In the House is a feature on EauMG. I’m collecting my experiences from years of perfume sampling and putting together a quick brand overview. There are so many perfume lines out there that it can be overwhelming. My goal with this is to quickly introduce people to niche and indie lines that may be of interest to them.

Who’s in The House? INeKe

 

The Perfumer: Ineke Rühland, a classically trained perfumer.

Here’s a great interview with Ineke at Fragrant Moments. 

The History: This indie brand is founded by the perfumer in the early 2000s. After many years of studying perfumery, this Canadian-born student decided to formally study perfumery in Versailles (studying at ISIPCA) and later Grasse. After apprenticing in Paris, Ineke moved to San Francisco and started her own perfume brand that focuses on stories and flowers from her garden.

The brand currently consists of two collections, “The Alphabetical Collection” and “Floral Curiosities”.

My impressions of the brand: Since I started EauMG in 2008, I’ve enjoyed wearing many Ineke perfumes. The first thing I noticed was the delightful packaging. After wearing the perfumes, I realized they were even better than their packaging. The line is polished, sophisticated, and this isn’t an attack on any other indies, but these smell really professional. There’s a wide variety of perfumes; yet, Ineke’s style is present in all of them. I love a cohesive line.

*As always, I disclose my biases¹ 🙂 I’ve met Ineke at perfume events before and she is amazing. She always has a smile on her face and is a joy to talk to. Perfume really is her passion. She’s incredibly knowledgeable but always remains approachable. She and her husband pour it all into this brand and in my opinion, are doing a fantastic job. Ineke has an eye for design and beauty. This really shows through with her perfumes.

 

 

Brand’s Strengths: The line is cohesive and in my opinion, have a broad appeal. The packaging of the perfumes are wonderful and the Deluxe Sample sets are genius. I also think prices are incredibly reasonable for this line. All the perfumes in the line are very pretty without being overly delicate. They’re sheer but actually last on the skin.

Also, customer service with this brand has been phenomenal in my experience. They are quick to answer any questions and packages arrive quickly. I’ve also heard that when they launch a new perfume, they send samples to anyone that had bought the Deluxe Sample sets.

Brands Weaknesses: I honestly can’t think of any. Being that there is a “style” to this line, it’s possible that you won’t like that style. That’s not a weakness; that’s personal preference. You won’t find heavy, animalic or “noir” scents in this line. Well, at least not yet and I don’t see that happening. That doesn’t appear to be the brand’s aesthetic 🙂

I have tried all of the except for: I’ve tried them all!

 

 

My favorites from the line (that I’ve tried): Poet’s Jasmine, Field Notes From Paris, Sweet William (it’s like spicy baked peaches) and Gilded Lily. I was surprised by how much I really like the Floral Curiosities Collection. And Evening Edged in Gold wears so wonderfully with leather jackets.

My least favorite from the line: Chemical Bonding. I don’t do well with perfumes like this and this one left me with a headache. It’s not a bad perfume, but these sort of perfumes don’t work for me.

Comparable brands in style: Jo Malone London, Estee Lauder, Arquiste and Ormonde Jayne. 

You may like some of the perfumes in this brand if you like perfumes like: pretty florals, perfumes with a gauze-like sheerness but with the texture of silk, citrus with a twist or perfumes that easily transition from day to evening.

 

Does the brand offer samples or a discovery set? Yes! This is my favorite thing about the line. The Deluxe Sample Collection has samples of the entire Alphabetical Collection and retails for $25. The packaging is amazing, perfect for gift giving. AND you get a $15 coupon with purchase to use on a full-size bottle from the collection. The Scent Library is amazing and you can watch me go on and on about here. It has the entire Floral Curiosities Collection housed in an adorable book. You also get a $15 coupon with this one to use on a full-size bottle.

Available products from this line: Full-size and travel-size EDPs. Discovery sets.

Price range: Discovery sets retail for $25. The set of Botanist’s Travel Sprays retail for $75. Full-Size Floral Curiosities retail for $78. Alphabetical Collection full-size bottles retail for $95.

Where to buy: At INeKe’s online boutique. They also have a store locator and can be found at many locations nationally and internationally. They’re also available online at Beautyhabit. 

My 5 “Must-Try” Picks

After My Heart – Because lilacs aren’t easy to find in the modern perfume world.

Gilded Lily – A modern chypre.

Field Notes from Paris – A sheer unisex leather.

Poet’s Jasmine – An herbal jasmine over a smoky tea.

Scarlet Larkspur – Perfume equivalent of sangria.

I feel these show the “range” of the line. However, I do highly recommend the Sample Sets. They’re the best introduction to the line that you could ever get. And they’re $25 each, that’s practically free in the niche perfume world, right?

You can find INeKe on Twitter and Facebook. This should keep you up to date with new launches, appearances and other relevant brand news.

¹It shouldn’t matter, but let’s be real. This is niche/indie perfume I’m talking about here, we have a choice when buying this stuff. And in my opinion, I like to buy from people that aren’t jerks. This is one of the benefits of buying “small”. My next disclaimer is that I haven’t really had any jerk-y experiences but if I were at an event and the perfumer of a representative of the brand said something like “Get out here!” or something, this would leave a negative, lasting impression on me. (I think it would most people). I try to not let my “biases” get in the way because it’s just perfume but in a brand overview, I feel I can mention if I have met the perfumer, creative director, owner, etc.

Want more in The House?

Juliette Has A Gun

Neela Vermeire Parfums

Ramon Monegal

aroma M

L’Artisan

Providence Perfume Co. 

Arquiste

Atelier

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Logo from Fragrantica. All other pics are from the brand.