{Perfume Q & A} with Giselle Richardson of Barfumeria - Tastes of Summer: 2007 Bestseller Summery Fragrances

Giselle Richardson is the founder and owner of the Barfumeria, an upscale niche perfumery with an avant-garde sensitivity located in Madrid and established in 2003. She kindly accepted to answer our Q & A despite her hectic travel schedule these days. The Spaniards are reputed for their particular appreciation and love of fresh hesperidic scents and the list offered here seems to not go counter-current this trend.

Cosmetic News said that the boutique's standout features were: "The fragrance bar, generous samples and 'cutting edge' products discovered by Richardson and her assistant in their non-stop travels." And concluded that the boutique was "the height of chic".......

* As we have come to experience the dog days of summer (but maybe not in
your area) what have been so far the bestsellers of this 2007 summer
season?

- Summer's are dry and very hot in Madrid! Our bestsellers are as follows:
Molecule 01 and Escentric 01 Both by Escentric Molecules -(Both are my
favorites and I can't live without them!)
Eau D'Italie- Another essential for summer- makes you feel like you just
stepped out of the shower!
Believe it or not Fracas by Robert Piguet - A true Fracas woman is
faithful even in the summer
Kai
Vetiver, Citric, and Anbar colognes by Commes de Garcons
Aqua de Colonia by Lorenzo Villoresi
L'Eau de L'Artisan
Thé pour un Eté by L'Artisan
Green by Miller et Bertaux

* Any perfumes or products that you regret customers have not paid
enough attention to, although they would be great to wear or use now?

- Not really, we always offer great and honest advice to our customers on
what fragrances to wear depending on the season and they usually listen
to us.

* Apart from the fragrances that you sell yourself, any others (such as
classics, foreign fragrances, hard-to-find perfumes) that you can
recommend for our readers to seek out?

- I recommend Paratus

* For the non-snobs: what is the cheapest perfume that you could
suggest, from your store, that is still great quality and appropriate
for the summer (if the conventional seasonal divide makes any sense to
you)?

- The Cologne series by Commes des Garcons (Vetiver, Citrus, and Anbar),
their are fresh smelling, light and the lasting power is surprisingly
good- they sell for 29€


* For people with exclusive tastes: what is the most expensive perfume
that you carry in your store that you recommend as a must for this summer?

- Fracas Perfume 30ml bottle with stopper (245€)- If you're a Fracas fan it
is actually way nicer and the notes are rounder at the top due to the
fact that they extract the rose essence by crushing it and not
distilling it like they do with the Eau de Parfum.

Of course I recommend Molecule 01 (100€)- People literally stop me in
the street when I wear it!


* Do you have any celebrity tips that you can share with us? Who bought
what this summer?

- Unfortunately I can't mention the celebrity's name because she has
several of her own fragrances but I can tell you that she bought
Escentric 01 and she felt so guilty about buying but she left happy
because she absolutely loved it!

You can visit the Barfumeria website. Giselle Richardson might open a branch in New York City one day.

Photos courtesy of Barfumeria