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Top 10 Things That Define A Niche Fragrance

23/02/202407/04/2019 by Josephine McCarthy

We are often asked: What is Niche Perfume? So, … we decided to share with you our Top 10 Things that define a niche fragrance.

If you are one of those people who have heard the terms Niche Perfume, Artisan Parfum, Indie Scent or Boutique Fragrance bandied about and wondered what they really mean, then you should read on.

You are not alone, as we receive emails regularly from people wanting to understand what we or others mean when they use these terms.

There are specific elements that define a niche fragrance and set it apart from the Mass Market Brands we are accustomed to from Couture Houses and Designer Labels.

Although, when you define a niche fragrance, these lines become sometimes blurred when large worldwide brands describe their offerings as ‘Niche’ or introduce ‘Private Collections’. The fact that a product is available at every Airport, in every retailer and on every High Street worldwide would by definition exclude it from being considered a Niche Creation.

We equally believe a Niche Fragrance House that is owned by a global corporation no longer qualifies as being Niche. The list is long of these small perfumery houses that were bought-out. Examples are Jo Malone, Creed, Frederic Malle, L’Artisan Parfumeur, … It is not easy to spot these ‘Niche Wannabees’.

So when looking for a genuine Niche or Artisan Fragrance, the list below will help you to separate the true Niche from the ‘Niche Wannabee’

Eau De Parfum Person Reflection Sea Salt Sage Amber Man Muscular Define A Niche Fragrance

Well the following are our Top 10 Things that Define a Niche Fragrance:

A Perfume House, founded by a Perfumer who’s wish is to create Unique Fragrances – like the original Fragrance Houses of Old
An in-house Perfumer, that is unencumbered by the restrictions of mass consumerism, and is allowed to recreate the ‘artistry of the unique’ in luxury fragrances.
Limited Availability – not on sale in every shop, store and airport worldwide.
Art and Creativity – like Painters, Poets, Writers, Chefs, Wine Makers, Gardner’s, Designers, as the founder of PAIRFUM London Huib Maat said “Who would want to create a copy of the same thing again and again if they have the ability and creativity to create an original? – no true Artist would”
The use of Natural, Unusual or Unique Perfumery ingredients and Accords, i.e. note combinations.
Selective approach to Distribution – not available everywhere
A different approach to PR & Marketing – where the best form of advertising is – through ‘Word of Mouth’ passed from one Fragrance Aficionado to another ( and with a little help from the right type of Magazine article)…
With the attention to detail given to the creation of a Niche Perfume, it assures the wearer that the Perfume is of the highest quality.
Something that is rare is always more precious – Clientele will seek out and love something different – because we were born unique – so why not celebrate it..
Not owned by a global, multi-national Corporation or produced on a large scale factory floor but in small batches and independently owned.

Keep these in mind when shopping for Niche Fragrances.

Pairfum London’s in-house Perfumer Huib Maat created our collection of Natural Eau de Parfum Intense and we also introduced the Perfume Experience Box to try and sample these exquisite creations.

Pairfum Collection Niche Perfume Experience Fragrance Library Square Gift Box Open Display Define A Niche Fragrance

How Do You Describe Perfume?

23/02/202424/03/2019 by Huib Maat

One of the biggest challenges in perfumery is the continuous question of “How Do You Describe Perfume”.

Our noses can distinguish 1 Trillon different smells but we struggle to articulate the differences, character or nuances of a fragrance.

For this reason, the perfume industry has to a degree developed its own set of words, classification systems and various other aids to help in this task.

Here at Pairfum London we have created a brief introduction into “How Do You Describe Perfume” which we believe is ideal reading during National Fragrance Week.

After reading the article, you will feel much more comfortable with some of the terms you come across in the World of Perfumery.

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

New – Buying Guide for Sleep Sprays

23/02/202415/03/2019 by Huib Maat

We are delighted to draw your attention to our new buying guide for Sleep Sprays.
Click the link to read & enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep:
https://www.pairfum.com/sleep-spray-buying-guide/

Drift off to sleep easily & beautifully.

No more sleepless nights and ‘tossing & turning’ before you fall asleep.

Buying Guide Sleep Spray Lavender Pillow Mist

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.

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?

Outdoor Photgrapher Year Perfume Sea Salt Water Minerals Pier Mane

2018 Photo of the Year in Fragrance

10/03/202603/03/2019 by Huib Maat

The winning photographs of this year’s competition “Outdoor Photo of the Year 2018” have been revealed!

You can review the winning images on this website:
https://www.opoty.co.uk/

When admiring the winning or commended photographs, we noticed how some of them created ‘fragrant images’ for us here at Pairfum and we wanted to share some of these ‘olfactive photos’ with you.

Protea Banks, KwaZulu

The image above was taken in Protea Banks, KwaZulu – Natal, South Africa by Pier Many (photographer) and he said this about his image:
“Protea Banks is an underwater reef on the east coast of South Africa that is under consideration for protected area status. Amazing creatures such as this cephea (or crown) jellyfish live there. It was the biggest jellyfish I’ve ever seen, over one metre in diameter. Its purple head and yellow fuselage were simply amazing. With no background objects present to provide perspective, and wishing to exalt this crown jellyfish with its stunning colours, majestic size and dancing elegance, I opted to purposefully crop the jellyfish to fill the frame.”

For us this image created the vivid fragrance of the sea, with its aquatic & salty nuances, its marine minearals, the notes of sea weed and algae. We regularly incorporate these elements in our notes and we particularly liked about this image that marine notes are frequently only displayed a ‘blue’ images whereas this image is displays the most vivid colours.

Namib Desert, Namibia

Here are the comments of Tom Putt (the photographer) about his marvellous photo:
“Flying low over the endless sand dunes of the Namib Desert, I noticed the cloud cover provided this interesting play of light on the landscape. When the sun heats up the dunes, it draws the black minerals to the surface. When I came to process the image, the stunning colours revealed themselves.”

We believe this image perfectly captures the essence of ‘oriental notes’, their warmth & richness, the depth of their accord and sensuous nature.

Outdoor Photgrapher Year Oriental Scent Tom Putt

Storvatnet, Flakstadøya, Lofoten, Norway

This is what Daniel Laan, the photographer says about his image:
“Stjerntinden is a sheer-walled 930m peak rising from the often frozen and snow-covered Storvatnet lake. Along its shoreline the ice is punctured by unyielding rocks, which create tiny ice caves. I decided to put my camera inside this particular one because its curvy roof and virgin snow complemented the inhospitable background so well. However, therein lay the main challenge. I put the camera in from the front, facing out, but had no idea of the composition. I carefully turned the focus ring each shot with a view to making a final focus stacked image. I then lifted the camera for the final frame to reveal more of the mountain and fill the entirety of the cave mouth.”

It conjures up the salty but beautiful fresh, clean ozonic note of ice and outdoor ions.

Does Ice have a fragrance? We believe so and wrote about it in this article:
https://www.pairfum.com/does-ice-have-a-smell/

El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, California, USA

The comments of Alex Palmer (photographer)
“Two climbers approach El Cap Tower on the The Nose route on El Capitan. I was taking a day off from the route that my partner and I were attempting on the West Face of El Capitan. We headed down to the meadow opposite the peak to watch the climbers on the wall and get some images. The hardest thing I’ve found about photographing this rock face is to get any idea of how vast it really is. I spotted two climbers* approaching the El Cap Tower feature and just started to snap photos. When I zoomed in to preview the images, I was really pleased with the scale and atmosphere they showed.”

Do stones have a scent? Have you ever taken the time to smell one?

Try it and you will be surprised by the variety of fragrances that you pick up. The sheer cliff face certainly triggered a memory of an earthy, sun-bleached rock face for us.

Grand Union Canal, Olton, Solihull, England

Chris Fletcher said this about his photo:”This shot was taken handheld using the diffused sunrise light to soften the subject and surrounding woodland. This helped to bring out the colour of the autumn leaves and of the boat. I regularly explore the canal network in the West Midlands and in autumn the atmosphere and colour of the waterways offer fantastic scenes to capture. The composition was made easy by the diagonal positioning of the canal and towpath, which gave me a natural rule of thirds image.”

Here in Europe and London in particular, this image conjures up the memories of moist woody notes from walks in the forest in Autumn. Add to this watery, green notes of the canal and you can see how this images creates a beautifully complex note.

Outdoor Photgrapher Year Fragrance Autumn Wood Canal Chris Fletcher

Wyming Brook, Peak District, England

Jay Birmingham about his shot:
“I had gone to Wyming Brook in the Peak District to try to capture some landscape shots. Struggling to find any unique angles, I cast my eyes over the smaller features around me and spotted, in the middle of the water, a small mossy island with a solitary bonnet mushroom growing on it. Even better, there was a small waterfall just behind. I crouched as low down in the water as I could to position the mushroom in front of the waterfall, and then used a neutral density filter to capture the path of the water swirling through this beautiful micro landscape.”

“Oakmoss” is also known as ‘Mousse de Chene’ or ‘Treemoss’. For many people this terms does not trigger an olfactive memory and yet it is a very prominent ingredient in perfumery, such as “Mitsouko” by Guerlain, its role within the ‘Chypre Accord’ or its presence within the ‘Fougère’ Olfactive Group,

For us the image below captures the note of Oakmoss wonderfully: earthy rich, inky bitter, evocative of a sensually damp but woody oak forest, with hints of musky and amber.

Outdoor Photgrapher Year Small World Oakmoss Fragrance Jay Birmingham

Do you find that photos have the power to create ‘olfactive images’ for you? Which images are the most potent for you?

Anosmia

23/02/202427/02/2019 by Josephine McCarthy

Anosmia – what does it mean and why should we care?

Well for those that have not heard of it before and would like to know!

Anosmia is a complete loss of the ability to smell…..

When taken in context in regards to your other senses, the loss of your sense of smell should be nothing more than an inconvenience at most ? If you did loose it would you even miss it?

We would also love to know, would you ever ‘Voluntarily Give Up’ one of your senses?

In a survey carried out of 7,000 young people from around the world, approximately half of those between the age of 16 and 30 said that they would rather ‘Lose their Sense of Smell’ than give up access to technology like laptops or cell phones.

Well there is a saying that “Fair exchange is no robbery”, so it begs the question how much did these people know about the importance of their sense of smell to their health and well-being?

The second question would have to be, that if they did know and still choose to lose a sense rather than access to an electronic device! then how much sense do they have to lose in the first place? – ‘common’ or otherwise? and why is it called ‘Common Sense’ when it is such a rare commodity?

Incredible Facts About Your Sense of smell, people can detect one trillion distinct scents.

Research by Leslie Vosshall from The Rockefeller University estimated that the average person can detect at least one trillion different smells, and that the one trillion is probably an underestimation of the true number of smells we can detect, but for now I am sure it is enough for us to be getting on with… In fact, new research suggests that our noses can outperform our eyes and ears, which can discriminate between several million colours and approximately half a million tones.

Perfumer Nose Smelling Strip Evaluate Scent

The 27th of February is ‘Anosmia Awareness Day’ – it is a day to spread awareness about Anosmia and about how it effects the lives of those who suffer from it. As there are few outward signs of the disorder, the practical difficulties associated with it and how the nature of olfactory dysfunction and its consequences for an individual’s safety and quality of life are not widely appreciated or understood.

How To Evaluate Sample Test Try Perfume 12

PAIRFUM London fully agrees with Dr. Vosshall who says that – “It’s time to give our sense of smell the recognition it deserves,”. We would go even further and say that current ongoing and future research will show just how important and underrated our sense of smell is to our health and lives.