Perfume Pilgrim

Anyone reading my blog might think I work for the Haute Perfumery, but I don’t blame you for thinking so. Yesterday, I discovered my signature scent cost an aspirational £1000 pounds! But if I could live on perfume alone, I would buy it. I had been looking forward to an exclusive fragrance consultation with one of Roja Dove’s personally trained specialists, ever since I received my glossy black exclusive invitation at the V&A. This is something every woman should try at least once in their life and at only £50 for a moment of luxury and discovery it is superb value for a lifelong investment.

I was invited to sit in the black lacquered den, surrounded by embroidered silk cushions and offered a drink. An attentive staff member invited me to add ice and lemon to my still water as I waited for Clement to return with three test strips, plucked from a lalique box with rippled glass inlay. I was introduced to the process and we commenced with a floral, chypre and oriental. All the test strips were sprayed secretly, so I couldn’t rely on what I already knew about fragrances houses or bottles. Hence, I came to the strips fresh, instructed only to have two at a time, one  in each hand, only to alternate between the two at intervals. (Just like when alternating between a lollipop and a gherkin, as you lick the sugar after a gherkin, it tastes all the sweeter for it.) More than once I accidentally hit my nose with the scent strip, which of course is taboo for scent sampling, as a little of the fragrance remains stuck on your nostril.

To my surprise, I gravitated toward the orientals, which  was Shalimar by Guerlain, so a whole new world of fragrance family was introduced to me that day. I have always inclined towards floral aldehydes, so this was like rediscovering perfume all over again for the first time. I was then asked what perfumes do I have at home, and of course, this took a while. I have an eclectic collection consisting of some classics like Ma Griffe, Balenciaga Le Dix, Diorissimo, Osmanthus by Different Company, Lady by Contessa di Casteliogne, Clean, L’ame Soer by Divine, Violet scents, pure rose oils, pure sandalwood, Agarwood/aloeswood and numerous middle eastern perfumes, including ones from Arabian Oud, Black Musks, Al Qurashi and obscure Islamic perfume shops around the UK, but I will save the rest for another time.

Left alone for a moment and tempted to peak, Clement went off to spray a further 12 scent strips, with only mysterious numbers or letters to identify them. Two by two I enjoyed most of them, but this game required eliminating one scent at each round. This was harder than it sounds but the consultant was resolute. I had to choose. I was given little poetic introductions, just whispers and hints of what was to come, but never influenced to like or dislike. One’s I had to discard included Guerlain Shalimar, Caron En Avion, Roja Dove’s own Enslaved, Mitsouko,  Ombre Rose which I almost held on to till the end and some exlcusive scents whose names I cannot recall.

The ones I was ready to fight for to keep included a semi bespoke including No 7, and ambergris sonata, and No 4 was the closest I have ever come to smelling a fragrance reminiscent of burying my nose deeply into a glorious fresh bouquet of fragrant blooms. I could barely pry my nose away from this scent strip and only let go once I had smelt no. 6. Oh that number 6! My signature scent. This perfume smells of happiness, joy and excitement on a sunny spring day off, to enjoy art and countryside, loved ones and hope. It fizzes and sparkles and is transported on velvet couches of resin. Even my  loving husband commented on how wonderful I smelt when I got home.

To smell this perfume is a rush and to use my daughter’s catch phrase, it rocked my world. It is suggestive of how the original Shalimar may have smelt with a large spritz of bergamot and one of the roundest “seamless” compositions as Clement described it. It comes in thick card casket, a black velvet bag with purple satin interior and in a traditional perfumers flask, containing 250 ml. So at £4 per ml, this is actually good value. This semi bespoke range is not on display and only available in limited editions of 50 per fragrance, when these exclusive scents are sold, then fini. There were many other fragrances I smelt that were simply glorious, but when you have smelt the best, will I ever be able to accept another scent as comprise ever again? Fortunately, perfume though is not like love, there are so many scents in the world to enjoy and I have only scratched and sniffed my way through a tiny portion. This is one of the pleasures in discovering fragrance, hoping to one day discover a  scent of holiness that can transform you into a fragrant being just by inhaling.