A little while ago, I was invited over to the Leeds Penhaligon’s shop for a Fragrance Profiling session. I’ve long bought the same three or four perfumes so I know what I like and I am quite scent-sensitive so I can’t just wear any-old-thing as it gives me headaches and makes me feel a bit ill. This is all to explain to you, readers, that I am picky. And I also tend to stick to the higher end price pointed fragrances because they last longer and I prefer their oil contents.
Penhaligon’s Leeds is located in the stunning Victoria Quarter, the Grade II listed arcade that still drips opulence. The location definitely gets the visit off on the right foot. Then I’m welcomed with bubbles and chocolate (hey! It’s a Friday!) which lures me in to true relaxation mode. Then the fun with Alexandra and Beth from Penhaligon’s begins.
They run me through the long and interesting history of the company. Penhaligon’s was first opened by a Cornish barber in 1870, and some of those original scents sold are still around today. There’s “Hammam Bouquet” which was very strong and quite spicy but one whiff of it definitely led me to envision top hats, bustled gowns and overcoats. Which makes sense, it was first blended in the Victorian era. Another heritage scent that piqued my curiosity was Blenheim Bouquet. It’s citrusy and woodsy and I can see why it’s so popular. It’s a lovely fragrance first made in the early 1900s and it’s still popular today. I love seeing how taste towards scents and fragrances has changed over time so I loved playing around with the Heritage collection and hearing the stories behind them.
Which brings me to their Portraits collection; their current collection. The idea of the collection centres around a large, aristocratic family. Every perfume is for a different family member and comes with background and story about that family member. For example, the figurehead of the family is Lord George. You learn that he is an archetypal patriarch that on face value is all about respect, loyalty, king, and country but has secrets (like his mistress). The fragrance has notes of brandy, shaving soap and Tonka bean.
Then I started my fragrance profiling session. After answering questions about whether I’d want the scent to be for day, night or versatile, we got to some more seemingly random questions like what fabrics do I like to wear, what drinks do I prefer, amongst many others.
I ended up narrowing my choices down and choosing from Duchess Rose, Empressa, Luna, and Artemesia.
You can go to any store to do a fragrance profiling session or you can take one yourself online on the Penhaligon’s website.
The scent that I ended up choosing was Duchess Rose. Her backstory: “Daughter of Lady Blanche and Lord George, Rose married a Duke to escape the stifling rigidity of her family and to become the Coveted Duchess Rose. At first, naively romantic, she has now become disillusioned and frustrated in an unsatisfactory marriage. Always looking for fun and frivolity (and perhaps love affairs), her fragrance is a not so innocent fresh rose.” All of which, of course, I love. But the scent itself is just divine. With head notes of mandarin, heart notes of rose and then a musky base it was fresh, floral but very, very subtle. It’s a perfume that could easily go from day to night as well as one that is mostly just for myself.
I had my Duchess Rose bottle engraved in store (because that’s something else that Penhaligon’s can do!) and I think that’s an absolutely brilliant touch especially if you are buying someone a fragrance as a gift or to mark a special occasion.
After smelling many different fragrances, I also was on the mission to find Sam a new scent for Christmas. The one that I liked best for him was completely coincidentally called “Mister Sam“. The back story for Mister Sam is “An American abroad; in London to be precise, who spends freely, lives fast and talks loudly. Reassuring, warm, sexy and deep. And that’s just the top notes! Instinctive, indiscrete, …& ready to receive instruction. Well, he appeared to be taking lessons from Duchess Rose the last time he was seen…”. Since I opted for the Duchess Rose perfume it just seems too perfect. I took him home a sample and he absolutely loves it.
And speaking of Christmas, Penhaligon’s has two special gift collections for the holidays. There’s a “for him” and a “for her” but all of Penhaligon’s fragrances are made to be unisex. The gift collections are brilliant because you get 5 small bottles per collection for £36. It’s a good deal monetarily, and then the gift-receiver gets to experiences quite a few different fragrances before picking their favourites for themselves.
Penhaligon’s, as a brand, is cruelty-free; however, the larger company that owns them, Puig, is not. Penhaligon’s does not test on animals and they do not sell in China.
Have you ever worn any Penhaligon’s perfumes?
***I was a guest of Penhaligon’s so the products mentioned were gifted to me; however, all opinions are forever my own.***
