About Us

Michelyn Camen Editor in Chief of CaFleureBon

Michelyn Camen is the Editor-in-Chief, Publisher, and Art Director of www.cafleurebon.com 

Michelyn Camen is the Editor-in-Chief, Publisher, and Art Director of ÇaFleureBon, the number one artistic, niche, natural and artisanal perfume destination in the world and a top five global fragrance site. ÇaFleureBon publishes original content on all aspects of perfumery every day of the year, affording readers an insider view into the world of scent. Michelyn leads a team of fourteen journalists from six countries, including a dedicated natural perfume editor and weekly you tube video content creator.

 

ÇaFleureBon has been awarded six Perfumed Plumes for Fragrance Journalism and two Fragrance Foundation awards for Editorial Excellence. ÇaFleureBon posts perfume reviews, coverage of international beauty and scent events, news within the fragrance industry, educational information on raw materials and ingredientsworkshops, as well as articles on the roles of creative directors, artisans and retailers in the fragrance ecosystem. She is well known for her in-depth and intimate interviews with independent, emerging and established perfumers and influencers.

The ÇaFleureBon Profiles in American Perfumery Series has been instrumental in bringing world attention to 170+American perfumers. The series helped put American perfumery on the contemporary olfactive map; with its first official profile posted July11, 2011. Most have been first exposure to a global audience.

www.CaFleurebon.com

 

Ms. Camen recognized the need for an authoritative and truthful voice on artistic perfumery. She founded ÇaFleureBon.com in 2010 with the goal of creating a “scented salon” where all aspects of olfaction are explored through an artistic lens. ÇaFleureBon, translated from French has a dual meaning: “this smells good” and “this is a good idea. It is the destination website for informed “perfumistas” as well as those new to scent. Subscribers all over the world have come to trust ÇaFleureBon’s robust, thoroughly researched and beautifully presented content. Ms. Camen’s long-standing connections with European and American perfumers, global creative directors, Flavor and Fragrance houses and industry executives give readers a 180-degree perspective on all aspects of the industry… from the brief, the creation of a new perfume, the launch as well as learning about the olfactive artists “behind the bottle”. As Michelyn says, “I have over fifteen years of relationships with the people in the world of fragrance, not only the perfume.” When asked where her creativity stems from and her gift for trend-spotting, she replies, “My sixth sense is equal to my fifth sense!”

A native New Yorker, Michelyn Camen is an award-winning executive for media, public relations, music, fashion and beauty companies. In addition to navigating and elevating ÇaFleureBon above the noise and clutter of social media, Michelyn is a marketing consultant for American niche boutique owners, e-retailers (formerly the publicist for Luckyscent.com, Twisted Lily and Indigo Perfumery) as well as U.S. distributors. She is a sought-after panelist, thought leader and speaker who has been featured in Forbes, New York Magazine, Brandweek, Ad Age and Curbed magazines.  ÇaFleureBon has been an official media partner with Esxence, the leading tradeshow dedicated to artistic perfumery for thirteen years and an official media sponsor for the Art and Olfaction Awards since 2016. Friend her on Facebook @Michelyn Camen, on Instagram @Cafleurebonofficial

Ida Meister is Deputy Editor and Natural Perfumery Editor for www.cafleurebon.com

Ida has been smitten with fragrance for nearly sixty years when as a young girl since she filched a tiny flacon of Lanvin Scandal perfume from her mother’s bureau; she never gave it back. She considers it a great privilege to continue her active involvement in “The Perfumed World”: consulting, evaluating fragrances as well as translating and writing copy for non-native English speaking perfumers. Ida has worked for 45 years as a nurse in acute care neuroscience/oncology, where her ability to identify various microorganisms, stages of illness and pain via her sense of smell has been very useful. She is an opera singer (B.M. In Applied Voice from the Boston Conservatory of Music) and a true Renaissance woman; Ida is a poet/musician and has been in love with the culinary arts since the age of 6. Ida loves to deconstruct food as much as she does perfume – from the simplest dishes to the most complex. Everything fascinates. All the arts exercise their charms upon her, as does nature in its myriad forms: imagery, hues, shapes, aromas, melody and bass, prose, poetry and languages intertwine with each taste, odor. Walking the tightrope between forensic and intuitive is her daily challenge, and perfume satisfies both. Ida has been writing professionally for fragrance sites since 2009. She was a founding Editor of CaFleureBon in 2010 and is thrilled to be back home. Ida is a 2X Perfumed Plume Finalist for Fragrance Journalism and the winner of 2018 Science of Scent. Ida is also the recipient of The Fragrance Foundation Editorial of the Year 2020 and The Perfumed Plume 2020 Award for Perfumes Stories: Digital. Friend her on Facebook @idameister and Instagram @idameister.

Lauryn Beer is a Senior Editor for www.cafleurebon.com

Lauryn Beer is fascinated by fragrance, the various roles it plays in our lives and how it connects with memory, art forms and history. From potent early memories of the interweaving smells of New York City to summer aromas of woods and hay, Lauryn has found that life is constantly, inextricably, punctuated by scent. She is a professional writer living in Washington, D.C. Lauryn Beer was a Top Five Finalist for the Fragrance Foundation Award for Editorial Excellence 2023, Fragrance Foundation Award for Editorial Excellence 2018 as well as a 5X Perfumed Plume Finalist 2017, 2019,  2020 and 2021Friend Lauryn on Facebook @LaurynBee and follow her on Instagram @elledebee.

Ermano Picco is an Editor for www.cafleurebon.com

Ermano is a perfume connoisseur, an evaluator and the editor of the bilingual blog La Gardenia nell’Occhiello. Bewitched by the power of scent since childhood, he is also passionate about art, food and travel. Ermano believes synesthesia is the most powerful way to connect our fifth sense. In 2012, his Pitti Frarganze Scent Diary was published on the Pitti Immagine website. In 2013 he wrote and directed “Arpeggi d’Aromi” an olfactory-musical show featuring perfume, prose and Operetta music from the Belle Epoque for the Italian distributor Campomarzio 70. Ermano is an accomplish fragrance expert who has been involved in Smell Atelier in Bologna and Esxence 2015 in Milan, where he was the key note speaker at a seminar devoted to Italian Perfumery in Modern Age, focusing on the Italian perfumery from the pre-WWII years to the 1960s. He is also part of the creative team behind the brand Rubini and Masque Milano. Friend him on Facebook @LaGardenia nell’Occhiello and follow him on Instagram @magnifiscent

Hernando Courtright is the Senior Event Contributor and  New York Brand Ambassador for www.cafleurebon.com

Hernando grew up in Los Angeles and moved to New York to pursue a career in the music industry, where he worked for Warner Bros. Records and for A&M Records. Later he founded Courtright Mgmt. Inc. which represented an exclusive roster of top record producers. Hernando is an oenophile, which ties in closely to his love of fragrance. His mother’s French/ Mexican background exposed him to all things scentual. He has been an active participant on the NYC fragrance scene for the last seven years. Hernando, the father of two grown, children lives on the Upper East Side in New York with his wife and cat. He is an East Coast Board member of three non-profit foundations and an accomplished equestrian. Friend him on Facebook @Hernando Patrick Courtright

Nicoleta Tomsa is a Senior Editor for www.cafleurebon.com

Nicoleta loves stories of all kinds, come they from the different worlds of scents, sounds, old forgotten tales, folklore or science-fiction. Fascinated with the world of perfumery ever since she was a little girl, she sees perfume both as manifestations of art that one can fully immerse in, and as a powerful fuel for joy and connection (to yourself and others). After many years of corporate jobs in the (less glamorous) automotive industry, she is now a marketing consultant and indie video game developer residing in Bucharest, Romania. Nicoleta is the author of LilithevaFriend her on Facebook @Nicoleta.Tomsa and follow her on Instagram @nicoleta.tomsa

Steven Gavrielatos is a Video Journalist and a Editor for http://www.cafleurebon.com

With more than 190,000 subscribers globally, his YouTube channel Redolessence, Steven Gavrielatos is one of the most followed video content creators in the United States. He is regarded as the ‘go to’ fragrance video educator of high quality artistic, luxury, vintage, niche and designer fragrances. Steven Gavrielatos spent a number of years serving as a judge on several panels for the Fragrance Foundation and his YouTube channel Redolessence was nominated for a Fragrance Foundation award in 2018. He is a sought-after public speaker and has presented at several industry conventions. Using his background Steven has worked with some of the most renowned global perfumers to creatively direct multiple niche brands. Steven also runs a Facebook Group Redolessence ReviewsFollow Steven on YouTube @Redolessence on Twitter @redolessence and Instagram @redolessence 

Olya Bar is an Editor for www.cafleurebon.com

Olya Bar has been a perfumista since the age of eight when she fell in love with Amarige and is a third-generation Muscovite. She was introduced to “niche” back in 2010 while living in New York City for almost a decade and has since accumulated an archive of many fragrances that she keeps as her personal ‘Scent Bibliotheque’. She loves all genres of fragrances, but voluptuous florals and gourmand perfumes are her favorites. Art, gastronomy, cosmetics, and skincare are the other passions. Follow her on Instagram @olyabar

Karl Topham is a Sr. Editor and UK brand Ambassador for www.cafleurebon.com

Karl’s upbringing across the artistic and literary fields gave rise to a profound love for the aesthetic.  In recent years this has developed into a deep love of perfume.  Linking the understanding of perfumery as an artistic expression and traveling across continents, he has gained a wealth of fragrant experiences.  To him, perfume is a mood, an intrinsic link to who we are and what message we wish to send out into the world.  Karl enjoys the artisanal to the commercial (scents that make an impact) whether happy and flamboyant or wistful and melancholic.  Most importantly to him, scent is a means of communication on a deeper level, it has a Proustian effect and one that is to savor. Apart from perfume, Karl loves being active, travelling and experiencing great cuisine. He resides in the UK. Follow him on Instagram @karltopham

Michael Devine is a Senior Contributor for www.cafleurebon.com

Michael is a native of Queens, New York. He now calls New Jersey home, but can be found sniffing his way through New York City in his spare time. He’s been fragrance-obsessed for almost two decades and has written about his olfactive journey (which includes losing and regaining his sense of smell) in his ÇaFleureBon essay, “Heartnotes,” for which he earned a Fragrance Foundation Award nomination. Michael is a professional actor known for such roles as Christopher in the Netflix series “The Watcher”, Detective O’Rourke on HBO’s Emmy-nominated “The Undoing,” and James Tech on the CBS series “Limitless.” He has appeared in projects directed by Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Ava DuVernay, and Oliver Stone, among others. Follow him on Instagram  @thefragrance_detective

Sandi Lundberg is a Contributor for www.cafleurebon.com

Sandi lives in the West High Desert in the US. She’s certainly not your typical gal from the boondocks. Sandi’s a lover of all things that awaken and light up her senses (all of them.) She owns and run a small business, Meditatio Aromatics. Sandi constructs custom massage blends to respected therapists and hand crafts Castile soaps. Essential oils are her most respected tools, with her camera running a close second. Friend her on Facebook @SandiLundberg and follow her on Instagram @Injoyinutah

Rachel Ng is a Senior Contributor for www.cafleurebon.com

Rachel’s love of learning led her to study abroad in Paris, Beijing, and Taipei. As a Fulbright Scholar, she studied Chinese opera at The National Academy of Theater Arts in Beijing (中国戏曲学院). Rachel’s olfactive education began as a sommelier at Charlie Trotter’s (3 Michelin Star restaurant) and progressed through certification by The Court of Master Sommeliers and many years in the wine industry. She currently enjoys traveling with her husband, young son, and 2 dogs. Rachel works as a high school teacher of Creative Writing and runs an after-school Fragrance Club for students. Follow her on Instagram @rachel.k.ng

J Wearescentient is a Contributor for www.cafleurebon.com

J Wearescentient is a conceptual artist living in Dublin, Ireland. He holds a BA and MFA in Fine Art and has shown extensively through Ireland, Europe and Scandinavia over the last decade, along with being an artist in residence in Paris, Helsinki and Gothenburg. His work is in the Irish state collection along with many private collections. Working with poetry, literature, technology, and philosophy, he manipulates physical and invisible materials creating works in a variety of media, considering the world we live in.This background informs his love and interest in olfactive art and perfume, which has been a strong influence in his life since picking Issey Miyake Pour Homme at the age of 16, thinking this is how an artist might smell. He has a love of vintage perfume as well as avant-garde experimental scents, perfume and conceptual art are deeply linked as both are fully experienced in similar ways as thoughts that stay with you, long after experiencing the object. He has also worked as an evaluator for several indie perfume houses. Follow him on Instagram @wearescentient

Elise Pearlstine is an Editor for www.cafleurebon.com

Elise has been learning about and creating natural perfumes since about 2004. Elise is the Perfumer and nose for Tambela natural perfumes. She considers herself an Outlaw Perfumer, indie, completely natural and totally unique. Elise’s love of natural ingredients is an instinctive draw to the natural world as reflected in her doctoral degree in wildlife ecology. She gets outside as much as possible to pursue her interests in birdwatching, photography, gardening and walking her two rescue dogs. The outdoors provides an ongoing inspiration to her perfume creation and a strong grounding in music also enhances her approach to creating natural perfumes. Elise’s other activities include writing about perfumery, plants, the natural fragrances in her blogFriend Elise on Facebook @Elise Pearlstine and follow her on Instagram @elisepearlstine.

Michael Schrammel is a Contributor for www.cafleurebon.com

Michael is the owner, perfumer and everything in between at For the Scent of It perfumes. His persistence, creativity, and desire to create an atmosphere drive his fragrance development. Self-trained, Michael started studying the art of perfumery in 2015 before launching For the Scent of It perfumes in 2021. Follow him on Instagram @forthescentofit

Danu Seith Fyr is a Contributor for www.cafleurebon.com

Danu has always been entranced by scent from a very young age and how they inspire her to write in her own distinctive style. Originally an organic winemaker in New Zealand, now residing in France she spends her time writing, renovating old French houses and creating beautiful gardens.  A graduate in Classics and Renaissance History, her interests aside from perfume and wine include gastronomy, history, literature, Medieval and Renaissance art, architecture, music and the preservation of Patrimoine. She is a 2 x Finalist for the Perfumed Plume Awards and Winner of the Perfumed Plume Award 2021. Follow her on her blog: Profumiscribe and Instagram @danu_sf  @ode_r_

Robert Herrmann was a Senior Editor Emeritus for www.cafleurebon.com

Robert was born and raised in San Francisco surrounded by the smell of the redwoods, the Pacific Ocean, chlorinated swimming pools, incense and peppermints, patchouli and in those days, pot smoke. Robert’s life had taken him through stints as a Broadway singer, Art Gallery Owner, Brazilian gemstone importer, award-winning Innkeeper and Espresso Bar owner (not at the same time) and before his passing was “retired and underfoot”. Robert had written throughout his life, and focused on fragrance much to the horror of his ever-suffering allergy-riddled spouse. Robert Herrmann  passed away on October 1, 2019 and was a 2019 Perfumed Plume Finalist.

Tama Blough was a Managing Editor for www.cafleurebon.com

Tama helped build awareness for West Coast and Indie Perfumery by introducing and championing emerging olfactive artists to a wider audience. Her trip to Milan to report on Esxence in 2014 was the first time she had left the country and meeting the perfumers she had only written about filled her with joy. It was her warm heart, generosity, kindness and talent that we will remember most. Tama was a quiltmaker, a photographer, an artist and a hula dancer. She passed away January 9, 2015