It's Just Perfume

In this episode of It's Just Perfume, Steven Gontarski and Susannah Melvoin talk with perfumer Angelos Balamis of Angelos Creations Olfactives. Having collected vintage perfumes throughout her life, Susannah immediately recognized the unmistakable, special qualities of Angelos' perfumes. Sure enough Angelos revealed his love for the classics of the venerable French perfume houses such as Guerlain and Caron.

They discuss how the economic crash in Greece led Angelos to reposition his career path, inspiring him to pursue his passions. He discusses his thorough process of evaluating raw materials and conversing with them as he builds highly intricate, sophisticated blends.

Together they all sniff Soma Panorama, a perfume developed in collaboration with Sebastian Jara, The Perfume Guy and debuted at the inaugural ScentFest SF earlier this year. The two friends live in sister cities, San Francisco and Thessaloniki, and wanted the perfume to reflect their physical and cultural similarities and differences. It's a perfect example of Angelos' distinctive approach to perfume making combining elements of storytelling, his biography, perfume history and a deep understanding and appreciation of the olfactory building blocks.

Perfumes discussed in this episode
00:03:41:04 Tabac Blond by Caron
00:03:43:03 Mitsouko by Guerlain
00:03:48:10 Vol de Nuit by Guerlain
00:03:56:26 Djedi by Guerlain
00:04:01:11 Iris Gris by Jacques Fath
00:04:27:02 Jazz by YSL
00:04:33:15 Havana by Aramis
00:04:36:14 Fahrenheit by Dior
00:08:06:02 Soma Panorama by Angelos Creations Olfactives
00:17:11:27 Narcisse Noir by Caron
00:17:16:08 Narkissos by Angelos Creations Olfactives
00:32:06:03 Eau de Vertu by Angelos Creations Olfactives
00:33:38:17 Figue de Vertu by Angelos Creations Olfactives
00:37:17:29 Pnoi by Angelos Creations Olfactives
00:41:05:27 Pothos by Angelos Creations Olfactives
00:51:17:07 Vetiveria Animalis by Angelos Creations Olfactives
00:53:48:16 Thebes by Sultan Pasha Perfumes
00:58:25:05 Karikia by Angelos Creations Olfactives
00:59:26:03 Tabac Libre by Angelos Creations Olfactives
01:07:26:21 Fougeriste by Angelos Creations Olfactives

Episode hosted by Steven Gontarski and Susannah Melvoin
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of It's Just Perfume, Steve and Dana hang out with Emma Vernon, host of the Perfume Room Podcast. Emma was in town hosting a live game show where people tried to find a partner through scent. This opened up two questions: What fragrance do we find irresistible on others? What fragrance do we put on when we want to be irresistible to others?

We took an Instagram poll asking the public to name the sexiest scent to them and the results were both predictable and surprising.

Due to a technical issue a portion of this episode is missing its video component. We hope you enjoy the slideshow in its place as Emma, Steve and Dana take a deep dive into matters of scent and attraction.

Perfumes mentioned in this episode:
03:08:24 Mandala by Param Sara
08:17:18 El Morocco Discovery Set by El Morocco
12:42:27 Highball for Lucius B
23:45:09 Angels' Share by Kilian
24:23:11 Ambre Narguilé by Hermes *
24:54:27 Tihota by Indult
26:26:20 Salomé by Papillon Artisan Perfumes
28:59:06 Heliodose by Marlou
29:36:05 Un Bel Amour d'Eté by Parfum d'Empire
30:36:08 Jazz by Zernell Gillie Fragrances
33:04:04 Seduction Theory by Universal Flowering *
33:21:09 Daddy by Universal Flowering
37:30:13 Black Afgano by Nasomatto
39:23:00 Benjoin Boheme by Diptyque *
41:25:06 Bowmakers by DS & Durga
43:39:13 Hinoki by Monocle x Comme des Garcons
43:49:18 Gendarme by Gendarme
45:14:28 Fierce by Abercrombie *
46:35:22 Polo Blue by Ralph Lauren *
46:59:07 Drakkar Noir by Guy Laroche *
47:16:02 Cool Water by Davidoff *
48:03:14 Sicilian Leather by MEMO
49:38:10 Molecule 01 by Escentric Molecules
50:12:09 Molecule 02 by Escentric Molecules
52:12:20 Molecule 01 + Iris by Escentric Molecules
52:33:01 Molecule 01 + Black Tea by Escentric Molecules
55:21:02 BoraBora by Giardini di Toscana
56:47:18 Champs Lunaire by Rogue Perfumery
58:55:07 Monoscent G by What We Do Is Secret
01:01:22:18 Patchouli by Santa Maria Novella
01:20:45:26 Gothic I by Loree Rodkin
01:05:11:27 Orphéon eau de parfum by Diptyque
01:07:04:28 Aristo Chypre by Infiniment Coty
01:08:22:18 Fleur du Mal by Dries Van Noten
01:09:06:11 Apricot Innocence by Simone Anreoli
01:10:51:03 La Panthere by Cartier (not LS)
01:14:10:08 Covert Musc by What We Do Is Secret
01:15:06:26 Terra Former by Braindead
01:16:03:10 Acqua di Sale by Profumum
01:16:35:23 Melograno by Santa Maria Novella

*Not sold by Luckyscent

Hosted by Steven Gontarski and Dana Kiley Buchanan
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of 'It's Just Perfume', Steve and Dana sit with Sebastian Jara, aka The Perfume Guy. Having made a name for himself in the perfume community through his well-established YouTube channel, Sebastian has introduced many to the niche world and continues to educate us on new releases. He recently added to his impressive list of accomplishments by spearheading ScentFest SF, the largest scent expo on the West Coast.

Steve and Dana wanted to know how Sebastian got his start and which perfumes sparked his fascination with scent. They talk about his foray into YouTube and Sebastian's first encounters with Luckyscent. He describes the impetus for ScentFest and lets Dana and Steve try the stunning perfume collaboration he completed with perfumer Angelos Balamis.

Perfumes mentioned in this episode:
03:41:18 Purple Fig by Vilhelm Parfumerie
04:08:02 The Ghost in the Shell by Etat Libre d'Orange
17:35:23 Cozé by Pierre Guillaume Paris, Parfumerie Generale
20:31:14 Musc Maori by Pierre Guillaume Paris, Parfumerie Generale
21:04:14 Le Musc & La Peau by Pierre Guillaume Paris, Parfumerie Generale
21:54:08 Avignon by Comme des Garcons: Incense
22:05:27 Costes Signature Candle by Costes
25:39:15 Relique d'Amour by Oriza Legrand
26:45:05 Horizon by Oriza Legrand
28:18:22 L'air du desert marocain by Tauer Perfumes
28:35:21 Ambre Precieux by Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier
28:39:19 Ambre Russe by Parfums d'Empire
36:48:11 Soma Panorama by Angelos Creations Olfactives
49:12:26 Philosykos by Diptyque
49:14:24 Premier Figuier by L'Artisan Parfumeur
51:56:15 Not a Perfume by Juliette Has a Gun
52:09:25 Monoscent G by What We Do Is Secret
53:59:24 Bois Imperial by Essential Parfums
56:10:27 Fleur du Mal by Dries Van Noten
57:24:02 Camomille Satin by Dries Van Noten

Hosts: Steven Gontarski and Dana Kiley Buchanan
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of 'It's Just Perfume' Steve and Dana chat live in front of an audience gathered at ScentFest, the West Coast's largest perfume expo. The weekend was filled with scent discoveries and the warmest meetups with fragrance lovers from around the world. Steve and Dana talk about their impressions of ScentFest then sniff perfumes featuring unusual notes with the audience. Oyster, pollen anyone?

The sniffing session was followed by a Q&A segment where Steve and Dana recalled their most nostalgic scents, revealed the notes and styles they'd like to smell more of and investigated Dana's perfume application methods that transform her into a walking scent sculpture.

Perfumes mentioned in this episode:
01:12:24 ScentFest Sample Pack
05:26:07 Still by CBCB
07:47:22 Cocoyster Bananita by Salum
12:15:26 Pony Boy by Jorum
13:01:05 Debaser by D.S. and Durga
13:14:25 Delulu by Oddity
14:05:10 Rhubarb Thief by Heretic
15:19:10 Gun Girl by CBCB
19:21:00 Molecule 01 + Patchouli by Escentric Molecules
20:26:09 Morel Map by Clue
20:35:04 Coven by Andrea Maack
21:15:25 Musc by Bruno Acampora
22:52:22 Moon Magic by Sorce
24:42:03 Vampire Husband by Sorce
24:45:00 In Dreams and Fairytales (Vanilla)
26:54:10 Metal Lavender by Matiere Premiere
27:12:11 La Nuit des 300 by Hellenist
28:39:16 Les Dieux aux Bains
29:48:23 Flower Glyph by Liis
32:53:03 Noel au Balcon by Etat Libre d'Orange
34:02:01 Unspoken Gesture by Jorum
35:28:05 Still by CBCB
43:26:20 Saskia by Grandiflora
43:28:16 Madagascan Jasmine by Grandiflora
44:11:00 Mossy Glen by Villa Erbatium
45:33:28 Neo-Animism by Mami Wata
48:02:21 Angelos Creations
48:26:26 Chypre Siam by Rogue
48:41:09 Aristo Chypre by Infiniment Coty
48:57:14 Spoturno Paris

Hosts: Steven Gontarski and Dana Kiley Buchanan
Recorded in San Francisco, 6/27/26
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

22. Report from the Runway - A Conversation with Merle Ginsberg

In this episode of 'It's Just Perfume' Steve sits down with writer, fashion icon and one of the original judges of Ru Paul's Drag Race, the legendary Merle Ginsberg. From a young age, Merle expressed her identity through clothes and words, always keeping her senses, including scent, keenly attuned. Steve and Merle have talked perfume for many years at Scent Bar and have selected her signature scents together. They take a deep dive into her perfume history, stop by Scent Bar to discover a new scent and end the episode by pairing fragrances with outfits.

Perfumes mentioned in this episode
06:53:15 Molecule 01 by Escentric Molecules
L'Eau d'Issey by Issey Miyake
Eau d'Hadrien by Annick Goutal
Filles en Aiguilles by Serge Lutens
21:54:00 Black Amber by Agonist
23:35:03 Coffee White Flowers by Bohoboco
28:39:19 Grev by Slumberhouse
33:50:09 Bo by Liis
40:00:02 Nuit Elastique by Premiere Peau
41:52:19 Vanille Camouflage by Dries Van Noten
42:36:02 Mantes La Jolie by Astier de Villatte
43:09:05 Dandelion Butter by Clue
44:07:10 Tokyo Bloom by The Different Company
44:55:24 Monoscent G by What We Do Is Secret
46:34:24 Green Vanille by Regime des Fleurs
47:03:00 Vanille Riviera by Maison Rebatchi
53:02:04 Carine by Carine Roitfeld
56:02:25 Crimson Rocks by Amouage

Be sure to keep up with Merle's fashion news on Loose Threads, a regular newsletter in The Hollywood Reporter, Hollywoodreporter.com

Host: Steven Gontarski
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.