meinblogland

Invited Review

I was recently invited by Maison 21G (Singapore) to attend a haute perfumery workshop at their Duxton flagship boutique. I love perfume and use it on a daily basis so the idea of creating a bespoke fragrance appealed to me. Not to mention, I was keen to learn about the art of perfumery so I gladly accepted the invitation.

The power of our sense of smell is incredible. Smells can capture the imagination, ignite the senses, shape perception and conjure up a wide range of emotions.

Personally speaking, the smell of jasmine instantly transports me back to a small town in my home state of Karnataka in India. To the home of my grandparents where I spent many pleasant evenings in the front yard plucking jasmine flowers alongside my cousins and grandmother. The smell of sandalwood takes me back to my beloved hometown of Mysore which incidentally, happens to be called the "Sandalwood City". It brings on a powerful wave of nostalgia that is associated with sandalwood soap and incense sticks. A more recent smell association comes from being an avid baker. The tantalizing scents of vanilla, cinnamon and orange zest are all too familiar to me and truth be told, I wouldn't mind smelling like a bakery!

Did you know that the pH balance of your skin, how dry or oily your skin is, your hormone levels, your hair color and even your diet are all believed to affect how your body reacts when perfume is applied? A perfume may smell fantastic on your friend but smell not as nice when the same amount of the exact same perfume is applied to your own skin. There is no point of loving a fragrance if it doesn't love you back. That's why it is recommended to check the effect of a fragrance on your skin before parting with your money.

I have been using different brands of perfume for so many years (leaning more towards light floral fragrances). But honestly, I never thought much about what goes into the perfume I am using. Many perfumes contain potentially hazardous synthetic chemicals (such as preservatives, GMOs, CMR substances, or phthalates) which can be detrimental to human health. Since the past decade or so, people are becoming more conscious about the personal care and cleaning products they use and now "safe", "eco-friendly" and "cruelty-free" products are preferred by health-conscious as well as environmentally-conscious folks.

Maison 21G is a French brand that specializes in personalizing clean perfume with a minimum of 90% biodegradable material. The brand aims to be transparent and sustainable in the sourcing of natural ingredients to create potent and high-quality perfume essences. Every tailor-made perfume is freshly blended. The perfume bottles are refillable with reusable packaging and the fragrances are preservative-free, cruelty-free and vegan which makes them ideal for people with sensitive noses, allergy-prone skin as well as pregnant women and nursing mothers.

Maison translates from French as ‘home’. The name mirrors the brand's concept of welcoming guests to step inside their home of fine perfumes, where the the power and freedom to craft a signature scent lies with the guest. Since every person is unique with respect to style, personality and passions, the brand seeks to empower guests to design their own perfumes with the freedom to reflect their individual preferences. As for the second part of the name, according to a study conducted by the physician Duncan MacDougall, a person's soul weighs exactly 21 grams. Inspired by this, Maison 21G promises to encapsulate the scent of a person's soul in a 21 grams bottle of perfume with 21% of perfume essence.

That's quite clever don't you think?

Johanna Monange is the Founder and CEO of Maison 21G. The brand reaps the benefits from her invaluable two-decade experience in perfumery. Working with various fragrance powerhouses as a scent designer and a creative director in top cities as well as contributing to the creation of some of the worldwide best-selling fragrances, Johanna has a passion for injecting much-needed soul into scents.

Maison 21 G offers an array of perfumes and products, ranging from exquisite solo scents, miniature perfumes, and hand sanitizers to uniquely blended perfume creations. If you are looking for custom perfume in Singapore then look no further! From the Maison 21G website, you can choose from 3 ways to create your signature scent: 1. Based on your personality by taking a fun AI-powered personality quiz 2. Based on your favourite perfumes by finding the closest match or 3. Based on your favourite ingredients.

It could be for yourself or serve as the perfect gifting idea for a loved one.

Or if you prefer a more interactive experience, you can uncover the art of perfumery by creating your own signature scent at their atelier workshop. The 1-hour interactive workshop offers a great opportunity to turn scent designer for a day, and get acquainted with a range of alluring ingredients, secret techniques, and discover which scent suits you best. During the workshop, the in-house expert scent designers will guide you as you create your own scent, and you’ll be able to take home one 30ml personalised bottle filled with your own creation of Eau de Parfum to cherish. The workshop would be a fun, engaging and educational activity for a solo guest or for a couple to do together while on a date or to mark a special occasion and for families or small groups of friends to bond together.

I reached the Duxton road flagship boutique on a weekday evening. I found the interiors to be chic with pristine white walls, gleaming glass, black accents and pops of greenery from the indoor plants. I would say that it looked like a sparkling clean and uber cool chemistry lab. I was greeted by the friendly staff and spent a few minutes checking out the space.

I scanned a QR code on my phone to obtain a short personality questionnaire. You have basic information regarding age, gender, skin tone along with a few questions that gathers information about your personality traits and likes. At the time, I did it for fun but in hindsight I can see how much sense it made.

After getting comfortable and sipping a beverage, I sat down to begin the exciting process of creating a fragrance.

First is the scent sampling. There are 35 scents available in the form of natural essential oil blends. After spritzing on the paper blotters, I smelled many of them. In general, when it comes to selecting things, I am the kind of person who is intuitive and quick to make up my mind. I rarely overthink. There were some scents that I loved, some I thought were okay and a few that I didn't like. I instantly picked out mimosa, almond, jasmine and frangipani. I also quite liked fig, cashmere wood and tonka. I disliked cannabis and havana but that's just me (I heard many people love the two).

With all the different smells, you may feel like your olfactory senses have been overloaded but I suggest that you take your time, let the alcohol evaporate before you take a whiff and if you need to take a breather, step out for a while and get some fresh air.

Next, the sleek 30ml glass bottle is cleaned and filled with alcohol.

There are 3 notes to a perfume namely top notes, heart notes and the bottom notes. The top notes are equated as the first impression or a your smile, because it is the first thing you smell when you spray the perfume due to it's short and volatile molecular structure. It usually lasts for about 30 mins or an hour max. Heart notes are equated to the body, or your character. They are longer lasting (6 - 8 hours). And the last are the bottom notes which have the longest and most complex molecular structure. They are considered the soul, or the impression you leave behind.

After you pick out your favourite scents, then comes the process of deciding how much of each to add to complete your perfume. I understand that there is no right and wrong in this process. It is highly subjective so it is entirely up to you. Amanda, one of the scent designers, guided me and I proceeded to weight each oil carefully. It took only a few minutes to do this.

After you have mixed everything together, give the perfume a test spray on your skin and make sure it smells the way you want it to. If your not satisfied you can still make a few tweaks but if not, it is just a matter of letting the UV printer do its job of printing the design on the bottle (very cool I must say).

Amanda asked me if I had a name in mind and I suggested "Megnifique" which is a play on the French word "Magnifique" that incorporates a part of my name "Megha" which in turn, makes me sound kinda magnificent 😂

I was super happy with how it looked. What do you think?

I was given a reusable bag for the perfume and the scent cards of the composition (which will come in handy if I need a refill in the future).

I spend some more time chatting with Amanda who was friendly and knowledgeable during our entire interaction. I had a wonderful time at the workshop and I am really glad I went. Apart from getting a magnificent (*ahem*) bottle of perfume with the bragging rights to call it my own, I also learned a great deal about the brand and the art of perfumery. It was an evening well-spent indeed.

I can tell you honestly that my twin daughters were quite taken with the fragrance. I had liberally sprayed the perfume on the skin of my wrist and after I got home that day, they took turns coming over to me to sniff my wrist right countless times until their bedtime 😄

Price list:

Here is a list of the workshops offered by Maison 21G,

Perfume Creation: $150 per person, includes 1 perfume

Love Atelier: $350 per couple, includes 3 perfumes - one tailored perfume each, and one shared perfume creation

Family Atelier: $350 per family designed for two adults and two children and includes 2 full-sized perfume creations and 2 smaller children’s perfumes

Student Atelier: $120 per person for individuals aged 21 and below, includes 1 perfume

Bridal Atelier: $150 per person, includes 1 perfume

Promo Code:

If you are interested in buying any of the products from Maison 21G, in a perfume workshop event or atelier tailored for you then I have some exciting news! There is a promotion for my readers to enjoy 15% discount on all products online and 21% off all perfume workshop bookings online.

Use the promo code: meinblogland

Outlets:

ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn, #B2-48, Singapore 238801

Monday to Sunday, 11 am - 9 pm

Flagship Store, 77 Duxton Road, Singapore 089536

Monday to Sunday, 12 pm - 8 pm

BHG Bugis Junction, 200 Victoria Street, Singapore 188021

Monday to Sunday, 10 am - 10 pm

12pm-8pm from Mondays to Saturdays.

To book workshops, you can reserve your slots online here

Note that the feature to customise bottle designs is only available at 77 Duxton Road.

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