Press
Sue Phillips Speaks At Zurich International's ZURICH LIVE
ENTREPRENEUR’S CORNER By New York Lifestyles
By Judy Goss
One of the magical things about New York City is that anyone can plant their seed here and blossom into a tremendous success no matter where they are from in the world. Remember Frank Sinatra as he sang, “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere…”? I’m reminded of this as I listen to the light-hearted lilt of Sue Phillip’s South African accent as she unfolds her story in front of me in her captivating Manhattan Scentarium shop beginning from her remote upbringing in South Africa as a child.
ACT II After years of being in corporate America working as a national leader in training for the cosmetics industry, Sue eventually found her niche and second passion (in addition to singing and dancing) in the perfume industry. Don’t get me wrong—she still kept her hand in the entertainment industry by singing and dancing in the evenings at cabarets and such, but now her focus was on building her corporate career. And when she was eventually introduced to the fragrance world it took on a whole new light, or…sense, shall we say. But before her fragrance career began, Sue was promoted into color cosmetics from her corporate training position at Elizabeth Arden and started learning about eye shadows, lipsticks, mascaras and how companies are marketing these products to women. “What girl doesn’t want to know that stuff, right?” Sue said with a chuckle, then afterward Arden promoted her into fragrance marketing which instantly became her greatest passion. “With lipsticks and eye shadows you can immediately see the difference. With fragrance, it’s so intangible, you can’t see anything—but you can definitely feel the difference. It reflects who you are.” Sue opened up a whole new world for herself, leading to her next venture at Lancôme where as Marketing Director she worked on Chloe, Burberry, and Lagerfeld fragrances. She started to feel a “love and kinship” for fragrances, a much deeper passion than what she had felt with cosmetics and color. Lancôme at the time was very focused on cosmetics and skincare treatment and considered fragrance to be the “stepchild” of the company. But with Sue’s obsession for the potential of what fragrance could do for the public’s olfaction, she paved the way for Lancôme to eventually make their fragrance department a top competitor in the industry. While at Lancôme, little did Sue know that her career was about to take on an even more high-profile turn and propel her up into the top echelons of the fragrance industry.


ACT V For most people, reaching the pinnacle of an entrepreneurial career as a world-renowned consultant would be good enough, but as a visionary Sue realized seven years ago that fragrances had a different future and she wanted to be leading the pack. She noticed consumers were getting tired of having to choose premade perfume types or a celebrity’s choice of perfume that may or may not fit into their personality and scent preference. So Sue capitalized on an evolving future of customized scents for everyone, perfumes that people could create themselves—bespoke fragrances, as Sue calls it. As the world exploded into customized industries from vacations to interior design, Sue awakened her industry to the beginning of tailored perfumes with her picturesque haven of a perfumery called Scentarium located in Downtown Manhattan. The shop hypnotizes the soul with its charm and beauty, enrapturing all the senses with glorious scents, music and exquisite paintings her mother created for her as one of the most talented artists in South Africa. Scentarium clients range from celebrities (Jamie Foxx and Katie Holmes are fans) to six-year-old girls to 80-year-old birthday parties. Also in the mix are Fortune 500 companies who request team building conferences and celebratory events like AOL, Bulgari, COTY and hundreds of other corporations who have hired her to set up fragrance bars at their events for their employees to experience the art of custom perfume creation.

THE FINALE Looking back Sue exclaims “If you had told me that growing up in South Africa I would land up being in NYC singing, dancing and working in the cosmetic industry then eventually developing a fragrance for Tiffany, I would have said you’re crazy!” I have a feeling the curtain is not even close to coming down yet on Sue’s ventures.

The Daily Glow Visits The Scentarium
Here's How To Create Your Own Custom Fragrance At The 'Scentarium'
A Custom Scent For Fall
Sitting here in the recent Autumn chill as the days of Summer draw to a close and the early hints of Fall appear – I thought I'd create myself a bespoke perfume for Fall to cheer myself up and make me feel special at this time of year. So – here is my perfume recipe: Earthy Mossy Perfume Blend (Deep notes of oak moss with woods, leather and rich florals - it’s like an Enchanted Forest! Honey, jasmine rose, bergamot, sandalwood, sweet resins, patchouli, Labdanum styrax – sensual and sophisticated). Rose Floral Perfume Blend (An exquisite exotic, modern, desirable rose floral with wild rose and Turkish rose otto. This rose blend is fascinating and attractive and not your grand-mother’s rose. It includes Moroccan rose violet, cognac, clove and violet. Crisp Green Perfume Blend (The aroma of fresh cut green grass, with green leaves, green grass, prairies and meadows, and a hint of sweet Hyacinth, green lemon, green teas. Crisp and natural – modern and fresh.) My creation is warming, sensual and comforting yet fresh, with beautiful rose and violet florals surrounded by freshly cut stems and held together with a deep earthy note. Perfect for Fall. To create your own Fall scent, why not purchase these Perfume Blends from Scenterprises' web site and create your very own custom scent for Fall. (Full instructions supplied with the blends) Purchase blends here. Alternatively, you can use Scenterprises' unique on line design service and create your very own fragrance on line. Details here .
Sue Phillips offers one to one Custom Scent Experiences where you can learn all about the art of perfumery and create your own custom scent with the guiding hand of Sue. Book a Custom Scent Experience here.
Design Your Own Fragrance - Some Inspiration
- Firstly mix the Crisp Green with the Breezy Ozonic - this will produce an exciting, fresh, sporty clean scent which is perfect for a relaxing weekend.
- Secondly, mix Crisp Green with Breezy Ozonic with Fresh Floral - this will produce a fabulous feminine powerful scent ideal for the office to keep you feeling and smelling delectable all day.
- Thirdly, mix Crisp Green with Breezy Ozonic, Fresh Floral and Earthy Mossy - this will transform your scent into a warm, sensual and exotic evening perfume - soft and enticing to allure those gentlemen!!!
Sue Phillips - Fragrance Expert And Motivational Speaker
Create Your Own Perfume On Line - Summer Special
Design your own fragrance here.
Business Insider Interview With Sue Phillips - How To Create Your Own Custom Fragrance At The Scentarium
VIDEO
Design Your Very Own Fragrance On Line
Design your own fragrance here.
I Recently Ordered Two Customized Perfumes From Scenterprises.
I recently ordered two customized perfumes from Scenterprises. Here I wanted to provide a feedback for the second perfume from this perfume house that labelled as No 04212017. This scent is absolutely a masterpiece. It was created by Sue Phillips at Scenterprises. The design of this No. 04212017 was based on a personal preferences questionnaire I filled out online (http://scentarium.com/create-fragrance-line/). Sue interpreted my answers as fresh floral oriental perfume. My initial sniff of this perfume giving me an impression of citrus, ginger, white flowers with hint of lavender and rose, followed by patchouli, sandalwood, and musk. After few more applications, I believe the floral hearts are tuberose, gardenia, jasmine, and maybe a little freesia and magnolia. The dynamics of this fragrance is outstanding for my taste. The perfume has very clear cut yet smooth transitions from its crispy, citrusy, clean fresh opening to the sweet and calming floral heart notes! The projection of the heart notes had such an appropriate length (about 2-3 hours) and then un-noticeably smoothed into its woody oriental notes. I believe they were trace of patchouli with characteristic Mysore sandalwood and musk. The base notes of this perfume stay quite long and I could detect it after 6-8 hours. This is absolute my current favorite fragrance that I actually wear among my few thousand collections. It also worth to point out that this is a very “polite” perfume. It is well balanced with the right intensity. It is mild and inviting towards people around me when I applied. And I believe it can definitely be used in going to an opera if applied properly. The overall impression of this fragrance is leaning towards a feminine perfume. However, there is no doubt that it can be used as a unisex fragrance. Thank you so much Sue!!! This No. 04212017 is such a master blends that it is as dynamic as a symphony! It is so addictive! With Scenterprises you can: