Real Wives Of Potomac Scent Dinner

Sue Phillips scentertains™ the Real Wives of Potomac at a Scenterprises' Scent Dinner. If you'd like to Sue to design a Scent Dinner for your clients, your company, or your friends - then get in touch!

With Real Housewives of Potomac #RHOP Karen Huger at a Scenterprises' Scent Dinner

SMELL YA LATER!

Hi Sue,

It is my goal to be different and right. I used to try to be different for the sake of being different, but I now realize that being different and wrong is just stupid and annoying (thanks, Meredith). In truth, there are few opportunities in life for most people to accomplish this in meaningful ways. John Paulson famously was different and right when he bet against the housing market and made a fortune. President Obama famously was both when he voted against the war in Iraq and used this platform to ultimately became President.

Somehow (I don't know how) I became curious about the multi-billion dollar perfume/cologne industry which is predicated on selling the same aspirational scent to everyone. Stick with me here. One simple way to be different and right is to wear a bespoke fragrance that is distinctive and smells great. People are spending their hard-earned dollars on flavored oils that will conjure images created by intensive marketing and advertising. I know if I wear Ralph Lauren Polo Red I will immediately be an 8 Chucker, or better the next time I play polo! Of course, if I wear Tom Ford I will have to fight back the waves of 10's approaching me at the bar. However, I would go a step further, and say that for the man/woman who has everything, they need their own scent! In this week's Loupe, I show you how to smell differently (in a good way) and smell right!

You Nose

Waft Lab

If you don't require the sniffer of a seasoned pro, then you can refine your tastes and produce a scent using the Waft Lab system. The website brings you through a series of questions to help you find your smell. They will ask is the scent for you, or is it a present. Deep thought: I think a present may be a bit much, as perfume/cologne is a very personal thing, despite the fact that it is naturally shared with everyone, the receiver may take the gift the wrong way (like buying someone a scale)! Then you narrow it down based on sex, orientation (masculine, feminine, or unisex), when you plan on wearing it (day or night), the activity you see yourself doing while wearing it (sport, socializing, work, etc.). They delve further into your mood, the potency, specific ingredients that you respond to, and then other colognes/perfume that you know you already like. The net result is a scent engineered just for you. You can even design the bottle and title the scent. There is some excitement and anticipation because you really don't know what you are going to get, or whether you will like it. Of course, I named mine The Loupe! Next time you see me (if you do), feel free to comment on how I smell!

You Don't Nose

The Scentarium, by Sue Phillips 85 Franklin Street New York, NY 10013

Maybe determining your scent should be left to a professional since not everyone has a good sense of smell (like I do). It is also true that you may have a different association with the smell than most people do, and therefore you are sending a wrong signal to a friend, colleague, and/or loved one. In this case, you may want to take a visit to Sue Phillips, who may have invented the category of Bespoke Perfumes. She has worked at Elizabeth Arden, Tiffanys, and more. She has designed fragrances for A-listers who want (dare) to be different. Make an appointment and spend an hour in her laboratory in Tribeca. She will give you a quiz that will flush out the general category of scent that suits you. Then she will walk you through the various scents (16 in total), and you will sort through what you like. After which, you will combine 4-6 and make your very own scent. It is a fun process, and she will teach you the history of the scents (she was an adjunct professor), as well as various stories from the perfume world. In the end, you will have your very own fragrance, named, bottled and cataloged for future use! Perhaps, you have a brand that needs its own scent (like La Loupe), or maybe you want to walk into a room and everyone to know (via smell) that you are there!

Let's find ways to be different and right, starting with the way you smell. Consider challenging your olfactory system and the Waft Lab and The Scentarium by Sue Phillips Found!

The Loupe

Sue Phillips At The Emmy Gifting Suite 2017

By Roger Lim (for Australia TV) Beautiful, historic & prestigious. Defined by its spectacular arches, decorated with its curving stairways and elegant grand ballrooms, the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles was the breath-taking site for the 2017 Celebrity Connected Emmy Luxury Gifting Suite. On first approach of the vintage-rich ballroom, the lively MC at the top of the stairs introduced the flow of incoming celebrities from rising talent to established stars. Inside, the jam-packed ballroom lit our senses with all its colorful products, flashy packaging and scores of signature gift bags lining tables. Directly in front of us was Stare Cosmetics promoting their sleek high-end makeup, perfect for classy red carpet events such as this. Business Development Strategist, Yanet Solis, was there to promote her extremely attractive line to us, highlighting the line's "coverage, colors, and compatibility between skincare & makeup". Reps continuously posed for celeb shots against their Signature backdrop as pro photographers flashed away. After a few snapshots ourselves, we were sent off happily with various full size samples of their gorgeous color palette. Their entire collection can be found at Stare Cosmetics – STARE Cosmetics

Neighboring Dekke Hud San Francisco also boasted great gift bags of men's and women's facial treatment masks. "Taking care of your skin is always a complicated and lengthy daily routine, while you are often forced to rely on products that don’t ever seem to yield the results they are promising. In today’s fast-paced world your day is consumed by your many responsibilities, leaving little time to treat your skin. Dekke Hud Skincare was founded on the promise to simplify what was once an arduous process to an effortless, straightforward weekly routine." After taking advantage of some fun photo ops, top head, Joanne Liu, informed us their "Simplicity All-In-One" non-medicated skin care products & cleansers can be found at Dekke Hud - Skincare for Modern Men | Official Site

Just behind, CEO Krystal Kitahara from Yummi Karma allowed us to sample her full size jar of Pina-Co-Canna Medical Cannabis Body Butter. The natural-infused aroma mesmerized our sensesas new clientele took turns posing with her eye-poppingly packaged Butters, Rich Oils & More. "Yummi Karma have formulated products specifically with women in mind. High Gorgeous is a full line of topical essentials that will give you both pain relief and the confidence to be your best self!" We were honored to have been graced by the all the reps' fantastic synergy with so much exciting buzz stirring all around this very busy crew. Krystal's entire cosmetic line along with some healthy snackables can be found at Yummi Karma - Edibles, Topicals, Drink Enhancers

Next was the The Fodmap Friendly Tea Company, visiting all the way from Australia. Company Director Carolyn Lindrea presented us her tea samples, each in fashionable clear tube containers inside her signature draw-string canvas baggie. Grace, Eminta, Slim Jim, GI Jane, Max Out & Aussie Jem brand teas promote everything from energy to mind relaxation to inflammation reduction. "Created to heal and soothe the digestive system we offer FODMAP friendly hand made blends to suit every tummy". After posing for some cool pix, she shared how excited she was to have just gifted Susan Sarandon just before us, still blushing from her new connection! Carolyn's full line of teas can be found at The fodmap friendly tea co.

As we made our way toward the opposite end of the ballroom, Marketing Director Nick Abdoo of Cosmetic Hideaways greeted us with some Bling! His shiny metal lipstick/ lip balm cases hanging from fashionable chains now flashed brightly around our torsos. "Cosmetic Hideaways is the game-changing accessory that takes your lipstick from your handbag to wearable fashion." Nick's attractive new product can be found on his family-run website www.CosmeticHideaways.com

On the way back towards the front, we were captivated by the lure of all-natural perfumes, dispensers and shiny satchels. Sue Phillips was introducing her new House of Fragrance Menage 'a Trois Kits of Sparkling Citrus & Glamorous Floral. Fragrance Expert & Spokesperson Sue boasts, "My mission is to take the fragrance out of the bottle and create a magical perfume experience for my clients- drop by drop". She generously presented us each with a 20ml swivel atomizer filled with aromatic magic of our choice, with the Woodsy scent being my favorite. Her arousing new Citrus, Floral, Fresh, Spicy & Woodsy Perfume Scents, new products, and so much more can be found at Scent | Perfume | How to Make Perfume| Scenterprises

Next booth over, Michael Jarrett, VP of Diva Stuff allowed us to sample his various waist creams, cellulite bars and anti-acne treatments, all-naturally beautifying products great for women and men as well. After taking several pics of the products and were presented lavender gift bags to fill with cosmetic samples our choice like their Crepey Skin Cream, Sea Salt Acne Face Wash & Hydrating Lip Balm to name a few products from their amazing layout. Michael's full line can be found at www.DivaStuff.co Our last, but certainly not least visit of the day, was Repurpose Bowties. We were each allowed to choose a fancy bow tie from his wall of over 100 styles, patterns, materials & colors. We snapped a few last pics as we were sent on our way with new bowties, nicely topping off our gift bags with "wasted fabric turned into tasteful accessories" . All of their fine environmentally-friendly accessories can be found at Repurpose Bowties | Denver, CO |

SUE PHILLIPS - What Is The Core Message Of The Fragrance?

SUE PHILLIPS (PRESIDENT AND CEO, SCENTERPRISES): “What is the core value? What is the core message of the fragrance?”

CREATIVE EXPRESSION: ACTOR

INTERVIEW AND NARRATIVE BY KENNEDY GACHIRI FOR THE SUPERSTAR AGENDA PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELENA MUDD “The first thing you have to figure out is, ‘What is the core value?…What is the core message of the fragrance?…Whatever that core essence is.’” That is the first thing that Sue Phillips considers when designing a fragrance. Sue is crystal clear about her core essence. She is the queen of scent. Her company is “Scenterprises.” She calls herself a “scentrepreneur.” She offers “scentertaining” experiences. She even signs her emails, “Scentfully Yours.” Sue is all in. And she has a serious and illustrious pedigree that anchors her playful branding. Sue’s iconic fragrance creations include fragrances for TIFFANY & CO (Tiffany for Women, Tiffany for Men), and BURBERRY (Society by Burberry for Women and Society by Burberry for Men). Sue has also spearheaded key fragrance initiatives for Avon, Diane Von Furstenberg, Lancaster and Trish McEvoy.

We meet at Sue’s perfumery in TriBeca, New York: The Scentarium. Our interview starts a little later than planned as Sue wraps up some urgent meetings. “I am extremely time-challenged and put in a great many hours in the day. However, I am totally passionate about what I do, and I’m forging all kinds of alliances to build a team around me,” she would later say. We descend a flight of stairs to an elaborately adorned salon. This is the space where Sue has worked with notable celebrities to design their custom fragrances. Her client roster includes Jamie Foxx, Katie Holmes, Zendaya and many other entertainment and media personalities. So, how did this all begin? “As a little girl, when my mom would kiss me goodnight, her perfume would linger. And I would always remember her leaving, and her fragrance was in the air. I always felt comforted by that,” Sue says. “I always loved perfume but never thought that I’d be in the fragrance industry. I always wanted to be a singer and an actress. I was singing and acting in South Africa. Moved to New York in my very early 20s,” she adds. Sue came to New York on vacation and fell in love with the city. She worked with an immigration attorney and over time secured a green card. Sue obtained three job offers: one at a bank, the second at a design company, and the third was in cosmetics at Elizabeth Arden. She took the job with Elizabeth Arden to be the executive assistant to the President of the company.

“When I got the position at Elizabeth Arden, I thought, ‘That’s very similar to showbiz, as the idea of cosmetics is very akin to showbiz!,’” she says. “Because of my acting background, I was able to speak and make presentations to people, so the management at Arden felt that I’d be good in training. And I said, ‘What’s training?’ They wanted someone who could inspire and motivate the consultants who were selling behind the counter. Teach them…about the product…and how to sell. …I ended up at Macy’s for 3 months as an orientation to learn about retail and motivating consultants. It was the best training I ever had because it teaches you to never judge a book by its cover. Never think that just because someone isn’t well dressed that they don’t have the money to spend. Or that if someone is well dressed they will shower you with thousands of dollars. It was a way of understanding who your customer is and talking to your customer in a thoughtful and compelling way,” Sue adds. She rose the ranks to become the national training director at Elizabeth Arden, and then in a sequence of promotions, moved on to Marketing in Color Cosmetics, and then later to Marketing Director for Fragrances. After 6 years at Elizabeth Arden, Sue received a call from Lancôme. The president at Elizabeth Arden was not at all pleased to be losing his rising star. “I said to him, ‘Joe, I started at this company as your executive assistant. I will always be remembered as your executive assistant and will never be fully integrated into this company as a senior executive.’ And he agreed with me,” Sue says. She was at Lancôme for 4 years before receiving a call from another head hunter to be vice president of fragrance at Tiffany.

It was while at Tiffany that Sue developed the iconic Tiffany fragrances. But not until making some initial major strategic changes. When Sue joined Tiffany, the team there had been working with two independent consultants to develop the Tiffany fragrance. The entire process had been going on for two years. When Sue tested the fragrance prototypes, she realized that they were “awful.” “They seemed synthetic and chemical. They didn’t typify or represent any of the hallmarks of the quality of what a Tiffany fragrance should be,” Sue says. It was a difficult starting position at a new job but she proceeded with a politician’s prowess. Sue reached out to industry veterans and asked for their candid feedback on the fragrances that were under development. These well respected, industry hands sided with Sue. Armed with this data, Sue approached her future boss before her first day on the job and diplomatically told her what she thought about the fragrances. Her future boss marched Sue to the chairman of Tiffany & Co, “‘Sue doesn’t think the fragrances that we’ve been working on over the past two years are good enough,’ my new boss told the chairman. The chairman goes, ‘Well, we hired her to fix it. Go fix it!’” Sue says laughing. But how would Sue handle the fact that there would be displeased consultants and a new team to deal with? A team that had spent two years designing the previous Tiffany prototypes? At that time, Tiffany was in a joint venture with Chanelwho would be manufacturing and distributing the fragrance, and so Sue set up a meeting with the owner of Chanel, Alain Wertheimer, who tried the original submissions and agreed with Sue. “‘Sue, I want you to work with my chief perfumer in Paris, Jacques Polge.’ So that was my leeway to working in Paris, with a perfumer. …I spent 4 weeks in Paris,” she says. After returning from Paris, Sue, the chairman of Tiffany, and Sue’s future boss selected the fragrance that Sue brought back from Europe. Sue and her team then arranged for focus groups so that they could compare the newly developed Parisian scent to the two previous scents that had been developed by the independent consultants. The focus groups were comprised of 300 typical Tiffany clients and included qualitative and quantitative assessments. The fragrance that Sue had developed with Jacques Polge in Paris clearly won out. It ended up being a favorable outcome for all involved. “I wanted to be fair to the consultants, the house, and the brand,” she says.

The art of designing a scent is subtle but deliberate. “What is the core brand positioning?” Sue asks. “I was asked to spearhead the fragrance design for Burberry, and the company has a tremendous heritage and history,” she starts, holding the bottle containing the Burberry fragrance that she designed. “Burberry’s bottle was based on an antique toothbrush holder. It was very much a symbol of British tradition. …Whenever royalty would travel, they would have their little grooming kit. …So taking the idea of heritage and history. …At the time, Burberry was considered a men’s brand. We wanted to launch a woman’s fragrance first to ‘shift’ the positioning of the brand so as to make it more ‘female-centric.’ So we developed a distinctly bold floral, with some bright sparkling green notes…Thinking of the English lawn, and fields, and lavender,” Sue continues. Sue created Burberry fragrances for men and women which became “Society by Burberry.” Designing fragrances for individuals follows a similarly detailed inquiry. Sue sets out to understand the core values and personality of the individual. “To develop a fragrance from scratch can typically take about a year or two,” she says. However, at Sue’s perfumery in Tribeca, she takes clients through a “scentertaining” creative experience over the course of an hour or two. This is because Sue has developed a range of 18 perfume blends which can be combined and matched so that she can tailor a fragrance to an individual’s style and palate. “I give clients a scent personality quiz…Based on your answers, I can tell you what fragrance direction you should be heading into,” she says. The quiz assesses lifestyle preferences and is comprised of 12 questions that range from, “what fabrics do you prefer to wear against your skin?” to, “what is your favorite time of day?” After completing the quiz, Sue categorizes your scent preference among four categories: Woodsy, Oriental, Floral, and Fresh. The next step in creating your custom scent is a tour of scent profiles. Sue walks the scent creator through 18 blends that range in spectrum from fresh, fruity florals to warm woodsy, musky, and spicy perfumes. The creator then picks 4 out of the 18 that most resonate with him or her. After selecting your favorite scents, Sue prepares a custom fragrance which you get to name. And there you have it. You now have a signature scent. Sue’s goal is to create a “fun, enjoyable, and scentertaining experience.” Throughout the fragrance creating experience, Sue speaks about her passion for scent, “Our most powerful sense…after sight, is our sense of smell…It’s the only sense we have that connects memory and emotion, and correlates our sense of smell to taste ….so food and flavor are totally related,” she says. “You know, when you get a cold, you can’t smell or taste!” “With the construction of fragrances, there is a beginning, a middle, and an end. When you first spray on a fragrance, you get the top notes; then it mixes with your body, the middle notes come out; and then finally, the base notes are longest lasting,” Sue says. The base notes from her childhood still linger on. Sue still remembers the lasting scent of her mother’s perfume as she faded off to sleep as a little girl in South Africa. “I do a lot of work in the area of Alzheimer’s because scent and memory are so entwined, and sadly my mother had Alzheimer’s. Those are her paintings on the walls,” she says, gesturing wistfully towards her wall art. For Sue Phillips, scent is more than just smells, business, and clever wordplay. It is how she remembers herself. Her mission is “to take fragrance out of the bottle, and to create magical and memorable experiences for [her] clients…drop by drop.” www.superstaragenda.com

The 7 Trendiest Fragrances Everyone Will Be Wearing This Fall

It's officially time to haul your booties out from under the bed, drop off your favorite coat at the dry cleaner, wrap yourself up in a cozy scarf, and pick out a new fragrance to wear all season long. That's why we enlisted the help of perfume gurus to detail the top Fall fragrance trends and dish on fresh launches to help you narrow down your (many) choices.

"Traditionally, Fall is a time when we want darker, woodsier, patchouli scents, reminding us of gatherings around the crackling fireplace, sipping brandy or mulled wine, and crisp mornings with glorious colors of foliage," said Sue Phillips, a fragrance trend forecaster. It's true that scents tend to lean warmer in the colder months, but this isn't a roundup of the same old stuff you see year after year. Both indie and mass perfumers have become increasingly clever and experimental with their scents, and the trends outlined ahead are proof of that. www.popsugar.com

Why The Idea That Perfume Is For Women And Cologne Is For Men Is An Archaic Mindset

Archaic Mindset

Published Sept. 28, 2017 by Rachel Lubitz

Perfume is for women and cologne is for men — that, for many, is what we’ve been taught for most our lives. Walk through a department store and you will likely see strict gender lines. The colognes are in displays with male models or a heterosexual couple in deep embrace, with the cologne itself being stored in a black or industrial-looking bottle. Perfumes, meanwhile, are advertised with images of women or a couple that looks loving and sensual, with the perfume itself in a bottle that is white or pink or purple.

That’s just perfume marketing for you. But the truth is, cologne isn’t necessarily concocted to appeal to men, nor is it solely for men. The real difference between perfume and cologne is merely how the fragrances are formulated, and the concentration or amount of oils in the fragrance.

“How fragrances are made is that they get the essential oils, whether it be from flowers or plants or animals and so on. You extract the absolute oils from things like the rose, or the lemon or lavender,” Sue Phillips, a fragrance expert and the founder of Scenterprises, which specializes in custom perfume, said in an interview. “Once they take the oil, it is very heavy, it is like a solid perfume, like an olive oil texture. So they’ve felt they had to lighten it, and what they did was take the essential oil, then mix it with some alcohol and water, and that was the perfume.

What you call a fragrance, whether it’s perfume or eau de parfume or eau de toilette or eau de cologne, is entirely based on the ratio between fragrance oil and alcohol and water. Cologne, which was created in Germany in the 18th century, is the most diluted, with the least amount of fragrance oil in the formula (usually around 2 to 4%) and more alcohol and water, while perfume has the highest concentration of fragrance oil, at about 20 to 30%.

It’s just all about that equation, and nothing to do with even how a scent smells. A man can wear a perfume just as a much as a woman can wear a cologne. One is not inherently more attractive to men, or women.

So why does the perfume industry remain so gendered? Back in the 1700s, for example, Napoleon was known to wear an excess of perfume himself, which he’d use to cover up his natural and understandably strong body odor after months on the field.

According to Phillips, modern marketing had a big effect.

“American men were always seen slapping on cologne as an aftershave,” Phillips said. “In the mid to late 70s, when the perfume craze was happening for women, men felt they wanted to have some kind of fragrance. So cologne came to be known as, after you shave, you dab some cologne on. It wasn’t called perfume for men, it was cologne.”

Then with the celebrity perfume craze in the 1990s and early 2000s, male celebrities released colognes (not perfumes) as well.

“The trend over the past few years was that it was the designers, then the celebrities, and suddenly every celebrity had a fragrance,” Phillips said. “Men started to get grooming essentials, so they had aftershave, cologne, deodorant and so on.”

Perfume, meanwhile, was marketed with female celebrities, despite the only difference between the two kinds of fragrances being the amount of oil in them.

But Phillips feels a change happening. At her fragrance studio The Scentarium in New York City, which she’s had for the past seven years now and where she helps people create custom fragrances based on their preferences in scents, she sees men growing more comfortable using the word “perfume.”

“The word perfume used to only be for women, but now do you know how many men come to me and go, ‘I want to make my own perfume?’” Phillips said. “So the word perfume is now becoming more generic. It doesn’t apply to feminine anymore.”

And that, she thinks, comes from this particular generation’s obsession with self-expression, and reluctance to care about labels.

“The reason I think there’s less of a gender differentiation is this idea of selfies. The selfie syndrome is not just with iPhones and pictures, it’s also happening in the aspect of self-expression. That men and women can say, I want to create something for me that reflects what I am. I don’t care about the latest celebrity fragrance. People are really literally wanting to express who they are.”

And if who they are ends up being a man who wears a perfume, or a woman who wears a cologne, then so be it.

ByRachel Lubitz

Rachel is a senior Style writer at Mic. She previously worked for The Washington Post's Style section for more than three years.

www.mic.com

Backstage At The Pre-Emmy’s Gifting Suite With Guest Editor Sue Phillips

Backstage at the Pre-Emmy’s Gifting Suite with Guest Editor Sue Phillips

By Sue Phillips Last week in LA was EMMY fever! Gifting Suites were the place to be with Celebs, publicists, photographers, media and handlers walking the ‘red carpet,’ and entertainers guiding the activities and doling out the incredible SWAG bags for all nominees. Celebrity Connected was one of the more popular Gifting Suites and I was thrilled to participate with our beautiful perfume blends and to launch our Sue Phillips House of Fragrance collection. We set up the Fragrance Display with four specially custom blended complex fragrance creations – Fresh, Floral, Woodsy, Amber and the response was fantastic. Typically I would have thought that Californians would have loved the “FRESH” family, but in this instance the general consensus for Women and Men was that our “Woodsy” and “Amber” blends were the most requested.

Susan Sarandon actually loved the combination of Woodsy and Amber, while Shanola Hampton, Pamela Jean Noble and so many others loved FLORALS and FRESH. The atmosphere was alive with excitement , loud music, fabulous give-aways, bottles of champagne ‘on the go’ , ice slurpees, and so many other fabulous gifts. I learned a new term e.g. ‘SLATES’ -which are the people who display the pictures of the nominees on slates, with the name of their shows, so that media and all the vendors know who they are! One thing was clear, both men and women were fascinated with our Fragrance Selection and loved the interactive activity and ‘experience’ of evaluating our different Fragrance Families and ultimately selecting the one they really loved. So much so, that I received a call from the president of a major company wanting to create fragrances for his employees! Ahhh! The power of Fragrance!

www.beautyfashionfragrance.com

Indie Spotlight: Sue Phillips - House Of Fragrance. And Other Press

I am delighted to share with you the recent spotlight from the Indie beauty show in which we were featured and had a wonderful response to our custom Fragrances; in addition I just came off the Emmys in California where we created Fragrances for Susan Sarandon Tiffany Phillips Somma Ray and many many different any nominees ...the response to all our Fragrances was fantastic. I also just did the Lincoln navigator launch for their 2018 navigator series at the South St., Seaport for 1000 people. And recently created a Scent Dinner for The Housewives of Potomac... been a busy girl!

Love to chat about business opportunities!!

FORBES Excited to share a recent article in FORBES in which I was asked to comment about Retailers incorporating SCENT to create lasting and memorable “experiences” for their clients. If you want information please contact us: info@scenterprises.com https://www.forbes.com/sites/pamdanziger/2017/09/21/retailers-time-to-brand-your-store-with-a-signature-scent-pumpkin-spice-anyone/#2814882779b2

From the Emmys gifting suite http://splashmagazines.com/index.php/2017/09/18/celebrity-connected-2017-luxury-gifting-suite/ https://www.facebook.com/ChristineSchottLedes/posts/10214159191914892

Q&A With America’s Leading “Scentrepreneur”

Q&A with America’s Leading “Scentrepreneur”

SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

Sue Phillips is a big fan of merging words. She’s a self-described “scentrepreneur” and she runs a business as a fragrance consultant that she calls “Scenterprises.” But new words aren’t the only thing she creates. At Phillips’ appointment-only, custom boutique in Manhattan’s TriBeca neighborhood, which she calls “The Scentarium,” she helps her customers, including celebrity clients, design custom perfumes to match their unique personalities. Learning how to best perceive and interact with our enigmatic sense of smell is one of our greatest passions at Aera. We spoke to Phillips about how people can better identify their signature fragrance, and what scents people prefer. Q: What’s your biggest takeaway about how people should think about their sense of smell? A: To understand fragrance you must understand its power. Our most powerful sense is our sense of smell. People don’t really think about it unless they encounter a negative smell, but on a day to day basis people take their sense of smell for granted. I would really like people to stop and smell the roses and everything else. Q: How can a person become more appreciative of fragrance? A: People’s sense of smell has not been honed, and yet animals have such a powerful sense of smell. I think it’s really a question of self-education. It’s a question of being aware, of remembering past associations with a fragrance. What did my mom wear when she went out? What did my dad wear? And maybe it’s Old Spice - but what does Old Spice smell like? Q: This raises a good point - what does Old Spice smell like? How do you go about talking about fragrance in a more concrete way? A: People’s vocabulary is very limited when it comes to fragrances. Most Americans, if you ask them what fragrance do they like, they can’t tell you, but they will tell you “fresh and clean.” But what does fresh and clean smell like? Many people say Old Spice smells like lavender and fern notes. Other people might say it smells like the ocean. Q: Are there differences between the genders in terms of what kinds of fragrances men and women enjoy? A: There’s no such thing as a masculine ingredient or a feminine ingredient, it’s a matter of how fragrances are combined. Typically, most men like a sporty citrusy fragrance combined with deep, woodsy, spicy notes. Most women like floral fragrances, with roses and gardenias, for example. Q: You work with celebrity clients to design custom fragrances at your Scentarium in Manhattan. Can you tell us about some of your highlights and what the fragrances they designed were like? A: Jamie Foxx’s fragrance was woodsy and spicy with a hint of fruitiness. Katie Holmes went for something light and crisp to start, with a hint of light, fresh florals and some fruitiness. Snooki liked a spicy, fruity and oriental fragrance. Here at Aera, we work with master perfumers and world-renowned scent designers to create complex fragrances that will resonate with your particular tastes. To find out which of our signature fragrances might best suit your home environment, try taking our fragrance quiz or request a fragrance leaflet! photo c/o Crain's New York Business Magazine www.aeraforhome.com

Retailers, Time To Brand Your Store With A Signature Scent - Pumpkin Spice, Anyone?

Since scent is hardwired into people’s memories, retailers need to explore the tremendous possibilities found in tapping into their customers' olfactory sense.

Starbucks

Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte

It’s fall when Starbucks welcomes the change of season with new drinks and food flavors to tempt customers in. Personally, I am a coffee purist. I take it strong, dark and black. But every now and then, I want something different, in which case I will order one of their high-priced, hand-crafted concoctions whipped up by a barista, like the Pumpkin Spice Latte or the new fall Maple Pecan Latte it just announced today. Starbucks claims its PSL, launched in 2003, is its “most popular seasonal beverage of all time.” Starbucks has long used seasonal drinks to anchor its marketing throughout the year, like frozen Frappuccinos in summer and Peppermint Mocha for the holidays. While PSL may be its bestselling seasonal offering, to me, the PSL’s taste isn’t all that appealing. But then, I don’t believe it is the taste that drives people mad for PSL; it’s the scent. And MaryAnne Drake, a food scientist at North Carolina State University, agrees, saying, “The aromas in these holiday products are crafted to trigger emotions and feelings.”

Pumpkin spice fragrance is strong and emotionally evocative. It is the quintessential fragrance of fall. Catherine Franssen, assistant professor of psychology and director of the neurostudies minor at Longwood University in Virginia, says, “Since these are popular spice combinations, it's very likely we would have encountered some or all of them combined in a favorite baked good in a comforting situation, like a family gathering, early in life. It's not just the pumpkin spice combo, but that we've already wired a subset of those spices as 'good' very early in life.” It’s customers’ emotions and memories that Starbucks and other brands connect with through the pumpkin spice scent. Since scent is hardwired into people’s memories, retailers need to explore the tremendous possibilities found in tapping into their customers' olfactory sense.

What can retailers learn about the popularity of pumpkin spice, which Forbes pegged at being a $500 million industry in 2015, to achieve greater success? Do retailers need their own signature scents, or seasonal fragrances, to brand their stores? Those are the questions I asked Sue Phillips, president & CEO of Scenterprises & The Scentarium.Phillips’ firm creates custom signature scents for people and brands, like its recent work with Lincoln Motor Cars to introduce its new Navigator model at New York City’s Seaport District. Scentarium contributed the scent to the “The Navigator Experience.” How Lincoln’s Navigator smells success In working with Scentarium, Lincoln wanted to link the consumer's lifestyle to the car in a multi-sensory way through scent, taste, visual and tactile initiatives. “We gave Lincoln’s guests our Scent Personality Test, which determines the consumer's Lifestyle Personality, and based on their answers, it revealed whether the consumer liked our fresh, floral, woodsy or amber fragrance family,” Phillips explains. “Lincoln adapted our quiz to add the 'taste' quotient and highlighted the taste of chocolates the consumer liked ― e.g., white, milk, semisweet, bitter. Based on those responses, they guided the consumer through the Lincoln Navigator app ― to showcase the type of car they liked, colors and texture. It was truly a multi-sensory event, and it all pivoted around the Scent."

Sue Phillips, Scentarium

Lincoln Navigator App from Lincoln Navigator Event

In creating the Lincoln Navigator experience, the brand led with scent, not the other four senses, since scent has a direct connection to customers’ emotions. “Fragrance is one of the most powerful aspects of 'experiences,' linking memory and emotion to an event,” Phillips says, noting the current trend in retail is to bring experiences into the consciousness of customers, “so much so that Nordstrom is rolling out an 'experiential' store without inventory.” Retailers need their own sweet smell of success, too As retailers prepare for fall and the buildup to the holiday season, it’s time to think about engaging that most powerful yet largely overlooked customer experience offered with a signature scent. It could create a whole new dimension to the shoppers’ experience that will translate into more sales. “Traditional retailers get ready for fall with in-store decorations, eye-catching window promotions and colorful displays reflecting the changing seasons,” Phillips says. “Seasonal scents such as pumpkin spice are traditional fall scents in the USA that can be diffused through candles or different scent diffusers. Eucalyptus, burnt orange and cinnamon spices also bring to mind fall. Peppermint reminds us of the crisp smell of winter snow, and evergreen, cranberry, mulled spices and sage are the smell of Christmas. There is nothing more entrancing than linking all the elements atmospherically in a consistent way in a store ― colors, architecture, ambiance, displays and aroma ― so that the look, feel and scent are all related.” Phillips believes that retailers are ignoring the tremendous power that a signature scent, perhaps rotated on a seasonal basis, could bring to their store. “Retailers should focus on offering thoughtful, comprehensive 'experiences,' and scent is a pivotal characteristic of the look, feel and smell of the new season,” she says. “Fragrance is personal branding,” Phillips says regarding the work she does creating signature scents for her clients. But, she stresses, fragrance can be powerful branding for brands and retailers, too. “Scents make memories and recall memories from the past. Retailers need to realize that tapping into those emotions and memories makes for a better retail experience, and numerous studies have shown that when there is a pleasant aroma in the store, consumers linger longer and sales increase.” In my book, Shops that POP! 7 Steps to Extraordinary Retail Success, I stress the need for retailers to imprint their stores on the customers’ memory. Based on science, one of the best ways to do that is through their nose, not their eyes. Once the store is in the customers’ memory, it truly becomes part of the customer, embedded in their imaginations. For a retailer, there is no more powerful space than the customers' mind to occupy, as Mad Men's Don Draper understood when he explained the strategy behind his Heinz pitch: “The greatest thing you have working for you is not the photo you take or the picture you paint; it's the imagination of the consumer. They have no budget, they have no time limit, and if you can get into that space, your ad can run all day.” www.forbes.com

Sue Phillips At The Emmys - In The Luxury Gifting Suite

Celebrity Connected 2017 Luxury Gifting Suite Honoring The Emmys® – Getting Amped up for the Emmy Awards

September 18, 2017 Steve Martin Celebrity Gift Suites, WORLDWIDE 1

Unless you were actually at the 2017 Emmy Awards, the best place to be Emmy weekend was the Celebrity Connected 2017 Luxury Gifting Suite held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles on September 16th.

Boho Babes Denim was gifting their very stylish and trendy denim clothing for kids, both boys and girls styles. Boho Babes Denim wants to make sure your children feel the most confident when wearing our products. Boho Babes Denim strives to offer the best quality of denim with an affordable price. They also will style mom, with such cool pieces as the “Mama Tee Shirt Dress” along with the variety of women’s denim shorts. For more information, visit: Boho Babes Denim

High Gorgeous is the first mainstream cannabis beauty line. Guests were gifted some of the beauty line including; “Nice Buns” cellulite treatment that firms skin and seals in moisture with properties of espresso, witch hazel, cinnamon oil, shea butter and for chapped lips the cannabis kiss lip balm, featuring coconut oil with soothing properties of cocoa butter and aloe vera gel. For more information, visit: HIGH Gorgeous

STARE Cosmetics was not only providing makeovers, but they were also giving an assortment of their makeup that was formulated using only the best ingredients. For more information, visit: STARE

Buzz Pop Cocktails was treating guests to their fresh and tasty frozen alcohol infused pops. These party favorites come in a wide range of flavors including; Lemon Drop Martini Sorbet, Moscow Mule Sorbet and many more. From Las Vegas to Los Angeles these are perfect to enjoy poolside or for any party. For more information, visit: Buzz Pop Cocktails

Skin Wax Lash by Echo was gifting certificates for skincare, lash & brow services at her Newport Beach skincare studio. Echo’s menu of services offer corrective, results oriented treatments, specializing in Micro-Needling, LIRA Clinical Chemical Peels, Acne Treatments and much more. For more information, visit: Skin Wax Lash

Diva Stuff was gifting their handcrafted skincare line of products that is all made in the U.S.A. You are going to find anti-acne products, Cellulite & Slimming Spongy Soap Bar, eye cream and just about anything else you can think of. For more information, visit: Diva Stuff

Cyndie Wade, the founder and owner of CUSTOM CREATIONS, was showcasing her handcrafted ornaments and custom hand painted drink ware that make for the perfect personalized gift. Cyndie can paint anything you can dream up by simply sending her a photograph and she then turns your vision into reality, a custom gift that your family and friends will love and cherish for years to come! For more information, visit: Custom Creations

For more information, visit: (re) Purpsoe

For more information, visit: The Gypsy Shrine

Mad Hops has created flavored beer drops that will take any cheap beer and turn into a fabulous tasting craft beer. Three years in the making, Mad Hops can bring a Mexican Lime, Cherry Wheat or Irish Porter into the party or tailgating experience. Mad Hops was created using the same high quality ingredients that are available to craft brewers but at a fraction of the cost for you. For more information, visit: Mad Hops

WeWool not only sells amazing socks but they promise to donate a pair of socks every time a pair is sold! Their merino wool socks are made in North Carolina and you can feel the difference when you put a pair on. While in Los Angeles for the Emmy Awards, WeWool handed out countless pairs of socks to the homeless. For more information, visit: WeWool

Dekke Hud Skincare was gifting their men’s bio-cellulose face masks. Don’t feel slighted ladies, women can use them as well. Manufactured in state-of-the-art laboratories, these high-quality, medical-grade bio-cellulose brings spa-like treatments to your daily routine, at a price you can manage and the treatment will last for days. For more information, visit: Dekke Hud

Fragrance expert Sue Phillips was treating to guest to some of her latest scents. Sue not only creates scents, but believes that your perfume should be as unique as you are, for men and women, and that fragrance helps reflect your mood and creates memories. Sue is also committed to helping raise awareness about Alzheimer’s and has presented many fund-raising initiatives to help eradicate this disease, and to link the connection to Memory and Emotion through Scent. For more information, visit: Sue Phillips

Justin’s Peanut Butter was sampling not only an assortment of their tasty peanut butter flavors, but also their decadent chocolate and peanut butter treats. For more information, visit: Justin’s

For more information, visit: Naia Vibes

Aliyah Moulden wearing Cosmetic Hideaways

For more information, visit: Cosmetic Hideaways

For more information, visit: The Restroom Kit

Orali is the exclusive range of natural perfumes produced by artisan perfumer Elena Bensonoff. You will find unique fragrances such as Orali Chocolate Perfume. For more information, visit: Orali

Luxe Bloom has taken the art of the rose to a whole new level with roses that last up to 60 days with no water and no refrigeration. In addition they have over twenty colors and they can custom create any setting to celebrate whatever occasion is coming up. For more information, visit: Luxe Bloom

For more information, visit: Provincial

For more information, visit: The English Slave Svakom was gifting an assortment of their adult toys. For more information, visit: Svakom

www.splashmagazine.com

What Does The Color Red Smell Like?

Date: September 15, 2017

Unique Visitors per Month: 213,600

SENSE AND AESTHETICS THIS NYFW

BY SUE PHILLIPS, FOUNDER OF SCENTERPRISES HO-- USE OF FRAGRANCE

Both on and off the catwalk, aesthetics and sensory factors play a huge role in the success of a designer and their ability to resonate with their audience. Fashion is such a pivotal clue to our lifestyle and reflects our OUTER accessory. Fragrance, on the other hand, is intangible and subtle and reflects our authentic inner ethos. When I founded my create-your-own Scentarium in Tribeca, I wanted to pioneer the idea that the scent connects with feelings and emotions in ways that other senses cannot. This fashion week, I looked at the show as a whole, the same way I do when I envision my fragrances. The final result: A cohesive, satisfying experience.

With the inclusion of glitter, flowers, sequin detailing, and other sensory delights, the transformation of visual spaces and the overall experience of fashion uses these tactics as enhancement for the feeling and the chicness of the brand. The importance and emphasis of color is essential. What does the color red smell like? What aromatic pleasures do you get from purple? Think about the colors the fashion designer chooses to make a statement.

THINK ABOUT THE COLORS THE FASHION DESIGNER CHOOSES TO MAKE A STATEMENT

In bustling metropolitan cities like New York, Tokyo, London and Paris, the dominant color we see is black -– it’s safe, chic, powerful and above all, EASY to wear. However, in this age of selfies, think about reflecting who YOU are with gorgeous arrays of color and textures, and step out of your comfort zone of wearing black.

Put a zing of color in your wardrobe — it is so liberating and delightful to wear bright shades of fuchsia, turquoise, azure blues, and to accessorize them with matching earrings, bags, and shoes for both men and women. model

Even in Fall and Winter, when we traditionally wear dark colors and staple black, lightening it up with different colors puts a zing in your step and a twinkle in your eye! And it’s amazing how the opposite sex is attracted to color! Go ahead, bring out the fashion in you! ## Learn More For more information on Entreprenuer Sue Phillips, the Fragrance Queen on NYC, visit www.scenterprises.com. (Photo Credit: Edward James)

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