“For me, fragrance has always been about storytelling,” Chriselle Lim tells me, sitting poised in an oversized blazer and mini skirt at her office suite in Los Angeles. The influencer, mother and founder of Phlur fragrances has expanded the business — and its beauty ethos — by creating scents that are rooted in memory. “My first scent memory isn’t very glamorous,” Lim says. “I lived in Korea with my grandma when I was very young. She was one of the first doctors for women in Seoul, and we lived in the top floor of the hospital. My first distinct scent memory is that medicinal smell, mixed with Chanel — my grandmother’s signature scent that she would spray to cover it up. She was very glamorous.”
Lim’s doesn’t have a signature scent, instead approaching fragrance the same way she approaches picking out an outfit: pending mood, and occasion. “A spritz of perfume was always the final note to my look, even in the blogging days,” Lim says. The creator and new Substack writer has always held a “more is more” mentality to her perfume application. “I spray my fragrance 10 times in the hair, and about 4 spritzes everywhere else.” In fact, Phlur’s latest drop, Vanilla Smoke Body Mist, was designed exactly for this type of application. “I also spray on the wrists, but here’s a tip: don’t rub them together,” Lim warns. “Let it dry so the ingredients don’t dissolve. The aroma will last longer.”
Notesaside, the visual branding has also played a major role in Phlur’s upward trajectory in the beauty space. “Our first scent [Missing Person] went viral on TikTok because of the storytelling aspect, and people sharing what they were going through emotionally,” Lim says. She calls the product names “powerful,” like her cult scent Father Figure — the unisex best-seller and deodorant was named after Lim’s experience as a single mom, playing both mother and father figure roles in her daughters’ lives at times. “For women, there are no boundaries as to what we can and can’t do. We can do it all,” Lim says.
Ahead, Chriselle Lim takes us through her favorite products to feel confident, and the everyday products she uses that are “simple enough to do in the car.”
Her Do-Everything Tint
Tata Harper Cream Blush
“The most gorgeous, flushed, just-bitten lip color that works for everything — I use it for lips, cheeks and eyes.”
Her Go-To Foundation
Armani Luminous Silk Foundation
“The best foundation that looks like you’re not wearing any.”
Her Glow-Giver
Gucci Sun-Kissed Glow Bronzer
“I like things I can apply on-the-go, and that blend easily. The shades from Gucci work well on me.”
Her Morning Essential
Clé De Peau Essential Refining Essence
“I have my skin care routine down to a tee, and I can do it very fast. I don’t wash my face with product in the morning — just cold water, and toner.”
Her SPF Savior
Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen
“What you don’t realize until you’re closer to 40 is that it’s not wrinkles that make you look old, it’s discoloration, which comes from the sun. Freckles turn into age spots!
Her Go-To Scent (For Now)
Phlur Vanilla Smoke Hair & Body Mist
“Vanilla Smoke is a perfect example of a scent that has depth, texture and contrast. It’s not sweet; it’s sensual, and feels a little dangerous in the best way.”
The post For Chriselle Lim, Fragrance Is A Super Power appeared first on Bustle.
