BLEND YOUR OWN FRAGRANCE
Robin Coe-Hutshing, pictured, founded Memoire Liquide Bespoke Perfumery with her sister, Jennifer Coe-Bakewell. The service and scents are available at their Studio Beautymix counter at Fred Segal in Santa Monica. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Memoire Liquide has more than 150 fragrances that can be blended to make custom scents, which are $45 for a quarter-ounce, $65 for a half-ounce or $95 for a full ounce. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
The sisters began making their custom fragrances in 1984. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Strange Invisible in Venice provides a high-end experience. A custom blending session and the quarter-ounce of perfume produced are priced at $6,000, with quarter-ounce reorders at $300. The company also sells ready-to-wear fragrances at prices from $135 to $210. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Strange Invisible owner Alexandra Balahoutis interviews clients in this transparent pink room to help develop their blends. “The more odd information I have about a person, the better,” she says. “Their views, opinions, experiences and tastes all inform the design process beautifully. I like my client to be completely narcissistic and philosophical and just tell me about their world. As I hear them tell me about themselves, the silhouette of the formula starts to reveal itself.” (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)