Horsham-based female personal trainer, Becky, sometimes shares thoughts on life beyond the gym floor. Today, she reviews Brighton fragrance boutique, Soliflore, and shares her perfume shopping tips…
I’m going to let you in on one of Brighton’s best worst kept secrets. Regular readers know that I’m a fragrance fan, and it’s a product that’s really difficult to shop for… until you know how. I’ve learned in my favourite way: by doing; and I’ve had some fantastic education. Read on to find out my top tips, and how you can take the short cut…
Fragrance shopping experiences
First things first, blind buys are almost always a very bad idea – these are purchases you make having never smelled the fragrance. Perfume is SUCH a personal experience, and you can’t accurately tell what something is like until you have tried it first-hand. And it’s not just how it smells in the bottle or on a blotter, it’s how it smells on you.
As a result, the environment is important too. UK department stores and high street fragrance counters aren’t ideal in my opinion. They’re cluttered, noisy, busy, and the sales assistants often don’t have a lot of knowledge. Even worse is when they work specifically for a brand, so you don’t get to experience a variety of styles, as they’re aiming to sell you on a specific make.
What’s far better is a boutique – somewhere which is a dedicated environment, with more space to explore, and expertise to draw upon. I think that practice helps too: when I first started to shop more seriously, I took longer about it and tended to wear a fragrance, walk away and think about it. Now, I’m in a position where I’m more capable of understanding a fragrance quickly, and will be less inclined to need to try it on for a long time before committing.
There are still pitfalls though, and that’s why knowing someone trustworthy is beneficial. And that brings me to Soliflore…
Soliflore in Brighton
Established in November 2023, Soliflore is a fragrance and gift boutique, carefully curated by owner, Sarah. She hand-picks fragrances by British brands, some of which I’d never heard of previously, which I love – it’s always a pleasure to find something new and fabulous.
The brands I recognised that Sarah stocks are ones such as Arquiste and Gallivant – but I also hadn’t really had a chance to try them. She also stocks Nancy Meiland’s fragrances – a brand that I’m very familiar with and have been wearing for a long time, and when I discovered that it’s stocked in Soliflore, I knew that the owner had great taste and was running a good business.
Sarah knows the story behind every fragrance she stocks, and will very willingly share details with you, which I really appreciate. She’s also great at matching people to new discoveries: the first time I visited her shop, I referenced a few fragrances I liked and she offered to push me out of my comfort zone, as well as keeping me within familiarity.
As a result of pushing my boundaries, I found something new and different that I love, and I enjoy that it helps me to smell distinct from anyone else I meet (in a good way, obviously!). I’ve been back twice more, and picked up two other super interesting and unique fragrances which are wonderful additions to my fragrance wardrobe.
Soliflore is tucked away in a quiet part of North Laine, close to the train station and many other fun parts of one of Brighton’s most vibrant areas. As Sarah is a solopreneur, opening hours can occasionally vary, so check out her Instagram page before visiting to make sure that you’ll find her.
Fragrance shopping tips
I promised advice, and here it is…
Go naked – of fragrance, that is. Wear no perfume, so that you can try a scent or two on
Know your notes – learn what it is about a fragrance you enjoy and notice patterns. I’m a huge fan of most things rose, and every thing jasmine. Dig deeper though and I also quite enjoy musk, tonka bean, and a few other things that are worth knowing about. This will help guide your journey and broaden your horizons
Follow the nose, rather than the house – this is getting into the nitty gritty now… a perfume’s “nose” is the perfumer behind it. Many will work for different fragrance houses throughout their career; if you try several scents by a brand, love them, but then try the latest launch and hate it, I’d be willing to guess that it’s that they’ve switched perfumer. Find out who the previous one was, and follow them to where they’ve gone next
If you go to visit Sarah at Soliflore, feel free to tell her that I sent you! And do then come and tell me what you bought…