When I was in Paris earlier this year, I was horribly sick and spent most of my time in my hotel room. I did make it a priority to venture out a few times beyond my work meetings, and the most memorable spot I went to was Nose Boutique.
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Nose is a luxury perfume boutique in Paris that was created by several perfumers. The name comes from the term used to describe the person responsible for creating a new scent. You probably know the brand of your favorite perfume, but you should look up the nose behind it to discover other scents they've worked on. I was surprised when I first did this to see that the same person was the creator of so many of my favorite perfumes over the years, across different brands and it can be a great way to discover a new one that you haven't heard of.
What's unique about this shopping experience is that you don't pick the perfumes, your consultant does. When you arrive, you tell them the last 3 perfumes you've loved. They use this to create an "olfactory portrait" of similarities between these scents, and then go to select 5 perfumes they think you'll like. The catch - you review them all blind, without seeing the bottles or letting you know the names of them.
The consultant sits with you while you rate each of the 5 from 1-10 and then discuss what you do and don't like about each scent. They then get you 5 more and do the same. Then bring you your 3 finalists to choose from.
While I was sitting rating, I saw 3 women come into the store at separate times and all buy the same perfume. They were all of different ages, and drastically different styles and I made a note of the name to ask at the end if I could smell that one too out of curiosity. To my surprise, when the scent I chose was revealed, it was exactly the same one I'd seen the 3 women buy. The scent I chose is Pure Eve by the Different Company, a brand I hadn't heard of until my visit.
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It's a fresh, powdery, musk with sweet almond notes that aren't too sugary. It's a light scent, but also felt warmer like a winter scent. I've been wearing it almost every day since I got home, and I was thrilled with my pick and enjoyed the whole experience. They also do custom perfumes, but that was way too pricey - especially when I was still stuffed up from my cold. Maybe next visit!
And, you don't have to go to Paris to see. They do have an online version that's less customized since it's powered by an algorithm, but can still be really helpful to find new recommendations that you can then seek out at your nearest department store.
What's your favorite perfume? Do you know who the nose of it is?
