Yesterday Julie and I were tied up at another meeting, so we dropped in to say hello, were off and then sent our fabulous intern, Madeline Molloy, over to Cakewalk Style to interview Kelly Bensimon, known to many as a former “Real Housewife of New York” and to hear all about her new fragrance, In the Spirit of. Interesting chatter……heard of “layering fragrances”? Read on and see what Kelly says about that…..something I want to try!
Kelly Bensimon wears many hats- model, philanthropist, writer, “real housewife,” and now, the face of her new perfume line “In the Spirit of.” I had the pleasure of chatting with Ms. Bensimon at Cakewalk Style Shop yesterday. Kelly was truly a delight to speak with; she has a certain charm about her that makes you feel like you’re catching up with an old friend.
MM: Is it your first time in Houston?
KB: Yes it is! Oh my gosh it’s amazing, such a sophisticated city. I love it! I went to all of the museums yesterday and hung out by the pool, it was amazing.
MM: So what got you into the fragrance industry?
KB: I worked as a muse for a couple of celebrity fragrances, so I had worked with some amazing noses. I also lived in Paris as a model and I would be in offices and they would have these ginormous bouquets with the most exotic, gorgeous flowers. Even the floral shops were so fragrant and beautiful. I was always charmed by the fact that it smelled so amazing. When I started working as a muse I understood what they wanted and what they were looking for. Honestly this fragrance was a mistake. I was with Jeff Goldblum in Los Angeles promoting one of his fragrances and it all happened by chance. I was working with a perfumer and she asked me what I liked and I told her “spicy carnation, lemon, musk, vanilla, and honeysuckle,” and she said “let’s make it.” She then mixed the perfume right there and everyone was freaking out, so we made it into body oil and a candle.
MM: I can definitely get the floral inspiration behind the scent.
KB: Yes, it is very warm. I wanted something that you could like wear and it would linger, but not in a bad way.
MM: What kind of tips do you have for women; do you think they should pick one fragrance and stick with it?
KB: I think you should love the world of fragrance and explore it as much as possible. I think one of the big problems that women have with fragrance is that fact that we’re all different. Everyone has their own DNA, when you spray it on your hair or clothes then the fragrance stays the same. It’s when you start putting the fragrance on your skin, it changes, because that’s just who we are. I think that is the great thing about this fragrance too; the notes really allow it to be attractive to everyone. If you’re more attracted to musk, it’s going to be stronger to you; it’s not in your face honeysuckle or in your face orange blossom. There are so many amazing fragrances out there and I want to create more fragrances that you can layer. “In the Spirit of” is more of a daytime fragrance, but I want to create more of a sexier warm night fragrance, and then a lighter fragrance you can wear in the morning that feels light and pretty.
MM: What is the idea behind layering fragrances?
KB: The idea of layering is a modern way, because you are always putting on fragrance throughout the day, so why not have fragrances that work well together. Just like you have a wardrobe that goes together well, you should have fragrances that do the same. You can actually allow a fragrance to amp up another fragrance.
MM: Aside from the fragrance, do you think we could maybe see you again on TV anytime soon? Maybe a reappearance on Real Housewives?
KB: No, but I am on a couple of scenes this season with LuAnn! I was actually laying in my hotel room last night and all of the sudden my Twitter blew up and I knew I hadn’t done anything great that day for that to happen, but it turns out it was because Real Housewives was on!
Kelly’s knowledge and passion for the world of fragrance is truly amazing and it really shows once you smell “In the Spirit of.” After getting a little off the record gossip on the Real Housewives, I got to hear about a different side of Kelly. The topic of Mother’s Day came up and Kelly said, “Every day is Mother’s Day for me.” You can really tell what a proud mom Kelly is by the glow on her face when she talks about her children.
I felt like I could have chatted with Kelly for hours, but unfortunately she had a plane to catch to California to film for Inside Edition. My last question for Kelly was about her plans this summer. I was not entirely shocked when she told me she will be taking classes to get her MBA, because again, this woman wears a lot of hats, and she wears them well.
*In the Spirit of is available for purchase at Cakewalk Style