Chanel No.5, J’adore, Daisy—all timeless scents. But how can you claim your signature perfume to be unique when can sniff it on any passerby on the streets?
Housing 200 quality aromas from around the world, Je T’aime Perfumery on Good Man Road now lets you create your own scent to reflect your personality.
Among their aromas, essential oils are used to recreate the scents of 50 out of 80 wild orchids that remain in Singapore today. Other fragrances include spices, grapefruits, eucalyptus and peppermint.
Coincidentally having “Je T’aime” tattooed on my ribcage, I decided to attend their workshop to discover if I had a secret calling as a perfumer.
Once I stepped foot in the clean and sleek workshop studio, my nose went into sensory overload as I was instantly hit by the fragrant aroma.
Moments later, I was handed a 20-question quiz to find out my ‘perfume personality’, which reminded me of the Buzzfeed quizzes I waste hours on every week. No shame. The questions ranged from “Which words best describe you?” to “What is your idea of a perfect Saturday night?”.
At the end of the quiz, I discovered the percentage of how ‘floral’, ‘oriental’, ‘woody’, ‘citrus’ and ‘fresh’ I was, according to some mysterious form of science.
With absolutely no idea what any of that meant, I turned to the perfumer who deciphered the following explanation:
25% Floral- Down-to-earth, feminine and hopelessly romantic. Loves to be in relationships, and always looking for that special someone. Just what I needed! Another subtle reminder that I’m single :’).
20% Oriental- Don’t let people know you easily. Bold, unique, in control and loves attention. I have to admit that this is pretty spot on.
5% Woody- Pure, elegant, and subtle. They make amazing friends and are mature and committed. Don’t know if I should be offended by this or embrace that I am still #foreveryoung?
15% Citrus- Confident, low-key, fun-loving, and ready for anything. Live life to the fullest, and make friends easily. Again, a little offended.
35% Fresh- Free-spirited, relaxed, chic, and enjoy a little drama. My faith in this quiz was somewhat redeemed.
The next part caused a bit of a headache as I stared at the large white case with over 200 tiny drop bottles full of different aromas. They were color-coded by ‘personality’ and ‘gender’ in front of me as the perfumer instructed me to smell each and every one.
Taking a deep breath, I began my hour-long adventure to sensory enlightenment. Powering through the hundreds of bottles, I pulled aside any scent that piqued my interest.
From pungent woody to crisp fresh—I couldn’t help but question how all these uncorrelated scents would blend well together.
At last, it was time for the fun part: the perfume-creating process, which made me feel like a mad scientist. For this step, I was to create 3 sample sizes and then pick my favourite to concoct into a larger size.
For my first sample, the perfumer looked at my personality equation and instructed the number of drops I was allowed to put in. For my second sample, I freestyled with the number of drops I wanted and hoped for the best.
Surprisingly, my first two samples turned out pretty decent; both being dominantly floral and fresh. The perfumer suggested that I should add in more oriental and woody tones to make the third sample different. I proceeded to freestyle again and went to work for my final sample creation which ended up smelling like my grandma.
Being cursed with indecisiveness, I went back and forth till I decided the second sample was my favourite. The larger bottle required a massive amount of focus for my ADD brain, as I was to individually count 600 drops before my perfume would be finished.
600 drops and a lot of confusion later, I felt a sense of accomplishment over my new hand-crafted perfumes.
The perfumist then vacuum-sealed and capped my bottle to prevent oxidisation and to maintain a shelf life of 5 years, and it was finally ready to wear!
Whether it’s for a day out with your girlfriends or a solo adventure, Je T’aime offers an exciting hands-on way to develop your signature scent.
Lasting approximately two hours and costing S$125.00, you will take home one 75ml and three 10ml bottles of your hand-crafted scent. They don’t accept walk-ins for this workshop, so don’t forget to make an appointment before heading down!
Address: 90 Good Man Road (Good Man Art Center), Block O, #01-57, S(439053)
Contact: +65 9181 4871
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