Despite the economic shift, scent is a subtle luxury that continues to offer pleasure, escape and surprise; and fragrances that distinguish themselves with personalization and customization hold a particular appeal for consumers. On a chilly Saturday in November, the Sniffapalooza group, under the aegis of founder Karen Dubin and executive director Karen Adams, introduced attendees to the delights of scent, exotic and personal, on New York’s Upper East Side.

The magic began at the Molton Brown Emporium, on Third Avenue and 64th Street, where store manager and brand specialist, Danny Artese, hosted a private tea for the British brand, and introduced passionate perfume patrons to the latest scents from Molton Brown in an interactive presentation. Founded in the UK, Molton Brown offers men’s and women’s fine fragrances and bath and body products, as well as home fragrances, candles, travel sets, scrubs and salts.

The newest range of men’s products includes ingredients sourced from the far reaches of the globe, combined with modern technology and performance-focused formulations. For shaving, there is Conditioning Olibanum Supershave and Calming Citron Ultrashave. Also introduced, was Re-Charge Black Pepper, in Body Wash and Eau de Toilette, Exfoliating Body Scrub Bar and Body Hydrator; and a complete range of skin care products, including the new Aloe and Karite Ultrabar, for face and body, as well as shaving, were offered.

Sue Phillips, The Perfume Studio, creating customized scents.

The line ranges in price from $22 to $60. Body Therapies, to Purify, Unwind, Nurture and Sleep, while promoting radiant skin, and imparting ingredients to treat and calm the effects of environmental stresses were also introduced at the event, $34 to $52; and such mainstays of the brand as Molton Brown Heavenly Gingerlily Body Cream, with Tamanu Nut Oil and Lily Extract, $28, Heavenly Gingerlily Bath & Shower, $28, Travel-Reviving Cempaka Bath & Shower, a rebalancing body wash, to refresh and sooth the strains of travel, $28, and Intoxicating Davana Blossom Body Crème, $50, featuring essential oils sourced from the Indian Davana plant, for moisturizing, cleansing and soothing were sampled. Davana Blossom, Neroli, Bergamot, Raspberry, Grapeseed Oil, Narcotic Orange Flower, and Lotus Flower Milk, are among the intoxicating ingredients that characterize this collection. The products are available at Molton Brown emporia, as well as at: www.moltonbrown.com.

Cool Buchu from Molton Brown.

Next Stop The Perfume Studio

To complete the day’s scent adventure, attendees walked across Third Avenue to 63rd Street, and visited the Accademia de Vino, where fragrance expert, Sue Phillips, president of Scenterprises, Ltd., hosted a personalized journey into scent creation for The Perfume Studio, a concept which hails from the UK, and creates Bespoke fragrances, customized by and for the individuals who create them.

Much like a wine tasting seminar, attendees were introduced to 18 different fragrance blends, in a Master Class held in the wine cellar of the establishment. Sue Phillips described how each blend could be worn in combinations or by itself, and provided background, history, and an overview of olfactive categories, as attendees selected top, middle and base notes to form their own fragrance pyramid. The experiential nature of the journey, with attendees sampling individual blotter strips to determine their scent preferences, combines perfume and pedagogy, to ultimately create a highly individual scent creation. Phillips and her team decanted and packaged each personal formula in a colorful 20ml atomizer, as well as provided a number and individually named Certificate of Registration for each participant.

Molton Brown's Black Pepper Body Scrub Bar.

All of the scents created are recorded, with blends of choice and percentages clearly indicated, enabling easy reorder. Phillips, who has held positions at Elizabeth Arden, Lancôme, and Tiffany & Company, and has worked on fragrance marketing for Burberry, Chanel, Coty, Oilily and Chopard, as well as held the position of Adjunct Professor, Cosmetic and Fragrance Marketing, FIT, understands the authentic experience of creating a personal fragrance. Not only do attendees get to name and select their favorite blends to create a personal formula, they also participate in a learning experience that is engaging and fun.

Phillips and Scenterprises Ltd., the U.S. distributor of The Perfume Studio, UK, conducts workshops and seminars by appointment, as well as arranges corporate events, wedding packages for brides, bridesmaids and mothers; bachelorette fifts and guest favors; private consultations, and customized events at private residences, hotels, restaurants, and offices. A standard package includes 20ml of fragrance in a designer purse spray atomizer, with a range of larger bottles, and extras, such as Satin Body Oil Spray, Candles, and Do It Yourself Kits also available. Fragrance seminar pricing is subject to specific requirements and location.

Additional information may be found at: www.scenterprises.com and www.theperfumestudio.com.