A women who doesn’t wear perfume has no future. Coco Chanel
The fragrances you wear for the special moments in your life become part of the story. Even just catching a whiff of a fragrance will bring back the memories so delicately intertwined with it.
It’s a fragrance journey
Liz joined the beauty and fragrance industry many years ago and started her career with a fragrance house where she fell in love with the concept. She then worked as Sales Manager for Estee Lauder before moving to Clarins as Sales Director; Liz was also a Markets & Cosmetics Executive for Stuttafords.
She is also currently available as a Fragrance Journey Speaker, her talks are suitable for men and women. Liz is also on Hot 91.9 every Sunday with Lloyd for the next couple of months – and you could stand the chance to win a perfume!
Questions to Liz, the Fragrance Queen
When I started thinking of questions for the Fragrance Queen I immediately thought – what would someone that work in the fragrance industry have – and how would she choose between all the fragrances that she may own. I own a few perfumes and each of them has a time and place in my life – I have a perfume for date night, girls night, business meetings and something for travel…easy peasy.
Usually I rewrite the answers for my interview to tell a story, but with Liz I don’t want to take away from the story. Enjoy the Q&A!
I had to ask which fragrances Liz had in her own collection, because how do you not ask that question to a person that work with fragrances?
Wow that’s a difficult question as I have over 30 in my own collection & some not available in SA. Here are a few:
- Lancôme La Vie Est Belle EDP
- Bvlgari Eau Parfumee au the noir (not available in SA)
- Lowe Aura Magnetica EDP (not available in SA)
- Agent Provocateur Pure Aphrodisiaque EDP (only available at Dischem )
- Armani Prive Vetiver Babylone
- Salvatore Ferragamo Signorina EDP
- Roberto Cavalli Paradiso Assoluto EDP
- Flora by Gucci Generous violet (not available in SA any longer)
- Guerlain Idylle EDP
- Boss the Scent for her EDP
- Jean Paul Gaultier Essence de Parfum Classique
When I asked Liz to name her favourite perfume it must’ve been the most difficult question for someone that is literally elbow deep in perfume, but the selection is delicious!
- Thierry Mugler Alien Eau de Parfum
- Tom Ford White Patchouli, Eau de Parfum
- Boucheron Eau de Parfum (the original)
- Marc Jacobs Decadence Eau de Parfum
- Shiseido Zen Eau de Parfum (not available in SA)
- Armani Si EDP
- Carolina Herrera Good Girl EDP
- Montblanc Lady Emblem Elixir EDP
- Mugler Cologne EDT (not available in SA) This is a gender free fragrance, so for woman & men
Do you change the fragrance you wear based on season?
Yes I do change fragrances according to seasons. In summer I wear what I would describe as light & floral fragrances to match the light summer clothing. In winter I only wear EDP & always use a body lotion during winter as your scent will last longer on a moisturized skin. We wear darker more textured clothing in winter so I love to wear oriental, woody & deeper floral fragrances. I also think many people have an iconic fragrance amongst the fragrance collect that they wear all year round.
What makes a perfume iconic?
Definitely the brand & its history, there are so many beautiful stories on brands. Also very important is the juice & if it has wide appeal.
When I think of iconic perfumes I think of Chanel No 5, Angel, Kenzo Flower… What would be on your list?
Again as I am in the business there are just too many, all the big brands that have been around for a while most of them are fashion houses.
I know that Angel from Thierry Mugler was launched in 1992 and it surprises + intrigues the senses. The sweet candyfloss fragrance is so perfectly balanced and seemed to stay a popular fragrance. What are your thoughts on this? You can now also refill your bottle at ‘The Source’ – is this a trend we will see with more fragrances?
Thierry Mugler was the 1st brand to launch a gourmand fragrance & no the other brands are not following the source concept. Some brands however have refill bottles but not many.
A gourmand fragrance is a perfume which consists primarily of synthetic edible (gourmand) notes such as honey, chocolate, vanilla or candy. These top and middle notes may be blended with non-edible base notes such as patchouli or musk. They have been described as olfactory desserts. (Wikipedia)
What is the most popular fragrance for men/women in South Africa?
Again this is difficult but would say men Dior Savage & female Carolina Herrera Good Girl both fairly new.
What is the most popular fragrance for teens? Do celebrity fragrances do well in this target market?
I would say an Eau de Toilette is better for teens rather than an Eau de Parfum & suggest the Mom take her teens into a store to test their preferences. Yes Celebs scents are good for teens & find that they buy their favourite celeb & the price of these fragrances are normally lower than the rest.
How do you choose a signature perfume for yourself?
You have to get to know the fragrance wheel & where you like to play in, don’t choose a scent that smell good on a friend as it won’t smell the same on you.
Matric farewell season will be upon us soon, do you have any pointers for guys and girls about which perfumes to look at for their special event? Do you have any tips for matrics that have to buy within a tight budget?
Fragrance is so personal & it evokes emotional reactions. So I don’t like to recommend unless I have the person standing in front of me so we can have a discussion.
Do you have any tips for brides and grooms about wedding day perfumes?
Again this is very personal. You have to consider the venue type, time of year, season, the person’s personality. Here are some suggestions to consider.
Floral is a Romantic person, Oriental is an Exotic person, Fresh is a fuss free person, Woody is a unique person & Gourmand is a sensual person.
A woman’s perfume tells more about her than her handwriting. Christian Dior
Can you tell something about a person’s personality just by looking at the fragrances they wear?
Yes you can by looking at what they wear & the type of person they are their likes, dislikes & lifestyle.
If you want to buy someone a perfume as a gift – but don’t know what they usually wear…how do you choose? Do you have any pointers?
This is the most difficult thing to do as I don’t suggest you buy a fragrance that you like. You have to discuss fragrances with the person to determine what part of the fragrance wheel they like & defiantly enquire if the person you are buying for may change it should they not like the gift.
Where should you apply your fragrance?
Spray you fragrance on the pulse points which are the warm parts of the body, from the inside of the wrist up the arm & behind the neck. Fragrances rise so it’s really great to spray behind your knees. We don’t recommend that you spray fragrance on your chest to avoid sun spots & wrinkles.
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