for the ladies

for the lads

However there are so many from which to choose I can recommend coming by the perfumery to fit the right one. Call the number below to make your appointment. That leads me to announce Fleurage has moved location!!!

Level One, 228-230 Chapel Street Prahran

Yes we had to abandon the tiny little boutique in Millswyn Street and are happily settled into our new showroom and manufacturing space above Chapel Street in Prahran. Finally we can expand and evolve the perfumery to include Perfumery Classes (see the Perfumista Experience on the website), sell perfumery accessories, expand our own Fleurage range as well as create ranges of gorgeous scented products for others. Its all very exciting and we cant wait to show you around.

The address is:

Level One, 228-230 Chapel Street Prahran, Victoria 3181
with VIP security entry at 4C Cecil Place
(next to David's Restaurant)
press the buzzer for access.

The new phone number for bookings and appointments

03 9533 8657

Our hours of operation:
Tuesdays — Thursdays by appointment only
Fridays: Open to the public 12 noon until 8pm
Saturdays: Reserved for perfumery workshops
Sunday: Open to the public 12 noon until 3pm
Mondays: closed

As a perfumer I have a large global network of industry friends and colleagues and am able to observe the happenings in the wider world of perfume. The latest trends I am noticing seem to be very different from the niche producers to the mainstream companies. Niche perfumers are letting their imaginations run wild and their creations are becoming more and more unique and individualistic taking each company into its own direction and exploration of a genre. Consumers with a real passion for scent can now browse many offerings and find something really different that is not worn by thousands of others and make it their own.

On the other hand the mainstream large commercial brands are becoming closer together in style and seem to either be copying each other or rereleasing their past winners in the hope they will sell well again in their new form. ‘Flankers’ is a disturbing trend that, I believe, shows a stifling of creativity and lack of direction or new ideas. This may not be the case but thats how it looks. It would seem that having 90% of the world’s perfume brands being owned and created by only a handful of companies is producing a lifeless market.

As a niche independent perfumer I can see the openings created by such a stale industry, but I do feel for the hapless customer who just wants to smell nice and can not understand why they are unable find anything in the ‘usual’ places. This season I advise anyone who loves perfume to try something different, branch out, put a bit of effort into investing in a truly gorgeous scent of your own. Get used to the idea of spending more for quality and exclusiveness and enjoy having what others do not.

Or maybe you and some friends could treat yourselves to a Perfumista Experience and explore creating your own scent.

–=The Fleurage=–

Laboratory of Flowers exclusive!

The Perfumista Experience

The beginners workshop covers perfumery fundamentals and includes a kit of 16 pre-formed botanical accords to create your own Eau de Toilette fragrances. It includes 4 hours of personal instruction by our Master perfumer, written perfumery instructions and base and heart accords for $700 per head. Available every second Saturday, or

The Complete Perfumista Experience

And now let us turn our attention to our most frequently asked question;
How do I wear a fragrance?

I would love you all to read the Scenting Ritual piece we have on the website but here is a basic summary because we are going into the social season and the warmer weather of course can make us more aware of our odor making capabilities.

First – Prepare your body by washing and applying other hygiene products that either have little or no fragrance to compete with your precious chosen perfume – and that includes hair products as the scalp is the largest heat creator and amplifies any scents in the hair or on the scalp – when using moisturizers choose fragrance free or one that layers and enhances your perfume.

Second – Perfume is NOT a deodorant. Do not try to use your perfume to either prevent the body from emitting its natural scent or to mask it. Come to terms with your body odor and work with it. This is why we ‘fit’ a perfume to a person. We all have different types of skin chemistry and some scents are enhanced, some absorbed and reduced, and some altered dramatically as we wear them. This is especially true of the type of botanical perfumes Fleurage produce.
If you are worried about your body’s smell then change your diet and pay attention to your hygiene but dont expect some poor little bottle of botanical delights to cover up everything.

Third – Apply your perfume sparingly to the skin areas that emit the most heat ‘before’ you get dressed. Perfume is best absorbed into the skin and not on the clothes. Try these areas for best effect: the crook of the elbow, the lower back, in the base of you hairline at the back of the neck, the backs of the knees, groin area at the front of the thigh -not the inner thigh, the sternum of the torso. The ‘traditional’ areas are only such for the show of applying perfume and not really that practical to radiate the scent.

Fourth – Less is more. Scent etiquette demands we keep our fragrance in our own personal space for those who are intimate and close to us to experience. Invading and assaulting the senses of others, with your perfume, in your general, surrounding area is offensive and rude and shows poor judgement and lack of respect. Its fabulous to love your perfume but forcing it onto others is not good form and may create the wrong impression of you. Exercise restraint and if you follow the first three steps you will be able to enjoy your body radiating the subtle glow of your favorite scent and others can enjoy it when they are close to you or choose to move away.

Have an utterly fabulous party season and we will chat again close to Christmas. Be glamorous and gorgeous in whatever you do.