SEATTLE — A good book engages the senses - readers can see the landscapes, hear the voices, imagine the taste of food.
But, what do the people and places smell like?
A micro-perfumery in Seattle has the answer.
Immortal Perfumes specializes in literary and historical fragrances, as determined by founder Jen Siems.
"I like to think about, what would Marie Antoinette have worn? What would the characters from 'The Great Gatsby' wear?" she said. "Yes, in case you couldn't tell, I was an English major."
Siems coupled her love of literature with a lifelong affinity for fragrance. (Case in point? She made her perfume Beautiful Fool, inspired by Daisy from "The Great Gatsby," smell like champagne, bourbon and a field of sunflowers.)
"My mom wore the original Poison by Dior and I remember I used to sneak into her bathroom so I could spritz myself - I mean, that wasn't very sneaky because Poison was a loud perfume,” she said, laughing. "And then one day, I just thought, 'Hey, maybe I'll try making some for myself.'"
Bibliophiles are glad she did. Siems' scents have gone viral online, leading to a successful small business she runs out of her home.
Over the past decade, she's created scents inspired by Ernest Hemingway, Mary Shelley, F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda, and Edgar Allen Poe’s poetry muse Lenore.
One of her bestsellers is called Carmilla, based on the novel about a female vampire that predates Dracula by 30 years.
There's also a line called "literary lovers" composed of duel fragrances meant to be worn together, like Emily Bronte's tragic pair Catherine and Heathcliff from "Wuthering Heights."
But Siems’ most famous perfume has the most memorable name: Dead Writers. It smells like old books - in a good way.
She spends weeks of experimentation, using more than 100 bottles of scents, to find the right blend of ingredients for each fragrance.
"You have to just go on the journey, you have to add things and take them out and somewhere in there, there's that alchemy, that magic, and you're like, 'Yes, this is the one,'” she said.
The internet loves her fragrance selection. It also loves Siems, because of her own story - one she decided to share on social platforms after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
"I was 35 when I was diagnosed, so it was really important to me to be honest with them,” she said. "Working through cancer treatment helped me so much. I had no idea the opportunities I would have, and now that I do have a platform, the idea that I get to help people? If I can help even one person, that makes all of it worth it for me."
Siems is now cancer-free, and her Immortal Perfumes TikTok account has more than 50,000 followers. In addition to sharing her personal story and fragrances, Siems has also become a perfume historian – she posts tidbits of information about the ancient art and how fragrances have been used over the centuries.
One day, she also hopes to write her own book. For now, Immortal Perfumes pays tribute to the classics worth reading and wearing.
"Choose your own adventure,” Siems said.
Immortal Perfumes are available for purchase online, and there are both masculine and feminine scents in her collections.
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