Suzy Nightingale

Freelance writer specialising in the world of luxury fragrances & cult beauty products.

United Kingdom

UK correspondent for Fragrantica.com covering luxury launches, perfume news, arts events, exclusive interviews and in-depth product reviews.

Chosen by Aspects as 'one of the industry's top 25 experts' for their Beauty Trend Forecast for 2015, I have written my forecast for the future of fragrance. I also work with national newspapers as a fragrance expert, write features for various style publications, including The Scented Letter (the monthly newsletter for Josephine Fairley's The Perfume Society), a beauty column for PHOENIX Magazine and a collaborative beauty & lifestyle blog with author Melanie Clegg.

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Aspects Beauty PR
12/01/2014
Beauty Trends Report 2015

Suzy Nightingale chosen as one of the beauty industry;s 'top 25 experts' to report on the future of fragrance.

Fragrantica
Gorilla Perfumes Launch Volume 3: Death, Decay and Renewal

Art Books Events Most perfumers, when thinking of a conceptual theme for their latest collection of fragrances, would not perhaps venture into the shady realms of death and decay-it doesn't exactly make you leap to your feet, eager to begin sniffing the resulting concoctions, now does it?

Fragrantica
Terry de Gunzburg Launches Rouge Nocturne and Rose Infernale

Art Books Events "I don't know how to do the things that are expected of me. I wanted my Roses to be unique, provocative ... unexpected, I wanted them to be felt without breathing their scent. Fragrant colors transform into an olfactory nuance like make-up exuding a hypnotic scent ...

Fragrantica
Games, Set & Match: Murdock London Launch Renshaw Cologne

Art Books Events To coincide with Wimbledon and the Summer sporting season, Murdock London introduce their latest cologne- Renshaw. The second of their sporting-themed scents, Renshaw honors the great British tradition of tennis and croquet; games steeped in tradition and played out through the centuries on well-manicured lawns.

Fragrantica
Odin: Godlike Fragrances for Mere Mortals

Interviews The Norse god Odin is regarded as a Psychopomp, or 'guide of souls' associated with war, battle, victory and death, but also wisdom, Shamanism, magic, poetry, prophecy, and the hunt. Considered the god who brought poetry to mankind, his manifest robust yet ever-seeking qualities are the perfect totem to represent this quirky New York lifestyle brand and the four co-founders who gave it life.

Fragrantica
Agent Provocateur Unveil FATALE Eau de Parfum: Press Launch Report

Art Books Events Exquisitely embroidered bras, so tiny they could be used as fancy hats for elves, nestle beside leather-edged bustiers draped in golden chains, flowing silk kimonos with peeping panels of lace and dangling necklaces with pendants revealing themselves as whips.

Fragrantica
Ormonde Jayne Black Gold: Harrods Press Launch Report

Art Books Events Linda Pilkington: "It was all about finding the right ingredients, locations, having my own studios and finally a laboratory in Regents Park. In last fifteen years I've stayed as true as I can to my own philosophy, which is to seek out unusual ingredients not previously used in perfumery.

Fragrantica
The Mother Load: A Perfume Passion Shared

It started young, like many addictions, formed in the cradle perhaps. They tend to blame the parents anyway, don't they? Maybe they are right, for I am afraid this one must be laid squarely at the feet of my Mother. I have lost count of the bottles I got through, even at that tender age.

Fragrantica
4160 Tuesdays: Sarah McCartney Throws Open the Doors to Her Studio

Art Books Events Sarah McCartney, perfumer and owner of 4160 Tuesdays Ah, perfumers-"noses"-the alchemists one sort of imagines live and work in ivory towers set on cliff tops amidst a fantasy landscape of green velvet hills; or nestled within a secret garden of rare orchids and mystical plants kept apart from the world by high walls and an air of superiority.

Fragrantica
Penhaligon's Trade Routes Collection Launches at The Shard

Art Books Events When my ears popped in the ultra-glam lift whizzing skywards in the Shangri La hotel, I knew we must be quite high up. On stepping out to the 35th floor and seeing all of London laid before me like a haphazardly scattered model train set, my knees gave a bit of a wobble and oh yes, we were very high up indeed.

Fragrantica
Jeremy Scott Launches Moschino Toy Perfume at Harrods

Art Books Events "I think I am perhaps almost unique in the world of perfumery by having an advertising campaign in which the woman is wearing clothes. Most perfume ads seem to be full of people who are naked!"

Fragrantica
A Subtle Seduction: Narciso Rodriguez Launch New NARCISO Parfum

Art Books Events White, black and nude are the colors fashion designer Narciso Rodriguez returns to time and again as the touchstones for signature pieces in each season's new collection; and as such, the stunning simplicity of the bottle for the newly launched NARCISO Parfum reflects the enduring grace and feminine allure of this continuing triumvirate of his creative inspiration.

Phoenixmag
10/10/2014
Why Every Woman Needs The Perfume Bible | PHOENIX Magazine

Could you, hand on heart, give an accurate description of what constitutes a 'Chypre' perfume? Could you name what family your favourite fragrance belongs to? How about a definition of the difference between an Eau de Parfum, a Parfum and an Extrait?

Fragrantica
Rachel Vosper Belgravia: Scented Candle Making Workshop

Art Books Events In the heart of Belgravia, tucked away from the bustle and noise of the high street, is a quiet little lane full of charming cottage-style houses with window boxes blooming, and neighbors sharing tea and gossip while sitting on benches in the sunshine.

Fragrantica
Angelo Orazio Pregoni Initiates Surrealist Perfume Salon

Art Books Events Never a shrinking violet, the controversial Angelo Orazio Pregoni of O'DRIU Parfums is in London to launch the initial Perfume Salon - an event held in a converted crypt decorated with surrealist wall paintings-to gather already passionate perfumistas and curious onlookers alike.

Fragrantica
Timeless Modernity: Maison Francis Kurkdjian Paris Launch Pluriel féminin and masculin

Art Books Events "The quest for an eternal feminine and masculine inspired the creation of the 'Pluriel' collection, the new opus in Francis Kurkdjian's fragrance wardrobe. féminin Pluriel and masculin Pluriel. A beautiful creation composed of a multitude of facets, designed to evolve with freedom and sensuality, unbound from fleeting fashions.

Fragrantica
Penhaligon's 2014 Gift Collection

Art Books Events There comes a time each year, a change in the seasons, when all thoughts turn to crackling log fires, the smell of pine needles and the pleasing sight of glossy gifts nestling beneath the tree all tied up in red velvet ribbons.

Fragrantica
Alice Lavenat: Interview with Young Perfume Creator 2014

Interviews The grandchild of a wine making family, Alice Lavenat grew up surrounded by the smell of grape juice and cognac spirits. With these olfactory memories having made themselves part of her childhood, perhaps there can be no great surprise when Alice says these are what triggered her passion for the world of fragrance and propelled her into the ultimate desire of becoming a perfumer.

Fragrantica
Scented Heroines: An Evening With Angela Flanders & Tessa Williams

Art Books Events By: Suzy Nightingale If you push past the bustling crowds of London's Spitalfields Market and turn down the myriad spider's web lanes that spindle their way into the heart of the East End, you may come across Artillery Passage, right next to Gun Street, the names giving you markers as to their historic past, the location being the site of the Artillery Ground in use during the reign of Henry VIII in the 16th century.

Fragrantica
Paul Schütze: Silent Surface - The Aromatic Art of Books

Art Books Events By: Suzy Nightingale Just off Berkley Square, tucked behind the historic Maggs Bros antiquarian bookshop-one of the oldest ones surviving in London-is a gallery space that today has plunged me back in time.

Fragrantica
Angela Flanders: Breath of Hope Launch Report

At the tipping point of a steely gray day with the north wind worrying at commuters scurrying, fists thrust in coat pockets, buried to the nose in scarves as what meager sun there was finally dips low, the promise of Spring seems long away.

Fragrantica
Nejma, My Life Among the Stars: Exclusive Interview with Marie Lise Bischoff

Interviews There is something about meeting the person behind a perfume house - face to face, so you can see the enthusiasm shine from them - that grants you another level of understanding about their fragrances; it somehow affords you a deeper connection whenever you wear them, even if you have loved them for years.

Fragrantica
Tessa Williams and Penhaligon's: For The Love of Perfume

Art Books Events By: Suzy Nightingale London's Covent Garden is unexpectedly full of bright sunshine. To be sure, the wind is keen and although the sky is blue, there are black clouds scudding threateningly on the horizon, but after days of being buffeted by storms and relentless rain, it is the first day in a very long time that umbrellas are furled and the crowds seem to smile with hope.

Fragrantica
AJ ARABIA Perfumes: A Personal Presentation, Exclusive to Fragrantica

Art Books Events By: Suzy Nightingale At the back of the Roja Dove Haute Parfumerie, past the Baccarat crystal flacons and etched panels saved from the Orient Express, past the lined ranks of perfumery's finest stalwarts and greatest modern talents, there is a little door that leads to the Urban Retreat café next door to it.

Fragrantica
Carven L'Eau de Toilette Preview Launch Report: Spring Has Sprung!

Art Books Events I was delighted to be invited to be one of the first to experience the scent in a special event at Carven's shiny new Kensington boutique, and as I sauntered gaily up the high street, I wondered what on earth could be causing members of the public to run across the street to take photos of a window, causing havoc for early evening joggers and dodging taxis in their anxiety to get a good shot.

Fragrantica
Jasmine Awards 2014: Behind The Scenes Report

Art Books Events Huge congratulations are due to not just the winners of the prestigious Jasmine Awards dished out in the glamorous ceremony in London's British Academy of Film and Television Arts headquarters on Wednesday, but for all the nominees.

Fragrantica
Papillon Artisan Perfumes: Exclusive Interview with Liz Moores

Interviews Every now and again there is a stirring in the world of perfumery, little sparks of interest smoldering away on social media sites and eventually enflaming your curiosity. Such was my introduction to a new artisan perfumery collection called Papillon launching later this year and which a number of my contemporaries were already excitedly discussing.

Fragrantica
Shay & Blue: Exclusive Interview with Dom de Vetta

Interviews By: Suzy Nightingale Dom De Vetta, Founder represent everything that perfumery should be doing right now, a beautifully balanced tiptoe between "old fashioned" but well respected techniques and a constant striving for innovative ways to freshen the mix.

Fragrantica
Sniff & Scream: An Evening of Fragrant Horror

Art Books Events By: Suzy Nightingale It is the time of year for the uncanny to take hold, for ghosts to walk again and ancient traditions to be enthusiastically performed by candy-seeking bright-eyed children and thrill-seeking adults alike.

Fashion

Fragrantica
Oriental Perfume Workshop with 4160 Tuesdays

Art Books Events By: Suzy Nightingale Today I smell utterly, completely unique. I have sprayed myself with a perfume created only yesterday, carefully blended from a selection of the finest ingredients and chosen entirely by me. Only one bottle of this precious scent exists, nobody else can have it even by request.

Jack Move Magazine
Lace Me Up

Recession Obsession: The Romantic Nostalgia of Lace

Fragrantica
ROJA Haute Luxe: A Liquid Jewel

Art Books Events By: Suzy Nightingale It remains a constant fascination among connoisseurs of fine perfumery as to the fragrance the perfumers choose to wear themselves.

Fragrantica
London's Lost Jewels: Buried Treasure & The Scent of History

Art Books Events By: Suzy Nightingale On the corner of Cheapside and Friday Street in the heart of London, it is June 18, 1912, and in the heat of a Midsummer's day a group of laborers are going about their normal work, continuing the demolishment of the derelict buildings that stood there.

Fragrantica
Vintage Scent Session Christmas Special: Past & Presents

Art Books Events By: Suzy Nightingale Christmas must surely take pride of place as the most resonantly fragrant time of year, far more so even than the heady Summer blooms or the exciting freshness of Spring; it is the intoxicating mixture of citrus, clove, nutmeg, pine, cinnamon, chocolate and woodsmoke that most clearly demarcates the season from any other.

View London
02/07/2013
Perfume Panic

What to choose this Valentine's Day?

Fragrantica
Exclusive Interview with Deanna Raybourn

Interviews By: Suzy Nightingale The ways in which some authors connect to their characters and the methods they use to channel these voices are myriad, but in my experience usually involve some kind of instinctive sensory change.

Fragrantica
Lush Scents: Christmas Specials

Art Books Events By: Suzy Nightingale My gleeful consumption of Lush fragrances goes way back to their early years and pre-Lush incarnation as Cosmetics To Go. Just as today, they spearheaded an anti animal-testing naturally based and-moreover-FUN range of products with intriguingly peculiar names and all manner of wacky ingredients.

Fragrantica
Tessa Williams, Author of Cult Perfumes, Shares Her Passion

Art Books Events By: Suzy Nightingale Oh my, some books should come with a health warning for your heart rate and bank account, and this is definitely one of them. A sumptuous journey through some of the world's most exclusive perfumeries, Cult Perfumes by Tessa Williams is much more than a beautiful coffee table book to ostentatiously place in full view of guests and flick through once a year.