After taking a slight detour to the Rose Retreat last week, Karen is back with her ‘Lessons that Last’ mini-series, and this week she is taking a look at the process and importance of learning materials. The most important, but also time-consuming aspect of perfume making is learning materials, because without knowing how they smell, interact with each other and react to the skin, you simply can’t make fragrances. There are so many materials the task of learning them inside out can appear to be impossible. But fear not, it is possible, and Karen is here to share all the tips and tricks you need to get through the materials phase without losing your mind.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Most people are faced with huge overwhelm when they first encounter materials, mainly when the realization hits them that the task of learning them is so much bigger than they expected. Karen breaks down why this overwhelm occurs and how best to manage it.
• Your understanding of materials will change over time. With this in mind, Karen gives suggestions for how you might plan your learning and also how to make sure you keep going.
• Another great way to reduce that overwhelm is to work in a space that feels good to you. Karen shares her top tips on creating the perfect workspace.
• Creating a ritual, or as Karen says “Making it something you want to do as opposed to something on your to-do list”, can be a valuable tool to help ease the burden on learning materials. Karen gives some suggestions on how to implement this way of working.

BEST MOMENTS

“Materials are part of a building block of a fragrance. Some don’t smell great on their own. Some don’t click until you start to understand how they work.”

“You don’t have to master materials on day one, but you do have to keep going.”

“Learning materials is like learning a language, and the best way to learn a language is by using it.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Getting Started Guide

Artisan Perfumery Mastermind

ABOUT THE HOST

Fragrance expert, author, teacher and speaker; Karen Gilbert runs courses in the UK and online which demystify the secretive world of perfumery in a fun and interactive way.

Karen has inspired thousands of students to explore their olfactory sense and create their own personalised fragrances.

With extensive product development experience in both the commercial perfumery and the organic skincare industry, Karen is able to offer a unique insight into creating natural and mixed media fragrances for fine fragrance, room scents and skincare/bodycare products using commercial perfumery techniques.

Karen is also a certified meditation teacher and has a passion for helping people to create daily rituals that integrate scent with other modalities to shift state and increase your sense of wellbeing.

CONTACT DETAILS

Website

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Email

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Karen has just returned from a trip to Bulgaria where she attended the Rose Retreat by Rose Overdose. In this week’s episode, she is here to give you a debrief on the whole experience. From visiting rose fields to witnessing the distillation process and even stopping off at a local winery to sample the vino, Karen enjoyed the complete Rose Retreat experience. So, if you’ve ever wanted to attend, but don’t know what to expect, sit back and enjoy this episode as Karen takes you on an all encompassing tour of the Rose Retreat.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Karen’s first stop on her trip was the rose fields where she was lucky enough to see the roses in full bloom. She shares the interesting facts she learned about the rose family and the harvesting process.
• Karen then visited a number of distilleries where she could see first hand the distillation process and how rose oil is extracted from the flowers.
• Despite popular belief, rose oils are not always of a single origin. Karen shares what she learned about the oil creation process and the makeup of the final product.
• Karen was also able to deliver one of her workshops during the retreat. She discusses the differences and similarities of delivering a workshop in this way.

BEST MOMENTS

“Naturals are reliant on weather, so they change year on year.”

“Roses come from the same botanical family as raspberries.”

“Roses are collected in plastic sacks as the plastic helps accelerate the fermentation process.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Getting Started Guide

Artisan Perfumery Mastermind

ABOUT THE HOST

Fragrance expert, author, teacher and speaker; Karen Gilbert runs courses in the UK and online which demystify the secretive world of perfumery in a fun and interactive way.

Karen has inspired thousands of students to explore their olfactory sense and create their own personalised fragrances.

With extensive product development experience in both the commercial perfumery and the organic skincare industry, Karen is able to offer a unique insight into creating natural and mixed media fragrances for fine fragrance, room scents and skincare/bodycare products using commercial perfumery techniques.

Karen is also a certified meditation teacher and has a passion for helping people to create daily rituals that integrate scent with other modalities to shift state and increase your sense of wellbeing.

CONTACT DETAILS

Website

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Email

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

This week Karen is joined by Fiona Humberstone, also known as ‘The Brand Stylist’. Fiona has worked with clients ranging from tiny artisan brands to large country estates, as well as being a published author and course facilitator. With a lifetime of experience, it’s safe to say that what Fiona doesn’t know about branding isn’t worth knowing. In this interview with Karen, Fiona gives an insightful crash course on everything from what to consider when creating your branding to how to separate your personal tastes from the needs of your brand.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• When creating a branding how do you merge the marketing and the authentic self? Fiona discusses the importance of being true to your values so that your product or company does not just become a soulless product of marketing.
• Most people think branding is picking a colour scheme and nice font, but this couldn’t be further from reality. From mood boards to understating your why, Fiona breaks down what really goes into creating a brand.
• What are the key considerations you must account for whilst creating branding specifically for a perfume business? Using the example of a recent client, Fiona talks you through them step by step.
• The perfume industry has seen a huge shift post Covid with the phenomenal rise in the number of indie and artisan brands. However, these brands often don’t have the money to spend on fancy branding and marketing campaigns. Karen and Fiona discuss how to make the most of your budget, but also why you need to be realistic.

BEST MOMENTS

“Understanding what you do that is unique is really going to help you to create branding that holds your space.”

“It’s your business, but you are not your brand. So don’t think about choosing a brand you like, think about choosing a brand that works.”

“Do it once, do it properly and it will last you for a decade.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Getting Started Guide

Artisan Perfumery Mastermind

EPISODE LINKS

Free Branding course

Free Branding Tools

Branding Agency

The Brand Stylist Instagram

Branding Agency Instagram

ABOUT THE HOST

Fragrance expert, author, teacher and speaker; Karen Gilbert runs courses in the UK and online which demystify the secretive world of perfumery in a fun and interactive way.

Karen has inspired thousands of students to explore their olfactory sense and create their own personalised fragrances.

With extensive product development experience in both the commercial perfumery and the organic skincare industry, Karen is able to offer a unique insight into creating natural and mixed media fragrances for fine fragrance, room scents and skincare/bodycare products using commercial perfumery techniques.

Karen is also a certified meditation teacher and has a passion for helping people to create daily rituals that integrate scent with other modalities to shift state and increase your sense of wellbeing.

CONTACT DETAILS

Website

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Email

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/