Floris Bespoke Perfume

Heaven Scent

There are perfumes, then there are perfumes. Floris have been making exquisite scents for over 275 years. They know perfume. Taking an idea which was all the rage back in the 18th century, Floris are now offering a bespoke service, for customers who want something more than an off-the-shelf fragrance. There is something really romantic in this: with expert guidance, intitially under perfumer Shelagh Foyle, customers will be taken on a sensual tour of Floris history before their own perfume is created. Imagine pouring over old formulation books and breathing in the same scents as Beau Brummell and King George V. As a man who has been guilty of hastily buying a bottle of perfume, getting it gift-wrapped in-store and pretending some thought has gone into the present, this service appeals to me. Floris offer several options: You can try the Personal Shopper, in which you are given a consultation - which includes a tour of the Floris museum (worth the price alone I'd have thought), which ends with an option to buy the scent of your choice. This costs £50, which is redeemable against purchase.  The second option is the Floris Limited Edition Experience, which costs £75. At the end of this you get a 100ml specially blended bottle of eau de perfume, complete with certificate of provenance. The third option is called Floris Fine Fragrance Customisation: a 90-minute consultation, in which you take a perfume from the existing range and have it 'fine-tuned' into a unique scent. This costs £100-120. Finally there is The Ultimate Bespoke Perfume Design. This is intense: it costs £2,500 and includes up to five consultations over a three-month period. Using rare and precious essential oils a unique, bespoke scent is created. You get a 100ml bottle, and five repeat orders. I've been thinking about his: I once bought a girlfriend a laptop for a similar price. What a rubbish, thoughtless, geeky present (well, she did specifically ask for it, but still). How romatic to smell something unique, to be treasured and passed down. Oh, and for men: I have been wearing Floris No 89 for a while now. It is wonderful. Treat yourself.