Hosting My First Travel Event: Travel Scents with Sue Phillips
I've hosted several dinner parties before, but coming up with the idea and executing my first travel event was both exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. It was exciting because I genuinely wanted to share the idea of a "Scentsory Journey" through travel and fragrance with my blogger buddies, and nerve wracking because — well, I'm a perfectionist.
I need not have worried. I tapped into gracious Sue Phillips, who runs her own custom fragrance outfit called Scenterprises, to lead the bloggers through a travel journey on Bastille Day. I had attended one of Sue's events a few years ago and loved the complete immersion into the world of sight and smell. Sue imparts her deep, impartial knowledge about the history of tonka beans, saffron, and sweet-smelling tuberose. Since France is the birthplace of perfume, July 14th was a no brainer.
On the day of the event, I was running like a mad hatter to get everything in place, but I was blown away at the response: almost everyone I invited wanted to, and could attend. What more could one ask for? There was also, a surprise guest who came to the party: Susan Miller, the world renowned astrologer. She really knew her fragrance too!
So, apart from the round table setting that somewhat resembled King Arthur's "Knights of the Round Table" setting, here's what we ending up learning from our evening of sniffing, and custom blending our own scents:
Composition: A perfume is composed of three distinct notes: the top notes (first impact notes that quickly dissipate); middle notes, and base notes (also referred to as dry down).
Musk: A very common ingredient in perfumery, this commons from glandular secretions of animals including the musk deer and the distinctly aromatic civet cat. As Sue was detailing the origin of this particular ingredient, I simply had to wonder if fragrance aficionados will leave no stone unturned when it comes to discovering a new note.
Sandalwood: By far one of my most favorite notes in fragrance, truly aromatic sandalwood originates from the heart of Indian forests, and now there are several other kinds used in perfumery including sandalwood from Australia. I grew up using sandalwood for practically everything in India, from soap to face creams.
Saffron: This particularly brownish orange colored spice is used in perfumes and derived from the flower of the saffron crocus. I love the distinctly piquant aroma! When used in a fragrance, this note is outstanding.
Lavender: This note is incredibly calming, and has soothing properties. I always have a bottle of Lavender essential oils on my nightstand and when I travel. One whiff of the pure essential oils will have your nerves calm in a jiffy! With over 39 species of lavender found around the world, it is not hard to come by fields of lavender in countries including Africa, the Mediterranean, South-West Asia, Arabia, Western Iran and South-East India.
Bergamot: A very popular ingredient in fragrance, bergamot looks like a tiny orange but is inedible. A very fragrant fruit, it is almost all grown in Calabria, southern Italy, and also southern France.
The event unfolded beautifully, with Sue giving us stories of popular fragrances and notes (one of the most beloved fragrance notes is vanilla, product of the ergonomic and beautifully-shaped tonka bean), and the guests sniffing the various notes to decide which ones they would use to custom blend their own fragrance. Some loved the unmistakeably powdery yet sharp note of aldehydic, the note behind Chanel No. 5 and commonly referred to as "the most popular mistake in the fragrance world." Yet others settled for just 2-3 notes for their custom blend.
Floral notes were popular among the group, and I do have to say that Shakespeare was completely accurate when he wrote, "A Rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Here are some of the pictures from my first travel event, with a warm thanks to those who came!
The expert, Sue Phillips, Kirsten and I:
Kirsten Alana, Sue Phillips and I
It's almost like school: the round table:
Guests took a questionnaire so Sue could find out their scent "personality":
Aaron from Aaron's Worldwide Adventures
Cocktails, champagne, cheese and fruit tided us through the journey:
The essential oils stood like gleaming icons on the table, with their blotting strips next to them, ready to be dipped and sniffed:
There was mood lighting:
Guests sniffed and savored the notes:
Jodi Ettenberg of Legal Nomads
Kirsten Alana of KirstenAlana.com
Susan Miller from Astrology Zone and Craig Zabransky from StayAdventurous.com
Matthew Stabile from The Expeditioner, sniffing his creation, "Matt No. 5"
Some ingredients on the table
Guests took home goody bags:
Kimmie Smith of The Kitten Lounge
Bloggers caught up with their friends:
Leslie Koch of DowntownTraveler.com and Kirsten Alana
It was a lovely and enchanting evening, along the lines of a Proust novel (after all, that novelist was the first man to link fragrance to powerful memories). I had a wonderful time and sniffed some pretty creative creations!
Photographer: Matthew Minucci
Event, Goody Bag and sponsor: Hypnotiq Harmonie
- Charu Suri
Great event! I found out I prefer "oriental" fragrances that "a shy retiring type of person would not wear." Sounds accurate! PS- What is Kirsten saying in this photo to captivate me so?
Thanks Leslie…Oriental fragrances are quite strong, but wearable. Musky and smelling like a sauna. I actually didn’t smell yours but it sounds intriguing!
Charu,
I loved your article and thanks so much for suggesting and organizing the Travel Scents event. It was such a lively group, and everyone had so much fun. Att the end of the evening I found myself a little hoarse, from trying to speak over everyone's comments, but didn't want the evening to end, and wanted to start all over again because I loved the questions and the interaction rom everyone.
Thanks for being such a gracious 'hostess' and for getting the delicious Hypnotiq champagnes!
Remember to apply your fragrance from the bottom up, because as the heat from your skin warms it, the scent rises, and you want to stay divinely scented for your wonderful man, so that he can experience it and enjoy it as well!
Hugs to you,
with thanks
Scentfully, Sue
Loved organizing it too! You were quite the speaker.
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it is really scentillating!
Hi, Charu. That was a wonderful event you hosted…so much fun and informative! I really liked learning about the musical side of fragrance and the various 'notes'. I will keep that in mind next time I look for a new fragrance. Of course, I'm enjoying the one I made with your and Sue's help last week. Anyway, thank you for inviting me on this unique journey into the world of fragrance!
Thanks for coming Lisa! I still feel like such a novice in the world of fragrance. My “nose” is really bad–I can identify a few notes but it’s getting better. I’m glad you were able to come and SO glad you had a good time. xx
I love that photo of Matt, and the memory of his "Matt #5" is priceless!! Thank you for inviting me to the party Charu.
What a wonderful looking event! I like how you captured some interesting candid moments with your photos of other travel bloggers I've been following.
Thanks Samuel! Hope to have you at an event soon if you’re in NYC.
And you looked every part the adorable hostess in your dress!
Thank you Kyle! It truly was a memorable evening in every way.
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I am still talking about the journey… educational and entertaining, not to mention such wonderful company and great hosts. My thoughts, host again, you did a fabulous job. And, thanks for the invite, and my homemade scent 'adventurous' travels with me and reminds me to …. stay adventurous, Craig
It was truly lovely seeing you, amigo. Your posts and journeys never cease to inspire–equally!
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