Author Archives: Shawn Maher

I am not much for being on camera. At all. But since we’re all stuck at home and many of us, including myself, are enjoying perfume as a way to bring beauty into these difficult times, I wanted to take the opportunity to talk. Hopefully I will make some more and get better…and remember toContinue reading “Video Scent Notes: Crystal Moon”

When I was composing the initial new release for the Maher Olfactive launch, I wanted it to be the most indulgent perfume that I could imagine. Something that was both daring and familiar, luxurious yet imaginative, comforting yet kind of cold. This led to the initial inspiration, a material that I’ve long wanted to putContinue reading “Crystal Moon by Maher Olfactive: Osmanthus Absolute Told in a Fantastical Myth”

This is the first Scent Notes column that I get to write for something that I’ve composed to be released by another brand. Over the past year, I’ve gotten to know and eventually become friends with Dave Kern, who has undertaken a really exciting project called AMERICAN PERFUMER®, based in Louisville, Kentucky. It seeks toContinue reading “Scent Notes: Madame Chouteau from AMERICAN PERFUMER®, created by Shawn Maher”

Hey all, while my overly Midwestern modesty resists doing this kind of thing, the awards that I won in 2019 were so gratifying that I wanted to share, especially because it would not have happened without your support.  First of all, CaFleureBon’s editors named their best of 2019 lists. Weinstrasse appeared on the list for MichelynContinue reading “2019 Awards Wrap-Up”

The 90s are now a distant memory, or not even a memory for some at this point, but this was the decade that left the biggest impact on me, for better or worse (and in retrospect, mostly worse). So naturally, when I was commissioned to created fragrance inspired by that decade, particularly those citrus aquaticsContinue reading “Scent Notes: Nonaginta is the 90s-tastic Chapter of the Side Project Series”

For those of you who have been around a while, you know I’ve had a few fougères in my past. La Forêt de Liguest was meant to echo the rich forests of the bend in the Mississippi River that would become Saint Louis, a rich, dense and sweet fougère. Sylva, however, was bright, green andContinue reading “Scent Notes: Weinstrasse is History Repeating Itself, but only Vaguely”

For the most part, I make scents that I want to wear. Maybe it’s a riff off of an accord that I enjoy or a real-life scent that I want to incorporate, and sometimes I’m inspired to create something that I want to smell but never have. With Admiral, I found myself going down noneContinue reading “Scent Notes: Admiral Introduces Art Deco to the River”

In creating Nefertiti, I began contemplating how to create a scent that reflected the composition of Miles Davis, a Saint Louis-area native who got his start filling in on trumpet when Billy Eckstine’s band (featuring Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, and Charlie Parker) for a horn player who fell ill when they arrived in Saint Louis.Continue reading “Scent Notes: Queen Nefertiti and Miles Davis, Defying Tradition”