Interview

I'd heard of Memoire Liquide in passing. With fans like Cindy Crawford, Kate Beckinsdale, Maria Shriver, Jennifer Garner, Courtney Cox-Arquette, Nicole Ritchie, Barbra Streisand, and  Brad Pitt, it's hard to keep a good thing quiet. However, the bespoke perfumery is still a somewhat exclusive retreat. Only available at Fred Segal Santa Monica and the 59th Street Bloomingdale's, the custom blended fragrances–inspired by old-school perfumeries–are all about individualizing your personal scent, in person. With 160 different scents to be combined and custom blended, every customer is assigned a perfume specialist and leaves behind a unique recipe card. 

Nana, my specialist, started with a simple question: "What is your style of fragrance?" She added, "I ask because now I won't show you scents that aren't going to suit your personality." After telling her I was partial to vanillas and coconut, she spread the first oil–a sweet, pure vanilla–on a blotter card and held it up to my nose for a whiff. She then added coconut and a dab of musk to warm up the fragrance. After telling her it was a bit sweet for my taste, she tried again, this time with less vanilla and more spice. Slightly fearful of confusing my patient specialist, I added that I like Hawaii. Accepting my indescision with a smile, she mixed several versions of a Hawaii-influenced scent of gardenia and jasmine. After five tries, we finally settled on the perfect combination. Nana explained that I am "feminine and sensual." Who knew!

The Beauty Banter Scent:
Nymphea
Fleur des Tropiques (gardenia)
Jasmin hypnotique
Nudite Absolue (musk)

$65 for .5 oz pure roll on perfume

Sarah Howard is the editor of Beauty Banter.