One of my favourite cosmetics stores in Amsterdam, Skins Cosmetics, hosted a unique event last Thursday: a Scent Bar.
Instead of shedding light on big brand names (which can afford ample advertising), Skins created an evening to showcase smaller, independent fragrance lines.
I’ve never been to a scent bar before; it was a fun experience and whirlwind for my nose! It was also a great exercise to see what scents I like: vanilla, citrus, cassis, tomato, nutmeg and coriander – who knew?
Brands on show included Odin NYC, Ys Uzac, Atelier Cologne, Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier and Escentric Molecules.
On a whole, my favourite was Ys Uzac, a Swiss fragrance brand that is based on natural scents. As a result, the fragrances didn’t have that underlying alcohol edge that perfume can often embody. My preference was Monodie, a multi-dimensional scent with pink grapefruit, Mirabelle, red mandarin, plum, rhubarb, rose and a drop of caramel. Divine! It’s fresh and perfect for summer this year.
Visit Skins Cosmetics in Amsterdam at the Conservatorium Hotel or on Runstraat (in the 9 streets), and give your olfactory sense a workout! Skins also has locations in Breda, Den Haag, Oisterwijk, Rotterdam and Laren.
Text: Lydia Parafianowicz