Do you smell that? That’s the scent of a swiftly approaching holiday—and if you’re still looking for something for that special someone, what could be more special than a signature scent; especially one you can gift in time for Christmas?
Perfumer Bambi Montgomery is a synesthete—that is to say, she experiences the senses differently than most, using that sensory knowledge to her advantage at Hive Luxury Fragrances.
“I’ve never not wanted to be a perfumer,” Montgomery—also an aesthetician and accomplished product developer—tells The Glow Up. “I’ve always had a keen sense of smell—I can’t turn it off.”
Her line of curated perfumes, candles, and bath products are all created to evoke specific personalities and memories in her life, like her holiday-themed “Wonder,” pictured above. And Montgomery does the same in her custom fragrance consultations ($125 for a 45-60 min. consultation and three samples, plus the cost of the chosen fragrance, body product or candle). The resulting fragrance is crafted exclusively for the individual that can never be purchased by anyone else, as Hive’s site explains.
It’s a beautiful process from the initial meeting with the Perfumer to the satisfaction of smelling your personalized fragrance on your skin. The journey begins with your unscented visit to the Perfumer. Immersing herself in your desired results to curate what your perfume/cologne will whisper about you, a series of questions are asked. She will then invite you to smell a few notes to gauge your response. In 2 to 3 weeks’ time, you will receive 3 fragrances curated just for you to select from. A simple yet elegant process reserved for those with exquisite taste and the propensity for individuality.
“I have to get to know you on a really intimate level in the very short period of time that we have,” Montgomery, who conducts sessions both in Hive’s studio and via Skype, tells The Glow Up. “I ask really specific questions...about what is this fragrance for, when are you going to wear the fragrance, and how are you hoping that this fragrance will make you feel?”
“What I’m trying to create is more than a fragrance—it’s an experience; it’s an emotion. It’s something you’re going to connect with throughout your day,” she adds, explaining that she builds one note on top of the other to build what perfumers call an “accord,” based upon the personality of the wearer. Just don’t ask Montgomery to mimic your favorite perfume, because while she could, she says “I won’t, because it wouldn’t mean anything. I can tell your story, and you can smell like yourself!”
The best part? Even with less than a week to go before Christmas and Kwanzaa, you can gift this individualized experience immediately by purchasing a gift card on Hive’s site—meaning you can look like you put a lot of thought into a last-minute purchase.
And if the prospect of a personalized fragrance sounds too overwhelming, Montgomery’s gorgeous array of ready-made fragrances and soy wax-based candles are also available online, as is Hive’s hexagon-shaped “Like Honey” fine jewelry collection, designed by Shelley Blake and available in gold, rose gold and white gold, available with or without diamonds ($430-$525).
“For me, it starts with a very simple thing of telling your own story,” explains Montgomery of her approach to fragrance, explaining that scent is actually our strongest memory trigger. And whether her scent stories resonate with you or you decide to create your own, Hive Luxury Fragrances are automatically evocative.
“You are ushering in something when you have fragrance around you,” Montgomery says. “It is a spiritual experience.”