Exclusive Sniffapalooza Magazine Interview
with Juliet Stewart
SM: Juliet, you have had a very successful career in the industry for over 20 years and have just released a new fragrance; please tell us about it and how it came about. There must have been a defining moment that led you to create this and go public with it, what was that?
I knew I had something extraordinary when on more than one occasion I would be running through an airport and a man would be trying to catch up with me to ask what fragrance I was wearing. On a daily basis women would ask what I was wearing but I really knew I was on to something when I noticed that dogs were following my scent as well.
It never entered my mind to bring this to market. From the time I was a young adult I regarded fragrances as very personal and intimate… it is a signature of one’s soul. Today the perfume is special for an altogether different reason.
It is an introduction to the quality and sensibility of what “Juliet Stewart” is going to stand for as a brand. Until last year my career and my perfume had been two completely separate things. I have been surprised by the way they have come together.
SM: “Juliet” is a fragrance that you created; it is a fil rouge, the thread that runs through your life. You have said that you have come to “know yourself” through your perfume. Can you explain what this means?
I will try. I lived with this perfume privately for about seventeen years and it really did help to define who I am. Each time I would spritz the fragrance it would instantly bring me to a familiar place deep within, but I could not describe what that was until I met an extraordinary perfumer.
Through the many ups and downs of life, when everything else around me was uncertain, the fragrance was a constant source of familiarity. There finally came a time when I felt I had come into my own and the blend just seemed to fall into place.
SM: The fragrance is very clean and ultra-feminine - the opening accord is the finest and classical Italian notes of Lemons from Amalfi, Basil, Bergamot and Sicilian Orange coupled with nuances of fresh Mediterranean Herbs with Italian Jasmine and Vanilla from Madagascar on a background of Amber and Precious Woods from the Orient. The Eau de Parfum was created by you and formulated by a master perfumer in Italy, how did this come about?
I was in Italy on business and I was introduced to an Italian perfumer who was highly regarded in the industry. I told him I needed someone to create a formula from my concoction’s drydown and I only wanted the highest quality ingredients used… simple, right? I’m thinking - he is a Maestro after all! It was a challenge and we went back and forth. Just when he thought it was perfect I had to explain that I still wasn’t feeling the “Oh my God!” factor. I had heard this statement for years from people whenever they would smell my fragrance. We did finally succeed and the perfume we produced perfectly recreated my “concoction.” He truly was a Maestro.
When discussing the details with the perfumer he asked me, “Do you know why you are so drawn to these particular scents?” He then went on to explain it was because it evoked memories and feelings of what I had experienced from my youth and it contained many scents from my Mediterranean origins. I instantly understood what the familiarity was. I was born in Sicily and lived very close to the ocean and was surrounded by the countryside. I remembered the fragrance of honeysuckle and the fresh scent of basil and the quiet smoke from a wood burning fire. The aromas in my personal scent contain some of these things which is why - I believe – it was so magical for me.
SM: It must have been a feat to create such a beautiful fragrance on the very first try.
I think my mother, being an entrepreneur herself, was upstairs putting in some serious overtime to make this happen… my mother was truly an amazing woman. I was thirteen when she died and the clearest memories that remain for me of her are her strength and compassion.
SM: What differentiates your fragrance from other fragrance lines in the niche market and makes it special?
Truthfully, I really do not know the niche perfume market very well. This perfume was not created
to compete or to “fit” in that market. It was very personal, intimate and very beautiful to me.
I wanted to share it.
SM: What was your favorite fragrance growing up and favorite fragrances throughout your life?
It was the natural Italian and Mediterranean fragrances. As for modern fragrances, I have used: Rive Gauche
by YSL, Tuxedo by Ralph Lauren, L’Interdit by Givenchy, Magic Noir by Lancôme, Paloma Picasso,
and Casmir by Chopard.
SM: You are also an international make-up artist and I understand you are starting your own
brand of products; which started with the fragrance, please tell us about that.
My professional expertise is as a make-up artist. My goal is to create my own
line of products which will be a limited line of high quality color, and at this time I have one product with a patent pending. I also have a few specialty skincare products, some of which I have created with my chemist and a few products that are made by small, private medical companies which I endorse. I have always loved medicine and science and do an immense amount of research about alternatives for health issues, this is how I have discovered
some of my products. I always say, instead of life handing me a syringe, life handed me a lipstick tube.
Today, I am using the lipstick to reach out to women.
I think it is difficult to establish a public identity or to get your message across in the cosmetics market.
I would like my name to be synonymous with quality and integrity, first with the perfume and then with
a simple high quality cosmetic line.
SM: You also have a gorgeous boutique in Nyack, New York that offers
many services, how did this come about?
After years of working for major cosmetic companies I decided I wanted to get
my message out there.
Yes, I sell beauty products, but more importantly it is a place where I educate
and encourage women to be proactive with their health - not only to improve
how they look, but also how they feel. It takes much more than a “miracle in a jar”
to define beauty. My personal goal is to break these chains that keep us from
living to our fullest potential.
The wisdom I have gained from women of all walks of life is truly a priceless gift
to me today. It has allowed me to do business not only intelligently, but
compassionately as well.
SM: I know that you have a personal message that you carry though
your professional career and you really believe in all that you do.
Please tell us about this and your beliefs and how it applies to your
fragrance and cosmetics.
Be Unforgettable… Own Your Beauty
This is my motto and my personal philosophy. It is an idea that is most important
to me and one that I want to share with you. This perfume seeks to express the
essence and personal importance of my motto.
My message is simple: Embrace your individuality.
What is beautiful is what is unique in you…and what speaks uniquely through you…
SM: Some of the quotes coming in about your fragrance are:
“Simply Beautiful”, “All I can think of is a Boudoir – I love it”,
“Contemporary Classic”, “My husband said to me; Honey, your perfume says to me: come to me” “All I can think about is sex”, “It is beautiful
and elegant”, “It is amazingly beautiful”, “Truly Sensual” and “Exotic”. How do all of these wonderful statements make you feel?
My intention was to create a very soulful, sophisticated and elegant perfume. In hearing these comments, I never imagined that sex would really sell my fragrance…
I guess it is true what they say.
SM: I own a lot of fragrances and after I sampled this, I realized that I have
never smelled anything like this. I found it to be very surprising, unique and beautiful. You also sell internationally?
For international sales at this time “Juliet” is available only through our website.
SM: I understand you have a “campaign” that you believe in. Please tell us about that.
I am extremely passionate about my work and my campaign is this: I believe that every woman of any age is beautiful because of who she becomes with time. I will continue to strive to deeply touch the lives of women around the world with dignity, integrity and compassion.
SM: Juliet, it has been such a pleasure, is there anything else you would like our readers to know?
Many years ago my oldest brother once said to me “always remember, you can be strong and gentle at the same time”. And this sentiment reminds me of “Juliet” and I encourage all women to be flexible with life and gentle with themselves.
79 S. Broadway, Nyack, NY 10960
866-630-7111| 845-358-8419
Juliet by Juliet Stewart
New Fragrance Review
World Premiere
By Suzanne Keller
Quite simply, it is named Juliet, and its creator, make-up artist Juliet Stewart, shares at least a couple things in common with Rossellini—both being Italian-born beauties who had careers with Lancôme Cosmetics at one time. Stewart worked for more than twenty years in the upper echelons of the cosmetics industry (including a ten-year stint as National Make-up Artist for Prescriptives Cosmetics) before opening her luxury boutique in Nyack, New York, where she currently offers professional make-up and personalized skincare. Juliet, the perfume bearing her name, is a delicate and joyous fragrance that wears like the most delicious of secrets... MORE...
In the next issue of Sniffapalooza Magazine, watch for our new fragrance review of Juliet by Victoria Austin!
Juliet Stewart launches new fragrance JULIET.
Sniffapalooza Magazine is proud to premiere Juliet Stewart.
Juliet Stewart will be also be appearing at the Sniffapalooza Fall Ball!
Juliet Stewart, 2008 Photo by Dorothea Erichsen
Hair by Pamaya Red Salon
Juliet Stewart, Photo by Dorothea Erichsen, Hair by Pamaya Red Salon
All rights reserved 2006-2009. All content belongs to Sniffapalooza Magazine.
It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you Juliet Stewart; a friend as well as a beautiful and successful woman who is in charge of her life. In getting to know Juliet, I have found her to be a woman that is very true to herself,
a feat that is not always possible these days and her journey was long. Not only is she a consummate professional, she is kind, caring and has a great sense of humor. Creating Juliet was a very personal experience for her and she truly believes in women and what they go through as "real women in life". Juliet is also a survivor; one who has seen much in life and I wonder if this journey is a result of what she has gone through and now; with what she has accomplished.
What I liked most about Juliet and her fragrance is that she did not create a "press story" story to tell about the creation of her perfume. She did not spin a "yarn" about how the fragrance was created by "virgins that picked white flowers under a full moon and then pressed perfume oils from the flowers with their feet." We all have seen the stories, some companies spin elaborate press releases and go to great lengths to tempt us with descriptions of fragrances that are right out of a romance novel. But does that make it true and real? Not necessarily.
Juliet Stewart created a beautiful fragrance and yes, she has stories to tell, about her mother; about Italy but she does not use these to sell her fragrances. Her gorgeous fragrance is simply "Juliet".
-Raphaella Barkley
