Photo Credit: Twisted Lily
A BEAUTY DESTINATION GROWS IN BROOKLYN
Maybe it started with designer Jean Paul Gaultier’s fragrance talk at the Brooklyn Museum, but the borough known for hipsters, farm-to-table dining, and cutting edge artists can now add niche fragrance destination to its highlights.
“We’re joining a growing neighborhood of upmarket boutiques, Nolita outposts, and restaurants near downtown Brooklyn, the Barclay Center, and transportation that’s fast becoming a destination for fragrance and niche beauty,†says Eric Weiser, co-owner of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique & Apothecary. Last month, Weiser and his partner, Stamatis Birsimijoglou, opened a neighborhood boutique to showcase niche, indie, and local perfumes that are tough to find even in Manhattan. Expect to see Williamsburg bred CB I Hate Perfume scent stories and the hand-blended creations of Clinton Hill-based D.S. & Durga. The boutique also pays homage to Brooklyn’s past with pine cabinets built of reclaimed wood from a nearby factory. Among the offerings are Twisted Lily NYC exclusives, including France’s Maison Dorin, Seatle’s Slumberhouse, and LA’s Smellbent collections. And for fans of Maison Francis Kurkdjian, L’Artisan Parfumeur, Amouage, and Penhaligon’s, Twisted Lily is the only venue in Brooklyn that sells these indie lines.
Twisted Lily, 360 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217, 347.529.4681, TwistedLily.com
Photo Credit: Atelier Cologne
Sashay across the street to visit the rustically inviting, Atelier Cologne, which draws visitors into the world of Cologne Absolue, a new fragrance category invented by the brand’s founders, Sylvie Ganter and Christophe Cervasel. The French husband and wife team bonded over a love of classic, citrusy eau de colognes and expanded the concept with scents that capture the original’s airy lightness but last longer because of higher essential oil concentrations. The third boutique for the company—the others are in Manhattan and Paris—Atelier Cologne is also sold at Neiman Marcus, Steven Alan boutiques, and specialty stores in North America, Europe, and Asia. We love the uplifting Orange Sanguine, a sunlit blend that diffuses sweet blood orange juice and bitter orange peel into your personal aura.
Atelier Cologne, 357 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217, 718.260.8008, AtelierCologne.com
Photo Credit: Nomaterra
A revelation to Manhattanites, the swell in Brooklyn’s scent scene makes perfect sense, given the creative nature of the borough. “In just the last few years, we’ve seen niche perfumery explode in Brooklyn, and I think that’s because it’s not only the home of the creatives who make the norm-bending scents, but it attracts the type of people who might like something more avant garde,†says Agnieszka Sygnarowicz Burnett, co-founder of Nomaterra, a US-centric line of handcrafted scents blended in small batches in New York. The Brooklyn store is Nomaterra’s first boutique and exclusively features the brand’s travel sprays, fragrance wipes, and candles—all inspired by Burnett’s travels around the U.S. With the launch, Nomaterra’s travel stories welcome new scents Oahu Gardenia, Malibu Honeysuckle, Savannah Magnolia, and Boston Tobacco Leaf. But most fitting of all is the launch of Brooklyn Violet Leaf Eau de Toilette, a men’s cologne available exclusively at the boutique. Violet leaf grows abundantly along Brooklyn’s shores as well as through the cracks in the sidewalks.
Nomaterra Fragrances Boutique, 240 Kent Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11249, 516.353.4352, Nomaterra.com
Even Sephora is getting local with the debut of its first Brooklyn store. For the grand opening on November 1-2, the store presented original works of five Brooklyn-based artists, including Hisham Bharoocha, and served up treats from local food vendor Morris Kitchen. For Brooklynites jonsing for a fix of Marc Jacobs makeup, Caudalie skincare, or classic fragrances like Fracas or Shalimar, a trip downtown is all it will take for a fix.
Sephora Brooklyn 210 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201, 718.422.7722, Sephora.com
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