Enjoy a Central London sniffathon – but blink, and you’ll miss it!
Wish we could have given you more notice of this fab fragrance pop-up show in London’s Mayfair – because it’s only open to the public today from 2-6 p.m. (ditto tomorrow). But we honestly needed to see and sniff it ourselves, before recommending.
We can definitely do that, having spent a fascinating and enjoyable couple of hours exploring the International Maisons of Fine Fragrance, which is in residence at Frieze on London’s Cork Street today and tomorrow.
Curated by luxury world dynamo Valérie Kaminov, who we’ve known and respected literally for decades, here are some truly fabulous brands here, many of which were new to us – and brands are retailing or taking orders if you fall for something. It’s a slightly unusual mix of trade and public show, and you do pay to access – but walking the show with perfume writer colleagues yesterday, we were rather wowed.
Entry for the public is £36 for access on both days from 2 – 6 p.m., and that does also secure you a goodie bag. (Can’t tell you what it contains or comment on whether that’s value for money, but for a true perfumista, that’s probably not relevant.) Today, Thursday, there’s a talk by our old friend Roja Dove, founder of Roja London.
Standout brands you absolutely have to smell? (And alas, we couldn’t get around every stand, in a short window…)
• The Korean perfume house Sisology, which is inspired by photography and cameras (check out those blotters, in our main photo, above.
• Raconteur – almost fainted with pleasure over several of those, brought by founder Craig Andrade all the way from Australia.
• British name Angela Flanders, with spiffy new bottles and the most beautiful stand at the show.
• Told London’s candles – we are today burning Night Blooms, India, and it is swoon-worthy.
• Scent of Africa, with some truly transporting fragrances from that Continent (just waking up, as a force in fragrance)
• Kingdom Scotland – fab Edinburgh-based brand we’ve known for aeons, but you’ve GOT to smell the candles created for Macallan whisky… Smoky, peaty-y, DIVINE!
• Great to see T.LeClerc (famed for their face powders, which we’ve always loved) back in the room.
And if you can’t get there, the names above all link to their Insta, where you can see – but alas, not smell – more.
We anticipate that the show will be back next year, even bigger and better – and we’ll be able to give you a bit more notice. But it’s not our thing to rave about events we don’t know intimately, or write about products we’ve never tried. (And we like to think that’s what makes Beauty Bible rather special.)
Click here for more info; tickets available on the door (£36 for entry on both afternoons; ONE goodie bag per visitor)
Frieze, 9 Cork Street, London W1S 3LL
