Shay & Blue: New Fragrance Boutique Opens in London

My Nan reminds me of lavender and talcum powder. My grandad reminds me of grass, mud and red wine. My mum reminds me of sweet flowers. My sister reminds me of soap and musty books. Scent is powerful and creates strong emotions; we all have our signature scents and things that quickly remind us of our loved ones. I've always liked more unique fragrances that say something about the wearer, rather than run-of-the-mill perfumes that can be found on 3/10ths of every tube carriage. The new boy on the block offering just that is unisex fragrance brand, Shay & Blue; the brain child of Dominic De Vetta, the ex President of Jo Malone and Chanel fragrances, this boutique brand has certainly been developed with love, passion and knowledge. I adore how they describe themselves in this passionate extract from their website: "At Shay & Blue, our creators Dom De Vetta and Julie Massé have a vision to uphold the age-old and traditional craft of fine perfumery. A commitment to create fragrances of quality by championing a new generation of craftsmen. By nurturing their expertise. We seek out the men and women who have learned the patient, traditional skills of working with real flowers, fruits and spices. The people who have carefully and quietly acquired an invaluable expertise. Hand harvesting. Hand weighing. Hand distilling. With a level of passion care, and attention that mass-production can’t rival." You certainly can't question the amount of love that goes into producing every bottle, which is why right now there are only six different scents to choose from. I've been wearing the truly unique Atropa Belladonna scent (which is Italian for 'Beautiful Lady') that is commonly known as 'poisonous deadly nightshade'. This rare plant was ingested by Venetians in the 1600's for its potent cosmetic effect - its natural toxins dilated the pupils, giving women a deadly, hallucinogenic beauty that apparently left men falling at their feet! I can't say I had that impact walking down Tottenham Court Road, but it's certainly one of the most unique smells I've ever ingested. I have no idea how to describe it, but it's a heady and woody scent that features jasmine, vanilla, berries and real spices. The complexity of the scent brings to life even more the skill that went into creating it, sitting on the skin perfectly and lasting well from dawn til dusk. It's quite a manly scent too, meaning it's completely unisex and tran-seasonal; you most definitely get the maximum for your buck with this range and are safe in the knowledge that the fragrance is timeless. With so much love and skill going into making each bottle you'd expect the price tag to be huge; however, with these bottles of around 50ml come in at £30.00 - no more expensive than your standard high street scent. I know where I'll be going the next time I'm after something unique... And it won't be The Fragrance Shop.





Find out more on their website here.