PLACES + THINGS: Perfume by L’Officine Universelle Buly 1803
“A good perfume adapts—to the person and the personality. It must neither precede nor follow the wearer too intensely; it shouldn’t emanate imperiously. Thus, it never inconveniences but delights. It can be breathed on the wrist, or in the air disturbed by the motion when someone’s hair is shaken loose. Modest as well as faithful, it imposes nothing. It lingers but never clings—it is politely perceptible.”
That effortless French elegance—it’s a sway of the hips, red lips, savoring a sip, a flip of the hair, nonchalant, coy, and fiercely self-assured. It’s in the peculiar ease with which a scarf is worn, or the way a shirt is left untucked; it is, simply, style. And if I had to distill its essence into one singular thing, it would be a fragrance, naturally.
Founded centuries ago using the techniques and recipes from master craftsmen of the Ancien Régime, Buly 1803 creates perfumes and alchemic cosmetics that exclude the use of ingredients interfering with the purity of its natural components.
Buly 1803 offers some of the most euphoric scents I’ve found (I wear Rose de Damas and Fleur D’Oranger) in a charming boutique with equally euphoric interiors. The Rue Bonaparte location in particular is unique and precious, with its aqua and white tiles, elaborately curved wood shelving holding glass bottles of herbs and curious concoctions, faucets shaped like duck heads, and rows of scents under delicate glass domes.
They have a calligrapher on site to personalize each item. I’m partial to giving their scented matches or personalized tortoise shell combs as small souvenirs of Paris to loved ones. If you are looking for a toothbrush with natural bristles, they also offer a range of them, and you can pair it with a coriander-scented toothpaste.
This is the perfect place to discover your signature scent, something that adapts to your effortless elegance.
*Portions of this article was originally written for Montecristo Magazine and Kiwi Collection.