The Perfumed Plume Awards for Fragrance Journalism held its first in a series of events that aim to celebrate creative fragrance writing — a book reading with Sarah Colton, author of “Bad Girls Perfume, Tips & Tales.”

The Perfumed Plume’s co-founders, Mary Ellen Lapsansky and Lyn Leigh, greeted guests at Joya Studio in Brooklyn, for an “evening of scent, seduction, passion and power.”

Joya’s founder, Frederick Bouchardy, says he was happy to host the event, remarking, “The crowd is passionate about two things that are always on our minds at the studio: fragrance and words.”

Guests who made the trek to Brooklyn included Annette Green, president emeritus of The Fragrance Foundation; Virginia Bonofiglio, chairperson, Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing, FIT; and Adelaide Farah, former editor of BeautyFashion, who edited the book “Bad Girls Perfume.”

They were joined by several fragrance suppliers and perfumers, including Darryl Do, president/perfumer, Delbia Do Fragrance & Flavor Development; Miranda Gordon, VP fine fragrance marketing & evaluation at MANE; and Rodney Hughes, founder/president, Therapeutate Parfums.

Also mingling in the crowd were: Mary Manning, co-founder/managing partner, SilkRoute Strategists; Henry De Monclin, HDM Design; and Lyle Saunders, creative consultant; and Bart Schmidt, managing partner, Brands With Purpose.

See a few photos from the evening in the slideshow above.

Sarah Colton on Perfume’s ‘Power’ & Her Love for the Fragrance Industry

The book “Bad Girls Perfume” tells a few entertaining tales about how women throughout history may have used the influential power of scent to their advantage — including Cleopatra, Scarlet O’Hara and Madonna. “Really good ‘Bad Girls’ know how to use perfume strategically,” Colton told the audience.

Perfume is a power, Colton firmly believes, explaining: “It’s a power we all have at our fingertips, that can make us who we are — and bring out parts of us that we might not even know about.”

Colton says she “fell in love” with the fragrance industry, as she spoke to all the best perfumers and ‘noses’ in Paris while doing her research for the book. “I couldn’t figure out why everyone seemed so different from all other industries. And I kept thinking about how fragrance is something that you can’t see, so it’s almost like it doesn’t exist. You have to be so creative - and somewhat insane - to write about something that doesn’t really even ‘exist.’ That was when I realized that the people in the perfume industry were My People,” she says, and that she was in awe of what they do.

Celebrating Fragrance Writers, Inspiring Consumers

The Perfumed Plume Awards for Fragrance Journalism, created by Mary Ellen Lapsansky and Lyn Leigh, recognizes creative storytelling that engages and educates the consumer on the art and craft of fragrance.

“We were so honored that Sarah flew in from Paris for this first in a series of Perfumed Plume events dedicated to creative fragrance writing,” says Lapsansky. “Sarah’s talent writing about such an ephemeral, mysterious topic is an inspiration to any aspiring journalist,” she adds.

Leigh says, “The idea for a book reading is at the heart of our mission to recognize and celebrate writers of a broad range of scent stories that appeal to the consumer…and that’s what the evening was all about, thanks to Sarah’s excellent book.”

More About the Perfumed Plume Awards

The Perfumed Plume Awards were conceived and are spearheaded by fragrance industry insiders Lapsansky and Leigh. The co-founders also formed a Consulting Committee, which lends support and inspiration.

Each year, stories will be celebrated — stories that give the reader an inside view of fragrance design and what it takes to create an evocative scent. The Perfumed Plume’s mission is to “showcase the many talented writers and ‘visualizers’ who bring to life the craft — along with the inspiration, the emotion and the sensory journey that is at the heart of fragrance.”

The 2nd annual Perfumed Plume Awards for Fragrance Journalism will be held on Thursday, April 6, 2017 at the Society of Illustrators, 128 East 63rd St., NY, NY. Cocktails will be served 5:30 - 8 pm, and the awards ceremony begins at 6:30 pm. By invitation only.  Beauty Packaging is a sponsor of the event.