THE JOURNAL

He Loves me, He Loves me Not...

Jasmine sings to me, its notes climbing like the vine in my memory. It was not until I had time to kill beneath a jasmine vine that I felt the tug to go home. The wall on which it climbed was criss...

When Life Gives you Lemons

Citrus scents have strong Summer associations. Here are some things you need to know about these bright orbs of the season. The Professor of Electrical Engineering at the National University of Sci...

Savvy Summer Skincare

With Summer in full swing it’s time to take a rain check on our skin. As tempting as it is to covet glowing tanned limbs, the sun takes its toll on our skin and it is important to protect it. Skin...

Our Scent Map of South Africa by Bethany Joy Dawson

STORIES Parfums Fragrance Writer, Bethany Dawson, charts her family’s scent journey through South Africa from liquid paracetamol to Prickly Pears. Tears welled in my son’s eyes as fireworks of col...

A Traveller’s Dilemma

With everyone’s heart set on their holidays it is not a very popular time to talk about the carbon footprint made by long distance travel.  However, it is important to know the facts so we can mak...

How to Arrive and Depart in Style

Airport attire is currently trending. What should we wear when we take to the skies and what beauty essentials need to come along for the ride? Founder of STORIES Parfums,  Tonya Kidd-Beggs, shar...

Father’s Day: Keep it Simple

Father’s Day has come a long way from its humble origins. How can we keep it simple this year?   Just over a hundred years ago, in a small church in Washington, a young woman made a decision that ...

Sister Jasmine, Brother Bergamot

What is a Fragrance Family and what does it convey about your perfume? Within modern perfumery there are Fragrance Families. They are commonly split into feminine and masculine but brands, such as ...

Oriental Harmony

A closer look at the base notes that make STORIES Nº. 02 such an unforgettable fragrance.  The essential component of a fragrance’s base note is its ability to last. These notes are known as fix...

A Rich History of Scent

The journey of STORIES N °. 02’s heart notes and the spiced, oriental edge at the core of this blend.   The heart notes of STORIES N °. 02 are some of the fragrance world’s most ancient ingredie...

Philosophical Perfumery

How steam distillation gets the best from some of perfumery’s raw materials. In the 10th Century AD a philosopher named Ibn Sina, or Avicenna as he is more commonly known, was born. He was one of t...

Recovering What was Lost

The story of unlocking a happier childhood through the notes of Fragrance N º. 02. I would like to forget some of my childhood memories. They cast a shadow over the happier times that stretches i...

PIONEERING HOPE

The woody notes that bring connection and depth to STORIES Nº. 01. The cedar trees that grow in West Virginia have rust-coloured bark that peels off in strips. The male of the species produces clou...

Turning to the Sun

The legend behind the floral notes at the heart of STORIES Nº. 01. According to Greek Legend, a water nymph named Clytie loved Helios, the God of the Sun. When his love for her grew cold and he aba...

Using Scent to Tell a Story

How Fragrance Designer, Tonya Kidd-Beggs, developed her first Eau de Parfum, Fragrance Nº. 01. My story has a smell. It is impossible to describe the complexity of its scent but a desire to do so t...

Tonya's Story

My grandmother’s pearl necklace hung on my tiny neck and I rubbed one of her furs across my cheek. It was laced with her favourite perfume. I breathed in the scent of a woman I would never know. A ...

The Power of Fragrance

How do you smell the world? This is not a question that is asked very often. We are more likely to focus on our ability to see the world, speak out about the world or listen to the stories the worl...

The Essence of Perfume

Have you ever wondered where your perfume comes from? Who decides the composition of the fragrance and what skills are employed to balance it so delicately? Many of the ingredients originate in far...

From Pomanders to Perfumers, a Brief History of British Perfume

The phrase, ‘keeping at bay’ was coined during the Roman Conquest of Britain when fragrant plants where introduced and used to scent luxurious baths. Bay was believed to ward off the plague. The on...