Portrait of a Perfumer
by Helena Palazzi
The first time I was invited into Janette Bower’s study, where her compositions come together, I was allowed to sample one of her perfumes in the making. Upon my first scent, I was immediately brought back to my own childhood; remembering my mother and her ever-present large purse where she kept various mysterious items such as a small flowery bottle of perfume, a tube of lotion and peppermint candy.
This is the power of the olfactory and in addition to being the sense most closely linked to memory, the smell is also highly emotive. The smell is extremely important when it comes to attraction between people. Kissing is in fact thought by some scientists to have developed from sniffing; that first kiss being essentially a primal behavior during which we smell and taste our partner to decide if they are a match.
T magazine
Janette Bower is the secret weapon of Manhattan girls in-the-know who, after experimenting elsewhere, go running to Soho to rectify the mess.
Vogue
Norman James says a towel is the only styling tool you need if your hair is done right. "What makes it edgy is when it's presented properly." He should know. Shirley Manson, the lead singer of Garbage and one of James' clients, has a bob that's a few strategic layers away from conservative. "It's shaggy. Beck and Sean Lennon are sporting a similar look. And Shirley's hair is copper red. The color makes it look not like your average bob."
I watched one of Bower's clients thank her profusely for a hand-mixed color extender that would sustain her multihued auburn locks until she found an equally fabulous colorist in her new hometown. "It's all about service. It's the same with all of the stylists here. We always work out a schedule to accommodate everyone."
NY magazine
Colorists Janette Bower and Lola Lorraine are best known for their personalized approach to highlighting. After an extensive consultation, the pair uses different types of weaving to achieve the desired effect, from contemporary, piecey streaks to an all-over golden glow.
Nylon
A master of color correction, Janette uses a gentle lemon juice and sulfate base treatment to gently remove artificial color and restore hair before giving you highlights and lowlights for new, natural-looking color.
Allure
I was sent to Norman James for a haircut. After spending over half my life with long hair, I walked into the salon, sat down, and told Norman I wanted to cut it off. Standing behind me, getting a sense, he handed me all of my curls. Snip. Gone. "Why wash the whole thing?" he said, and sent me off for a shampoo.