Scents and sensibility: magazine maven Gwen Dunant is also a "perfumista"

Well known in the Canadian magazine industry as the coordinator of Magazines Canada's schools (ad sales, circulation) and omnipresent in organizing professional development seminars for the major industry conference MagNet each June, Gwen Dunant is also a frequent consultant and mentor to small magazines.
 But she has a surprising sideline -- sharing information about and samples of exotic and hard-to-get perfumes from around the world.

Dunant and her longtime friend Margôt Brockie (who goes by the pseudonym Kay) recently launched the site perfumeniche.com. They refer to themselves as perfumistas with a shared obsession about scent.

"Over the past few years, we’ve tried hundreds of samples, and when we deem a fragrance ”full bottle worthy” (FBW), one of us has tracked it down and bought it," they say. "We now own a lot of really great perfumes.

"With so many exciting discoveries, we can’t help but talk about our passion with other friends. Wherever we go, people ask “What is that perfume you’re wearing? Where can I get that?” So we end up sharing a bit of our “juice” with friends. But the circle has grown, so we've started this website to let other perfumistas buy and try samples from our collection, and share their experiences with us, too."

The website blogs about scents most days and offers followers .7 ml decants from the perfumistas's own bottles, on the principle that you can only experience a fragrance by trying it on your own skin. They don't sell bottles, just the tiny samples, priced from $4. They don't represent any perfumers or distributors, nor are they paid to promote any product.They just love perfume.

By the way, Dunant is drawn to woody, incense, aquatic and rose scents. Kay is more the oriental, herbal, spicy, woody type.