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Perfume Room

73. Reimagining the Harlem Renaissance Through Scent (w/ Harlem Candle Company Founder Teri Johnson)

Perfume Room

Emma Vernon

Arts, Fashion & Beauty

4.9619 Ratings

🗓️ 8 November 2022

⏱️ 52 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Meet the woman re-imagining what Langston Hughes' home would have smelled like. Teri Johnson, Founder of Harlem Candle Company pays homage to iconic figures and spaces of the Harlem Renaissance through her luxury candles and fragrances. To do this, she and the perfumers she works with become investigators, conducting hours of research to get every note just right. And lucky for us, Harlem Candle Company has recently expanded to Harlem Perfume Company! We chat about everything from Teri’s new perfume launch; her fragrance muse: her glamorous Aunt Barbara; and a recent collaboration with… The White House?! PLUS ENJOY A LTD. TIME EXCLUSIVE PERFUME ROOM DISCOUNT!

FRAGS MENTIONED:

1509 Oil Matthias, Nemat Amber, Harlem Candle Company: Lenox, Speakeasy, St. Nicholas [The White House Gingerbread], Lolita Lempicka, Diptyque candles, Harlem Candle Company Josephine, Jean Patou Joy, Harlem Candle Company Langston, HCC X THE MET: Seneca, Harlem Perfume Company: Billie, Langston; Harlem Candle Company: Speakeasy and Langston reed diffusers; Harlem Perfume Company Josephine

15% OFF harlemcandlecompany.com CODE PERFUMEROOM15 (through Dec 8)

SHOP PRODUCTS MENTIONED: https://shopmy.us/collections/86378

NOV SMELL CLUB: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nov-smell-club-savory-gourmands-tickets-461855731927

FOLLOW TERI/HARLEM CANDLE CO: @terijohnsonnyc @harlemcandlecompany

FOLLOW PERFUME ROOM: @perfumeroompod (IG) @emma_vern (TT)

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Welcome to the perfume room. My scent of the day today is Matias from 1509 oil.

0:16.0

I know I've talked about this one before, but let me just describe it for anyone who is not familiar.

0:20.0

It's kind of like that sort of same soft, skin scent, white amber feel that you would get with

0:26.6

like a namad amber with an herbaceous sage twist.

0:31.2

I've been inspired to wear it recently because this past weekend I went to my friend's house

0:35.4

and she had made this rosemary simple syrup

0:37.6

for some cocktails that she was making.

0:40.2

And when I walked into her apartment, there was just this sort of subtle herbie, softly warm,

0:44.9

but also crisp aroma that filled the air and I was like, I want to smell like this.

0:50.5

And in the case of Matias, it's sage and not rosemary, but honestly, very similar.

0:54.7

It just packs that right amount of punch to an otherwise sort of delicate, soft skin scent.

0:59.9

And also, whenever I wear it, my cat, Violet, always smells like it after, which is just so

1:05.4

evocative and I think almost like romantic about this scent.

1:09.1

Like it lingers on everyone and everything that you touch.

1:12.6

Sweeters, pets, linens.

1:14.8

It's just there.

1:16.9

You know I love a maximalist scent, but sometimes I really, I don't know,

1:19.9

I just crave a nice little white amber skin scent.

1:23.8

And this one might be my favorite.

1:25.7

Okay, a little announcement.

1:26.9

November smell clip tickets are officially on sale. The theme, as you know, is savory gourmand's. Think

1:32.5

edible scents that are not dessert. Green vegetables, root vegetables, bread, starchy notes. If this

...

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