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What Disney and my Old School Chapel Have in Common Might Surprise You

I have never been especially religious, but I have always enjoyed good rousing church service. It might be from when I was a school and we had a communion service every Wednesday.

I was very fortunate to go to an established church school. The school has a really magnificent chapel. The chapel was wood panelled, had a full organ, a large gallery for the choir and a high vaulted ceiling. The whole structure always felt very spiritual and traditional.

There are few experiences more moving than 700 boys in full cry singing a hymn they know and enjoy. The service was the same every week, very traditional with the ritual of burning of incense and myrrh. It was a completely immersive experience.

Fast forward to present day and I have not really attended any church services with any regularity for many years now, apart from the occasional midnight mass or when I’ve been back to the school for the occasional function.

My father passed away last year after a long illness. Before we had to move him into a home, he and my mom would go to a service once a week at a local church. After his passing I started going with my mom, I am not sure why, it just seemed like the right thing to do. It’s a very simple service held in the small chapel, no hymns, no incense, short and sweet – sermon, prayers, communion and done.

Much as I enjoy the more intimate nature of this service, it feels naked in a way, paired down to just what’s important and nothing else.

I have been thinking about if I could add back just one thing to make it feel more complete, what would it be? For me it does not smell like a service, there isn’t that scent of old wood panelling and incense that tells me I’m in a place of worship. The small chapel doesn’t smell of anything, close my eyes and I could be anywhere. In my old school chapel, the smell was unmistakable. I could be nowhere else, and I found it made the experience so much richer.

It’s not just me that finds scent to be the key to a more immersive experience. With the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise, the rides at Disneyland suddenly became much more popular. With that Disney decided to overhaul them, with far more elaborate sets and fancy sound systems. Ride goers gave good reviews, but it wasn’t until they added some specially developed scents that really transported ride goers into a sea battle that the ratings really climbed. That addition of the right scents made the ride feel more authentic. The smell of gunpowder, the minerality of the sea, the smell of fear and sweat. That’s what really added colour to the picture.

Of our senses, scent is the most emotionally stimulating one, it brings that connection. A picture can say a thousand words, but a scent will add the emotional texture that will bring it to life.

If you have a fun, sad, interesting, amusing story or experience you would like to share with us and it’s chosen for the newsletter you’ll win R150 worth of reward points you can use whenever you like. We’d love to hear from you.

FOR SCENT EXPLORERS AND PIONEERS

We are going to be launching around 40 new fragrances in the next week or so, keep a look out for that announcement, there are some real gems.

For those of you who visit us at the annual Nicarella Christmas Market we’ll have them all there for you to try. Come and visit us in Marquee 1 from 21 – 23 November at George Hay Park in Parkview.

Chypre scents are one of some of our favourites. Chypre is the French word for Cypress. As a scent family it was inspired by a late afternoon walk in a forest.

Francois Coty’s creation, released in 1917, simply named “Chypre,” was less a perfume and more an olfactory thesis. It presented a radical, almost confrontational harmony of opposites, weaving a thread of brilliant citrus through a dark, primal forest floor of moss and resins. The formula was so groundbreaking that it didn’t just inspire copies; it established its own genre.

Today of the commercially available fragrances out there 2000 Aromatics Elixir is the closest in feel to that matriarch of the family. It was no coincidence that we put it in our range as the first Chypre scent, it’s a fitting gateway to what we have.

For our Chypre Collection we have chosen to highlight some of the more modern interpretations. The scents we have chosen will give you a good sense of what Chypre scents are all about whilst staying mainstream. There is the gentle sweetness from 2001 Coco Mademoiselle, 2002 Le Parfum and 2003 Narcisso Rodrigues for Her backed up with earthy warmth that this family is renowned for. Chypre scents are also known for being fresh and clean, but still having body. 2013 Idole and 2022 White Tea both show this off to good effect.

Other Chypre scents that are well worth trying are 2005 Chance Eau Tendre which has an interesting fresh green fruity quality and 2010 Scandal if you are looking for something sweet. 2025 Burberry Goddess is a sweet Fougere interpretation, a great choice if you are after something a little different.

Personally I love Chypre scents and I think you should try them all 😁.

Collections are a great way to get better insight into what you like and what you don’t. We’ve have done all the hard work for you. Each collection has a selection of 5 scents that are connected but different. Add a couple to your next order at R100 for a 2ml selection. They really are great value. If you are looking for interesting gifts and stocking fillers, Collections are perfect.

Browse through the full Collections range here.

LAYERING IS FUN

Fragrance layering is a fantastic way to get the best out of your scent collection, every week we’ll highlight fragrance layering combinations that we love and have had good feedback on.

4002 CK One plus 6002 Terre D’Hermes

This is a great unisex combo. The CK One has a lovely floral tone with a touch of citrus to keep it fresh. The Terre D’Hermes adds a wonderful woody warmth and depth. This combination of two classic scents really is one for the ages.

1004 La Vie Est Belle plus 3004 Black Opium

These two gourmand heavy weights layer together perfectly. This combo is definitely the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. They both have a similar structure with a fruity opening, white florals in the heart and a woody gourmand base. La Vie Est Belle has a fresher fruity opening and the Black Opium a wonderful woody vanilla drydown. Layering them just amplifies the best of both fragrances.

We would love to hear what your favourite layering combos are. Every week we are going to be featuring different combinations. Send us yours and if we choose it for the feature, you’ll win R100 worth of reward points that you can use at a future date.

YOU GET A DISCOUNT AND YOU GET A DISCOUNT

Don’t forget we are running our build you fragrance wardrobe special. You’ll get a great discount on 10 samples to try followed by a buy one get one free deal for you to get 50ml bottles of your favourites. Added to this you’ll get our handy guide The Secret Art of Transforming Yourself with Perfume” absolutely free. It’s a great read filled with interesting info, tips and insights into making perfume your secret superpower. Grab it here.

With the festive season coming up and with it the annual search for that perfect gift, our home fragrance bundles make for phenomenal value. Perfect for teacher’s gifts, for office colleagues as well as friends and family.

Get 3 x Home Mists for only R400 saving you R50
Get 5 x Home Mists for only R625 saving you R125

Get 3 x Home Diffusers for just R675 saving you R125
Get 5 x Home Diffusers for just R1000 saving you R250

Until next time

Rob

"Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived."

Helen Keller

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