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!

[Sleepingbeautyz]

It was an absolute dreamy event, thanks to Team BIC and Atelier Cologne. Here are some more of the beautiful pictures! 

[RebeccaBT]

@cianni How fun! That event looks amazing! Thanks for sharing 🙂

Best,

Rebecca

[Guessgal]

@cianni  Oh no! Can’t beleive I didn’t recognize you at the event! I was wearing a frilly navy tank top at the other end of the table. Hopefully we can meet/talk at a future event like this! 💛

[cianni]

@Guessgal ahh noooo! I thought *maybe* I recognized you, but seemed like a creep move to be like “I think ive seen you/photos of your lips in the 100 days of lipstick challenge?????” 🤦🏽‍♀️😂😂😂

[ZakiyaBT]

@cianni This is such a beautiful event. Thanks for sharing these pics!

[AdventureManate]

Did they have any tips for how to make their fragrances last longer?  I really want to buy the Clementine one.  It's phenomenal!  But it fades so quickly.  😞

[cianni]

@AdventureManate I can’t remember off the top of my head about that specifically, but I do know that the citrus scents tend to fade much quicker because of the nature of the essential oils. I personally have used the body lotion/Vaseline trick in the past and it’s worked well for me 😂 essentially you just dab a bit of unscented lotion or Vaseline to the areas where you apply the fragrance (I do inner wrist and side of the neck), and then spray or dab on that spot. The Vaseline helps “hold” the fragrance longer than alone

[PenelopeBT]

@cianni Those sweet treats look delicious. I have the biggest sweet tooth and I love Laduree Paris macaroons. Thanks for sharing! <333

[cianni]

@PenelopeBT omg I know so good! I was trying so hard not to be the first one to start eating but they were just too hard to resist 😂😂

[SportyGirly125]

@cianni Looks like you had an amazing time and learned a lot. Thank you for sharing your experience and pictures with us. 

[RNGesusPls]

Looks so fun @cianni ! Everything looks pretty and delicious. Thank you for sharing what you learned. Wow, beings able to identify 1000-1500 scents...sounds like the Master Sommeliers of perfume.

[cianni]

@RNGesusPls that’s exactly what I was thinking! I find it so amazing when people are truly masters of a craft like this. I don’t find (in Canada at least) that schools even tell you about going into industries like these! I’m pretty sure it was hammered into my brain to go to business, law or medical school since grade 8 🙄

[RNGesusPls]

@cianni I don't find that in the US either about these industries.

The exams to become a Master Sommelier are really difficult! And long. And many. That's why there are only a couple hundred in the world 😛

[pocketvenus]

@ciannilove your writeup and detailed description of Sylvie's talk! <333 The desserts look yummy and I'm so glad you found some scents you like. Cafe Tuberosa is very creative, it's one of my faves from the house.

[cianni]

@pocketvenus thank you! Hopefully next time there’s an event we can meet!  Sylvie actually said she’s scared of florals because the delicate qualities of the flower become “angry” when they go through the process, so Cafe Tuberosa was actually a challenge she imposed on herself to try!

[pocketvenus]

@cianni, yes it would be lovely to meet you ❤️ And that's interesting about flowers, thanks for sharing!! I find tuberose maybe the most potentially "angry" of the flowers so that's really interesting she chose that one. She did a great job with it 🙂

[lmaster]

@cianni so much fun! this looks amazing congrats to a fun evening

[cianni]

@lmaster thanks babe!!❤️❤️ So interesting

[Cyncynn]

That whole experience sounds like a dream - fragrance is truly fascinating.

[cianni]

@byme4u thank you! It’s such a great scent - like a grown up version of the sweet vanilla scents I used to wear as a teenager 😂