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Elle
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Elle
Unique Fragrances Are In—And One Cult Scent Is Now Available in the U.S.
Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. Your name may not be Taylor Alison Swift, but you've gone through some eras, especially when it comes to scents. Let's recall your personal Fragrance Eras Tour: Your teenage years, puzzling over whether you wanted to smell 'clean' or 'fresh.' Then the 'School Dance Scents' era. Maybe you had a 'Sure, I'll Sample the Perfume in This Club Bathroom' era. Perhaps a CK One, Flowerbomb, Baccarat Rouge, or all-of-the-above era. And now? You have a chance to be in your most powerful scented era of all. It's never been easier, more exciting, or more thrilling to smell like nothing you've ever experienced before—and exactly what you've always wanted. 'Remember this time,' Inter Parfums, Inc. chairman, CEO, and cofounder Jean Madar boomed at me when I met him. As head of one of the biggest manufacturers and distributors of fragrances and cosmetics in the world, he was boisterous: Fragrance sales for the third quarter were at an all-time record. 'There's never been a moment like this,' he says he tells his employees, citing the past four years of growth. #Perfumetok confirms the huge surge of interest in scent, with the hashtag drawing billions of views. Funmi Monet, a fragrance and beauty content creator, describes its appeal: 'You don't have to be a certain size; you don't have to be Kendall Jenner, or even super-rich,' to put on a fragrance and feel more seen (or smelled). It's a particularly exciting time for indie brands, rare perfumes, or what I'm calling niche-niche perfumes. Franco Wright, cofounder of one of the biggest online retailers for this subcategory, describes it as 'true niche': 'artistic, independent-driven brands that are often less distributed and usually very creative and unique in their composition.' Think Byredo before it became a household name. Think of eclectic scents like the unapologetically lewd Sadonaso by Nasomatto, which smells like…well, accounts vary, but just look it up. Think of a perfume from a big house that you can only buy in certain parts of Europe and Asia that has Fragrantica in a tizzy (like Yves Saint Laurent Beauty's Babycat, which only just became available in the United States) or a specific vintage edition of a Jean Paul Gaultier scent that goes for hundreds on eBay. Think of small perfume brands that don't have to do any market testing and have to please no one but their creators—people like the visual artist Andrea Maack of Iceland, and Marissa Zappas of New York City. Zappas started her career as a receptionist at Givaudan, and now, with her legions of fans (including Kacey Musgraves), she could be the perfume laureate of downtown New York (as Tynan Sinks, a beauty writer and co-host of perfume podcast Smell Ya Later, put it, "How did we all start fucking talking about Marissa Zappas who we love?'). Her fragrances are often created for friends, like the astrologer Annabel Gat, the muse behind Annabel's Birthday Cake. Not quite Funfetti, the scent has notes of balloon, tuberose frosting, fresh-out-of-the-oven cake, and lemon sugar (with just a hint of Cabbage Patch Kids doll, according to one reviewer). Rooted in nostalgia, with inspirations like Swan Lake and Elizabeth Taylor, Zappas's creations touch on the current bow-bedecked nerve of girlhood. Zappas wants perfume to be different. She doesn't do any advertising, and not much social media, yet customers do 'tend to find me,' she says. 'There's so much potential in storytelling with perfume, because it's so abstract. I wanted to explore the possibilities and create perfumes that weren't necessarily just reiterations. I really love old Guerlain perfumes, and my goal is to reach people who might originally have reached for [it]. I certainly have worn commercial perfumes, and found comfort in the fact that my best friend was also wearing it. This is part of why we wear perfume—to share in these moments. But at the same time, I think we live in an increasingly individualist society, and everybody wants to have the most unique, the most special, the most different smell.' Wanting to smell different is becoming an increasingly ardent form of self-expression, the ultimate invisible and rare accessory. 'Consumers have gone from one signature fragrance, to a collection,' says Linda Levy, President of the Fragrance Foundation. Tom Bloom, marketing and relationships manager for Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, which has collaborated on perfumes with Neil Gaiman, makes a parallel to the search for vintage. 'It's comparable with the rise of thrifting in terms of looking for special items that are perfect and have a story.' With non-mainstream perfumes, the inspiration behind them can often be more complex and unusual, combining smell with fiction as a point of difference. Jane Dashley, the blogger known as Sea of Shoes, is a fragrance collector and enthusiast who started a niche perfume site, Fragraphilia, with her husband Jeff, followed later by a companion podcast. She tells me about Stora Skuggan, a Swedish company whose perfume Thumbsucker spins the tale of a king becoming pregnant after mistakenly drinking a potion made by sages for the queen. Its notes include honey, cherry, and Himalayan Cedar Bitter Almond—a redolent take on a hangover. The bottles, with their exaggerated orb caps, look like they could eat Harry Styles's Pleasing. Non-mainstream perfumes can also give perfumers the chance to try more unusual notes. 'If you have a client who's willing to go all the way out there, you can really explore uncharted territory, and that's quite exciting,' says perfumer Frank Voelkl, the nose behind Le Labo's Santal 33 and many other once-niche scents. His creation, Mood Ring by Phlur, captured something new for me—the feeling of going into a Japanese grocery after school and ripping open a sleeve of Hi-Chew candies. Sometimes, all the experimenting can result in more unusual perfumes that take some time to appreciate and go beyond the general desire to smell good. Jeff Dashley tells me about a perfume called Ambilux by Marlou. 'I wouldn't wear it to go visit my mother. It's such an [initial] straight urinous blast. Sometimes there are things that challenge you. But you start to look past those type of things and see the elevated artistry behind it.' (It's still not a luncheon perfume, however, he confirms.) Even as everyone wants to smell different, there can be community in bonding over your favorites. When you become fluent in ambroxan and ethyl maltol and follow the creations of your favorite perfumers, you want to meet others who speak the same language. 'Among young women, niche perfume is becoming more and more an important type of social currency, a status symbol, and a great way to relate to other girls. People are genuinely making friends from this hobby,' Jane Dashley tells me. Because fragrance is so subjective, there aren't really any wrong answers, which helps safeguard against internet toxicity. Ultimately, niche-niche perfume isn't about anyone but you, the main character of your own story. 'Fragrance used to be about who you wanted to be,' says Tynan Sinks, cohost of the scent podcast Smell Ya Later. 'But now it's about who you are today, which might not be the same tomorrow.' A version of this story appears in the March 2024 issue of ELLE.
Glasgow Times
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
I saw Gary Barlow perform in Glasgow's Armadillo
Singer Gary Barlow stripped it back to basics from the big production shows his fans are used to for an intimate set in Glasgow's Armadillo tonight - and the results were simply wonderful. The razzmatazz of the Take That shows was nowhere to be seen as he opted for a set featuring incredible musicians showing off their talent. Opening up with his 1997 solo track Open Road, the 54-year-old quickly switched things back to familiar territory with the Take That smash Greatest Day as confetti fell into the crowd. (Image: Gary Barlow performs at Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic by Calum Buchan.) (Image: Gary Barlow performs at Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic by Calum Buchan.) Smiling from ear to ear, Barlow beamed: 'Good evening Glasgow 'It's always loud in Scotland.' And the screams echoed around the arena as he rearranged Take That classics Sure and Everything Changes. (Image: Gary Barlow performs at Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic by Calum Buchan.) (Image: Gary Barlow performs at Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic by Calum Buchan.) (Image: Gary Barlow performs at Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic by Calum Buchan.) (Image: Gary Barlow performs at Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic by Calum Buchan.) The Piano star Brad Keller then joined Barlow on stage for a performance of A Million Love Songs with saxophonist Mike Stevens in tow, and it sounded just gorgeous. The Flood - the song which launched Robbie Williams' brief return to Take That in 2010 - was a moment to remember, with the crowd singing in unison with their arms in the air. (Image: Gary Barlow performs at Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic by Calum Buchan.) (Image: Gary Barlow performs at Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic by Calum Buchan.) (Image: Gary Barlow performs at Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic by Calum Buchan.) What's great about Barlow's solo gigs is that he gets to show his true self on stage. You can see glimpses of what he learned in his early career performing in the working men's clubs from the humour he honed from the comedians to encouragement of audience participation, it makes you feel part of the show - and it's something that can be easily lost the bigger the crowd, yet Barlow has mastered it. (Image: Gary Barlow performs at Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic by Calum Buchan.) (Image: Gary Barlow performs at Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic by Calum Buchan.) (Image: Gary Barlow performs at Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic by Calum Buchan.) Patience put Barlow's voice in the spotlight, and he sounded incredible. We know he can write songs, his talent is exceptional, but when he sings them on his own, you feel the meaning even more. This was the case during a piano performance of Forever Love, it was just beautiful. READ NEXT: I saw Take That at the Glasgow Hydro - my verdict READ NEXT: Review of Gary Barlow with Leona Lewis at the Glasgow Hydro READ NEXT: Review: Take That musical The Band at the King's Theatre (Image: Gary Barlow performs at Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic by Calum Buchan.) (Image: Gary Barlow performs at Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic by Calum Buchan.) (Image: Gary Barlow performs at Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic by Calum Buchan.) Shine delighted the crowd, let's face it that song just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, it's a complete mood lifter while Relight my Fire got the party started. The pop masterpiece Back for Good then delivered reminding fans of the beauty of Barlow's writing, it's pure genius and a song that's stood the test of time. (Image: Gary Barlow performs at Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic by Calum Buchan.) Finishing things off, Barlow flattered: 'The fact you've chosen to spend your evening with us means the world,' before performing Rule the World and Never Forget.
Press and Journal
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Press and Journal
Gary Barlow at P&J Live: A Million Love Songs Later... the Take That star's 'still got it'
The closest I had ever come to Gary Barlow before last night's concert at P&J Live, was on the 400 posters covering every inch of my best friend's bedroom wall in the 90s. I've never managed to get tickets to a Take That concert, and despite sharing the same birthday as Jason Orange, which for a brief period in 1994 when I was obsessed with Mystic Meg made me feel quite special, I had yet to experience Mr B live. Well, I can't lie – it was absolutely brilliant. Teenage Lindsay was in her element. And middle-aged Lindsay, though an absolute newbie, was no less impressed. Accompanied by my dancing mother, who may as well have been on castors, I wasn't sure what to expect from a show covering three decades of music. Compared to much-publicised mega productions by Take That, it was clear from the outset that seeing the Songbook Tour show would be different. When the curtain lifted, a sequin-jacket wearing Barlow went straight into Open Road, led from his piano, with a swing-band set up around him. A backdrop of choreographed lighting, reacting to the music, was the only frill in this otherwise stripped-back show. But as was abundantly clear from the first bar, his pitch-perfect vocals need no gimmicks to showcase his extraordinary talent. The largely female audience waited not a single moment to relive their youth. On their feet and responding to every Barlow body gesture like he was conducting an adherent cult, it was clear that I may have been the only person in the arena not versed in GB etiquette. That said, it didn't stop me enjoying every second of the show. He jumped between the decades and styles with a swing version of Sure to a Mumford and Sons-esque Let Me Go. Then into a classic version – complete with perfect sax and flawless vocals – of A Million Love Songs. This only served to showcase Gary's undisputable talent. Oh, and a heap of teenage heartbreak memories too. Up tempo – he nailed it. Slow and pure – wow. Nae, wow-wee. And then, *cue screaming women by the thousand* – his dance routine to Pray. The self-deprecating Mr B may have joked: 'See, I've still got it', but nobody there would have disputed that. Looking so like his much younger self ala Do What You Like (okay, so he was fully clothed, and there was way less baby oil), I had to twice Google how old he is. Fifty-four years old. Not gonna lie, my 45-year-old knees were creaking just swaying alongside him and his band. Speaking of which – hats off to the trombone player, saxophonist and bassist who bopped along with ferocity all the night long. Superb energy and non-stop entertainment. His singers, musical director and wider band were no less phenomenal. His quip about being 'heavily rehearsed' was surely more fact than fiction. High-energy performances, stunning musicality, and no break? INSANE. My personal highlights were Relight My Fire, his new country style tune 'If There's Not a Song About It' and Never Forget, in the finale. Yes Mr B, it may have taken me 30 years to get to see you live, but I'm very glad I got there in the end. Brilliant night made all the more memorable by being there with my now-hoarse mum.
The Herald Scotland
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Brits admit avoiding intimacy because of body odour
With 52 per cent of women more afraid of personally developing smells in areas other than their underarms, more so than men (43 per cent). Armpits (66 per cent), genitals (37 per cent) and feet (32 per cent) are the parts of the body they most commonly experience odour from. And more than one in 10 (11 per cent) give nicknames to their body parts in a bid to mask the embarrassment. (Image: Jack Hall/PinPep) Take the quiz here. The research was commissioned by Sure Whole Body Deodorant, which worked with TV personality and content creator Chris Taylor and Grime Gran aka Margie, who hit the streets to find out what the public call their regions of the body. Chris said: 'I've been in my fair share of sweaty situations – and it definitely helps to break the tension by using a nickname. 'Having chatted to Londoners, it's clear we all get embarrassed when we don't feel fresh.' Some of the sweeter nicknames people give their body parts include 'footsies' in the South for feet - (30 per cent) – compared to 'trotters' in the North (25 per cent). Across the UK, 40 per cent will call their stomach their 'tummy', while 14 per cent are happy to refer to it as their 'food baby'. But while 49 per cent use nicknames for a laugh, 30 per cent do so in a bid to feel more comfortable with their body. And 32 per cent rely on alternative names to make the conversation less awkward. Alice Duffill, for Sure Whole Body Deodorant, which uses odour adapt technology to help tackle various odour types found across the body, said: 'Our research shows Brits have a cheeky sense of humour when it comes to their own bodies. 'But these playful nicknames aren't just for fun as they also help people speak more confidently about their bodies. 'Our research found that nearly half of Brits admit to fearing B.O. as a result of sweating, so we're proud to launch a UK-first product to help Brits feel confident in their bodies.'
BBC News
12-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Phone mast plan in Guernsey withdrawn for second time
Telecoms firm Sure has withdrawn revised plans to build a mast to boost mobile phone coverage in planned to install a 12m (39ft) timber-clad mast at Le Mont Saint garage site to "enhance coverage and data speeds".The company had already withdrawn its initial plans for a mast at the site and resubmitted them, following criticism from local residents. Sure said the plans were withdrawn due to a "change in intent" by the landowner and it was looking to identifying the "next most suitable location". 'High-quality connectivity' The initial plans drew criticism from residents and the National Trust due to concerns over the impact on the natural landscape at the site, which is near the St Apolline conservation Joffre, chief technology and information officer at Sure, said the company "remain fully committed" to improving mobile coverage and data said: "We are investing to transform the way telecommunications are delivered."Following Sure's acquisition of Airtel, the future mobile network will require one-third fewer masts, significantly reducing the environmental impact on Guernsey. "Our priority is delivering reliable, high-quality connectivity for a better future for Guernsey."
