Apr 09, 2007

If ever there were a boot camp for the olfactory-obsessed, Sniffapalooza would be it. Sniff this: A full weekend in New York (though they have events in LA, too) that kicks off with a breakfast bonanza at Bergdorf Goodman followed by stops at Henri Bendel, Takashimaya, Saks, Bond No 9, Le Labo, L’Artisan Parfumeur, Lafco NY and Aedes de Venustas. It’s non-stop beauty and fragrance for 48 consecutive hours, plus goody bags, cupcakes, lectures from masters of the perfume world, luncheons at chic restaurants and new, “perfume passionista” buddies made for life.

It’s hard to sum up the anxious fervor of more than a hundred people who fly to New York from everywhere from Dallas to Switzerland to share their love of scent. Wide-eyed and busy-tailed from as early as 9am on Saturday, Sniffapalooza unleashed its noses on counters all across the city, making for quite the exciting—if not exhausting—marathon of fragrances. What started as a small gathering of woman who would talk and shop smell, has now turned into the all-encompassing, unrelentingly uplifting Sniffapalooza, organized by two Karens—Dubin and Adams (or Little Karen and Big Karen), respectively. For a small registration fee, you too can enter the world of fragrances along with a supportive network of fellow afficionados. With a day of great food and amazing shopping finished with a fabulous makeover from an adjoining makeup counter, what more can a woman ask for? If you’re lucky, a celebrity fragrance lover will show up to your event too…

Team Karen with Actor Alan Cumming