Modern Glamour: Angelina Vangor
L’Officiel Arabia: When and how did you decide to become a perfume blogger?
Angelina Vangor: A long time ago, I decided to start a perfume blog and write about the world of scent. I’ve always been passionate about perfume and tried to find out more about it as much as I could. But it seems everything mostly worked out on its own. I often came across perfume articles and was lucky enough to meet some passionate people and even fragrance experts. When I was a kid, what I liked most was my grandmother’s dressing table. I could spend hours looking through the grandmother’s perfume bottles, opening and closing them endlessly, and enjoying the scents. Back then, looking at unusual perfume bottles with peculiar caps seemed a pure magic to me. On this dressing table, there were the fragrances I would never forget: Dior Poison, one of my all-time favorites, Lancôme MN and Climat, and Byc Moze by Miraculum Polish brand. But not only scents were appealing to me at that time. What attracted me also was their peculiar names, and I still pay close attention to the perfume names. I would even say that working on the names of the Angelina Vangor’s fragrance collection contributed to my special perfume hobby. My collection now includes Montpensier Le Grand Mademoiselle, 0,0059, Fall In Love, Va Bank, and No Sugar. Continuing the childhood theme, I remember my mother giving my father the Jacques Bogart’s One Man Show fragrance as a birthday present. I found this name perfectly suitable, and I think it was the first time I realized the fragrance must be in harmony with its name. In order to truly shine, a fragrance must have a special meaning.
At first, I shared my knowledge, stories, and legends about perfume making with my friends and colleagues, who were very receptive to my ideas. Perfume always arouses particular interest because it is something exceptional.
In 2017, I wanted to expand my knowledge and went on a special Paris tour (including suburbs) with my team. We visited Versailles and Grasse and interviewed some of today’s most famous perfumers like Bertrand Duchaufour, Emmanuel Philip, Vincent Ricord, and Cecile Zarokian. I learned a lot about perfume making: what inspires the great masters; how they work with raw materials; what is necessary for the perfect perfume. I was deeply impressed by their inside stories. During the tour, I felt like I’m standing once again at my grandmother’s dressing table, surrounded by a scent trail, and everything seemed like it’s a certain kind of magic. Unlike magic, the fragrance actually does exist, but as Joseph Stefan Jellinek said, perfume is elusive like love.
When I came back from the tour, I realized I know so much about this magical side of our lives called perfume that I definitely must share my knowledge with other people.
I created my perfume blog and began to share perfume shopping tips, information about great perfumers, and ideas of why some fragrances become legends.
This year, it will be five years since I started my blog, and it already has about a million subscribers.
I get a lot of messages from my subscribers, who, in turn, share their knowledge and interesting facts about perfume. I’d even call my blog a club of truly interested and like-minded people.
L’O A: What is the most interesting part of your work?
AV: One of the most exciting parts is creating a fragrance, when different ingredients are mixed together and seem to have a life of their own. While creating fragrances, a perfumer can only rely on their own intuition, using aromatic ingredients in the same way as a painter uses paints. It’s a fascinating process, for me even a bit witching.
Another part of my work I adore is writing about the perfume: about its secrets and legends, my personal stories, perfumers, my associations when creating a perfume and feelings about this whole world of the scent. Since I have the opportunity to communicate directly with different perfumers, who prefer not to reveal their secrets, I realize that I am privy to information inaccessible to the public. This is what I share with my audience in my blog, pulling the curtain back on the extraordinary world of fragrances.
L’O A: Who has inspired you the most in your life?
AV: My grandmother was the first person to inspire me. She always supported me and gave me wings. She believed in me, and thanks to her, I started to believe in myself, too. It was my grandmother who introduced to me the first perfume in my life. Her incredibly beautiful and sophisticated image has always been in my heart. To me, she was like an actress from a classic French movie. Today, my biggest inspiration is my daughter. Although she was born in Berlin, her name is Angélique, it’s a French name. I guess I found my connection to perfume in France as well, since France is the center of perfume. My daughter is very young, only eight years old, but she is incredibly enthusiastic about perfume. She even has her own little lab where she likes to create her fragrances, which now mostly smell like caramels and honey. Angelique’s lively interest gives me incredible strength and boosts my confidence. If my little daughter, watching me making perfumes, becomes interested in perfumery herself, it means I do everything right, it means she sees my devotion.
L’O A: Have you ever been to the UAE? If yes, how was your experience?
AV: I’ve been to the Emirates many times. This is the country I love and admire. I admire the people, their innovation mentality, the results of their work, and the country social progress. For me, the Emirates has always been a state of great innovations. I often visit exhibitions and events held in the UAE related to perfume, antique furniture, and painting.
I am already connected with the UAE, as I’ve made friends and found like-minded people there. In the near future, I am planning to open boutiques selling Angelina Vangor products and possibly start my own perfume line in the UAE as part of expanding my business. My partners and I already negotiated agreements, and I will be happy to introduce my home fragrance collection, as well as hand and body care line, to this country.
Angelina Vangor products are already can be found in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg and other countries. The products have won the hearts of both experienced perfume lovers and ordinary people because of the highest quality, a new approach to making each perfume, and the unique design.
L’O A: Tell us about your upcoming projects?
AV: As I said earlier, my plans include expanding my own perfume business in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Tunisia and other countries of the Arab world.
In the UAE I also plan to organize master classes, workshops, and events dedicated to perfumery. But it's not just that.
I haven't talked about it before, but in the UAE, it is possible that my cherished dream will come true. My dream is to run the Perfume and Coffee bar, it's a working title at the moment.
My perfume bar will be a kind of time machine. Visitors will be able to plunge into any era, discovering with amazement perfume's role and its connection to politics and fashion, literature and painting, philosophy and psychology.
The suitable perfume will accompany visitors along their chosen path, be it historical or sensual, while coffee will neutralize the smells and activate their taste buds, so visitors can continue their time travel.
My dream will come true in the UAE, as the most amazing coffee is made there! A perfect match of excellent Arabian coffee with tart and rich flavor and specially selected perfumes, not to mention the development of Angelina Vangor fragrances will simply have to come true.
Credits:
Fashion Model and Perfume Blogger ANGELINA
VANGOR @angelinavangor
Stylist and Photographer SERGEY SURKOV
Hair Stylist NAREKSA @nareksa
Make Up Artist LUSYA SHISKOVA @luiloveyou
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