Fab Find of the Week: ARgENTUM fragrance and skincare boutique
Very, very occasionally, in our decades of beauty editing, a concept has come along that is so different, so fun, so engaging that it changes the whole game. Doesn’t happen very often, but ARgENTUM’s new Notting Hill boutique/café, below (just a stone’s throw from Summerill & Bishop and the legendary Julie’s wine bar) is a place we want to shout about. Loudly!
Argentum’s Scent & Poetry café, Notting Hill
They had us at ‘hello’, actually, proffering either a freshly-barista-ed coffee, or a cup of Rare Tea – and of course, we plumped for the latter (Jasmine Silver Tip, packed as it is with antioxidants). Now, we already knew about Argentum’s luxury skincare, but fragrance is a whole new development – and we’re love, love, loving not only the fragrances themselves, but the manner in which you find your ‘perfect’ Argentum perfume.
It person, it’s done Tarot-style, rather than just by randomly sniffing. ARgENTUM’s clever designer has created 12 ‘archetypes’, graphically illustrated to embody each fragrance. In the store, you’ll be drawn to specific cards – either blind, picking from a deck, or by perusing the imagery. The idea is that these card will lead you, energetically, to a trio of fragrances which are your starting point. As with Tarot itself, it’s about using cards for self-reflection: taking time to think about yourself, your moods, your preferences. There is a huge amount of meaning to unravel within the illustrations; everyone sees something different, founder Joy Isaacs explained to Jo, during her ‘scent reading.’
Once you’ve found your shortlist, you can then try those fragrances on your skin, or take away a mini-card blotter stickered to peel back and reveal the fragrance, for sniffing. (They might even give you a vial, for trying on skin at your leisure.)
Three Argentum ‘archetypes’, to steer your choices
On the website, alternatively, you press a button that spins a wheel to choose for you a card, by clicking here. Or click here to read about the fragrances themselves, via the notes they contain, rather than the archetypes, if you’d like to browse in a more conventional way.
The ARgENTUM fragrances explore elements of fire, air, earth and water, and interestingly, use a ‘Water Plant Emulsion’, a new patented technology which mixes oil and water with fragrance, in a super-fine, milky emulsion that avoids the drying effects of the traditional alcohol used in perfume formulae. It’s surprisingly long-lasting, though.
The fragrances Jo has been wearing and exploring since her morning in the store are ranged above: LOVER, JESTER, EVERYMAN. She’s still making up her mind which she likes best because – spooky, or what? – they all push her olfactory buttons.
LOVER, for instance, is feminine, belonging to the floral-musk family, with notes of geranium, rose, pink peppercorn and crushed berries. Gorgeous! (Jo always thinks she isn’t a rose scent person, but she so is!) JESTER is zesty, blending bergamot, blood orange, ginger, berry, kumquat fruit and lashings of green tangerine, with notes of white flowers and sandalwood. And EVERYMAN is outdoorsy, a green, lemon-y bouquet that has plenty of mimosa, patchouli and cedarwood in the base, and is most definitely outdoorsy.
But Jo is also a little bit addicted to the fragrance which kickstarted this collection, resonant of the scent of the ARgENTUM cream with which this range debuted: BECOME, literally like a spa, bottled; we wouldn’t be at all surprised to discover that a spritz of this herbaceous, woody-citrus fragrance instantly reduces blood pressure (unproven, just a hunch!).
Were you to choose a full-size fragrance in the store or online, you’ll receive away a gorgeous, inky glass bottle with a lid detail that we just love: a silver talisman that can be removed and worn as a charm (to be replaced by a paper disc from the wonderful ‘book-like’ box, which opens to reveal a fabulous 3-D, almost pop-up illustration.
Each ARgENTUM fragrance is presented in a pop-up ‘book’
Bottom line, though: we honestly can’t recommend too highly checking out the ARgENTUM fragrance and skincare boutique for a visit. We’ve never felt that shopping for fragrance or skincare should be rushed – the absolute opposite. Frankly, this boutique-slash-café is such a treat for the senses that we could spend all day here.
And you know what? We might just do that…
100ml eau de parfum/£280 – buy here
119 Portland Road, London W11 4LN
ARgENTUM founder Joy Isaacs
