Our editor-in-chief puts her nose and sense of smell to work as she goes to custom-make her very own perfume with Oo La Lab.

by Nejla Matam-Finn

As far as I can remember, I've always had something for perfume.

I have the reputation of having a pretty good nose even though it is clearly a trained one. While writing my thesis on the future of merchandising years ago, one of my case studies was on a speciality perfume store located in Brussels named Senteurs D’Ailleurs. Thinking back about the hours I spend in that store brings lots of joy.

The extremely knowledgable staff taught me so much about the world of perfume. This is when I first started hearing the names of "noses". When Frederic Malle started showcasing the noses on some of its perfume, I think I was the first one at his store in Paris. One of my favourite discovery then was the L’Eau d’Hiver by Jean Claude Ellena for Frederic Malle.

Now, I find myself falling in love with the latest perfumes by Chanel developed by their head nose Jacques Polge. My first discovery was the Les Beiges, my second one, the 31 Rue Cambon and I am thinking that my third one will be Boy.

So, you can imagine how a person like me will be so happy when I got invited to make my own perfume with Oo La Lab a few weeks ago. Finally, I was going to have a tiny glimpse of how a “juice” gets made. The mixology session which is by-appointment-only lasts for an hour. It is not only super informative but also kid-friendly as my daughter tagged along that day.

During the hour long session, we got to smell about 36 different scents and grade them. Those scents where going to become the building blocks of our own self-made perfume. Between helping my daughter, and taking the time to grade each scent, the hours passed too fast. Clearly, we were having too much fun.

Once you grade your different scents, and of course eliminating some, it is time to start building your own. Mine was more on the citrus and fresh side, while my daughter's... well, let’s say hers was more sugary and flowery.

Then, after you have decided that you have had the right mix, it is time to get it all in a nice bottle and tagged with your choice of name, I chose my daughter's initials and she chose the Snowflake Collection.

The plus is that Oo La Lab keeps the recipe of the mix you made and so if you ever want to get more of it, you can simply head back to their counter. I am thinking of heading to the counter simply to make some more uni-flora perfume. You see, some days I like to wear things that are just very fresh and very straightforward and what a great way to do so while you build your own library of scent at home.

If you love your perfumes or if you are curious of how a scent gets made, I highly recommend making an appointment with Oo La Lab. I know that, for me, I will definitely go back with some friends that have expressed interest when I mentioned it.

For more information on booking a mixology session check the Oo La Lab site