniffing and adjusting to your nose! When I started my fragrance I went too heavy on the woody and spicy, so I (over) compensated with the oriental accord. Now this is where I would give some advice. LISTEN TO EMMANUELLE! I got a bit excited and thought that by overcompensating with the oriental accord I could bring the fragrance around to something that worked. Whilst I did get my fragrance to something I loved, it didn't have a strong top note, as the accords I was blending were essentially cancelling each other out. Having no top note means there is no 'hook' to the scent.
Ultimately I love my fragrance, and I couldn't stop smelling it the whole way home! I've been wearing it non stop and it's exactly what I like, even if it doesn't have the conventional top note. I'd love to go back and try to make this perfume even better! I'm so into it now and I could see how this could become a new hobby.
Lastly, we had to name our fragrances. Mine is soft, creamy, subtly sweet and has a bit of hidden spice and woodiness in it. Any ideas? For someone quite creative it felt like naming a perfume was such hard job. I was thinking Elixir. What do you think?
I really recommend you try the workshop if you're looking for something a little different to do in London, it would also make an AMAAAAZING gift!
Here is a link to the workshops that Experimental Perfume Club offers and they begin from £95 for an apprentice class. It's a bargain if you ask me as this is an unforgettable experience and you go away with your own little bottle of bespoke fragrance.
If you have any questions about the workshop feel free to leave it below and I'll come back to you!
S x
P.S I was gifted this class but only promote things that I would 100% pay for myself and would highly recommend!
Jason and I have been married for nearly 13 years. Life right now goes at 100 miles an hour - I mean I literally cannot believe we are almost halfway through February! 2018 is whizzing by and we haven't had much of a chance to come up for air. Isn't that always the way? It's so easy to forget that you need to do things like actually talk to each other rather than shove each other out of the way for the bathroom mirror, and you know, actually look in each others eyes when having a conversation that isn't interrupted by 'mummy, can you find my playdough?