Scent Bar: A Perfume Mecca

I have no qualms about admitting to you that I'm pretty passionate when it comes to perfume. I wouldn't say I'm a connoisseur, by any means (I don't have a sizable collection of vintage perfumes - think classic Dior, Guerlain, or Chanel - to boast of), but I probably know a little more than the average person with a moderate interest, who'll stop by a department store perfume counter on a whim. So it boggles my mind that I have yet to pay a visit to perfume mecca that is Scent Bar - which happens to be right here in town. I mean, look at all the perfume goodies they have to offer.  

A veritable cornucopia of fragrant treasures, Scent Bar carries mostly niche, hard-to-find fragrance lines like Le Labo, Eau d'Italie, By Killian, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Serge Lutens, and Parfums de Nicolai, among many, many others. And they recently moved to the fabulous new digs you see here. After rifling through these gorgeous photos (even more can be found here), I think I'm ready to pay homage. Who's with me?

{Photos via LA I'm Yours}

Perfume as aphrodisiac

"People often think of perfumes as aphrodisiacs that attract others. But in reality, the scents we buy attract us to ourselves. A dab of one fragrance can make us happy, the spray of another can inspire the kind of confidence that comes with wearing a favorite shirt or pair of shoes. And it’s the projection of that inner happiness and confidence that really makes us more attractive to others."

-Geoffrey Gray, "The Invisible Scent", New York Magazine

{Photo via Pinterest}

Multipurpose items: A vanity at a glance

Confession: the tabletop on which these items are pictured is not, technically, a vanity. It’s actually a writing desk that I’ve sort of reshaped into a general nesting area for jewelry, perfume, and small photos and things of that nature. As you can see, I've grouped similar items together. For instance, earrings delicately hang from the top of a silver jewelry tree (see top photo), while rings sit in the tray below; a mirror becomes an excellent hanger for larger, more dangly earrings(see below).

Watches and a gold-linked bracelet lay atop a Jonathan Adler soap dish (re-imagining different uses for items increases their functionality, so I've learned).

Long necklaces are laid out flat so as to prevent entanglement (unsnarling a knot of necklaces is not how I like to spend my free time...been there, done that).

Perfume bottles huddle together in solidarity (see first photo). Below, sample perfume vials--it's an obsession--are stored inside the packaging of an old perfume and is separated into two scent categories: spring/summer and fall/winter.

A fragrance fit for a bride

If you're a perfume addict like I am, you may have been wondering which fragrance, if any, a recent royal bride wore on the big day (I may have a slight case of royal wedding fever, if you haven't already noticed). Lord knows the details of every other aspect of Kate Middleton's wedding to Prince William, from the exact route of the royal carriage procession to which dress the bride slipped into for the reception, has been dissected and discussed by the media to the nth degree, so it's no wonder that the subject of her choice in perfume is now creating a stir. It's recently been reported that Kate wore White Gardenia Petals by artisan perfume company Illuminum. Unsurprisingly, according to the Lucky Scent website, the perfume is now on backorder until late August, but can eventually be yours for a cool $140. Never underestimate the power of celebrity. Especially when a princess is concerned.

{Via Fashionista and Lucky Scent}

"The sweet serenity of books"

I came across this really interesting article from the Guardian (via the always enlightening perfume blog Now Smell This) about the mustiness of old books, why they smell so fantastic, and how the complex chemicals in a book's scent can aid the efforts of conservation. Pretty cool.

In case you're curious, the title of this post comes from a Longfellow quote I happen to cherish: "The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, and all the sweet serenity of books."

{Photo and article via the Guardian}

A couple birthday treats

Here are a couple birthday treats I'd like to share with you: beautiful peridot earrings (my birthstone) that are my new favorite pieces of jewelry, and the new Prada perfume, L'Eau Ambree, which has notes of amber, patchouli, vanilla and opoponax and smells delightful. It's warm, yet a bit spicy and surprisingly more subtle than what I've come to expect from amber scents. I've been wearing it non-stop since it arrived on my doorstep, creating a happy fragrance memory that will forever link the amber scent with my 28th birthday.


Can you tell that I'm rather obsessed with birthdays? I can't help it, it's been ingrained in my childhood and hasn't really gone away. I look at birthdays as not just another year of getting older, but rather as another year to learn new things, to strive for a better, simpler life, to be adventurous and generous and happy and grateful for everything I've experienced and everything that has yet to come my way. What's not to get excited about?

The Power of Scent

“Life is simpler when you limit yourself to only one fragrance.” I read this quote in an old issue of Domino magazine (RIP sniff) and I was struck by its insipidness. The author of the quote may as well have added that it’s also more boring. Why limit yourself to a signature scent when there are so many fabulous, beautifully crafted fragrances that beg to be explored, enjoyed, adored? Just like you wouldn’t own one dress or one pair of shoes, why only wear one perfume? Why not build a wardrobe of scent, much like an actual wardrobe of shoes, bags, dresses, trousers, etc? Like fashion, fragrance can fit seamlessly into your life depending on your mood. And why shouldn’t your perfume reflect that? Nothing can change your mood quite so simply as the subtle whiff of a beloved scent. Scent has the power to calm, uplift, seduce, and transform the wearer. It can leave you puzzled, curious, pensive, enraptured. It can also boost your memory and help you perform better on an exam, interestingly enough.

While I’ve always been interested in fragrance, it wasn’t until I delved into a few blogs last year when my interest ultimately gave way to a full-blown obsession. Through browsing perfume blogs like Now Smell This, Perfume-Smellin’ Things, or Bois de Jasmin, I discovered the secret, glamorous world of perfume, where the subtle science of perfumery is considered a true art form and there are people called “noses” who are highly revered, but who few people outside this world even know about. People like Jean-Claude Ellena, Olivia Giacobetti, and Christopher Sheldrake (all of whom have had a hand in the perfumes pictured above). Not many people know, for instance, that Giorgio Armani can’t create a perfume to save his life. He hires perfumists to do the work for him. These noses are the unsung heroes of the perfume world who often put their heart and soul into a fragrance only to have a design house’s marketing department impose restrictions on the perfume in an effort to appeal to a maximum number of people. So goes the business of perfumery.
By the way, Chandler Burr’s The Perfect Scent is a must-read for anyone even remotely interested in the strange and seductive world of perfume and even if you're not, you soon will be. New York Times perfume critic Chandler Burr chronicles the making of two very different perfumes--Hermes Un Jardin Sur Le Nil and Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely--from their genesis to their painstaking creation and finally to the finished product. Burr writes with a fluid, authentic voice and keen knowledge of scent and science. A fascinating look into one of the most secretive, glamorous, and lucrative industries.