Whiff X Love Marie

Perfume and memories- I'd like to think of them as eternal lovers who can't live without the other; the Romeo and Juliet of the cosmetics universe, the special bond between these two elements diffuses an aura that not only moves an individual, but takes them to a cerebral time and place of beauty, joy, of joie de vivre.

Love Marie Ongpauco- Escudero's may be a star, but her fondest, most luxurious memories are the simplest ones: painting, fresh sheets, waking up next to the love of her life, her most vivid memories of Paris, her union; memories that are not shrouded in glitz and glamour, but just as powerful for they define her purest state. What better way to capture these timeless memories than in a flacon of fragrance, thus Love Marie, together with WHIFF unveils LINGER, an eau de parfum inspired by happiness, made to inspire happiness.

WHIFF is a Filipino brand of fragrances that started out in 2014 online; it was founded by Mishy Co after a brief trip to Grasse, France, considered the mecca of fragrance by perfume lovers; after coming out with their first collection of fragrances for the heartbroken, this online perfumery steadily gained a local following, from perfume lovers to celebrities, just about anyone who is into finely crafted fragrance that doesn't hurt the wallet. Guided by the principles of fine perfumery, WHIFF's team creates the fragrances through professional techniques such as aging local perfumes, choosing the finest oils, and carefully crafting the identities of their scents. WHIFF only creates small batches of their fragrances to maintain the quality.

WHIFF and Love Marie had a helping hand through RJ Lopena, the first- ever Filipino perfumer. He graduated from the Grasse Institute of Perfumery, a legendary school for perfumers and have trained under Max Gavary and some of the most brilliant noses. Some of RJ's creations were showcased in the launch and as a perfume lover myself, I couldn't be more proud of this Filipino achievement in beauty!

Fun fact from RJ: Grasse didn't exactly start out in the perfume industry, but rather in leather. To mask the strong scent of leather, tanneries in Grasse started using and investing in perfumes; eventually, it led to an industry that catapulted this French capital to fame in the world of beauty.

In the Q&A, Mishy, Heart, and RJ revealed how they created Linger. Heart's idea behind the fragrance is simple and that is it should be a heartwarming fragrance, one that inspires certain good memories; her fondest memory so far is her wedding, thus the fragrance is primarily composed of Lily of the Valley, the flowers she chose for her wedding bouquet; she also created the artwork for the perfume box and called it "In Full Bloom".

LINGER EDP by Love Marie Ongpauco- Escudero is a clean, powdery floral; it's a scent that uplifts, lasts, and leaves an impression, just like a good memory. On top of Lily of the Valley, notes of sea and musk complete the fragrance.

LINGER EDP is now available at Pop by Retail Lab, Powerplant Mall, Cura V Powerplant Mall, Apartment 8 Clothing, and online at @whiffofperfume; it retails at P1,650.00 per bottle. Visit WHIFF OF PERFUME on Facebook for more information about this product.