TORONTO - Atelier Cologne Masterclass with Sylvie Ganter

[cianni]

I had the pleasure of attending the Atelier Cologne masterclass at Ladurée in Toronto earlier this week. Thank you again to @TeamBIC , Sephora, @Anonymous (especially the oh-so-lovely founder Sylvie), and @Buootiful  for tagging me (otherwise I would have missed out!).

The venue was beautiful - it was the perfect setting for a tea party. The walls were a beautiful pink, there were gorgeous chandeliers, even the ceiling was ornate. I was greeted by a lovely Sephora cast member named Callysta, and the Atelier Cologne team, who had the most beautiful French accents. Both the Atelier Cologne and Ladurée teams were incredibly attentive, greeting us, seating us, taking our coats and being out “Instagram husbands” by taking photos.

Sylvie was incredibly engaging and you could just feel how passionate she is. I didn’t realize that a student of perfume will be able to identify 1000-1500 individual scents by name by the time they’ve completed their education. I can’t believe how much I learned in such a short period of time! I would not consider myself to have the best sense of smell, but I’ve always been interested in learning more. We began by receiving unmarked essential oils and having to write what memories the scent evoked, what words came to mind, and what we thought the scents were. Wow was I off with what they were, but it was interesting to see what memories I associate with different scents. I’m starting to understand now why I’m drawn more to certain fragrances compared to others. What was also interesting is seeing how different ingredients that didn’t seem to go together actually created a gorgeous and complex scent. 

The most interesting part of the experience was learning the Atelier Cologne method. Sylvie explained how she chooses a “star” for a scent, and then adds the “supporting cast” of notes, so that its complex but not overpowering - the individual notes are distinguishable. She also explained the different processes of obtaining the oils to create the scents - citrus comes from rolling the peels, and most florals and spices are boiled and then the oils are collected off the top. She was very adamant about using as much of a natural process as possible, and sourcing ingredients from nature if they are available in nature. A lot of the ingredients used in Atelier Cologne products are sourced from Europe, with the vast majority of the citrus coming from Italy. I have a new appreciation for ingredients and process. For those interested in natural ingredients and sustainability, Atelier Cologne strives to use natural and sustainable ingredients and processes whenever possible. As Sylvie put it, “if it exists in nature, I will use it in its natural form”.

Afterwards, most of us headed to the Yorkdale Sephora. After obtaining all this knowledge, I tried to test myself by trying different fragrances and trying to pick out notes. I realized just how different a synthetic ingredient can be compared to a natural one. I also learned from Sylvie about the different types of perfume categories, which are differentiated by concentration of the oils. The higher the concentration, the longer it will last because it is more potent. Learning this also explained why some perfumes are more expensive than others. For reference the least concentrated to most are: Eau Fraiche, Eau de Cologne, Eau de toilette, Eau de parfum, parfum (or parfum absolu). Also pro tip - citrus scents usually only last on their own for about 20 minutes, so they need something else to suspend and carry the scent. If you love a Eau fraiche that’s mostly citrus, it won’t have a lot of lasting power, but that’s just because of the ingredient, not because the perfume is lacklustre. 

Onto some other stuff, like the food! It was the most perfect little tea party. We were all treated to macarons, madeleines with the most incredible fresh whipped cream, gourmet teas, little sandwiches, savoury pastries, and sweets like lemon tarts and coconut puffs. Everything was so beautiful I almost didn’t want to eat it! But I’m so happy I did because they were delicious. We also had the Honey Moon mocktail, which had orange juice and maple syrup.

Scent takeaways - although the event was centred mainly around the citrus scents because of the latest release, Pacific Lime, we were able to test others as well. My newly discovered favourites are Vanille Incensée, Rose Anonyme, and Citron d’Erable, which is actually a Canadian market exclusive! Also if you have the chance, definitely give Cafe Tuberosa a try. It won Perfume Extrodinaire last year, awarded by the Perfume Foundation, partially because of the process it’s made, and how it was a totally new take on the way tuberose is used in fragrance. 

Thank you again Sylvie, Sephora and Atelier Cologne for this incredible experience! this really has piqued my interest and I’m curious to learn more!

[sprocketta]

This event looks and sounds like it was so lovely.  I'm glad you got to enjoy it.  Thanks for the thorough reporting @cianni 

[curlychiquita]

@cianni, your pictures are so beautiful and the event sounds like so much fun.  I'm so excited for you that you got to attend!

[cianni]

@curlychiquita thank you so much!! i was so happy to be able to attend!

[Samtian]

@cianni  How fun!!! I'm so jealous! Everything looks so pretty and you look stunning! When Sephora first changed the rewards program they had the Citron d’Erable out as a point perk, I was able to grab one and I fell in love! It is my second favorite scent from Atelier. Thanks for all the knowledge you shared with us.

[cianni]

@Samtian thank you that is so nice of you to say!! the citron d'erable is one SO good. i love how the atelier cologne fragrances are usually a combination of ingredients and scents that you would never think to put together. theyre so unexpected! If citron is your second favorite, what takes the top spot?

[Samtian]

@cianni  I'm so sorry I thought I responded! My favorite is Silver Iris.

[missjeanie]

@cianniThanks for taking us all along with you to the event!  I just adore hearing all about the different events these days!

[cianni]

@missjeanie hopefully theres an event soon that you'll be able to attend! its such a cool experience - especially knowing that everyone there were other BIC members!

[missjeanie]

@cianniI actually checked my schedule when I saw this pop up to see if I could fly into Toronto for a day or two!  Maybe next time.  I think half the fun would be meeting up with other BIC members too!

[cianni]

Yesss Canadian BIC babe meet up!!! @missjeanie 💕

[missjeanie]

I'm in @cianni !!

[yankeefaithful]

@cianni  This sounds like a fantastic experience, from the organization, location and the people who were responsible for giving you so much information!! Thank you for all the great pics (by the way you looked so pretty) and the thorough reviews on all the aspects of Atelier Cologne. So helpful!! Glad you had a great time!!😊

[cianni]

@yankeefaithful thank you!! you're always so kind!! it really was well organized and thought out. It seems no detail was left out, and everything went off seamlessly! i'm not sure who was directly responsible for all the planning, but whoever they are - you did an absolutely FANTASTIC job!!

[Buootiful]

@cianni!!!!! Im so glad you had a fabulous time! Who knew perfume was so complicated?. I'm the worst when it comes to describing perfumes and this was very informative. 🙂 I must check out that ATELIER COLOGNE - Vanille Insensée Cologne Absolue Pure Perfume

Your pictures of the tea party are too cute. Oh, it's been so long since Ive had afternoon tea, everything looks delicious, especially the whipped cream. Yum! Arent these events the best and like no other experience! Im so glad you didnt miss out on this 🙂

[cianni]

@Buootiful right! apparently because we rely the least on our sense of smell, out of all the senses, we don't have nearly as many descriptive terms for scents, which is why it's so hard to describe!! until now im pretty sure my fragrance vocabulary was limited to "fruity", "floral" and "warm and spicy" which isn't even descriptive at all LOL. It was such a nice experience .... except now i have a new expensive hobby hahahah. I hope there are more events that come to Toronto, i'd love to attend more in the future (or at least give some other BIC members the opportunity to experience them too!)

[faeriegirl]

Congratulations @cianni! It looks like it was amazing!❤️

[cianni]

Thank you @faeriegirl !! Such a great experience (not that I needed another department of beauty to be obsessed with but it’s so interesting!!)

[rrroxanne]

@cianni What a great experience! Thank you for sharing! I loved that you shared your knowledge of perfumes & passed it along! (I learned a few things from your post).

It looked so pretty! Glad you enjoyed it! 

[cianni]

@rrroxanne thanks!! It was so interesting, I could have written so much more, that’s how much info was packed!! It’s so cool to talk with company founders, especially when they’re still so heavily involved in the creative process 😍

[itscarin]

@cianni That's really cool, thanks for sharing!