People Holiday Gift Guide 2022: People Editor's Picks - Dec 2022

Laubahn Holiday Soap collection is one of the People Editors Picks

https://people.com/lifestyle/editors-picks-gift-guide-2022/?utm_source=emailshare&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mobilesharebutton2

 

TOWN & COUNTRY - NOV 2022

TOWN & COUNTRY NAMED LAUBAHN PERFUMES, HINTERLAND "BEST WOODY SCENT"

 

PRESS
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/style/beauty-products/g29613164/best-perfume-for-women/#product-9e167780-3803-4af0-868c-d31d01cb8674-anchor

OPRAH DAILY - July 2022

https://www.oprahdaily.com/beauty/a40462022/how-to-make-a-fragrance-memory-of-a-place-you-love/

 

TEXAS TODAY - March 2022           

Texas Today Segment

 

 

Town & Country Magazine Feb 2022 - The Return of Bar Soap: Why Everyone is in a Lather

Plot twist! Bar soap, the most mundane item on your vanity, has become the star of the show.

Life on Star soap collection 

Town & Country Magazine-Nov 2021

 

The Fragrance Foundation-April 2021

BELLA Magazine - March/April 2021

New York Live - March 2021

 

Laura Brown, Editor in Chief of InStyle Magazine - Dec 2020

Hamptons NY Style - Dec 2020

The Plum Online - Dec 2020

Katie Becker, Beauty & Health Director of ELLE Magazine-Dec 2020

Modern Luxury Manhattan Magazine- December 2020

Adam Glassman, Creative Director of O, The Oprah Magazine - Nov 2020

Town & Country Magazine - Oct 2020

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/style/beauty-products/g29613164/best-perfume-for-women/?fbclid=IwAR2aNM_nI88Hn4zsxEI1CFljZA1zLiRsfLEFBXZzXWjsBvBvAFVM8N9N-gQ

 

Fat Mascara- September 2020

"Manhattan feeling like a New England retreat thanks to my Scented Mountain Mint Face Mask by Laubahn Perfumes.  The fragrance reminds me of my family vacations to the White Mountains in New Hampshire, all pine needles and fresh air. This photo was taken next to a pile of trash in midtown NY - my nose would never know!" 

-Jessica Matlin, Beauty Director, Harper's Bazaar and Co-host of Fat Mascara Podcast

CBS 58 News - August 2020

https://www.cbs58.com/news/lake-geneva-woman-launches-scent-infused-masks-amid-covid-19-pandemic


Hamptons Magazine - July 2020

BELLA Magazine - May/June 2020

 

The Morning Blend- TMJ4 -

April 2020

https://www.tmj4.com/shows/the-morning-blend/give-mom-a-hug-this-mothers-day
Atthelakemagazine.com - March 2020

Scents Of Wonder

scents of wonder

By Shelby Deering | Photography by Shanna Wolf

A mountain towers in the distance. The scent of wildflowers lingers in the breeze. And nearby, water gently laps at the shore of a lake. With a childhood home set in these idyllic surroundings, it’s no wonder Stacey Bresnahan was naturally drawn to the outdoors in her native New York. 

From her grandmother’s herb garden where she savored the aromas of basil and peppermint to sitting underneath pine trees for hours, drinking in the scent of their needles, Bresnahan has always been in love with fragrances. 

“At a young age I was drawn to the breathtaking beauty of nature — especially flowers and their wonderful fragrances, which inspired a lifelong passion,” she says. 

As a child, Bresnahan spent a great deal of time trying to extract scents from flowers. That’s when she began reading books on the subject and taught herself how to concoct essential oils. 

Fast forward to 2006: Bresnahan was living in Manhattan and met the man she would eventually marry. Their journey brought them to Deerfield, Illinois, for work and many weekends they spent in Lake Geneva. 

Bresnahan says, “I would tell him, ‘I love Lake Geneva so much. Can we find a way to live here?’” And that’s exactly what they did in 2012. Inspired by the area’s natural beauty, Bresnahan felt a stirring to turn her lifelong fervor for fragrance into a perfume company of her very own. 

FROM DREAMS TO REALITY 

Previously, Bresnahan says she “dabbled” in a skincare line, which included organic perfumes. But she truly loved fragrances, and in January 2019, she launched Laubahn Perfumes. Seemingly overnight, the scents have become beloved among fragrance devotees near and far. 

It all started with a fragrance called Naughty Garden. Released in 2018, the aroma includes ylang- ylang, jasmine and Bresnahan’s favorite — elderflower. 

The rest of the fragrances followed in early 2019: Hinterland, a “woodsy” perfume that Bresnahan loves to wear to bed; Lost in the Moment, a dreamy combination of fruits and aromatic florals; Cognac, the scent of flowers and fruits with top notes of apple and blackberry; Ridge, a blend of green sweet basil, lime and orange blossom, which leaves an imprint of sandalwood and smells fresh and woodsy; and Sea Lily, a “summer” scent inspired by the ocean that can be worn year-round, and a “Best New Scent” winner in BELLA New York magazine’s 2019 beauty awards. 

The inspiration for Bresnahan’s fragrances comes directly from her “very vivid dreams” as well as nature’s beauty and its bounty of flowers and their stunning scents. She says that she can actually remember scents from her dreams which frequently take place in kaleidoscopic gardens filled with larger-than-life flowers. All of Laubahn Perfumes, Bresnahan says, “capture the dreamy landscapes through fragrance.” 

Her dreams serve as the setting for a 2017 book she wrote ahead of the launch of her perfume company. Called “Life on a Star,” Bresnahan wrote the fanciful book as one of the main characters, Sassy AyR. The names of her perfumes, along with her company name, all come directly from the book, which takes readers through magical, dream-like landscapes. The book’s dreamiest feature is a scented page with encapsulated oils that are released when the microcapsules containing the scent oils are touched. The purpose is to smell and experience the landscape of the story and one of its fragrances. Bresnahan adds that the book “transports readers through scent to a world that only exists in the mind.” 

She explains that there is a story behind every perfume brand’s fragrances, and her book “Life on a Star” quite literally shares those stories with those who love Laubahn Perfumes. Her idea to incorporate a fragrance into the book is one that has intrigued Bresnahan since childhood when she was fascinated with scratch-and-sniff stickers, so she decided to create a version for grown- ups. “I thought, ‘How spectacular would it be for adults to be able to read a book and smell the landscape that they’re reading about?’” 

FRAGRANCE CREATION 

When establishing her company, Bresnahan was fortunate to work with master perfumer Ralf Schweiger, who is known throughout the fragrance world, and has formulated scents for luxury brands such as Frédéric Malle, Hermès, Marc Jacobs and Yves Saint Laurent. Schwieger is a perfumer at MANE, one of the leading flavor and fragrance houses in the world, and 

Bresnahan was elated to work with him. The result of their partnership are two fragrances — Naughty Garden and Hinterland — as well as a friendship. 

Bresnahan explains that the process of working with Schweiger and his team at MANE entailed providing a creative brief, a document conveying the key components of constructing the desired scent, along with answers to questions such as, “What is the original inspiration?” In addition, Bresnahan met with the perfumer to talk through the details. Next, the fragrance house sent three scent options called “mods,” all created from what was discussed in the creative brief. Typically, no more than three mods are needed to pick the final scent. 

Bresnahan has been experimenting and creating her own fragrances for years. She has created four of the fragrances for Laubahn Perfumes with the help of another fragrance house called Alpha Aromatics, which uses her formulas to produce the fragrances in bulk. 

Another company is responsible for filling and packaging the final products. 

During the process, there’s also the perfume name to consider. According to Bresnahan, the name needs to suggest the fragrance’s story, often viewed as an aromatic narrative that can instantly transport people to a place or mood. In Bresnahan’s case, her perfume names evoke the themes in her book “Life on a Star.” Unlike many perfumers, however, Bresnahan chose the names of her fragrances prior to creating them. 

The process sounds simple, right? Actually, creating a perfume is far from simple, something that Bresnahan knows firsthand. “It could take years,” she says. “It depends on so many things. I would say that the least amount of time it could take is one year.” 

After years of work, Bresnahan now sees the realization of her dream on her website, laubahnperfumes.com, and in a select number of retail locations. The perfumes are available at a store called Atelier d’Emotion in New York City and at Havens in Sag Harbor, which is located in the Hamptons on Long Island, New York.

Luckily, you don’t have to jet off to New York to try Bresnahan’s perfumes. All you need to do is take a short drive to Walworth. 

LOCAL INSPIRATION 

All six fragrances of the Laubahn Perfume line can be found at Walworth’s Forget Me Not Flower Market, which is owned by Stephanie Atwell and Amy Hurwitz. This light-filled space overflowing with flowers and plants is ideally suited for showcasing Bresnahan’s fragrances. 

Hurwitz explains, “Stacey stopped in over the summer to pick up flowers and Stephanie asked her who the flowers were for. She said that she was using them for a photoshoot that would be used for the launch of her new perfume line. Stephanie asked her if she would be interested in selling the perfume at Forget Me Not and a partnership was born.” 

A FLOWER MARKET YOU WON’T SOON FORGET 

Forget Me Not Flower Market, located in the heart of Walworth, is filled with the scent of fresh floral bouquets — and the aroma of Laubahn Perfumes, of course. As the only local retailer carrying Stacey Bresnahan’s fragrances, it made perfect sense to hold our photoshoot here in the market’s lovely surroundings. Co-owners Stephanie Atwell and Amy Hurwitz have worked as florists for two decades, first as co-managers of a floral shop — then they decided to open their own market. Many of the flowers they offer are sourced locally, so Hurwitz and Atwell feel they’ve become a go-to destination for seasonal blooms like tulips, fresh bouquets and special occasion arrangements. Local flair can also be seen in the candles, pottery and other unique, handmade goods created by area artisans. And of course, a myriad of green houseplants dot the shop as well. Hurwitz says, “We are a full-service flower shop that can create whatever the customer needs.” 

This serendipitous meeting has resulted in Bresnahan’s perfumes flying off the market’s shelves. 

“Stephanie and I felt that perfume would be a natural for us,” Hurwitz says. “We liked the idea of the perfumer being local and that the line was very clean and natural smelling. Plus, everyone who comes to our shop comments on how good it smells, so a fragrance seemed like a great way for our customers to have a little piece of our shop with them.” 

It seems that Bresnahan’s fragrances carry a little piece of the Geneva Lakes area wherever they go as well. On Laubahn Perfume’s Instagram and Facebook pages, the fragrances’ glass bottles are beautifully presented amid local, natural scenery. Bresnahan says she particularly enjoys photographing her fragrances on the White River State Trail and in the Kettle Moraine State Forest. 

“I love Lake Geneva,” Bresnahan says. “I am inspired by my surroundings. Everything around here is beautiful.” 

A PASSION PROJECT 

When Bresnahan isn’t spending all of her free time on Laubahn Perfumes, or her “passion project” as she refers to it, she works remotely as a full-time account manager for ComPsych, the world’s largest provider of employee assistance programs. 

Bresnahan is a naturally passionate person. She loves her job, and she feels as if she satisfied a stirring in her soul when she founded Laubahn Perfumes. Her goal was to start a fragrance company by the time she turned 50, something that she accomplished. 

She advises, “For someone my age, my advice is this: Don’t give up on your dreams, because [Laubahn Perfumes] was based on a dream. It’s a dream come true.” 

Bresnahan adds that she’s content with the company staying small for now. She prefers organic growth and word of mouth, something that’s already been working for her in spades. 

“We’re just taking it slow and moving along,” Bresnahan says. “I don’t ever want to feel like, ‘Oh, we’ve got to do this. We have to be like this company.’ We are who we are. The perfumes were created from a true passion, the love of flowers, fragrance and dreams, in hopes of bringing joy. And if they do, well then that’s what makes my day.” 

2019

Bella NY Magazine
Beauty Awards

2018

Bella NY Magazine
Holiday Gift Guide

2018

 

Have you ever smelled a dream? This is the question posed by Sassy Ayr (aka Stacey Bresnahan)’s Life on a Star, a fantasy book whose pages are augmented with atmospheric scents that release when touched. Her first perfume in the series, Naughty Garden, was created by eminent MANE perfumer Ralf Schwieger. Now, four new companion perfumes join the collection. Each speaks to a specific character or place: Cognac, a plummy, apple brandy ne-gourmand; the beachy citrus Lost in the Moment; Ridge, a vibrant basil and woods scent, and snowy, complicated beauty Hinterland.

Hinterland, also created by Ralf Schwieger, is described in Life on a Star as a place of treacherous beauty. A forest of pine trees, winds, damp, and white, glowing fog, Hinterland is “a difficult sight to take in, much less describe.” And indeed, Schwieger’s creation unwinds in unexpected directions and artful detail. First sprayed on, Laubahn Perfumes Hinterland is an enveloping, downy white floral. A soft, pure jasmine floats over soapy-sweet neroli. At this point, Hinterland reminds me of an aldehyde-stripped Chanel 22. But then a piquant, unaccustomed note twangs: the greenish bite of bell pepper adds an alluring touch of strangeness and shifts the perfume into less familiar territory.

Smudgy incense rolls in like ground mist, weaving quietly into the flowers. The incense and white florals spread out like a blanket, piqued from time to time by that arresting bell pepper. A delicate but warm rose wafts in. Its effect is comforting; a counterpoise to the strangeness of the vegetal note. The rose, jasmine, neroli and incense float together for some time.

In the later stages of Laubahn Perfumes Hinterland, I detect a small, dry chocolate undercurrent. This becomes gradually evident as patchouli, giving way to earthier, damper smells. As Hinterland matures, aromas of forest and undergrowth emerge, and the composition becomes damper, earthier, darker. Truffle is listed in the notes, and I was curious to see if it would manifest. If you’ve never smelled fresh truffles, their scent is entirely different from mushrooms. They have a wonderfully rich, musky pungency, with hints of woods and soil. Here, the truffle note is carefully balanced so as not to overpower. But it is distinctively there, in concert with the patchouli and a slightly sweet musk that comes near the dry-down.

Laubahn Perfumes Hinterland is two perfumes perfectly melded into one: a classically structured white floral that could happily sit on a dresser next to Malle L’Eau D’Hiver (Jean-Claude Ellena) or Chanel 22; the second, an overlay of strange vegetal and forest touches that make me believe for just a moment that I am in Sassy Ayr’s starry world.

Sample of Laubahn Hinterland graciously provided by Laubahn Perfumes. My opinions are my own.

Laubahn Perfumes Hinterland notes: Bell pepper, incense, neroli, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, truffle, boxwood, patchouli, musk.

Laubahn Perfumes Ridge notes: Lime, basil, neroli, geranium, rose, violet leaf, sandalwood, vanilla.

Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor

 

2017

DECEMBER 4, 2017

http://www.cafleurebon.com/laubahn-perfumes-naughty-garden-ralf-schwieger-2017-flowers-in-a-space-garden-draw/

If you’ve never heard  of  Laubahn Perfumes or their inaugural release Naughty Garden, composed by legendary perfumer and multi–award winning Ralf Schwieger of MANE, fear not. All will be revealed. One of the great joys of the rabid perfumista is the discovery of a heretofore unknown perfume line. Ever since Julius Caesar (in my history re-writing imagination) entered the Roman Senate thousands of years ago, sniffed the air and asked “Et Tu Brute?” perfume lovers have delighted in ferreting out the new, the undiscovered, the never-sniffed. Laubahn Perfumes of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin is the brainchild of  Ms. Sassy Ayr (née Stacey Bresnahan) the author of the book “Life on a Star” from which Naughty Garden takes its inspiration. Engaging Ralf Schwieger of Mane as perfumer is a bold, engaging and ultimately winning move.

 Ralf Schwieger has created many fragrances, too numerous to list and his body of work includes Eau des Merveilles (with Nathalie Feisthauer) for Hermes, Womanity for MuglerAfternoon Of A Faun and Fiel de Dieu for Etat Libre d’Orange, Orange Sanguine and Vanilla Insensee (and others for Atelier Cologne), Christopher Street for Charenton MacerationsAedes de Venustas Iris Nazrena and Lipstick Rose for Frederic Malle, the quintessential violet/powder/rose. His compositions were and are ahead of their time, some might have been overlooked upon release, but ultimately they are recognized as extraordinary “reference” perfumes. So it should come as no surprise that Naughty Garden for Laubahn Perfumes is a “noteworthy” creation. Centered around an Elderflower accord, Naughty Garden (albeit not naughty at all) is a classic floral in the vein of Olivia Giacobetti’s En Passant but with an added “something-something” that is unique to Ralf’s signature.

Having never been asked to create a fragrance inspired by a story, I was all ears (and nose.) This is about flowers in a space garden, high up in the sky but bound to earth. Notes of elderflowers play with Indian sandalwood in weightless territory. The green aspects enhanced by galbanum round off the natural floralcy and contrast nicely with the woody and slightly mossy background.” –Ralf Schwieger for Laubahn Perfumes

Elderflower in perfume is not widely used; you may be more familiar with elderflower in wine and spirits. I grew up listening to stories about my Ukrainian Grandmother’s famous homemade elderflower liquor, which my mother described as “sparkling floral nectar”. It’s a shame that you don’t find elderflower in perfume more often, as its ethereal herbacious-honeysuckle scent is captivating. In Naughty Garden, elderflower is represented in all its complex beauty.

Opening with a zing of bergamot tempered with a slightly bitter galbanum, Naughty Garden wastes no time in introducing elderflower as the star of the show; a true Diva of florals. When combined with deft lashings of jasmine and ylang, Naughty Garden becomes one of the best white florals I have ever smelled in quite some time. The sea salt note keeps the composition grounded, but the sense of space and airiness of this perfume is what separates it from most white florals.

The individual notes never feel intrusive, rather they are seamlessly blended to create an unforgettable olfactory experience. The musk has that slight laundry detergent vibe, but the smooth sandalwood rounds out any harsh edges and restrains the musk for being overpowering, and that’s a very good thing indeed. Naughty Garden is a perfume that I am thrilled to have in my collection.

Notes: Bergamot, Galbanum and Ylang-Ylang, Elderflower, Sea Salt, Jasmine, Rose, Sandalwood and Musk.

Disclosure: Thank you SO much to Laubahn Perfumes for supplying my sample. The opinions are my own.

 Please Note: Naughty Garden is an Eau de Parfum and is a limited edition of only 1000 pieces, and  available thru the Laubahn Perfumes website: www.lifeonastar.com

-Robert Herrmann, Senior Editor and contributions from Michelyn Camen

Art Direction: Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief

Meet Ralf Schweiger

Thursday, December 7th, 2017

5:00pm – 7:30pm 

Perfumarie 155 Lafayette Street

 

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Bella New York
November 15, 2017
by Janene Mascarella

Bella NYC Online Current Beauty Obsession: http://bellanyc.com/current-beauty-obsession-life-star/

It’s holiday season and high-time to get twinkling! Life on a Star is a fun and innovative way to experience a fine fragrance.  The fictional, scented story book gives readers and fragrance lovers alike a new way to experience Laubahn Perfumes Lost in the Moment fine fragrance via a scented page that is also sold separately as a perfume.

The vibrant aroma evokes whispers of wildflowers, fruit trees, driftwood and the warmth of the sun felt on a white sandy beach. Talk about getting swept away in a good story!

This fictional tale takes you on a delightfully scented journey with visual descriptions of different landscapes that will launch as corresponding perfumes in months following including the second perfume launch, Naughty Garden, created by Master Perfumer Ralf Schwieger who has created fragrances for Frederic Malle, Hermès and Yves Saint Laurent.

Each sold separately at LifeonaStar.com

Life on a Star Book ($17.95)

Lost in the Moment Perfume ($35, 7.5ml)

Naughty Garden Fragrance ($175.00; 100ml)

...................................................................................................

 

This Book Is 2017's Answer To Scratch & Sniff Perfume

But it gets even better — and a little more complicated. Throughout the book, the reader will find italicized names of fictional places. Those locations are "maps" to different fragrances available for purchase on the brand's site (Naughty Garden and Lost in a Moment). Soon enough, Bresnahan says, there will be more.

Fans will be able to collect the perfumes as each one launches, filling out the written narrative with the corresponding scents that only further take the reader on an innovative ride through their imagination. 
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