Cartier puts beautiful memories in bottles
September 20, 2006 | 12:00am
Don’t look at perfumes as just something to sniff at. History, after all, is scented with stories of how people in power could not live without their perfume. Neither could they leave the world without it.
When Tutankhamen’s tomb was discovered, alabaster jars containing perfumed ointments were found beside it. In biblical times, women used perfumes to scent their hair. Men even dressed their beards with fragrant oils.
You can say that Cleopatra was probably one of the original perfume designers. Mark Antony built her a perfume factory where Cleopatra wrote a recipe book for making scents. Located at the edge of the Dead Sea, her perfume factory yielded residues of ancient fragrances.
The more powerful a person, the more compelling the need for a personalized perfume. Why? Because like a badge of power, a personalized scent is a mark of one’s character.
There are hundreds of ready-to-wear scents on the market. But many people don’t really want to wear the same fragrance that everyone else is wearing.
And that is the reason why Cartier, the inventor of great wristwatches and beautiful jewelry, has a new product: made-to-order perfumes. But unlike Cartier’s watches and jewelry that are readily available in the Philippines at Rustan’s, you would have to go to Paris to order your personal scent by Cartier.
Cartier’s fragrance salon is located at the second floor of Cartier’s majestic six-story building along Rue de la Paix in Paris. Yes, you can follow your nose to find your way to this salon as I did. After your eyes have feasted on the beautiful timepieces and diamond-studded gems encased in glass, you are in for a fragrant experience. As you are shown vials containing assorted scents derived from flowers, fruits and herbs sourced from all over the world, you make yourself comfortable on their elegant Louis XIV furniture. And then an exciting new world of scents unfolds before you when Mathilde Laurent, Cartier’s perfume expert, starts talking.
"Perfume is all about memories," Laurent explains in a gentle voice that blends with the romantic piano music filling the Cartier Boutique. "People remember us by the scent we leave in their memories. Your favorite perfume may actually be reminders of happy moments in your life. You may like a certain scent because it reminds you of your childhood strolls in a beautiful garden. Or because it evokes the aroma of your favorite food or fruit. Or because it is the scent you associate with the person you love and want to remember always."
She says that a person who wants a custom-made perfume has to sit with her for a long conversation. "You have to tell me about your olfactory life – the smells you like and don’t like, the best memories you have in your life, the places you enjoy, even the cuisine that you favor. Then I will let you smell different scents, and you choose the ones close to your heart. We will mix the ingredients and experiment with several choices, maybe 200, which we will let you try until we arrive at your choice. The whole process of producing the scent may take six months. As soon as we agree on the scent, we make it for you and keep the formula exclusively for you. We present them to you in these beautiful bottles in boxes with your personalized label."
A veteran perfumer who has spent 11 years creating scents for Guerlain, Laurent says anything is possible in the art of perfumery. Mixing and experimenting with different scents is something she does with a passion.
"Men and women come here to Cartier to have their own personal perfume created by us, because they would like a scent that matches their individuality. Different people have different personalities, right? What works for one person may not be good for another. Here is where I believe there is no such thing as a scent for men and a scent for women. You can’t say a scent is masculine or feminine. I believe that even if you are a man, you may want a rose scent. And that even if you are a woman, you may go for a woody scent, and that is all right. You can wear whatever scent you really fancy. For me, there is nothing too difficult to do. In fact, I like discovering unusual ideas and creating new ones."
I ask her what type of scents are favored in certain countries. "The French go for light to adventurous scents. The Americans like light to sensual scents," Laurent answers. "Oh yes, I notice that young people go for sweet fragrances that make you feel like you have just stepped out of the shower. I guess when you are young, you don’t try harder to be so sensual."
Laurent offers this advice on the proper storage of perfume:
"Do not expose perfume bottles to sunlight, it is very bad for the perfume. Do keep perfume in a cool and dark place like a refrigerator, if you live in a warm climate. Do not collect perfumes on shelves where these will be exposed to sunlight. In fact, it may not always be a good idea to collect perfumes, because depending on many factors, the normal shelf life of a perfume may be about two years."
Yes, perfume is meant to be worn or given away, not displayed on shelves for decoration or collection purposes. "In fact, many people order fragrances from us for their wedding giveaways. Or as gifts for their loved ones."
Laurent is not about to reveal which celebrity or powerful personage orders which kind of scent, for you can be sure of one thing: Cartier preserves beautiful memories, as well as personal secrets, in bottles.
In the Philippines, Cartier fragrances, watches and jewelry are available at Rustan’s Makati, Rustan’s Tower at EDSA Shangri-La and Rustan’s Cebu. The Cartier Boutique with the fragrance salon is located at 13 Rue de la Paix, Paris, France.
E-mail the author at milletmananquil@yahoo.com.
When Tutankhamen’s tomb was discovered, alabaster jars containing perfumed ointments were found beside it. In biblical times, women used perfumes to scent their hair. Men even dressed their beards with fragrant oils.
You can say that Cleopatra was probably one of the original perfume designers. Mark Antony built her a perfume factory where Cleopatra wrote a recipe book for making scents. Located at the edge of the Dead Sea, her perfume factory yielded residues of ancient fragrances.
The more powerful a person, the more compelling the need for a personalized perfume. Why? Because like a badge of power, a personalized scent is a mark of one’s character.
There are hundreds of ready-to-wear scents on the market. But many people don’t really want to wear the same fragrance that everyone else is wearing.
And that is the reason why Cartier, the inventor of great wristwatches and beautiful jewelry, has a new product: made-to-order perfumes. But unlike Cartier’s watches and jewelry that are readily available in the Philippines at Rustan’s, you would have to go to Paris to order your personal scent by Cartier.
Cartier’s fragrance salon is located at the second floor of Cartier’s majestic six-story building along Rue de la Paix in Paris. Yes, you can follow your nose to find your way to this salon as I did. After your eyes have feasted on the beautiful timepieces and diamond-studded gems encased in glass, you are in for a fragrant experience. As you are shown vials containing assorted scents derived from flowers, fruits and herbs sourced from all over the world, you make yourself comfortable on their elegant Louis XIV furniture. And then an exciting new world of scents unfolds before you when Mathilde Laurent, Cartier’s perfume expert, starts talking.
"Perfume is all about memories," Laurent explains in a gentle voice that blends with the romantic piano music filling the Cartier Boutique. "People remember us by the scent we leave in their memories. Your favorite perfume may actually be reminders of happy moments in your life. You may like a certain scent because it reminds you of your childhood strolls in a beautiful garden. Or because it evokes the aroma of your favorite food or fruit. Or because it is the scent you associate with the person you love and want to remember always."
She says that a person who wants a custom-made perfume has to sit with her for a long conversation. "You have to tell me about your olfactory life – the smells you like and don’t like, the best memories you have in your life, the places you enjoy, even the cuisine that you favor. Then I will let you smell different scents, and you choose the ones close to your heart. We will mix the ingredients and experiment with several choices, maybe 200, which we will let you try until we arrive at your choice. The whole process of producing the scent may take six months. As soon as we agree on the scent, we make it for you and keep the formula exclusively for you. We present them to you in these beautiful bottles in boxes with your personalized label."
A veteran perfumer who has spent 11 years creating scents for Guerlain, Laurent says anything is possible in the art of perfumery. Mixing and experimenting with different scents is something she does with a passion.
"Men and women come here to Cartier to have their own personal perfume created by us, because they would like a scent that matches their individuality. Different people have different personalities, right? What works for one person may not be good for another. Here is where I believe there is no such thing as a scent for men and a scent for women. You can’t say a scent is masculine or feminine. I believe that even if you are a man, you may want a rose scent. And that even if you are a woman, you may go for a woody scent, and that is all right. You can wear whatever scent you really fancy. For me, there is nothing too difficult to do. In fact, I like discovering unusual ideas and creating new ones."
I ask her what type of scents are favored in certain countries. "The French go for light to adventurous scents. The Americans like light to sensual scents," Laurent answers. "Oh yes, I notice that young people go for sweet fragrances that make you feel like you have just stepped out of the shower. I guess when you are young, you don’t try harder to be so sensual."
Laurent offers this advice on the proper storage of perfume:
"Do not expose perfume bottles to sunlight, it is very bad for the perfume. Do keep perfume in a cool and dark place like a refrigerator, if you live in a warm climate. Do not collect perfumes on shelves where these will be exposed to sunlight. In fact, it may not always be a good idea to collect perfumes, because depending on many factors, the normal shelf life of a perfume may be about two years."
Yes, perfume is meant to be worn or given away, not displayed on shelves for decoration or collection purposes. "In fact, many people order fragrances from us for their wedding giveaways. Or as gifts for their loved ones."
Laurent is not about to reveal which celebrity or powerful personage orders which kind of scent, for you can be sure of one thing: Cartier preserves beautiful memories, as well as personal secrets, in bottles.
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