A Morning with Penhaligons.

I don’t usually cover events I go to on my Blog, I tend to reserve them just for my Instagram stories, but I got to thinking about it. Some of the Brand and PR events I’m lucky enough to go to are some of the most interesting parts of my week or month.

You never know who you’re going to meet, what you’re going to learn and the experience that you’ll have. These sorts of events push you beyond your comfort zone aka behind your phone or laptop and can be really character building (as my Mum would say!!)

I spoke in my previous post about ‘Overcoming Event Fear’ – something that I tend to struggle quite a bit with, and these sorts of events are the ones that can be really challenging but also the most rewarding.

As I’m writing this, I’ve just finished a wonderful morning celebrating Penhaligons opening a store here in Bath!

I’m sure you’re familiar with it, but if you’re not, Penhaligons is a British perfume house founded in the late 1860’s. They specialise in creating innovative fragrances that tell a story. Every bottle is unique and tells a tale through scent.

I was invited to the store for a private fragrance profiling with the Store Manager Alex to find my perfect scent – just in time for all the Christmas parties!

Granted, I’m very minimalist when it comes to perfume and fragrances. My day perfume (if I remember to put it on) is either a Ted Baker body spray, or one of the roller pens from Zara – both smell pretty good so I’m not naming and shaming!

But when it comes to more sophisticated affairs shall we say, I do like to get out the ‘occasion’ perfumes – my go-to is usually Chloe or Bvlgari. Note: these are saved for VERY special occasions as I usually ask for perfumes as a birthday or Christmas present. Far too luxurious to purchase for myself!

So, I was very much looking forward to finding something that would really suit me and my personality. Penhaligons fragrances are known for being poignant, luxurious and bold – something I think every girl can admit they want from a perfume!

After a few snaps of the storefront (had to be done) I was in. Greeted by friendly faces, I was quickly introduced to the other staff members Konstantious & Mark. Both extremely well versed in all things perfume I must add!

I was first presented with the Portraits Collection. A very traditional, very British collection telling the story of a hidden family affair. As I learnt about the family, I was invited to smell each of the fragrances – believe it or not, it became so much easier to imagine the story in my head. It was then I realised how powerful fragrance can be.

Have you ever seen the film Perfume: The Story of A Murder? (If you haven’t, I seriously recommend you watch it immediately!) The basis of the film is quite dark and twisted if you’ve not already guessed from the title, but it goes into quite a lot of detail as to why perfume was reserved for the rich.

As we got talking about this, Konstantious gave me a brief history lesson. Did you know perfume is non-gender specific? I didn’t… We create associations with smells that we encounter in our lifetime and subconsciously make the distinction between what is considered a male scent vs. a female one.

For example, floral notes are typically worn by women. You’d probably be able to guess the one your mum, sister or grandma wears. Same goes to deeper notes of leather, wood and amber – those that are typically ‘male’ odors. Fragrance also triggers memories.

There is one particular perfume I cannot stand because it reminds me of my very first school teacher who I was terrified of. The more we talked about it, the more it started to all make sense.

Then came the most difficult decision I’d make all day… What would be my signature scent? As someone who struggles to decide what to eat for breakfast, I knew I’d be pretty indecisive.

Luckily, Alex, Konstantious & Mark were VERY patient, and helped me out a lot when choosing one that was right for me.

After about 20 minutes of back and forth decisions, I picked Vaara. It honestly smells beautiful. Hints of rosewater, honey, white musk and lots more of which are detailed here.

I also found out afterwards that it was rumoured this was the perfume worn by Lady Diana. If that’s not enough to make you feel special, I don’t know what will!

All in all, an amazing start to a Thursday morning! Pure luxury and then some. I can’t thank the Bath Team enough for giving me their time, and of course Penhaligons for inviting me down.

Check out – @penhalgions_london | @alexkeese1991 | @konstantinos_the_great | @mark_daniels93.

And if you missed the stories, they’re highlighted on the IG!

Amy xo.