162. [MABELLE O'RAMA] Smells of Sumac, Stardust, and Secret Gardens!
Perfume Room
Emma Vernon
4.9 • 619 Ratings
🗓️ 21 January 2025
⏱️ 58 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Perfumer Mabelle O'Rama is in the Perfume Room this week! Mabelle is a Lebanese-British perfumer based in London, and founder of the eponymous perfume line, Mabelle O’Rama. In a just a few years Mabelle has already made a name for herself, with accolades from both the UK Fragrance Foundation Awards and IAO Awards. Today, we chat about how she learned perfumery, the process of starting a brand, how her taste has evolved as a consumer now that she's a perfumer, navigating imposter syndrome, smells of Lebanon, and so much more.
SOTD: Electimuss Caspian cherry*
JOIN SMELL CLUB: saltysmellclub.eventbrite.com
SMELLS LIKE LOVE TIX: https://www.caveat.nyc/events/perfume-room-presents-smells-like-love-2-15-2025
SINGLE? CLICK HERE: https://airtable.com/appCScx0jLQIMRJAA/shrVKnkchzca9rAVw
FOLLOW MABELLE: mabelle_orama
GET 10% OFF MABELLE O'RAMA SCENTS (code: perfumer00m): https://www.luckyscent.com/search?gsearch=mabelle
FRAGS MENTIONED: Electimuss: Caspian Cherry*, Vanilla Edesia,* Spice D'Arno,* Cupid's Kiss*; Mabelle O’Rama Phoenix Flame, Hermes Rose Ikebana, Stella McCartney Stella, Mabelle O’Rama Lunar Dust, Phoenix Flame, Forbidden Bloom; Diffractive Studio Pop Culture, Sarah Baker, Maya Njie: Vanilj, Les Fleurs, Orto Parisi Viride, Mizensir Tres Chere, Penhaligon's, Floris, Creed
* = gifted with no expectation of review
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the perfume room. My scent of the day today is Electomis Caspian Cherry. I have to say |
| 0:17.1 | Electomis has been launching some really interesting, really beautiful fragrances |
| 0:21.6 | lately. In fact, in 2024, on the heels of the masterpiece that is, was and always will be, |
| 0:27.6 | vanilla adizia, they launched three new fragrances, all of which somehow felt relevant to |
| 0:32.7 | fragrance trends and yet not responsive. And what I mean by that is that while all three do feel in line |
| 0:39.3 | with what's trendy right now, certain notes, families, et cetera, none of them feel derivative |
| 0:45.2 | of anything else on the market or as if they were made specifically to like capitalize on any |
| 0:51.7 | particular trend. And of the three, which are Spiced Darno, Cupid's Kiss, |
| 0:57.1 | and this one, Caspian Cherry, this one is my personal favorite. This is a Grand Dame Cherry. It's |
| 1:03.9 | an opening night at the opera kind of cherry. It's so elegant. Think like syrupy dark cherry, but more luxardo than maraschino. I feel impressions of |
| 1:14.9 | lipstick. I feel impressions of honey and of hay that lend the most sort of like subtle animalic quality, |
| 1:21.9 | a sort of caramelized coffee, and then something really, really buttery. And in the same way that fragrances like |
| 1:29.2 | Lustu Delis or Fragrance Dubois, New York Fifth Avenue, feel somehow so truly gourmand, |
| 1:36.0 | but also so opulent and not at all toothache-inducing, so too does Caspian cherry. If you |
| 1:43.4 | enjoy boozy-rich cherries, try this one. If you haven't |
| 1:48.5 | enjoyed any boozy rich cherries to date, try this one. I am so excited for today's episode. |
| 1:56.9 | Today we are joined by the wonderful Mabel-O-Rama. Mabel is a Lebanese British perfumer and |
| 2:02.6 | artist based in London and is the founder of the alfactive studio, Mabel-Orama. Drawing from her |
| 2:08.4 | Phoenician heritage and fascination with the cosmos, she creates perfumes that tell stories of the |
| 2:13.5 | past and of the future and of our connection to home. And in the few short years of her |
| 2:19.7 | perfumery career, Mabel's fragrances have been finalists in the UK Fragrance Foundation Awards |
| 2:25.0 | and received an honorable mention from the Institute of Art and L.A. I first met Mabel a little |
... |
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