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International Day of Happiness

20/03/2019 by Josephine McCarthy

So on this the 3rd day of ‘National Fragrance Week’ we decided to combine it with ‘International Day of Happiness’ which is today the 20th of March

It made perfect sense to us, as smelling something beautiful makes us Happy ….

International Day of Happiness was created by Jayme Illien, who is a special adviser to the United Nations.

The idea was to celebrate happiness in all its forms, big or small.

Whether it is wearing your favourite Perfume, Dress, Shoes or singing in the shower…..

Do something that makes you Happy and spreads it all around.

We have posted one of our favourite Poems before, but we know it is Perfect for the International Day of Happiness..

So here it is again:

Smiling is infectious,
you catch it like the flu,
When someone smiled at me today,
I started smiling too.

I passed around the corner
and someone saw my grin.
When he smiled I realised
I’d passed it on to him.

I thought about that smile,
then I realised its worth.
A single smile, just like mine
could travel round the earth.

So, if you feel a smile begin,
don’t leave it undetected.
Let’s start an epidemic quick,
and get the world infected!

From everyone here at PAIRFUM London have a very Happy International Day of Happiness

How Do You Evaluate, Test or Smell Perfume?

23/02/202419/03/2019 by Josephine McCarthy

National Fragrance Week Woman Rose Flower smell perfume

We are frequently being asked: “How do you smell perfume?”

Today on day two of National Fragrance week, organised by the Fragrance Foundation, we are taking a look at (and not for the first time) how do you evaluate or test perfume?

National Fragrance Week Man in Suit smell perfume

It may seem that the obvious answer is “with your nose” – and in a sense (no pun intended) that is correct.

However, there is so much more to smelling a perfume, than simply taking a sniff …

National Fragrance Week Perfume Bottles smell perfume

In an earlier post we discussed how as individuals we have an olfactory blueprint that is totally unique to us.

So, … how we smell perfume or interpret a fragrance or note, will be as individual and unique as you are..

National Fragrance Week Woman Rose Flower Head

We know that memory formation is linked to our sense of smell.

So if you think how different your life’s experiences or your life’s road map has been when compared to those around you, it explains why some of us love certain notes while others may loathe them…

With National Fragrance Week now underway, what better time to try new Fragrances or Notes and evaluate them as only You can.

From everyone here at PAIRFUM London we just want to say “Try it, Enjoy it” and “Be Your Authentic Self”.

Smell Perfume Your Way.

Eau De Parfum Person Reflection Cardamom Tonka White Oud Curls smell perfume

Pairfum Natural Artisan Eau de Parfum Intense Gold Flair

It is National Fragrance Week

19/03/201918/03/2019 by Josephine McCarthy

Today is the start of National Fragrance Week..

A whole week to celebrate everything Fragrant..

This week The Fragrance Foundation have a host of events that are on offer..

From a brief History of Fragrances through the Decades, to events where you meet Perfumers to gain a little insider knowledge…

Whatever it is that tickles your ‘Senses’, there is something for everyone…

So from everyone here at PAIRFUM London “Happy National Fragrance Week” xx

Women’s Day

30/03/202008/03/2019 by Josephine McCarthy

International Women’s Day was first organised by the Socialist Party of America in 1909. In 1910 it was proposed to celebrate it annually every year on the 8th of March.

Miriam Makeba International Womens Day Rights Jazz Singer

In some countries International Women’s Day is a public holiday, in others it is a day of protest, however for the most part it is largely ignored.

Suzanne Lenglen Tennis Player 1920 International Womens Day

The fact that we need to have or celebrate an International Women’s Day in 2019, points to the fact that Women over the World do not yet have equal rights. The World Bank has just released a study that found ‘Only Six Countries’ have equal rights for men and women,

YES! you read that correctly only Six countries – just in case you are wondering ‘Who’ these six countries are? then I would hazard a guess that the answer will surprise you as much it did us….

They are – Belgium, Denmark, France, Latvia, Luxembourg and Sweden. The surprise was not that these countries have equal rights, the surprise was how many names missing from the list… are from the countries so many of us are proud to call Home.

Lotfia Elnady Plane International Womens Day

In this quote, Warren Buffett highlights his view on the potential equal rights for women offer our society:
“It’s one of the things that makes me optimistic about America because when I look at what we have accomplished using half our talent for a couple of centuries, and now I think of doubling the talent that is effectively employed — or at least has the chance to be — it makes me very optimistic about this country,”

So from everyone here at PAIRFUM London we want to wish every Woman, who ever you are, what ever you do and where ever you are in the World – “A Happy International Women’s Day”, because without YOU this World would not exist xx

Health Tips – How to Boost your Health, Mood and Memory with Perfume.

23/02/202407/03/2019 by Josephine McCarthy

One of our favourite ‘health tips’ is that you can boost your health, mood and memory through the use of perfume.

Niche Perfume Indie Artisan Boutique Pairfum London

Did you know that your sense of smell is the strongest of all the five senses as well as being the oldest ?

Or, that 75% of all emotions generated every day are due to smell? Just think about that for a moment… 75% of how you have felt or the emotions you had during a single day were due to scent !!

Health Tips Fragrance How To Wash Your Face

The reason for this, is that it is the one sense most connected to memory and emotion, and research has proven that we are 100 times more likely to remember something we smell over something we see, hear or touch.

Again, if you think about this for a moment – we are 100 times more lightly to remember something we smell over something we read, see or hear…. and yet we spend years in an education system that teaches us to remember important information, without ever using the strongest sense we have ‘Smell’ to help embed this information into memory…

Mother Nature designed our sense of smell to be the one sense to go directly to the fore brain without going to the thalamus, and one of the most obvious reasons for this is that the information our sense of smell provides us with is so important to our survival, that it needs to reach our brain in as fast a time as possible.

Health Tips Human Brain Parts Name List Of Regions In The Human Brain Wikipedia

To give you an idea of just how fast the information is relayed – if you are impressed that Formula One race cars can go from 0-60 in as fast as 1.6 seconds,…then Formula One needs to get in the back seat as the entire procedure of olfactory processing takes a mere 200 milliseconds!

Odours and scents affect us all in different ways, by becoming aware of how a particular scent affects you personally, you will be able to enhance your health, mood and indeed memory. A particular scent or odour has no personal significance until it is connected to a space, a moment in time or something that has meaning to us.

Health Tip Meditation Oceans Drowning Plastic

Theresa Molnar, executive director of the Sense of Smell Institute, the research and educational arm of the perfume industry’s Fragrance Foundation. Has said that “Scents can have positive effects on mood, stress reduction, sleep enhancement, self-confidence, and physical and cognitive performance,”.

So if we associate a particular scent or perfume with an action or a particular time of day, for example getting ready to fall asleep, relaxing, studying, or waking-up in the morning. Then the brain will form memories or associations to coincide with the inhalation of that specific note.

Health Tip Sleeping Woman Night Linen Pillow Spray

So if you do wish to improve your health, mood or memory a very simple way to do this is to include one of your favourite perfume notes when preparing for bed, sitting down to relax and unwind or preparing for an exam. It is such an easy thing to do, light one of your favourite perfumed candles, or spray the area you are using with a natural room spray, or place one of your reed diffusers in the room.

Bedroom Large Reed Diffuser Bell Fragranced Candle Room Spray

From the initial and subsequent encounters with the aroma, you begin forming nerve connections that intertwine the smell with emotions, so by choosing a scent or aroma that you love you can immediately alter your feelings in a positive, healthy and mood enhancing way.

health tips Bubble Sulfate Wash Hand Sink Lather

Final Question: Did you enjoy this tip? Would you like us to write more about health tips linked to scent? Alternatively, what are your favourite health tips linked to fragrance or perfume?

People Don’t Buy What They Need!

23/02/202426/01/2019 by Josephine McCarthy

PAIRFUM Boutique Couture Perfume Eau De Parfum Private Collection Home Fragrance Skin Care Sweet Rhubarb Oakmoss 400x400

We have heard it said that people don’t buy what they need!, they buy what they want….

Now this may be the case for some very rare and lucky individuals in the World…

However for the rest of us mere mortals, there are certain things that we must take into consideration before buying what we want… not least of which is our bank balance.

Having said that, when we do have a choice, as most of us at one time or another do – then we very rarely buy what we need – we buy what we want.

So, when we do have the wonderful opportunity to choose, especially something for someone we love or something very special for ourselves (and yes we do deserve it)

Then make sure that whatever you choose is like you, unique, special and worth waiting for…

PAIRFUM London was created for those times in Life – when Luxury is a necessity

How To Evaluate Sample Test Try Perfume 14

Best Top 10 Men’s Colognes

13/10/2018 by Josephine McCarthy

When deciding to write a post on the best men’s colognes, it is normally the – Best Top 10 Men’s Colognes for 2018, or Top 10 Men’s Colognes.

Why Top Ten, why not the Top Twenty or the Top Thirty Five for that matter?

Why refer to them as Colognes for Men, when the word ‘Cologne’ refers to a perfume ‘Classification’, and is not gender specific?

Well now that I am on a roll asking questions! why does it have to be Top Ten Men’s Cologne for 2018 – how about a trip back in time to remember some of the wonderful Men’s fragrances of the 60s, 70s or 80s.

Just like the releases of today, there were some wonderful creations, some you may not have thought so wonderful but they were memorable.

When looking back at the Classic Men’s Perfumes of the 70’s, you quickly realised that the offerings at the time were in general referred to as Men’s Aftershave, as the word ‘Cologne’ was taken to refer to the iconic ‘4711’ – you see we have made some progress…

So enough Q&A for now, back to the wonderful Men’s grooming products that have in some instances become classics.

Starting in the late 1960s, single-note musk fragrances became very popular, reaching their peak in the 70s.

It was the decade that saw an increase in unisex fragrances, and the creation of the first natural and organic perfumes. It was also the decade in which the number of Men’s fragrances increased in relation to Women’s – for example in the 50s there were 6 Men’s fragrances brought to market – now compare this to 69 that was launched in the 70s…..

When you mention a particular brand or a perfume name from one of these era’s, most people over the age of 25+ have a memory they can connect to one of these. They could immediately associate them with their Grandfather or even Father.

Old Spice: by the Shulton Company(now a part of P&G), although it has been around since the 1930’s, it was in the 1970’s that it changed from being a shaving brand to a fragrance brand by introducing signature scents like ‘Old Spice Burley’. In 2008, the original Old Spice scent was re-branded as “Classic Scent”, with the ‘Old Spice Classic shower gel’ being sold using the wonderful slogan – “The original”- If your grandfather hadn’t worn it, you wouldn’t exist.” – Now if this isn’t a reason to wear fragrance, we don’t know what is!!

Kouros: from the Yves Saint Laurent stable which just missed the 70’s, being brought to market in 1981, is a perfume that we could not fail to mention. This Fougère accord that was inspired by a trip to Greece – hence the name, is one that is known by almost anyone who has any interest or love of masculine fragrances.

Aramis: by perfumer Bernard Chant in 1965, going back even further into our perfume memory banks. They claimed at the time that this was created to be the most elegant Men’s Cologne in the world, and when worn by the right man who could argue with them…

Jovan: the US brand that was founded in 1972 and is synonyms with musk, it was also a market leader in marketing techniques being the 1st Fragrance to sponsor a Rock Band, which it did in 1981 on the Rolling Stones ‘Tattoo You’ tour.

EAU SAUVAGE: released in 1966 by Christian Dior and was created for them by perfumer Edmond Roudnitska. The name for the perfume was chosen by Dior when his friend Percy Savage turned up late for an appointment … true or not it is certainly an unusual way to choose the moniker for your new fragrance. It was famous for its fresh, citrusy notes with spicy Lavender on a woody base.

Ralph Laurens: their first male fragrance contained a very distinctive pine note, and was packaged in a very disincentive forest green bottle
Polo is one of the first two perfumes by Lauren, and was created by Carlos Benaim in 1978.

Faberge Brut: first launched in 1964 by Fabergé, called “The Essence of Man” in one of its advertisements, and who could forget the U.K. advertising campaign with the heavyweight boxer Sir Henry Cooper who asked us to “splash it all over”.

Paco Rabanne Pour Homme: the first of the aromatic-fougère family, combining spicy and woody notes, Since 1973 this fragrance has been an established cornerstone of contemporary perfumery. It inspired countless men’s fragrances for decades after it’s launch.

Pour Monsieur – In 1972 Pierre Cardin launched his first men’s fragrance, it was a classic of the spicy masculines notes of the 1970’s, and one of the first to come in a non-aerosol spray. The reason for mentioning this is, that Gentlemen were for the most part, used to applying their ‘aftershave’ using the ‘Splash’ method. With the advent of atomisers there was for a time – a tenancy to shall we say “Over apply”, until the lessons of ‘Less is More’ was grasped.

Tabac: created by Mäurer & Wirtz in 1959, it may be around for almost 5 decades, but it is loved as much now as it was then – despite or maybe because of the priceless – “Peter Wyngarde Smells – long pause – Great”…… advert.

I was told by someone recently, that one of their most vivid memories of the 70s was of them as a child choosing a Christmas or birthday gift for their father or grandfather. Due to the lack of choice in both what was on offer and their budget constraints, it was a toss-up between Old Spice, Brut, Blue Stratos or if all else failed Denim – well the advert for Denim aftershave did say “It looks good on a Woman but smells better on a Man”….. quite an achievement that an Ad can make you both smile and cringe simultaneously…..

There are so many wonderful Men’s Colognes from the 50s, 60s, 70s & 80s, that we can’t mention them all – especially in an article entitled the Best Top 10 Men’s Colognes.

However we could not finish off without mentioning the colourful, wonderful, imaginative and in some cases most definitely suspect advertising campaigns that went along with these fragrances and the era.

For starters – how about encouraging Men to “Start a fire, that Women can’t put out” – as if Women are not busy enough already… Or Play Dirty it’s Cricket..

How about “Englishmen have more dash, Italians are suave- How come Scandinavian Men get to carry on the way they do?” – well to find out the answer to that you would have to ask Shulton the makers of Teak Men’s fragrance in 1968…

Men’s Colognes have been around for thousands of years, albeit under a large number of different guises. They have the ability to capture our attention, and the reason for wearing them ? well if we are very honest it is to capture the attention of other people. They have become a part of our everyday life, and if you were to ask almost every man you know do they wear Cologne, Aftershave of Perfume, then the answer would be a resounding “YES” and it is really easy to see WHY!!

Here at PAIRFUM London we love Men’s Colognes, Men’s Eau de Parfum, Men’s Eau de Toilette, we are really lucky that we get to create Perfume for a living – for Men, for Woman and for the Home.

If you would like to discover more about our New ‘Eau de Parfum’ that will be launched shortly – then please click HERE

St George Magazine Making Scents June 2015

Fragrance Layering Tips For Your Home

23/02/202411/05/2018 by Pairfum

Introduction

Many will have heard about fragrance layering or combining perfumes but there are very few fragrance layering tips published for the home.

In this article we present how the concept of combining scents can be applied in your home.

Layering in Fashion

Layering is a concept that has been around for a while in fashion and many of us are experts at layering and combining clothes to create our own, ‘personal look’, whereas the concept of layering perfume is still relatively new. Regardless of whether you are speaking with catwalk designers or high street boutiques, they all talk about layering.

Playful layering is always on the style agenda, especially when navigating the changeable weather conditions of the Spring and Summer Seasons. We can indulge our creative sides by mixing different textures and fabrics with a variety of lengths and colours and then accessorising them with scarves and jewellery. Now, men’s fashion is also turning to luxury layering and it could be seen at recent catwalks in Paris.

When we are not yet entirely sure of the weather, when one week we are basking in tropical temperatures, to running for cover from a mini-monsoon the next, we have all become dab hands at the tricky art of combining our clothes to be prepared for different conditions.

Layering Fashion Clothes Fragrance Colour Perfume Combining Blending

Fragrance Layering

Layering is not only associated with one’s outfit but can also include our perfume. The latest trend is taking the skill of layering clothes and adapting the principles to our skin, by layering our perfumes and beauty products for a more dynamic and unique scent.

The key to mastering layering is knowing which notes work well together and how they enhance each other. It is all about incorporating the right scents into your beauty routine to make your perfume work harder for you.

Pairfum Natural Niche Perfume Home Fragrance Olfactory Triangle Layering Chart

Fragrance Layering Chart

When thinking about layering or combining perfume it is important to remember that fragrances have top, heart and base notes.

Above is a graphic of olfactive pyramid or diagram that you can use as your fragrance layering chart to guide and inspire you when combining perfumes.

Here are fragrance layering tips from our perfumer:

• For Spring and Summer, the best perfume combinations are created when you combine light with heavy fragrances. For example, you can adapt your typical ‘winter’ or ‘evening wear’ fragrance for summer use by layering a fresh, light scent over the top.

• Take one of your ‘classic’ perfumes and layer something ‘trendy’ over the top.

• Start your journey towards professionally combining fragrance by using perfumes or oils which are as close as possible to single ingredients, such as the very trendy ‘soliflorals’.

• Alternatively, use fragrances from the same fragrance family to start with, such as floral, oriental, herbacious, citrus, wood, etc. Once you are pleased with your results and become more confident, you can combine perfumes from contrasting families, such as layering citrus over oriental, floral over woody, herbacious over musky.

• Begin with the heavier of the fragrances you plan to combine and use them sparingly, as they may overpower the lighter notes you have in mind. You may have to use more of the lighter fragrance to counterbalance the impact of the heavier perfume.

• Blend by combining different applications. Fragrance oils will naturally bind with the oils in your moisturiser or body oil. This insight allows you to layer a light, fresh eau de toilette over a heavier, rich body lotion.

• You can also layer by applying fragrance to different parts of your body. For example, start with fragrance on your pulse points (wrist, elbow, neck) and finish with a different fragrance for your hair. Alternatively, a fragrance on your wrists and elbow easily combines with another fragrance for your neck or under your arms.

Be prepared to share your secret, when you receive a compliment. The compliments may come from the most surprising directions.

Fragrance Layering Kit

Have you tried already our Perfume Experience Box?

It offers a wonderful palette of perfumes that are an ideal fragrance layering kit:

to combine or layer fragrances, you don’t always need the full-sized flacon
it offers you an instant library of fragrance layering oils to immediately start combining with your existing perfumes
you can keep a few in your bag and use them throughout the day to change your perfume profile as the day progresses.

Enjoy this fragrance layering collection by Pairfum London and start combining perfumes to suit your taste.

Pairfum Collection Niche Perfume Experience Fragrance Library Square Gift Box Open Display Layering Kit Oils

Fragrance Layering Tips for Your Home

The concept of layering can also be adapted to scents in our home and the same basic rules apply and here are simple fragrance layering tips.

Many real estate agents are known for warming bread in an oven for open houses or preparing fresh coffee to welcome the visitor to a viewing. Smells send out subliminal ‘welcome’ or ‘comfort’ messages when you open the front door.

This is exactly what you do when you welcome people into your home.

Take this a step further by combining various perfumes in your home to provide a multitude of sensorial experiences when walking from one room to the next, as fragrance layering can really enhance the ambience of your home.

What would you like to your ‘House Blend’ to communicate?

A perfumer’s approach to combining fragrances in your home

One of the reason’s why we struggle to perceive the perfume we apply to our skin during the course of the day, is that our noses get used to our own fragrances. They literally get ‘saturated’.

The mistake in layering fragrances at home is consequently to use scents which are ‘too similar’. Imagine you have just been in your bedroom which has a beautiful floral fragrance, and then walk into the corridor, also with a floral perfume. It is likely that your nose will have difficulties noticing the difference.

Instead, we suggest that you distinguish between the ‘spine’ of your house and the ‘outlying’ rooms. In the spine of your home, which are corridors, hallways or any other central room in your home, you should have a distinctly different fragrance from the connecting outlying rooms, such as bedrooms, living rooms, and bathrooms.

For example you could use heavier fragrances from a similar ‘olfactive range’ in the entrance hall (for example a vanilla fragrance) and then entice your visitors into your living room with a lighter floral perfume, such as a beautiful rose note. Equally, you can do the same and contrast ‘herbal’ fragrances with ‘fruity’ or ‘floral’ perfumes.

Lifestyle Living Room Natural Reed Diffuser Fragrance Candle Layering Perfume Combining Blending

The Spine

Here are a few suggestions for the ‘spine’ of your home that combine well with many different perfumes:

Innocent Vanilla: A rich white floral top note of Louisiana magnolia invites you into a soft, enveloping heart of white musk, infused with crushed vanilla pods and resting on a base of sandalwood. This is an ideal, heavier ‘base’ fragrance for your home, as it combines exceptionally well with other fragrances.

SPA: A beautiful aquatic note with a tangy, effervescent top note of bergamot, mandarin, rosemary, lavender and fresh violet leaves. Radiation from heart are sea salt and mineral notes, with aerial and translucent flowers (lily of the valley, jasmine) and accents of green tea. The fond is layered with vibrant woody (cedar, patchouli), ambery and mossy accords (oakmoss). This is a lighter, fresher ‘base’ perfume, around which you can easily layer other perfumes in your home.

Outlyers

The following are some fragrance suggestions for the ‘outlying’ rooms of your house, as they will contrast well with the two afore mentioned perfumes:

Black Orchid: An exotic fragrance with rich top notes of Anjou pear, dark cassis and orange slice. The heart is elegantly floral with notes of black orchid, powdery violet, olive leaf, freesia and ginger flower leading to a sensual base of musk, copahu balm and vanilla pod.

Trail of White Petals: A delicate and yet sparkling white floral note infused with jasmine blossom, interlaced with lily, white rose and ylang-ylang. The top note has a hint of apple and the fond rests on a base of precious sandalwood and musk.

Pink Grapefruit: A vibrantly pink grapefruit fragrance with added complexity from mandarin, lime and bergamot. Floral notes of jasmin and lily lend a feminine touch and deep sophistication comes from a sandalwood accord in the base note.

Neroli & Olive: The distilled fragrance of the Mediterranean: a sophisticated accord built around the vibrant citrus notes of neroli, pomelo and lime and yet softened with jasmine petals. Vertiver, patchouli and leather add depth and complete the sensation of walking through an olive grove on a warm, sunny day.

Lifestyle Blue Bathroom Natural Fragrance layering Tips Large Reed Diffuser Perfume Combining Blending Oils Kit

Accents and Base Notes

Another form of layering fragrances at home is contrasting continuous ‘base fragrances’ with sporadic ‘accents’.

For example, imagine your bathroom with a continuous, beautifully warm vanilla fragrance but then you come home and prepare a bath and would like to add a relaxing lavender scent. Alternatively, you have a wonderfully floral fragrance in your living room but in the evening you may wish to add something ‘light & fresh’ to compliment a soft balmy evening, or ‘warm & comforting’ to keep the winter chills at bay.

Does this sound familiar?

Combining fragrances in these situations is similar to layering perfumes onto your skin: you use a base fragrance and then add an accent over the top.

The ideal product to give your rooms a base fragrance is a reed diffuser. Products that can add an accent are natural perfume candles or room perfume sprays.

Another suggestion is to use a bouquet of beautifully fragrant flowers for the base note, for examples ‘lilies’, and combine these with a luxurious fragrance candle to give your room the desired atmospheric accent when your visitors arrive.

There are many other creative ways how you can think outside of the box for a base fragrance, and an accent in each room.

Natural Home Perfumed Candle Reed Diffuser Livingroom Sideboard Lifestyle Fragrance layering Tips Perfume Combining Blending Oils Kit

A Final Note

Using our Fragrance Layering Tips you can arrange the scents in your home, as you would on your skin.

The PAIRFUM London Collection offers you healthy and luxurious options for base and accent fragrances to suit your rooms. The PAIRFUM Collection is designed to be displayed proudly in your home and will fit perfectly into any interior style, regardless of whether this is ‘minimalist’, ‘country cottage’, ‘funky’ or ‘palatial’.

The sophisticated yet subtle blending of the perfume notes in the fragrances makes them a welcome addition to any home.

The PAIRFUM London collection is available online in our boutique.