Heart Breakfast Show and the AC design perfumes

Heart Breakfast Show and the AC design perfumes

Published on Nov 10, 2010

The Adventure Connections ‘make your own perfume’ competition goes live on Heart Radio

Shoppers decide which Heart Radio breakfast presenter has created the best fragrance

Shoppers at the popular Holmbush Centre in Shoreham, West Sussex got more than they bargained for recently when Heart Radio breakfast presenters Tom, Lindsey and Jack set up stall in the concourse and invited shoppers to test three perfumes that they each had created.

The video highlights….

Making the perfect fragrance – perfume or aftershave you decide!

Inspired by the number of celebrities that endorse their own fragrances, the Heart team wanted to see how easy it is to create your own perfume. Adventure Connections, leading events agency for stags, hens, friends and corporates organised one of its highly popular ‘Make your own perfume’ experiences at the Heart Radio offices led by fragrance expert Robin Taylor.

Presenters created their own elixir from a total of 18 different perfume blends covering the high, medium and low notes across the aroma spectrum. After naming their fragrance they took their wares to the general public who voted for the perfume they liked the best.

Of the three, Tom’s fragrance called Aristocrat was voted the winner. It was the result of three blends a fruity top note of Osmanthus davana apricot, blackberry and pear creating a feeling of young, light and freshness; a Balsamic base note of fine vanilla bean evocative of reassurance and happiness; and lastly an amber top note of warm sensual ambergris creating a sense of warmth and sexiness.

Jack’s fragrance sensitively called Fogey for the more mature person (!), consisted of a mid note Rose Floral blend, an ensemble of wild rose and Turkish rose otto associated with feelings of elegance and refinement; another mid note of Floral Floral evocative of heady narcotics and sensuality; and lastly, a base note of Balsamic.

Lindsey’s M23 perfume for the woman continually on the move, comprised four blends. These included a top note of Citrus signifying uplifting, easy-going freshness; a top note of Green associated with sportiness, naturalness and invigoration; a mid note of Fresh Floral associated with easy-going, caring and gentleness; and lastly, a Wood base note summoning-up elegance, mellowness and sensuality.

“Our perfume experiences are very popular,” says Adventure Connections MD, Justin Sayers. “We were delighted to be able to help Heart with its radio feature, and bring some fun to the airwaves of Surrey and Sussex. With Christmas coming up, we’re getting lots of enquiries about our perfume/room fragrance and aftershave experiences, they represent huge value for money because groups of friends not only have a fabulous time together creating their fragrances at a venue of their choice, but they also get to take away a stylish 50ml atomiser of their scent and they receive a certificate of self-manufacture – it’s a definite win/win situation all round.”

The results

While I found Tom’s ‘Aristocrat’ perfume hectic aroma-wise (ingredients: blackcurrant bud, beeswax, davana, orris, bergamot, opoponaz, tonka, jasmine, vanilla, cardamon, cinnamon, lemon, olibanum, geranium and clary sage) I like his marketing savvy-approach. You can just visualise the ads can’t you? Horsey, wide-hipped, jodhpur-wearing, posh gels with large noses – ambassador Tom you really spoil us.

Jack came up with the charmingly named Fogey, a fragrance for the older person. Personally, I think it’s for Tom’s mum as he mentioned the smell of the nape of her neck a couple of times. During the perfume making exercise, he’d paired everything down to just two blends, which smelt like something you’d find in the bathroom of a homely b&b on the Isle of Skye. Not sure if there’s a theme emerging here, but anyhow, with the addition of a third blend, his perfume was greatly improved.

My money, as you know was on Lindsey. She seemed to have a naturally trained, sensitive nose and knew her perfumes pretty well. She opted to create a light, wearable perfume for the day and unlike the boys opted for a full suite of top, medium and high notes.

To my mind she was robbed of victory. Her perfume M23, for the woman continually on the move – didn’t get pole place but maybe that has more to do with Jack’s ballot shredding. Just a point here though Lindsey, I would have taken out your Citrus top note and replaced it with Aldehydic, a powdery rose Jasmin associated with classic sophisticated glamour.

I’ve been surrounded by perfume making for a month now, and you know I’ve become a bit of an instant expert. It’s really good, engaging fun and with a hen night and a fortieth birthday coming-up next spring, I’ll be more than ready to put my own particular brand of personal alchemy to the test. Over and out.

Make your own perfume or aftershave