Perfumer’s Workshop: Creating Bespoke Fragrances (Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, JoAnne Bassett, Mandy Aftel, Sue Phillips and Tanja Bochnig) + Finding Your Signature Scent Draw

andy warhol perfume bottles illustartion for harpers bazaar 1956

Andy Warhol Perfume Bottles Illustatiom  for Haper's Bazaar 1956

For many of us,  what fragrances we wore and when we wore them are part of our scent memories and correlate with different times of our lives.  I wore mainstream men's colognes and fragrances that were readily available at the local department store or tried Designer Scents from online sites until I began studying and exploring natural perfumes, over five years ago.  Amber by Mandy Aftel was my first natural fragrance and still is a favorite).  I have always dreamed about a fragance that is truly "me" and is customized to my chemistry, my personality, my favorite notes…a signature scent that was mine alone.

ancient egypt perfume

Ancient Egyptians Creating Perfume

According to our Editor in Chief Michelyn Camen, “We each have a unique scent print, as individual as our thumbprint, which is why what is heaven on your best friend may be a scrubber". She adds, “Perhaps the first bespoke fragrance was created for Queen Cleopatra, who had her own royal perfume factory in Egypt. What was formerly a luxury available only to Kings, Queens, Movie Stars and the very wealthy is now accessible to almost anyone”.

In today’s Perfumer’s Workshop we have invited five talented perfumers to share how they work with a client to create a bespoke perfume:

Jamie Foxx, Katie Holmes, and rapper Won-G Bruno perfume

Katie Holmes, Jamie Foxx, and rapper Won-G Bruno at Sue Phillips Scentarium in NYC

Sue Phillips of Scenterprises has made bespoke fragrances her specialty.  After years working in the fashion and fragrance industry, including Tiffany & Co. Sue formed her own consulting company Scenterprises she consulted for  major brands such as Burberry and Avon as well as for hotels and retail stores.  Instead of working with individual preferences, these scents require getting to know the brand, its ethos and architecture.  Her private clients include Jamie Foxx, Katie Holmes, and rapper Won-G Bruno who visit at the Scentarium to create unique personal scents.

sue phillips of scenterprises

Sue Phillips of Scenterprises Bespoke Perfumer

Ms. Phillips starts her bespoke fragrance process with her proprietary “Scent Personality Profile” quiz which gives her insight into the particular client.  Personality, lifestyle, hobbies, art and culinary tastes, are important to her process. She also likes to learn the  actual fragrances and/or  fragrance families her client generally prefers, though she doesn’t let this limit the creative options available when creating her client’s  custom scent.  Through her many years of experience, she has found that this quiz is a great tool for working with her clients as well as an enjoyable and entertaining experience for them.  Next, Sue collaborates with her client, discussing the construction of fragrances and taking them on a fragrance journey evaluating different materials and blends until they reach “the one”.  While working in person is preferable, Ms. Phillips also works with clients by phone and video chat and can send samples or formulations via mail.  Whatever method she uses in her compositions, Sue keeps the interaction very personal and strives to ensure that the client will leave with a custom scent they love. All formulas are kept on file.

dawn spencer hurwitz of dshperfumes

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz creating bespoke perfumes in her Essence Studio in Boulder Colorado .

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, award winning perfumer of DSH Perfumes, is well known for her multifaceted and diverse perfumes. Dawn has also created bespoke perfumes for Kate Hudson, Goldie Hawn, Steven Tyler, and Cher. She recently created a collaborative custom fragrance for our Editor in Chief Michelyn Camen that is now a limited edition available to all… Reveries de Paris. While Ms. Spencer Hurwitz happily works with bespoke clients all over the world, she particularly loves working with her clients in person at her studio in . Dawn says “In fact, the most important aspect of creating a bespoke in person is being able build the initial sketches directly on the client's skin.  I know exactly how each material is going to react, work, and dry down because we test it.  It's the equivalent of going to a tailor and having them drape the fabric on you and cut the pattern to your body.”  

dawn spencer hurwitz  dsh perfumes

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes

 Usually Dawn starts with a questionnaire to get the process started.  She learns about the notes and scents that her client likes, then introduces ingredients that might suit their aesthetic and  if they are open to  exploring new  raw materials,  she will take them out of their comfort zone  that helps the client a facet of themselves they may not have explored. When working “virtually” with clients, samples of materials and blends are sent through the mail to help ascertain the client’s tastes and reactions. She creates three variations (mods) for the client to try out and once they are happy, bottle the one that fits them best.  Dawn uses the word "feel" when describing her creative process; getting a feel for your client is the best way to discover a concept through the process of talking and smelling together.  She always tell her clients “the final ingredient is your skin; this perfume won't work the same on any other person.”  Explaining the difference between bespoke and commercial creations, Dawn tells us “a bespoke creation is meant to please only one person (maybe two, if you count a significant other…).  It can be a personal narrative, a smell of a beloved past, or an aspirational fragrance.  A commercial perfume is designed to speak to, and hopefully enchant many.   The design concept and 'story' for a bespoke is brought to me by the client for interpretation.  For one of my commercial perfumes, the concept is something that inspires me, and I want to work out how to interpret it.”

Tanja Bochnig of April Aromatics

Tanja Bochnig of April Aromatics studio in Berlin, Germany

Acclaimed natural perfumer Tanja Bochnig of April Aromatics, who won The Art and Olfaction award for Calling All Angels (2014 /Artisan), approaches bespoke perfumes a little differently.  They are “healing perfumes”. They are very personalized creations that are more than just “smelling good” perfumes.  She has created perfumes for 5 star hotels, companies, and celebrities.   The first thing Ms. Bochnig does when working with a bespoke client is to tune into their energy field.  She does not need to see them personally, though it does help.   When a person comes to her, she works intuitively, being guided by vibrational and other energies in order to create the perfume that person "needs".  If the client cannot visit her Berlin studio, she usually communicates via email, asking questions such as: What qualities they are looking for in a perfume?  What is their ideal perfume and what would they like to achieve while wearing it?  What time of the day they wear their perfume most?  What are their favorite scents and flowers, color, place to live, favorite food and season?  And most importantly, what is their goal in life and what makes them happy.  If they have smelled the April Aromatics line, she also asks which of her fragrances speak to them.

tanja bochnig

Tanja Bochnig

Sometimes a client comes in wanting a custom fragrance that smells like Chanel no.5 or Poison from Christian Dior.  Tanja is very upfront with them, letting them know she cannot recreate such perfumes from the synthetic world through natural perfumery, nor does she particularly want to copy anything.  She says “My creations are about capturing the soul of a person, or better that what “their” soul needs in order to grow.  Often we do not like a certain scent or thing in life, but it is exactly what we need in order to grow.  The people and situations that challenge us the most in life are our best teachers. And I feel it is the same way with natural, aromatic essences.”  After getting to know and reading the client, Tanja goes into her lab, which is her sanctuary, where she is able to completely connect and feel the perfume the person needs. It is important for her that the customer is open and really wants to receive what helps them to grow for their highest good. “That is what a healing perfume is all about” according to Tanja.  She also works with crystals and adds certain precious stones to the blends that further enhance the perfume creation and the energy field for that specific customer.  The time for creating the bespoke healing perfume varies, usually 1-2 months depending on how the alchemy of the perfume comes together.

JoAnne Bassett Perfumer

JoAnne Bassett of JoAnne Basset Perfumes

The incredibly gifted Natural Perfumery Guild  Professional perfumer JoAnne Bassett of JoAnne Bassett Perfumes has been creating bespoke perfumes for over 22 years and has been an instrument of change in her clients’ lives by way of her fragrances.  From her earlier aromatherapy Perfume Potions created with specific intentions in mind to her modern day custom couture bespoke parfums, Ms. Bassett has shared her talents and fragrances with clients worldwide. Knowing the beneficial effects natural perfume has on people, she goes through a very organic process with her bespoke clients, asking questions and relying on her sixth sense to ascertain what the client is in need of and tailors a beautifully scented perfume that is a joy to wear and can help bring about positive growth in her client’s life. When she had her perfume boutique Le Bijou in La Jolla, California, JoAnne was able to meet with clients there to smell various raw materials and take them on an  aromatic journey.  Now she relies more heavily on her ability to sense the needs of her clients and the feedback they provide throughout the process via phone, email, or Skype.  Her perfumes can range from energizing, enlightening, empowering, comforting, and more.  JoAnne has great knowledge of natural essential oils, absolutes, tinctures and other essences s that go into her perfumes. She sources only the highest quality raw materials. Her high level of experience and  her love of natural perfumery is what makes her bespoke fragrances so special.

mandy aftel bespoke perfumes

Mandy Aftel is one of the top seven bespoke perfumers in the world according to Forbes magazine

No article on this subject would be complete without including the “queen of bespoke perfumes”, Mandy Aftel of Aftelier Perfumes, who was named one of the seven top bespoke perfumers in the world.

“I think there has been a decided increase in demand for bespoke perfumes.  There is such a feeling of both intimacy and luxury when you have a perfume created just for you, and I think this is deeply satisfying. I want to create a portrait of my client in scent, but my method of doing a custom perfume does not involve a questionnaire or my asking any questions whatsoever about the client’s background. I’ve come to realize through doing this for over 20 years that what people say about themselves is often not connected to how they want to smell. When I have people smell many, many essences and rank them according to their favorites, people’s whole life story comes out in response to the essences, and they will continue to enjoy those evocations from their final perfume.

Michael Singels, Sr. Contributor & Natural Perfumery Editor

 Thanks to the very generous perfumers who have shared with us a look at their art, we have an opportunity for four of our readers to embark on just such a journey of their own. Sue Phillips of Scenterprises, Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes, Tanja Bochnig of April Aromatics, and JoAnne Bassett of JoAnne Bassett Perfumes are providing an opportunity of a lifetime, a bespoke fragrance experience for four registered readers.

WORLDWIDE:  Tanja is offering a 30ml 100% natural bespoke perfume that will include a gem stone or crystal, depending on the customers scent profile and will be enhanced with a certain color and a Bach flower remedy during production, all according to the notes in your comment as well as what comes out of the initial consultation and intuitive input that she gets while creating it.  The timeline can be up to 1-2 months.

WORLDWIDE: Dawn is offering a bespoke 10 ml Voile de Parfum composed of both synthetic and natural ingredients based on the notes you share in your comments and a brief interview with the winner. The custom scent will be completed and sent to the winner by the end of November 2015

USA only:  Sue will be providing a brief phone conversation consultation after the winner completes the Scent Personality Quiz and will create a custom scent for the winner based on their preferences.  If you live in the New York City area, she can meet with you, by appointment only.

USA only: JoAnne will be offering a bespoke natural perfume in a 5 ml glass bottle with ivory satin bag, taking approximately 2 weeks to complete after an interview with the winner.

To be eligible, registered readers (you must do this or your entry will not count and use your registered name) leave a comment below with where you live, sharing with us what notes you would want in your bespoke fragrance, if you have a favorite fragrance family, or scent memory that might be used, and which of our wonderful perfumers you would most like to work with on your signature scent (or if you are name is chosen without that info it will be random).  Draw ends 10/23/2015

We announce the winners on our site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

51 + = 60

71 comments

  • I love this concept, and I love the opportunity to obtain a bespoke fragrance of my own! So exciting! I live in Florida, and, while I’m surrounded by incredibly sweet florals, I’m enamoured of blends of spiciness and sweet. The exceptions are citrus flowers, which I grew up smelling from my bedroom at night on nights cool enough to open the windows.

  • Anna in Edinburgh says:

    Wow! Thank you for the opportunity.

    The notes I’d like are Irish peat smoke, privet blossom, clover flowers and grass, hay. These encapsulate so many memories for me.

    I’d be in the Worldwide draw, being in Edinburgh.

    Singling out one perfumer is tough but I’m plumping for Tanja Bochnig of April Aromatics and pressing the button!

    cheerio:-)

  • What a wonderful giveaway. I live in California.
    I would have to say I would love to most work with Dawn.

    I’d love a dark and dirty rose chypre with layers of balsamic vanilla, benzoin, patchouli and hints of clove [Is that even possible or would it be a mess?)

  • pursejunkie says:

    My favorite family is Leather and I’m currently obsessed with cedar and pepper notes. I’ll leave it to the professional as to how to round it out.
    I would love to work with Sue…I like a good quiz.

  • I don’t have a favorite fragrance family. I enjoy many scents. I’ll list some favorite notes, though they may all not go well in the same creation. Vanilla, musk, lavender, frankincense, iris, violet, bourbon.
    If I win I hope Dawn can make something special. USA ty

  • How wonderful!! I love vanilla, cedar, rose, incense, amber, vetiver, musk, and citrus among others. Although, as someone else mentioned, perhaps not all together. I live in New Hampshire.

  • Oh my goodness. This is indeed an opportunity of a lifetime!! Thanks for the chance and for the interesting article!! I’m in the US. Here are my favorite notes: tobacco, rose, violet, myrrh, saffron and oud. Goodness, I’m leaving out a lot! I love amber and boozy fragrances, too. Orientals are my favorite. I’d like to work with Tanja very much. I choose what I wear daily in an intuitive healing way and her approach really speaks to me.Cheers! 🙂

  • Wow, what a great draw! It would be such a wonderful experience to go through the process of creating a bespoke perfume.

    My favorite notes are gardenia and tuberose. I love white florals in general but especially those two flowers. I think they are perfumes in themselves. I don’t have a particularly strong scent memory. I acquired this perfume hobby quite late 🙂

    I live in Canada and would be love to work with Tanja should I get chosen as a winner. Thanks!

  • Elizabeth T says:

    What a draw! I do believe that this is about the most generous, coveted opportunity that we have ever had here! Thank you to all the lovely perfumers for giving of your time and resources this way!!!

    orris and osmanthus are my favorite floral notes, but I would love some cocoa for the fall/winter season. I do love myrrh and frankincense also, ambergris and sandalwood, hay and grass. And of course, who doesn’t like a yummy citrus like bergamot?

    I am in the USA, and would be ecstatic with a bespoke perfume from ANY of these amazing women, but if I had to choose just one I think my first choice would be Dawn. Thanks again for such an opportunity! I love reading about the process…

  • MikasMinion says:

    What a cool draw! I’m in the US and would prefer to work with Dawn, but would be thrilled with any of the talented ladies. My favorite notes are hyraceum, mate, Oakmoss, osmanthus, cumin, leather, galbanum, birchtar, petitgrain, cardamom, soil notes, Amber, and sandalwood. I’m not sure they would make a great perfume, but I’m sure an expert could figure out what I’m after.

  • I’m in the U.S. This would be a dream come true and I would be delighted to work with Tanja Bochnig or Dawn Spencer Hurwitz. I love frankincense and myrrh, amber, and spices including clove and anything else that brings to mind the seraglio or a spice bazaar. I love SMOKE, cedar, and pine, along with carnation and lily. Depending upon the vanilla, i love that as well. In short, a smokey, spicy oriental with floral and woody notes. Gourmand fragrances and I generally do not get along. Thank you for this amazing opportunity.

  • My favorite notes are spring flowers, citrus flowers, vanilla bean, earthy lavender, and the scent of the ocean. Not all at once though. I’d love to have a chance to be gifted a bespoke fragrance from any of these wonderful ladies, but especially Tanja (crystal!). I live in the US. Thanks for the great draw!

  • This is really the draw of a lifetime. The notes I would want in my bespoke perfume are sandalwood, jasmine, bergamot, leather, woodsy notes, rose, cashmere, and tobacco (heavy notes such as leather and tobacco in light doses not dominant ones). It is hard to choose a favorite fragrance family because there are perfumes I love and there are ones I am not that much impressed with in almost every family. But I do tend to gravitate towards perfumes that remind me of trees, not green notes but dry, a bit smoky (Chene, Or Black, and Cuiron come to mind). My favorite memory is probably smelling my dad’s Givenchy Gentleman in late 1990s because that was the first time a perfume took my breath away even though I had smelled acqua di gio before and to think of it, i was in high school yet givenchy gentleman blew me away instead of acqua di gio. I would love to work with Mandy Aftel, Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, or Tanja Bochnig. I am in the US

  • Oh what fun. I would love to have Dawn create something for me. I’ve never had a ‘signature’ fragrance. I have never purchased a bottle of anything more than once. I love the gourmand family. I have been searching for a tobacco fragrance after recently losing my brother, maybe with some vanilla. I am obsessed with the ponderosa pine bark due to its butterscotch aroma. I also like hazelnuts and nutmeg. My favorite place to travel is the American Southwest. I am not a floral fan, but I know they are good to add in for balance. I live in the U.S.

  • What an interesting draw! I’m a registered reader living in Berlin, Germany and among my favorite notes are Mysore Sandalwood, Benzoe, Neroli, Incense and Amber notes. . . I wear mostly all natural scents and therefor would be very curious about Tanja Bochnigs approach on creation.
    Thanks for the draw!

  • marcopietro says:

    What a wonderful opportunity! The fairy blog asks us to make a wish, here is mine! I’d love to wear a scent designed by Tanja Bochnig building around my favorite notes: any kind of pepper, vetiver, woods, incense and balsamic notes. I live in Italy.
    Thanks!

  • oh my! i love Tanja Bochnig's bohemian spice so much. Also Dawn Spencer Hurwitz  is one of my favorites. I would love something like that, with some kind of twist to make it a little more feminine. I'm not a real nose but i know i like amber and vanilla and lavender. I'm in texas. pick me, pick me!!!

  • Amazing opportunity! I live in Europe, Poland.
    I love cedarwood, sandal (Samsara style) notes, have complicated relations with musks – do not feel most of them. Also like flower compositions with lily of the valley (Habanitta L’Esprit)

  • I live in San Antonio, Texas. I would choose JoAnne Bassett to create a bespoke perfume for me. My favorite house is Kilian. These are my coveted notes I’d desire in a fragrance. Multi-faceted bordering-on-‘drunk,’ fizzy ROOT BEER; intensely juicy lemon; cascading velvety-leafed peppermint; quiet, behaved spearmint; highly effervescent, bubbly cola; sour burst of lime; black unforgiving licorice; tart, squishy, hypnotic juniper berries; non-powdery super creamy vanilla; aromatic, buzzy camphor from the Laurel tree; eucalyptus; jubilant, seXXXy strawberry; slushy-ripe-watermelon; meaty pecan; blueberry; peach; sassy pepper; moon-teased-violet; juicy-rich-cantaloupe; mesquite; cedar; clove; purple grape; and cinnamon.

  • What an amazing opportunity to be able to work with perfumers of such talent. As personal favourites , it would be a dream come true – especially Tanja, whose perfumes I have found peace, at times drawn strength from, and inspiration at the level of heart and soul.

  • What an amazing draw, I’m sure there will be many comments. I will try my luck as I have been longing for a perfume I haven’t found yet: a sophisticated strawberry, or better a fragrance that has a hint of wild, small strawberries one might find in the forests – not one of those synthetic fruity-florals which exist in abundance, but combined with slightly darker notes and woods instead. I otherwise tend towards elegant perfumes and modern classics; I love woods, violet, iris, mimosa, pepper, a bit of smoke and clove. I live in the EU and would love to work with Dawn Spencer Hurwitz. Thank you for the draw.

  • Wow! I’d like to work with whoever is doing international, as I am in the Great White North (Canada) For me, Middle Eastern incense based fragrances have always entranced me, so I’ll go with notes of incense, patchouli, just a little oud, great spices and some smoke to make it a little dark to celebrate and embrace my darker side 🙂 Thank you, what a great opportunity!

  • Wow! Such an amazing opportunity to win something truly special ! My favourite notes are amber, insence, myrrh, leather, rose and vetiver,and I would love very,very much to work with Tanja Bochnig or Dawn Spencer Hurwitz. I live in Norway.

  • Chris Schaefer says:

    This was a terrific article with so many fascinating details about how each perfumer approaches bespoke perfumes. And thank you all so much for the generous draw!

    I would be thrilled to work with any of these talented perfumers, however, I was drawn to Tanja. In addition to delicious essences I am drawn to gemstones, crystals and pretty much any kind of stone there is. I am enamored of Boronia, White Ginger Lily, Honeysuckle bring back memories of my childhood home. Vetiver is a long time favorite. I live in the mountain where I adore the scents or the firs, pines, and cedars. I live in the US; California.

  • It’s a wonderful opportunity! I would love very much to work with Tanja, because I would like a 100% natural perfume. My favorite notes are: rose, coconut, oud, jasmine, almond, blueberry, almond flower, etc. And I also like sweet scents, and wood scents too. I live in Europe.
    Thank you for the chance.

  • Wow. The idea of a custom made fragrance sounds so luxurious. I love the idea of perfume as healing potion because that’s what the best of them are. When you find a fragrance match, it can be such a transformative experience. I’m still exploring my favorite fragrance families, but one of my strongest scent memories is from my early 20s when I layered sweet orange and rose essential oils over sandalwood. It was a perfect blend for me. These days, I’m smitten with Bois des Iles. Thank you for the draw! I would love to work with JoAnne Bassett.

  • What a fabulous opportunity, only at CaFleurebon. Thanks Michael for the article and to all of the busy and talented perfumers for your generosity in making this possible. I’m in the US.
    My dream perfume would be roughly based on the life cycle of a maple leaf – the green sap in the seeds, a touch of syrup of course but not too sweet, the dusty tang of dry leaves and the sweet smoke when they are burned. It would be great to have some hay and woods in there too. I’m not a big floral fan but spices, incense, woods, resins & balsams are favorite notes. It would be a privilege to have any of these perfumers but since I need to choose, I would love to have JoAnne Bassett work her magic.

  • I am a registered reader from NY. My fav frag categoryies are woody or Chypre. Such a great draw! The winners are going to be so lucky!!

    If I was one of them I would love to work with Dawn or Tanja.
    So many ideas… Maybe a light plummy Peru balsam with a hint of leather and benzoin on a woody core . Maybe a peachy suede with an iris heart. Hmmm! This would be so much fun!

  • bunchofpants says:

    I have so many favorite notes, but I’m not sure how they would work together. I believe I would want some sort of green notes, or “foresty,” perhaps. I’m always thrilled when I smell aromatic trees, like eucalyptus, cedar, fir, spruce and pine. I’m also a big fan of incense smells, including the wood incenses like piñon. Then there are the lovely citrus notes, and anise … honestly I feel like I’m all over the place. I’m really only beginning to discover the whole range of my scent preferences. I would love to work with Dawn. I’m in USA.

  • What an amazing prize! I would love to work with any of these talented perfumers, but my choice would be Dawn because I’ve spoken with her in the past and have enjoyed several of her fragrances.

    My favorite fragrances are mostly orientals, and some of my favorite notes include tobacco, myrrh, cardamom, rice powder, benzoin, sandalwood, and tolu balsam. Can you tell I like base notes? I’m trying to write a book, so a warm and contemplative fragrance that stays close to my skin and surrounds me in an aura of beauty and creativity would be perfect.

    Thank you so much for the opportunity. I’m in the US.

  • Gosh – my mind has been racing on this one … but i came up with the following thoughts…..

    White flowers, linden, honeysuckle, violet, musk and something to make it a little spicy or boozy (unsure what that might be). I would love to have a gentle, comforting but lasting scent which conjures a feel-good mood.

    I’m in the UK and would love the chance to work with Tanja because i feel her and i would be the best match (i too am very intuitive and love my crystals, of which i have a large collection). Here’s hoping that the Universe will provide this wish!

    Thank you to Cafleurebon and the perfumers for providing the opportunity for us all.

  • Wow! This is the coolest draw yet! I am in the US and would love to work with all of these talented perfumers (having trouble choosing).
    I love all kinds of “comfort” scents, borderline oriental/gourmands based around rose and sandalwood, vanilla, spices (like saffron and clove for example), tea, osmanthus.
    If I was to work on a memory, it would be Jerusalem at dawn- pink limestone, streams bubbling up from underground springs, rose gardens, new pine trees, freshly ground spices at the market, and just baked chocolate rugelach.
    Thanks so very much for this chance!

  • Valentine Girl says:

    Thank you for an incredible article and draw opportunity. I loved hearing about the different approaches of the perfumers creating signature scents for their clients. I was really drawn to Tanja’s approach to creating a healing perfume that gives the soul something it needs to grow, so I would love to work with her and create an all natural healing aroma for my soul. I love fresh green, herbal, spicy, earthy, damp, woody & smoky notes; though perhaps Tanja may determine my soul needs some floral intervention. USA resident.

  • This is an awesome draw! Which perfumista/ perfumisto (?) doesn’t dream about owning their own bespoke fragrance?

    I just wrote and erased an entire story about the favorite scents of my youth. But actually I would like to keep my options open for if I’d be one of the lucky winners.

    I’m in the Netherlands and I would love a bespoke perfume from Tanja Bochnig, since I prefer all natural fragrances and I adore her perfume Erdenstern. But frankly all bespoke offers sound great. I would be just as happy to win a bespoke fragrance by DSH, who is an awesome perfumer as well.

  • As far as notes, I enjoy saffron, tuberose, sandalwood, frankincense, tobacco etc. I do not have a particular favorite fragrance family. It usually depends on my mood. I was just speaking with someone yesterday about how I miss the smell of burning maple leaves in the fall. I would appreciate the opportunity to work with any of these perfurmers, but if I had to choose I would say Dawn Spencer Hurwitz because she attempts to take you out of our comfort zone. I enjoy trying new things. Also, Sue sounds intersting with her customized quiz to give her the best idea about your personality. I live in TX, USA. Thanks for the opportunity. This is a really cool draw!

  • Wow. This really is an incredible draw.

    I have so many favourite notes I don’t think I’ll remember them all, but I enjoy fresh grass, roses, daffodils, elderflower, linden blossom, lilac, seaweed, vetiver, jasmine, pine, fir, tuberose, sandalwood, cedarwood and indeed any sort of wood, frankincense, myrrh, oud, tobacco, saffron, violet, osmanthus, lavender, vanilla, anise, most spices, anything green.

    If I won, I’d love to have a perfume by Tanja Bochnig, as I think hers are fantastic.

    Many thanks to all for the very generous draw. You can’t beat this!

  • girasole638 says:

    What a wonderful opportunity! Honestly, I would be thrilled to have a bespoke fragrance from any of these perfumers, but my vote goes to Dawn or Sue. Like many others, I have a lot of favorite notes, but I love perfumes that play on the edge between salty and sweet, airy and earthy. I think I’d like something that contains some of the following: orris, new-mown hay, milky notes, something salty, tonka and maybe a touch of tobacco or smoky Lapsang tea (basically the smell of evening teatime after a walk in the English countryside). For what it’s worth, I also love almond, heliotrope and violet. The only notes I sometimes have trouble with are cumin and myrrh.
    I live in the US – thanks for the draw!

  • Wow this would be amazing to win! I’m in Aotearoa in the South Pacific.
    My current favourites: oud/ labdanum/ White Champca/ poplar AB/ coffee flower/ a smokey Tea and call me old fashioned I’ll end with Magnolia( a greenish one) love wearin my perfume at night – like it sensuous rather than fresh but this choices indicate that 🙂 Tanja or Dawn for me

  • I would love to see of any perfumer can create a perfume that featires both labdanum and tuberose heavily. Unsure if it could even be done, and what the supporting cast would be, but the thought of the combination intrigues me. I would love to have Tanja from April Aromatics work on the scent, only because I have smelled and loved several of her fragrances. But i have heard nothing but good thing about Joann and Mandy, and having anyone make this would be an amazing treat. Im in the USA (socal).

  • What a delightful opportunity, thank you all! I’m in the USA, and I’d be thrilled if any one of these talented perfumers worked on my bespoke fragrance.

    I think the notes would have to include fig leaves and tuberose, possibly pepper and rhubarb if those are options. I would just about die for a proper wild blueberry note that brought me back to picking blueberries in the hot summer sun as a child, but I think that will have to remain a fantasy fragrance for the time being.

  • My goodness, what an amazing opportunity!

    Where to start? Smoky iris incense that lasts all day with a fabulous drydown? I love the incense perfumes, along with woods, green, hay, tobacco, jasmine, sandalwood, osmanthus, champaca, spices. I’ve discovered I can handle a lot of cumin. But not sweet or rosy scents. Hmmm, maybe a beautiful green jasmine with a big woody/sandalwoody finish. I have beautiful irises and incenses but I haven’t found my gorgeous jasmine yet.

    I’m in Australia and would love to work with Dawn.

  • What a rare chance to get a custom scent.

    I love the notes of tuberose, gardenia, magnolia, linden, orange blossom, orchid, peach, ylang ylang, anise, licorice, hay, spices, sandalwood, resins, and vanilla . Not sure how the end result would smell like, even if all these notes can be incorporated.

    I live in Singapore, and would prefer to work with Tanja.

  • We are so blessed that these talented perfumers have offered their time and talent!

    I love woody fragrances that are laced with spices. I especially love cardamom and cedar. I think I would want a bespoke fragrance to also contain some kind of fruit note, perhaps lime, or apricot or plum.

    I love the fact that Tanja can include a Bach flower remedy — I am in need of elm! I am also tending toward naturals these days, and Tanja’s expertise in that area also draws me to her.

    I am in the US.

  • What a wonderful draw! It is hard to choose from these talented perfumers, however, I have so many of Dawn’s creations that I know her perfumes always seem to meld well with my skin chemistry. I love orientals, chypres and aldehydes. What I am picturing is a sparkling, cold, aldehyde with a touch of lavender is that is possible. I also enjoy these notes: rose, orange blossom, hyacinth, benzoin, and woods. I am in the USA

  • thegoddessrena says:

    I live in Boston and would like to work with either Dawn or JoAnne. I like plush, round, full perfumes and would love something with broom, carnation, honey, a smidgen of smokiness, and something animalic plus whatever else is necessary for constant wrist huffing magic

  • Wow… I loved reading how each of these perfumers develope their bespokes! I haven’t had the opportunity of purchising a bespoke perfume. I’m a woodys oriental girl. I am perticularly drawn to the resins, so much so that I have a collection myself. I also love the beauty of Chypres… Tough decision as to which of these perfumers I will choose. .. I think that for me tonight I would have to choose JoAnne. It’s not that I would not love a bespoke from any ot the others, as I know they all do beautiful work! I am a registered reader in the US…

  • What a fabulous draw!! So many talented perfumers, it’s hard to make a choice but I would love to work with Tanja.
    I live in the U.S. And would love to recreate a favorite scent memory. I remember being carried into Midnight Mass by my Da when I was a little girl. It was dark and cold and the snow was falling. I could smell the Incense in the church, the fresh falling snow, the chilly air.
    Thank you so much!

  • I live in the US and my bespoke fragrance would be an oriental woody fragrance with cardamom, ginger, pink pepper, juniper and cedar notes. It would be a treat to work with any of these wonderful perfumers, but I think I would like to create my signature scent with Tanja.

  • Sheila Cody says:

    Fascinating read! As is the whole topic!
    Loved reading each fragrance artist’s approach.
    I will be pondering this for awhile!
    Thank you for sharing.

  • A scent memory that I’d love to recreate is from my childhood. The apartment building that I lived in in Hong Kong had a wall around the downstairs parking lot area. Atop the wall were these amazing vines of bougainvillea that would always make my walk to the school bus so incredibly refreshing, no matter how hot or humid it was. I was very small at the time, and I remember sitting on my dad’s shoulders just to be able to reach the flowers.

    I’ve love to work with Dawn on this! I live in Canada.

  • It was very interesting to read how each perfumer creates a bespoke fragrance whether by instinct. Feel. Quiz. I really liked Dawn Spencer Hurwitz explanation of the difference between creating custom and commercial. I am a yoga practitioner so in this case I would really like for Tanja Bochnig to be my perfumer. Frankincense and resins as well as cedar and Vetiver are notes I like but would leave it to her to create the right mix for my signature scent should I win.
    I saw this in Facebook Fragrance Friends and now went back an read all the perfumer workshops. My favorite was enfleurage and this one
    Thanks and I live in The USA

  • Wow this is like a dream draw! I’ve always wanted to have a fragrance made based on my likes and interests!

    All of these perfumers are incredibly talented, so this is such a tough choice. But I’d say Dawn .

    I don’t exactly have a favorite scent family, but i do love citrus aromatics. Some of my favorite notes include: neroli (my favorite), florals (orange blossom, lavender, gardenia, ylang ylang, violet), citruses (bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, mandarin), and maybe a base of amber, woods, and musk.

    I am in Canada and thank you so much for the draw!

  • Wow! This is a truely amazing opportunity! I’d love to work with Dawn or Joanne (or really any of them – I just have had the opportunity to meet Dawn in person so she knows how my skin works because of her customer card system!).

    I’m transitioning now from working in homes/ being a student to working in research having to meet with clients and conduct interviews a few times a week at least… so my fragrance needs have changed a bit lately. My daily scent I am about to need to refresh is Passport Au Paris because it’s something I can wear anywhere and people universally seem to enjoy the scent, so I’m not feeling self conscious.

    I’ve been searching for the type of fragrance I can wear everyday, with a decent but not obtrusive throw/aura. Vanilla bases play well with my skin. But I’d also like it to be rooted in resins, something soothing and natural, but modern. Maybe a floral or two, like orange blossom, but not a floral centered fragrance.

    I’d like something spicy, since I feel as a loud and aggressive red headed lady that suits me… but not traditional spices. Cinnamon burns me up, and I’m not into smelling like ginger bread. I’d like something non-traditional, but that won’t offend anyone in a meeting or interview.

    I want something that screams confidence, but isn’t offputting with overly aggressive musks or sachrine florals. I’ve found a lot of perfumes I love on me can be a bit too much for those around me. I tend to love earthy scents that help me feel calm… but need a more modern way to wear it now that I’m in the professional world.

    I’m in the USA

  • This sounds wonderful! I am in the US, and I would love to work with Dawn Spencer Hurwitz. My favorite perfumes are usually in the oriental family but I would love a perfume with violet, salt, and woods. Thank you!

  • Thank you for this amazing opportunity to have a personalized perfume creation. The notes I love most are vanilla, rose, sugarcane, and the family of perfumes that I prefer are gourmand ones. In case I am one of the winners I would love to work with Tanja Bohning to create a signature perfume for me.
    I am a registered reader and I live in EU.

  • Bespoke perfumes are one of the greatest ideas in perfumery!
    Thank you for the chance to win something unique and incredible!
    I am in Bulgaria (EU).
    My most preferred notes in fragrance are violet, leather, patchouli, rose and musk, but they do not always combine very well. Or they could, but in the hands of a master. Moreover, I am a chypre fan.
    I know only the works of Tanja Bochnig. And I love them! Consequently, I would like her to be the perfumer of my bespoke fragrance. I really wish that I could win this exact draw!!!
    Perfume is a spiritual experience, a piece of art, not only a precious well-scented liquid!
    Thanks again!

  • Thank you for this awesome opportunity! I live in the US and I would love to work with JoAnne. My preferred notes are vanilla, earthy moss, frankincense, benzoin, sandalwood, rose, most spices, woods, hay, lemongrass, vitex tincture, and summer rain on prairie grasses. Thanks again!

  • What a wonderful drawing! My fave notes are oakmoss benzoin orange blossom narcissus. I am a chypre fan. I would love dawn to design a bespoke fragrance for me. Fragrance is art spirit and emotional environment for me. Thanks ag

  • This is an incredible opportunity. The winner will be so lucky! I would say I’m a fan of fresher, soapy scents. I like florals and citrus mostly. So maybe a combination of lavender, neroli, lemon, bergamot, etc. And also some green notes such as mint. Then have musk, amber, vanilla type dry down. With maybe a bit of woods as well in there. I would love the chance to work with Dawn. I’m a Canadian reader and good luck to everyone!

  • Iuno Feronia says:

    What a wonderful draw. I Love Natural perfumes And I am always searching for my scent which i will wear my hole Life. I Love Special scents with a certain Twist. Not one dimensional perfumes. I Love eg Rose, Jasmine, Vanille, Green notes, Pepper. I live in Europe.

  • Oh, what a fab giveaway! I’d love a chance to win this (and who wouldn’t?) Great read, really enjoyed reading about their approaches to bespoke perfumes and philosophies.
    My only problem is that I like so many things that can’t be combined and I’m sure I’d end up naming them all instead to trying to focus on something that’d actually work together (like, perhaps, starfruit and tar or burnt wood and raspberry, lavender and apricot), but let’s give it a try.
    Woodruff and Anthoxanthum odoratum to start it off as it’s recurring, coumarin-laden scents I associate with our farm, both the garden and land. If the leaves and grass a dew-/rain-covered, even better. Fresh hay to add scents associated with both coumarin and my home. Perhaps a touch of rosemary (love it in shampoos). I love boozy, smoky and woody vanillas. And guaiac mixed with vanilla as in Vanille 44 and Vanille Exquise. And saffron, sweet saffron, not least right now as I cheated and just ate the first lussekatt of the year (I know, way too early). Licorice and similar scents (anise, sweet cicely) is another favourite. Love daffodil too and soil, not to mention grapefruit and starfruit, but perhaps not in this mix…
    Basically, I like perfumes that are like standing in a garden or forest in the evening or morning and breath in the scents. Like perfumes that make me long or remember the way To See A Flower makes me dream of spring in February. I’m a country girl, never feeling better than when sitting on a hill under a rowan tree watching the sun set on the sea or sitting up in an oak tree reading and listening to the common blackbird singing. That and vanillas like Vanille Exquise.
    As for perfumer, I couldn’t choose one over the other, both make lovely and interesting perfumes. Let chance decide that.
    I’m in the EU.

  • This is an amazing opportunity! I live in Zagreb, Croatia. Thanks to all the perfumers who participate here. It is hard to choose particular notes at this moment. I think about a warm, big floral scent, somehow “on the masculine side”. Tanja or Dawn (worldwide)? Both are among my favorite perfumers. All the perfumes I have tried from Dawn and Tanja are beautiful. Tanja’s fragrances are absolutely “healing perfumes”. They are my greatest experience of perfume’s healing power. I was very touched when I found that. I’d love to help Tanja’s to create my “Liquid Dream”. Yellow flowers incense and sandalwood would be among possible notes. Thank you very much.

  • madeleine gallay says:

    This is the most wonderful, richest generous experience a person can have, and to love learning about fragrance, just reading this made my toes curl so happily.

    These wonderful perfumers that are happy to do that, thank you.

    I love smoky, noir and romantic notes. Oriental fragrances, moody and the kind you remember.

    In the uSA

  • How fun and interesting reading about the processes of each perfumer.
    I would love to win a bespoke perfume from Tanya, JoAnne, or Dawn!

    I love natural perfumes. My favorite notes are vetiver, raspberry leaf and other grassy notes, nagarmotha, orris root, neroli, fir absolute and fir/pines in general, frankincense, citruses (esp lime), shiso, carnation, chrysanthemum, spices, rose geranium, woods, balsamic notes…

    I like oriental/spicy blends, forest/green accords, chypres that aren’t overpowering, and I have a soft spot for the bright and citrusy Alvarez Gomez Agua De Colonia. Mandy Aftel’s Shiso is one of my all-time favorites.

    Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to win a bespoke creation! I’m in the US.

  • I like vanilla a lot. It’s so simple and nice. And a lot of floral/ herb scents… rose, bergamot, lavender. I enjoy apple, pear, and berry scents. Especially in lip balms.

  • Wow, what a unique opportunity! Thank you for giving us all a chance to enter in this draw.

    I am located in Europe, so would enter for the worldwide draw.

    I would like a comfortable, warm scent. I like forest wood and earth tones, moss, incense, petrichor, fog. Perhaps offset by lighter fruity notes such as sweet apple.

  • I’m in the US and would love to work with any of the perfumers.

    I tend to lean towards warm floral scents as I love the outdoors, but I’m stuck too often indoors at my desk job. A more relaxing scent to use during yoga might be interesting as well.

  • I’ve always lusted after the opportunity to create a Bespoken fragrance. I gravitated towards ambers and vanillas, but would love to find a feminine warm deep resin scent.

    Location: USA
    Perfumer: Any

  • As many others have mentioned, what a wonderful draw! All of those perfumers are incredible. My choice will be Tanja.

    My favorite types of fragrances are citruses, and citrus aromatics. I love the notes of bergamot, grapefruit, and other citrus fruits. I also really like neroli, lavender, and iris as well. Florals in general I’m a fan of. Amber and vanilla are also notes I like.

    I’m in Canada and thank you so much for the draw.

  • , sharing with us what notes you would want in your bespoke fragrance, if you have a favorite fragrance family, or scent memory that might be used

    This draw is so wonderful that it is deeply intimidating! A dream draw, for which I lack adequate words.

    I really liked Dawn Spencer Hurwitz’s explanation and especially how she likes to meet in person to compose for their skin like bespoke clothing is cut and draped on the body. At this point in my life I am in need of healing, so I would really like for Tanja Bochnig to be my perfumer.

    Spicy, warm, creamy, vanilla, earthy…these are a few of my favorite things! I love saffron, milky vanilla, dirt/earth, woods, wine, spices

    My current scent-memory is very recent–etrog. I wish I could capture the way it smells from maybe 6-8 inches away. not the pith,but the almost floral delicate outer scent.

    I have a really detailed imaginary scent which uses etrog as ‘sunshine’ and goes through a day on a mountain farm

    USA and thank you so much for the draw!