Thursday, July 30, 2015
Interview with Scent Trunk Founder William Yin + Chance To Win a 3 Month Subscription
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| Scent Trunk founder William Yin |
Scent Trunk is a monthly subscription service where users receive a variety of fragrances, curated to their tastes. Delivered monthly to their doorstep. Think Birchbox, except exclusively for fragrances. The company was founded in 2014 by William Yin and Richard Smale. Here is an interview with CEO William Yin. There is a draw after the interview, for a chance to win a free 3 month subscription to Scent Trunk.
Carlos: What inspired you to create Scent Trunk
William: It wasn’t until a colleague at the oil company I worked at, told me I smelled like her dad… since then, I vowed never to wear designer fragrances again. Because, who wants to smell like someone else? I went on a journey to find something unique. I discovered this wonderful world of niche/indie fragrances, which were like nothing I’ve ever smelled before.
Then, I started to try more, and stocked up on samples. I love samples because you didn’t have to commit to a full bottle. I turned the whole “one signature scent” thing on its head. We don’t wear the same clothes every day, so why wear the same scent? All of a sudden, I started to convince others that this was a more enjoyable, no, better way of wearing fragrances. That’s when I realized, there were a lot of people out there who enjoyed variety and hated committing to just one large bottle (because who finishes those anyway?). And just like clothing, there were a lot of people who liked curation. That’s when I had my ‘aha’ moment.
I quit my engineering job. Then, I called Rich, and within 10 minutes I got him to quit his engineering job to start a business with me (yes, we’re pretty good friends). We set out to create a fragrance box because we believe, that scent is the ultimate accessory of fashion. A box that’s about quality, not quantity. To this day, I still curate every box, to ensure that you have the best possible, scent discovery experience.
Carlos: How long have you been into fragrance? What was your first fragrance?
William: I have been into fragrance for about two years now, I’m not as experienced as some of you who are reading right now in fact! But I have learned a lot over these two years building this business. My first fragrance was some Adidas Sport EDT, I don’t know if I’m aloud to even utter those words on this blog. Sorry everyone, forget reading that.
Carlos: At what rate are your subscriptions growing?
William: We are growing a fair amount every month, but not as fast as our goal. Right now we’re trying to find ways to get the product in front of more people who care. It’s been nice to see the Scent Trunk community grow pretty organically. I have to thank my passionate subscribers for that. Whenever they tell one of their friends about us, it’s a huge helping hand for us.
Carlos: Are perfume companies eager to work with Scent Trunk?
William: They are becoming more and more eager to work with us every day. I remember when I first started, no one wanted to work with us. I was cold-calling brands every day trying to get our first couple partners. Fun fact, Billy Jealousy was our very first brand partner. Now that we are more established we’ve actually cut our low quality brands from our offering. Quality and value for our customers are really important for us.
Carlos: How many perfume companies are currently affiliated with Scent Trunk?
William: Currently we have over 50 companies that are affiliated with us. It’s exciting. We’re trying to grow this every week, although we are being much more selective with what we send out.
Carlos: How accurate is your scent profile in terms of what has been sent to subscribers? Has customer feedback been positive?William: The Scent Profile is getting more and more accurate every day. This is something I’m really passionate about, because I have an engineering background. When we first built this, it was not very accurate to be honest. But every time we sent stuff out and got feedback we made improvements. We used data to improve its accuracy. We made a big change in January 2015, and all of a sudden it started working…really well. Like literally overnight. All of a sudden, customers were getting really happy. Ratings were really good. Growth sped up. People were telling their friends. It was a huge win for the team!
Carlos: How large is the Scent Trunk team?
William: The Scent Trunk team has 4 people. I’m the fume-head. Scott’s the smelly programmer. Sometimes I wonder whether he joined the team because he liked the idea or whether his wife told him to get some new fragrances. Richard is our operations guy, so if you have a late package, don’t hesitate to hold him accountable! Jolisa handles marketing, she’s the reason more people are enjoying this amazing product!
Carlos: Has any perfume company declined being a part of Scent Trunk?
William: Yes, when we started I would say 95% of the companies declined being a part of Scent Trunk. To be honest, I totally understand why. But now that we’ve really shown proof of our credibility, fragrance companies are much more willing to work with us! I think the reason they really enjoy working with us is because we genuinely care about them. We genuinely try to get their stories in the consumer’s hands and we try to establish an intimate relationship. I think that’s something most of the business world is missing.
Carlos: What percentage of your subscribers are male, and female?
William: 80% male. 20% female. Although we launched our female line not too long ago.
Carlos: Are you marketing to a particular age range?
William: Right now we haven’t done too much “marketing”. But I believe fragrance has no age (sounds cliché, I know). It’s unbelievable the spread in age for our subscribers. I guess people can develop a passion for scent at any age!
Carlos: Are there different Scent Trunk packages, or is it just a set amount of samples each month? How many samples come in a monthly box?
William: Each month you get three 2 ml samples. Some of our subscribers have asked for more samples per box. But a lot of our subscribers have asked for different product variations. So, we’ve been looking into oils, roll-ons, gear, and soaps. We talk to our customers a lot! If anyone reading has some ideas, don’t hesitate to reach out!
I hope you enjoyed this interview. Thanks to the generosity of William, we are offering a draw for a FREE 3 month subscription to Scent Trunk. To be eligible, leave a comment down below with what you liked or learned from this interview. One winner will be chosen by random.org in a week. So sorry, but you must have a US or Canadian address only to enter this draw. Good Luck!
Monday, July 27, 2015
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Winner of En Voyage Frida Sample Is.....
Random.org has chosen Sonia Lopez as the winner of the En Voyage Perfume Frida sample. Congrats! Please send an e mail to bklynfragrancelover@gmail.com with your shipping information. Many thanks to Shelley Waddington for her generosity as always.
Saturday, July 25, 2015
NEW Imaginary Authors An Air Of Despair REVIEW + worldwide sample DRAW (CLOSED)
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| Josh Meyer image by Robert Werlinger |
Josh Meyer, the Portland perfumer and founder of the indie perfume house Imaginary Authors has released a summer 2015 limited edition perfume called An Air of Despair. It is the 12th addition to the collection. Imaginary Authors premiered in 2012 and according to the website "was born from the concept of scent as art and art as provocation. Like a good book, these scents are meant to inspire you. In these bottles are layered narratives that are sure to generate stirring conversation, fragrances that might be capable of changing the course of your own personal story. The hope is that they not only invigorate and intoxicate, but also take you to new places."
Josh and his collection have established quite a strong following in just 2 short years and won Best New House in the 2015 Basenotes Readers Award. Since day 1, Josh has been very active in social media, always interacting with his loyal fans, sharing samples, and putting out very good perfumes. I am a huge fan of many of them, including Cape Heartache and A City On Fire. You can watch a review of A City On Fire I did with Dave at Fragrance Bros here. Will An Air Of Despair be a new favorite of mine?
From the Imaginary Authors website: "When Vivian Gwyn's parents mysteriously disappear one month before her eighteenth birthday it foils an elaborate plan she had to kill them herself. In her search for clues as to their whereabouts she finds an elegant mink coat and a safe full of valuables in her mother's cedar closet. Keeping the coat but selling everything else, she embarks on a glamorous adventure that takes her from the small Tennessee town where she grew up to luxurious penthouses in Manhattan, runways in Milan, and finally the castle in Switzerland from which she learns she is a descendant. No expense is spared in Viv's valiant quest to shake the sadness that plagued her upbringing and she quickly learns it's not riches that bring happiness but happiness that brings riches."
Imaginary Authors created An Air of Despair for a Lifestyle brand called All Bad Days.
NOTES: Cedar, Saffron, Musk & Sadness
I had Josh ship the bottle to my job. It arrived yesterday, and I quickly opened the package and sprayed some on my hand. An Air Of Despair opens with a wonderful woody cedar with saffron. The saffron has a leather and slightly fruited nuance. The musk didn't really come through on my skin, although I realize that I'm asnomic to a lot of musk. An Air Of Despair remains rather linear, but it works! There is something rather peaceful and tranquil about this fragrance, so where's the sadness? I asked Josh about that, and he said "You're right, it's a summer scent and the sadness is tongue in cheek. There is an element of saffron that is absolute luxury... and there is something in extravagance that is sad."
So in answer to my own question, will An Air Of Despair be a new Imaginary Authors favorite of mine? I have to be honest, it's not a new favorite, but it's absolutely a solid offering from the talented Mr. Meyer, and for that I commend him.
An Air Of Despair has excellent projection and lasted about 4 hours on my skin. It is available at the Imaginary Authors website, and it will run you $55 for a 30ml bottle.
Thanks to the generosity of Josh Meyer, we are offering one reader a chance to win a sample of An Air Of Despair. This is a worldwide draw. To enter, please leave ONLY ONE comment on what your favorite Imaginary Authors perfume is. A winner will be chosen by random.org. Good Luck!
Disclosure: This review was based on a bottle sent by Josh Meyer. All opinions are my own.
Friday, July 24, 2015
Monday, July 20, 2015
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
NEW En Voyage Perfumes Frida by Shelley Waddington REVIEW + Sample Draw
The latest addition to the En Voyage Perfumes Masterpiece Collection is called Frida. Perfumer Shelley Waddington created this perfume inspired by the life and times of Frida Khalo. I, like Shelley, was only marginally aware of Frida Kahlo (yes, I did see the movie starring Selma Hayak), but had it not been for TGIFrida posts from a mutual friend on her Facebook wall, Señora Frida would have probably flown way under my radar.
From the En Voyage Website:
Tuberose, a flower that the Aztecs called the Boneflower, is an important note in this perfume as an homage to Frida’s brutal calamities and artistic transformation. Other notes include the hibiscus that she wore in her hair as well as the tropical blossoms and plants of Frida’s garden. The fragrance also devotes close attention to other details of Frida’s life, such as the heat of her native Mexico City, the smells of her cigarettes and her heavy hair.
Frida opens very heady on my skin. Most tuberose based perfumes I love are usually sweeter. The tuberose in Frida has no sweetness whatsoever. It feels hot and spicy, has an extremely green vibe, and certainly unisex. Tuberose based perfumes tend to lean on the feminine side. The opening borders on almost too heady. The dry down is where I found the beauty in this perfume. Shelley has a talent for taking typically heavy perfume notes, and blending them together seamlessly, and giving them an airy quality. The dry down has glorious resins, musk and tobacco used in just the right proportions.
Frida is an eau de parfum with moderate sillage and 5-6 hour longevity. You can purchase it directly from the En Voyage website.
TOP NOTES: The fruits, herbs and foliage of Frida’s Garden. Agave. Green Pepper
HEART NOTES: Tuberose, Hibiscus, Cactus Flower
BASE NOTES: Light Woods, Sugar, Oak moss, Aldehydes; Myrrh, Frankincense, and Copal; Tobacco, Sexual Animalic Notes, Musk, Amber
MOOD: ¡Viva La Vida!
Shelley was kind enough to offer one sample to one lucky reader. To enter, please leave ONLY ONE comment on your favorite En Voyage Perfumes that you've tried, or would like to try. A winner will be chosen next week using random.org. Good luck, and thanks for reading.
Disclosure: This review was based on a sample sent by Shelley Waddington. All opinions are my own.
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Friday, July 3, 2015
Jean et Claude Get Ready For Their 4th of July Photo Shoot
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| Jean et Claude |
Every now and then I will be posting some non fragrance related stuff on Brooklyn Fragrance Lover, like Jean et Claude. Obviously they are my fur babies (yes, they are litter mates) who are turning 2 years old on July 17, 2015. They have their own Facebook Page (click here), which is where you will find their 4th of July photo posted. In the meantime, enjoy the video below of the fun that ensued before said photo was shot.
Happy 4th of July!
