My Weekend Adventure
This weekend I accidentally had one of the most fun experiences I’ve had in a while… and it all started with me having zero plans.
I was meeting my friend with no idea what we were going to do. We stood there for a second like… “Sooo…?” And then I blurted out… “How do you feel about making your own perfume?”
Ten minutes later, we were on our way to Rohill Perfumery House (Busan, South Korea). Sometimes the best adventures are the ones you don’t plan.
Step One: Sniff Everything in Sight
When you arrive, they hand you a little card and pencil. First you pick your bottle (harder than it sounds because they’re all cute)… then you start smelling all the scent options.
Here’s the thing though… there are so many “notes” to smell. And my nose? Definitely not built for endurance sniffing. After a while everything just started blending together. They do give you little pots of coffee beans to “reset” your nose… kind of like cleansing the palate (is that the right expression?). But honestly, you only catch the coffee smell if you put your nose right up to the pot. Anyway, I still needed a break. So I pulled out my phone, looked up my favourite perfumes, and wrote down their main notes. Clever, right? Suddenly, I was on a mission instead of just nose-blindly wandering the shelves.
You get three scents included, but of course I couldn’t stop at three… I picked five. Go big or go home.
Step Two: Channel Your Inner Scientist
Once you hand in your card, the staff bring you a tray with your chosen oils and a tablet with instructions (in both Korean and English… thank goodness).
And then the fun begins. My friend and I sat down like two mad scientists, adding drops… swirling… sniffing… second-guessing… then adding more. Drop by drop, we were crafting the scent. It was weirdly relaxing… like ASMR but for your nose.
Step Three: Make It Cute
When you’re done, you get to decorate your bottle. Stickers, lid style, even a colour to tint the perfume. I went for blue (which turned out a dreamy blue-green)… and my friend chose a pinky-red.
But here’s the dramatic part… once the bottle is sealed, it’s sealed. Forever. You can’t tweak it again. So you really have to commit to your scent like it’s a marriage contract. Do you take these perfume notes to be your forever blend…?
Step Four: The Waiting Game
The cruel twist? You can’t actually use your perfume right away. You have to wait two whole weeks for it to “settle.” Nobody explained why in English, but I’m guessing it needs time to blend properly.
So now my perfume is sitting proudly on my shelf… taunting me every day. I keep walking past it like… “You ready yet?”Nope. Still waiting.
But who knows… maybe I’ve finally created my signature scent, the one I’ve been searching for my whole life. If so, I’ll be clutching that little scent card like it’s the crown jewels so I can remake it forever.
And if not? No problem. Next time I’m trying candles… or room sprays… or hand cream. Honestly, I want to make everything in that shop.
Final Thoughts
Making perfume was honestly so much fun. Creative, relaxing, and something I’d never thought I’d get the chance to try. If you’re ever in Korea and want to do something different, I definitely recommend it.
I’ll link their Instagram and the Naver Map location below so you can check it out… who knows, maybe you’ll create your own signature scent too.
✨ If you could design your own perfume, what’s the first scent you’d choose…? Vanilla…? Rose…? Freshly baked cookies…? (I won’t judge.)
Life in Progress Diaries 
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