Who Nose Best? The Rise of British Perfumer Nancy Meiland
Move over Grasse, there is a surge of home grown talented perfumers and fragrance houses cropping up from all over the British Isles
Article by Tori Snowball
One of these noses is East Sussex based Nancy Meiland who launched her first fragrance collection Paper Leaf into Harvey Nichols last month. Sourcing and blending exceptional raw materials from around the world, Nancy Meiland Parfum’s Collection comprises three exquisitely contemporary and unique scents, each as wearable by men as by women. The careful edited selection contains the rich oud Aquilaria, the bright and fresh Illuminé and a fragrance at the very heart of this country- the intriguing Rosier, a contemporary take on the quintessential rose.
Aquilaria is warm and deep, drawing inspiration from its namesake - a tree found in East Asia with its darky precious resin forming the oud notes. Slight scents of wood smoke and spices form a charming Chypre. Not for the faint of heart, Aquilaria has power in its notes with dark woods heated by black pepper and scented with Turkish Rose.
Rosier is described by its maker as a ‘soliflore’, “in Rosier the whole flower is represented: pink pepper acts for the thorns while galbanum is the leaves. Rose geranium, white pear, jasmine, and violet are delicately strung together for the bud, and the endnotes evoke a broken beaded necklace as the scent spreads beautifully on the skin.” Hay, tobacco and angelica seed give this floral fragrance an edge, making naughty of the nice delicate rose.
Illuminé holds a special place in the hearts of those who love spring showers and fresh mornings in the English countryside. A sophisticated and very English style cologne with a blend of bright and refined citrus and aromatic herbs for an uplifting and enlivening scent that captures the energy of springs renewal. “Illuminé evokes a special light in England – it occurs after a downpour, setting the verdant branches alight with the vital green of pure, natural chlorophyll.”
Nancy is a great believer that you wear a fragrance, a fragrance does not wear you- meaning that each of her scents are more subtle yet still with a defined perfume on the skin that can be both familiar or elusive. She believes that every scent you choose to envelop yourself with defines and redefines your space, helping project the image of you that you want to convey.
The collection is available online and in-store now and a must try for any fragrance aficionado and rebel. 
Enquiries: www.nancymeiland.co.uk/