On Thursday, August 14, 2014 the Women’s Committee held a perfume-blending workshop with Scenterprises, Inc. at the offices of Lee Anav Chung White & Kim LLP. This event was limited to 30 attendees and it filled up less than 24 hours after it was announced to the Women’s Committee’s listserv. A wait list had to be started to accommodate the overflow.

The evening began with a light reception during which attendees had the opportunity to meet and mingle over wine and sushi. Attendees then gathered in the law firm’s art gallery where Women’s Committee Co-Chair Naf Kwun welcomed everyone and introduced her Co-Chairs, Marianne Chow and Sapna Palla, as well as the event’s sponsor, Merrill Lynch. Merrill Lynch representatives Jody Thompson and Jimmy Quan spoke about their company and their pleasure in partnering with AABANY before turning it over to Sue Phillips of Scenterprises, Inc.

Ms. Phillips introduced herself and her team and proceeded to take the attendees along a fragrance journey of the “olfactive families.” Fourteen vials of fragrant liquids ranging in color from light honey to deep amber lined a large table in the center of the room, where stood Ms. Phillips and her team in crisp, white frocks. Ms. Phillips explained the power of the sense of smell and gave a brief history of the fragrance industry before delving into a colorful and informative discussion of the core fragrance groups and the different top, middle and base notes that comprise a fragrance. As Ms. Phillips and her team discussed the origins and contours of each note, samples of each were passed around to the attendees, who enjoyed learning about the different scents and jotted down which they liked best. At the end of the night, attendees were invited to create and name their own fragrances to take home using up to three different notes.

Thank you to the Women’s Committee for organizing the event, Lee Anav Chung White & Kim LLP for hosting the event, and Merrill Lynch for sponsoring such a unique and enjoyable event. Thanks also to Scenterprises, Inc. and all the attendees for a successful and memorable evening.

(Thanks to Naf Kwun and Christina Nguyen for the summary. Photos by Yang Chen.)