Create Your Own Fragrance at Providence Perfume
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Why spend a fortune on a designer scent when you can spend much less on one that's custom-made and one of a kind?
Charna is a self-described “child of a hippie parents”. She grew up in verdant farmlands in New England which grew her adult passion for botanicals that could replicate the fragrances of her country youth. We're talking vibrant lilacs, lush green grasses, and maple sap–not the stuff of today's luxury perfumes with designer labels and hefty price tags. Fast forward past her work with large beauty and fragrance companies and Charna's dream has finally come to fruition in the form of her lovely Wickenden Street shop.
Scented heaven
The first thing you will notice upon stepping into Providence Perfume Company is, you guessed it, the smell. A cacophony of blended scents will tell you that you have entered a special place. Charna herself is elegant and soft-spoken, welcoming and warm. It soon becomes apparent that you are in the presence of a master, a woman lucky enough to be doing what she loves. The space is soothing and light with simple displays of Charna's handiwork on pretty shelving, including flowers and greenery and a delightfully curated grouping of solid perfume compacts, collected over many years. Sampling from the pre-made bottles of scent could take hours upon hours. The newest concoction is by one time Project Runway contestant Jonathan Joseph Peters, now fashion designer and VP of StyleWeek PR. With the help of Charna, Peters developed “Mousselline Peche”, a romantic creamy perfume that calls to mind a diaphanous peach chiffon scarf. You'll pause at this bottle with its fruit and ylang ylang notes as delicate as spun sugar, but the real present to yourself may just be your very own perfume, created with the help expert doyenne, Charna.
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Seated at a counter, you will be overwhelmed by the curious old-fashioned lab bottles shelved above you, all lettered with interesting words such as, tonka bean, jasmine, bitter orange, and vetiver. Charna begins by letting you smell and select the very ingredients that will make up your personal scent. With a small rubber stopper, you will be directed to add a certain amount of “drops” into your small perfume bottle. Then you will alternate shaking and sniffing until the concoction is perfectly right for you. During this process, Charna will educate you on the benefits of natural scents, the origins of botanicals, and what you can expect in terms of scent longevity (natural scents may be slightly more fleeting), all the while taking careful notes on your customized recipe card (you'll be ordering again and again). The petite bottle will be handed over with a pretty white label on which you will name your perfume.
The entire experience is uplifting and gives a sense of well-being–after all it isn't often that you get to create a unique one-of-a-kind beauty item with an award winning perfumer (Charna's perfumes have been nominated for the prestigious FiFi award and she has been named Best Natural Perfumer of 2011 by Ca Fleure Bon). Despite the constant ringing of the welcome bell, Charna gives each client her undivided attention during the creation process. And your perfume is sweetly wrapped and packaged before you head out the door for all those inevitable compliments on your bespoke and gorgeous new scent.
Providence Perfume Company is located at 301 Wickendon St., Providence.
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