The House of Guerlain is one of the most legendary beauty maisons in the world. Founded almost two centuries ago in Paris, it has quite the storied history. Founder Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain famously created the Eau de Cologne Impériale for French Empress Eugénie to celebrate her marriage to Emperor Napoleon III. Having decorated the bottle with bees, an emblem first adopted by Napoléon Bonaparte when he crowned himself the emperor of France in in 1804, Guerlain began its own special relationship with this special symbol and insect. Over the centuries, the house continued to distinguish itself as a purveyor of some of the most luxurious fragrances and eventually added cosmetics and skin care to their repertoire. With over 80 fragrances, Guerlain has continued to remain at the forefront of perfume creation even offering a bespoke service for the most discerning and lucky clientele.
However, for those of us that don’t have a spare tens of thousands of euros sitting around, Guerlain offers a lovely option that guides the client in the selection of their perfect choice among the existing eighty plus fragrances the house currently offers. Coupled with the ability to choose the color of your bottle (the iconic Bee model of course), the color and style of your ribbon or rope to adorn the neck of the bottle, and the ability to engrave your name or initials in the script, font, and color of your choice, this allows the purchaser to enjoy the luxury and customized service that has become synonymous with Guerlain.
In celebration of the newly opened and totally stunning Holt Renfrew Ogilvy Beauty Hall (more on that later darlings!), the Guerlain team very graciously offered me the opportunity to come experience the process of picking out my perfect Guerlain scent and the creation of my custom Bee bottle. After completing the consultation that is modeled on the bespoke services offered by the house, the digital program that Guerlain created to streamline the process offered me a personal olfactory profile that suggested three equally stunning scents. After a bit of a deliberation, I settled on the captivating Rose Barbare in a clear bee bottle engraved with my name, and with a darling little pink grosgrain bow at the neck.
This Guerlain Parfumeur Counter experience is unique to Montreal within Canada, and is counted among only a handful of boutiques that offer this special service worldwide. For those looking to find either a new beloved fragrance or to finally find your signature scent, I can’t recommend this experience enough. While I have always loved perfume and rotate between a few scents, the gorgeous bottle of Guerlain Rose Barbare has been the scent that I’ve reached for almost every day since bringing it home.
