Tuesday March 19th, 2024
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Le Nez Fragrance Bar

Something's smelling real good at the First Mall. We talk to Le Nez founder Mariham Habashy about her unique fragrance store.

Staff Writer

Walking Cairo’s streets usually leads to a bombardment of stimuli on our senses. It is always fascinating when a distinct smell can trigger a flood of memories. For Mariham Habashy, it’s the scents of jasmine and misk el leil that scream Cairo to her senses so it’s understandable that, instead of a bakery or a café, she’s chosen to open up the city’s first ‘fragrance bar’ – the exclusive and wonderfully pleasant smelling Le Nez at the First Mall.  

Habashy has been working in the cosmetics industry for over 12 years now, but it was her “experience in the Egyptian market, masters degree and international exposure that encouraged me to start my own business in niche perfumes,” she explains.

What makes Le Nez different to the countless fragrance shops in Cairo is the totally exclusive scents that they offer for customers to sniff out of wine glasses, as they breakdown the top, core, and the base notes of a scent. What does that all mean? Well, don't worry we didn't know either but Habashy was kind enough to explain. “Top notes are usually citrusy, core notes are flowery and the base is the woody or musky. So basically, what we smell when we first spray the perfumes are the top notes and what stays on our skin are the bottom notes.”

Every perfume that Le Nez carries is not only exclusive, with ultra-high end brands such as Mark Buxton and Histoires de Parfums being their speciality, but also comes with its own story, which can be explained at length in store or read on their Facebook page.  For instance, 1969 by Histoire de Parfums aims to capture the eroticism of that mythical year.

As it stands, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive as many customers are falling in love with the store’s regal design, and the professional and interesting in-store experience. Le Nez is truly a unique retail encounter and we guarantee that it’s the best smelling shop in the First Mall and beyond.

For more information, click here for here for Le Nez’s Facebook page.