MUSING in the Heights

 Location:170th st and Ft. Washington, #NYC (#theHeights)
My New Fall Fragrance: (Unisex) Tabacco Toscano, Eau De Cologne 100ml  

Brand: Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella (Italy) 

Notes: Tobacco, Vanilla, Malt, Amber, and Leather

#theMUSExperience #urbansenses #thinkdifferentsmelldifferent

MUSING in Brooklyn

Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn

I met my new client, Lisette, for some personal fragrance shopping at Twisted Lilly in Brooklyn.  It was a sunny 90 degrees in the city,  making it a perfect summer day to stroll the streets in search of a new perfume.  Lissete and I never met; however, we've shared many conversations over IG about perfume, beauty products, short hair cuts, and hair stylists we've used. We have a lot of similar interests and obsessions so I was certain we'd hit it off and the experience would be fun! She revealed to me that her favorite fragrance is, ByKilian's Good Girl Gone Bad, a gift from her husband, and that she was looking for something just as original…hat would stand out, should others, including her husband, get a whiff.

Twisted Lilly, Brooklyn

Lisette outside getting some fresh air

Lisette walked in with a great big smile. We embraced as if we knew each other. She wore a comfortable jersey dress, her hair was laid prefectly, and make-up minimal. Her look was effortless and  stylish.  She appeared ready and optimistic about her first MUSExperience. Her smile and energy really set the tone for how it would turn out. After a few moments of small talk, I introduced her to Tyler, who would assist us, should we need it, with Twisted Lilly's wide selection. We took a seat and chatted over cucumber water and cookies. I asked her to describe how her favorite fragrance makes her feel, how often she wears perfume, where on her body does she spray it, what was a reaction or memory she had after smelling a bad fragrance… and a hosts of other conversational question to learn more about her personality, style, and interests. I observed her demeanor and mannerisms as well…all of which gave me an idea of where to begin! Once I had what I need, we got started!

After two hours of exploring, Lisette selected Batucada EDT by L'Artisan and had this to say about her MUSExperience,

"I met this beautiful soul right here on IG and finally took the Muse Experience!!!. She was so patient with me. After a few spot on questions we were up and sampling fragrances in no time @twistedlily360 I found my 3 signatures and 2 hours later a happy customer. Talking to Kim was so easy, it felt like one of my close girlfriends I've known for years. We ended the Muse Experience at Sweet Chicks in Brooklyn over Waffles n Chicken along with their signature drink…Sweet Chicks (of course) & great conversation. @musexperiences thank you so much, I had a great time!!!"

The MUSExperience

Smiling!!

The skin test /deliberation between 

The purchase

  

Insights from a MUSE



first logo

Over 3 years ago, I started this blog under the name ReminiSCENT. This was the original logo I used. At that time, I didn't know what direction I wanted to take, with regards to perfumery, all I knew was I wanted to express myself and my perspectives on fragrance and beauty. ReminiSCENT became my brand and a visual representation of what I sought to do. Over the years, the blog continued to be part of my story but at times it became a challenge, as I found it most difficult to write and describe something that is truly a personal experience and encounter. I struggled to find my voice. I didn't like reviewing fragrances. Talking about notes and stuff felt contrived. It alienated people who did not know the terminology. Heck, I didn't know it myself.  I discovered I wasn't into the chemical make-up of a fragrance, as much as I was into sharing how it made me feel and what original brands I encountered. Maybe, I didn't know how to translate my emotions into words or didn't give myself enough time to learn. I read other blogs and was impressed with the synergy of the language and the eloquence of fragrance descriptions but I wasn't inspired. Without knowing, I became more motivated by bringing awareness to niche and luxury perfumery than I did by writing about it. Sharing information and interacting with people instantly, excited me. Instagram became my primary way to share and engage versus blogging. I became an,  "insta-blogger" of sort. 

Second logo



Newest Logo

This November marks 2 years working as a fragrance specialist for ByKilian at his NYC boutique and over 3 years working for the brand. Between this opportunity and my experience with COTY, I've learned about the luxury retail selling and what consumers on either spectrum desire and yearn for. What I hear most consistently coming from the luxury side is, "I want to smell different. I don't want to smell like everyone else." They desire originality and are willing to pay for it. Whereas, the department store consumer asks for what they want by name. They wear the same fragrance or brand of fragrance all the time and they often want what's sells the best. The more recognizable the name, the more these consumers  are willing to buy blinded. Their price points are pre determined and gift sets with "free" shower gels often seals the deal.  Granted, these consumers are at different ends of the spectrum but in between them there is a middle group (which I belonged to early on in my journey) that just don't know but have the capacity to buy.

I've traveled to Paris, the south of France, Morocco, and Portugal on my quest to better understand the perfume culture.  Most recently, on my trip to Italy to attend Pitti Frgranze, an international fragrance trade-show,  I determined the "typical" American consumer doesn't know perfumery at a higher level nor do they have an appreciation for it, compared to Europeans.  Americans tend to purchase what they are most familiar with or mass produced, or found in department stores. They  purchase on trends and their perspectives are influenced by popularity and advertising. I feel, the "niche" fragrance market in the states is virtually non existent. Don't misunderstand me, there are Americans who are part of that community of folks who "know" but majority of folks just don't have a level of awareness, therefore leaving them out of this amazing scent culture.   For example, perfume is part of the Russian lifestyle. They are educated, engaged, and appreciate original perfumery. As is the case in Italy and Paris. Brands seek out the competitive Russian market  Similarly, consumers in Italy and Paris are equally attached. I must admit, while walking through the train terminals of Italy, having dinner at a neighborhood restaurant, or asking a random person to direct me to the Santa Maria Novella, there wasn't an absence of scent, anywhere. I always smelled and felt the presence of a fragrance near or around me. Perfume is as much apart of the Parisian fiber as fashion. Of course, this is only my perspective, but I honestly feel there is a lot of work to be done to engage more Americans into perfumery. 

I mention all this to convey, under Reminiscent I was learning. With MUSE, I am still learning but I am more knowledgable today, hence my rant! However, I am committed to sharing my unique sensory perspectives with multicultural consumers in ways that I hope will spark a level of curiosity and conversation that will (one day) rival the European consumer ;)  Until then, MUSE will focus on inspiring an olfactive lifestyle rooted in communication,  discovery, connection, and originality.

Modern Urban Sensory Experiences heads to Pitti Fragranze in Florence

For my birthday, I received a flight to Florence Italy to attend Pitti Fragranze, one of the premier  international fragrance trade-shows in the world. When given this surprise, I was in disbelief and excited. Anxiety set in and the notion of going, let alone, preparing and planning the trip became overwhelming. The internal debate, "Should I go now, or wait?" had me deliberating for a couple of days.  I reached out to one of my IG followers, Pefumemistress, who owns a fragrance boutique in Dublin, to pick her brain about the show and ask if she was attending. She told me, "the time to go is, NOW and waiting until spring shouldn't be an option." After a few nights of hard core thinking, I woke up one morning and committed to going. I booked the flight the same afternoon and started to look for a hotel, many of which were sold out already.  Its Sunday and I'm still looking for a hotel but everyday it gets closer to departing, I become more getty. Attending and representing Modern Urban Sensory Experiences (MUSE) internationally is pretty cool! Having the opportunity to explore perfumery, while simultaneously bringing a different presence and perspective to the trade-show, even better!  I look forward to sharing this experience with each of you on the blog and on Instagram.

About Pitti Fragranze

"From Friday 11 to Sunday 13 September 2015, the Stazione Leopolda will host  Pitti Fragranze. The international fair that brings the world’s finest artistic perfumery to Florence is a Pitti Immagine production. The outstanding observatory looking at the galaxy of scents, Fragranze presents the most exclusive essences, the finest artisan quality, wellness products, cosmetics and sophisticated accessories made by more than 230 of the world’s best names in the industry. 

              

Every year in September, the greatest names and the world’s most prestigious noses gather in Florence to discuss what’s happening on the olfactory scene and the myriad links between fragrance and contemporary lifestyles."

Additional information:

http://www.pittimmagine.com/en/corporate/fairs/fragranze/news/2015/fragranze13.html

Early Fall Fragrance Release: ODIN 12 Lacha

With September around the corner, there will be a hosts of new fragrances released in time for you to  switch it up for Fall/winter. Odin New York's latest addition, Odin 12 Lacha, sounds like it will make a nice seasonal fragrance for men or women. "A spicy blend of black pepper, rare Lacha saffron-(a spice known for its multiple threads and fibers filled with taste and aroma). Saffron is commonly cultivated in Spain, Iran, or Italy. Lacha Saffron, however, is from Kashmir and is extremely difficult to obtain due to vegetative/weather conditions and tough export restrictions from India. However, ODIN has managed to sprinkle a little bit of this unique saffron into there fragrances.

The Inspiration: Indian Culture.

For whom: Men and Women. 

The notes: "black pepper, Lacha saffron, nutmeg and carnation, flowers, sandalwood, leather, and patchouli.  

The Price: $165 100ml #theMUSExperience #yousmellgood #scentstyle #scentedinspiration #fragranceinspiration #standout 

Montreal Perfumer adds Soul to her Scents

#ScentDesign: #Perfumer Dana El Masri's, Jazmin Saraii's fragrance collection seeks inspiration from  musical genres and artists like, Sade, Otis Redding, Hip-Hop, Rhythm and Blues, and Rock. The song selections, mixed with her creativity and artistry caught my attention, as I was strolling IG.  I appreciate music and originality and will order a sample pack to explore further. I've  included a review of the collection from fellow blogger, Colognoisseur. http://www.colognoisseur.com/new-perfume-reviews-jazmin-sarai-otis-me-how-you-love-neon-graffiti-and-led-iv-songs-in-the-key-of-scent/

http://jazminsarai.com/otis&me.html

4am Summer Rain…Memories and SCENT

I've been meaning to share a fascinating experience I had a couple of Mondays ago but didn't have time to write until today. Do you like the smell of rain? I do. This post is about an experience I had in the early hours as it poured raining outside my window. There is something calming, sensual, therapeutic, and tranquil about rain and its after scent. It's been two weeks and the details of that night are as clear as they were on August 4.

It was 4:14 am when the smell of rain awoke me from my sleep. The scent was intense, so much it entered my nose, flowed through my subconscious, and then somehow told the brain to open my eyes.  The rain was pretty heavy that night and the thunder loud. Yet, the smell of rain that awoke me. How can I be certain?  Well, normally, loud, violent, and unsuspecting sounds, like thunder, a gun shot (hey, I live in NYC), or the fall of a piece of art from a wall in the middle of the night, can startle someone causing fear or a tense reaction; however, that wasn't the case. My eyes opened rather calmly and naturally. I smelled rain before hearing it. I guess the night breeze had something to do with the movement of the scent across my nose and throughout my room.  It was a perfectly quiet summer night, complete with some humidity and a subtle breeze. For a few moments, I laid in bed listening to the natural down pour and welcoming the air against my partially covered body. The quietness of the room made it very easy for me to drift into my thoughts.  I turned over to grab my iPad mini as something told me to write down what was happening in that moment. I unlocked it and begin typing in darkness. This is what I jotted down: down pour, loud, roar, breeze, sleepy, thunder, loud, tired, alone, stillness, quiet, down, intermuntwnr (I have no idea what that last word is but I typed it maybe as I was falling back to sleep-who knows).

My reaction to the smell of rain was strange and instinctive. Strange because the encounter was new and instinctive because it was automatic.  I recall waking up twice that morning and both times the sound of rain wasn't the immediate trigger; instead, it was the smell and the roar of thunder. It's hard to describe the scent of rain but before I drifted back to sleep the first time, I wondered how'd  I describe what I was smelling, had someone asked me to.  I knocked back out before answering the question but thinking about it now, I'd say rain has a distinctive smell to it. It's  fresh, earthy, natural, wet, green, chemical-like, grassy (kind of like the smell of grass after it gets mowed), airy, light, welcoming, pleasant, and euphoric. Don't get me wrong, I've been on this earth for 34 years and I have smelled rain before. Yet, never before have my senses and emotions been so intertwined, heightened, or engaged over rain, out of all things! This is what scent does, it extracts and creates complexities that triggers a reaction, expression, or memory. The sense of smell is connected to a lot.  It brings about awareness and acts as a trigger of sort.  Before you see or hear, you smell first (at least, I believe so). That night I smelled the scent of rain; it awoke me from my sleep. From that, an authentic connection between me and rain fall was created and a new memory embedded. For me, the scent of rain is no longer  what comes after a down pour;  instead, it's a reminder of a summer night in August I laid sprawled across my bed filled with  emotion, inner peace, and late night thoughts.

Do you have any summer rain memories?

I am attaching a video by Carl Thomas called, Summer Rain. The song is not only good  R&B music but the lyrics are similar to what I write about in this post…It's such a sexy song that brings back such wonderful memories.

 " Storming Outside/rain she keeps me home Quiet conversations makes me warm/So Summer rain Whispers me to sleep and wakes me up again/Sometimes I swear I hear her call my name to wash away the pain/My summer rain…"