A Wren Says

I had the opportunity to attend a webinar with Kilian Hennessy, founder of By Kilian. This was an event through Sephora, something you could attend by redeeming points through their Rewards Bazaar. In addition to the webinar, everyone also received a travel-sized Love Don’t Be Shy. Here are my thoughts on the event.

Here is what Mr. Hennesey had to say about his fragrances.

The number one best seller is Love Don’t Be Shy. It is a gourmand fragrance, with a marshmallow accord, along with orange blossom, jasmine, labdanum, and vanilla. He describes it as a scent where if a woman were wearing it, her partner would just want to take a bite. It is about feeling sexy, seductive, the ability to stand out yet feel protected at the same time. You should openness freedom, and the comfort to express yourself.

He then talked about Good Girl Gone Bad. The fragrance is part of the line called In the Garden of Good and Evil. The name is meant as a metaphor for Eve. He described the fragrance as a flower bouquet, wrapped in white musk, which makes the flowers abstract and contemporary. It is like the Chanel No. 5 for the 21^st century, a bouquet wrapped in aldehyde. He did not confirm whether or not it is in fact Rihanna’s favorite fragrance, only that she smelled very good when he met her.

Finally, there was Angel’s share. The bottle was designed to look like a cognac glass. The name is an ode to his family lineage in cognac. The evaporation of Hennessy in the production process is often referred to as the angels’ share. The fragrance has a cognac essence, and notes of hazelnut, cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate and oak moss.

And here is what he said in response to some topics brought up by the audience.

Bottles: All of fragrances are housed in gorgeous refillable bottles that are meant to be objects of desire.

Price: Though they may be expensive to some, the price is affected by the quality and amount of ingredients that go into production.

Color variations: One thing he noted is that color differences are to be expected. A young bottle will have yellow liquid. However, the liquid will darken over time. If the color changes, it doesn’t mean anything is wrong, it is just the way that light interacts with the materials.

I especially enjoyed having the opportunity to hear from him. He spoke about growing up in the storied Hennessy family. Though the cognac business was his birthright, he chose to go his own way and enter the world of fragrances. However, he pays homage to his lineage with the newest line from the brand, The Liquors. This line debuted with Angels’ Share and Roses on Ice. Newer entries include L’Heure Verte and Apple Brandy.

I am hoping more opportunities like this will open up in the future. I am excited to learn more about this brand. Fingers crossed for another webinar soon!