Getting to Know our Regulars pt. 1

Hello, and welcome back to The Drydown Boutique Newsletter! Today we are launching a series I’ve been dreaming about for a while, “Getting to Know our Regulars.” Though The Drydown Boutique is primarily a niche and indie perfume boutique, it was also always intended to be a gathering space for perfume enthusiasts to gab and make friends. We are so lucky that in just this first year of being open, we’ve made so many perfume pals and have really become a quite the community. It makes the job meaningful and fun for all of us.

This brings us to Elaine Baker. Elaine is a self-proclaimed “fragaholic and nurse,” and she is also one of our regulars. I felt that Elaine was the perfect person to launch this series with. From the moment Elaine walked into the space, she brought a radiant warmth and joy along with her. She has always greeted us with hugs and smiles! We love gabbing about fumes and whatever else tickles our fancy. The friendship we’ve gotten to build with her really exemplifies what we’ve set out to do with The Drydown from the start. (To be clear, we love all of our perfumeheads and there are more interviews to come. That is both a promise and a threat!!)

Please enjoy this interview and join us in getting to know the lovely Elaine.

Will you please introduce yourself?

Yes, my name is Elaine and I am a fragrance-aholic. I definitely love perfumes and all things scented and I am a nurse as well!

What is your perfume hot take?

I think that Santal 33 by Le Labo is way overrated and I do think it has a pickle smell I am one of those people. Also I do not get the hype about Baccarat Rouge. Sorry!

How did you find out about The Drydown?

I found you guys on Instagram or TikTok and I was super excited when I saw that a niche fragrance shop was going to open in San Diego County. Like I screamed!

What made you fall in love with perfume? Why does your love for it persist?

My mom always wore perfume. I loved being suffocated with her scent I mean she was a hundred square sillage radius woman. She made friends with the perfume and makeup counter people so I felt like it was part of life and it was a necessity. You had to wear perfume everywhere you went. You couldn’t leave the house without.

The way it makes me feel is what makes my love for perfume persist. Going into nursing, I knew that I couldn’t wear strong scents, but also hearing from people that it makes them feel happy when they smell me when I wear it, it just uplifts me and puts me in a good mood. Depending on the day or depending on the mood choosing a different scent- it’s just very uplifting.

Do you have a perfume that you would consider your signature?

There used to be! I actually put a whole bunch of people onto it 20 years ago. It was Nectarine Blossom & Honey by Jo Malone. That was my scent and patients, coworkers, everybody loved it! I should’ve gotten commision on it for how much I wore it and talked about it. Everybody loved it. It was safe and sweet.

However, I’m a true vanilla girl so if I had unlimited budget I would say Spiritueuse Double Vanille by Guerlain was the one that brought me into the world of niche. Also Vanilla Extreme by Comptoir Sud Pacifique! Anything vanilla is my signature smell.

You’re stranded on a deserted island. What 5 fragrances are you taking with you?

Spiritueuse Double Vanille by Guerlain’s

Tihota by Indult

Escapade Gourmande by Maison Mataha

Remember Me by Jovoy Paris

*Editors note: now between picking number 4 and 5, Elaine started to struggle (relatable) For her, “this [was] serious!” After a bit of hmming and hawing she landed on-

Wonders 10019 by Ex Nihilo

*Editors note contd: However, when Elaine came in to visit for Halloween, she wanted to make sure she also mentioned Dirty Milk by BornToStandOut. “I just love it!” I think my favorite part of asking this question is that fact that noone I’ve asked has been able to stick to five. It feels like a great unifier of fragrance lovers.

Of the perfumes that you’ve discovered at The Drydown, which is your favorite?

Superfluo by Inverso Profumi. In fact that’s what I’m wearing today. I am obsessed with it. It’s always changing! When Shaya was listing the notes, I could recognize them but I feel like I smell or notice new facets everytime I wear it.

*Editors note: Superfluo is probably my favorite gourmand in house! Like everything that comes from Inverso, it’s so well-blended while still being layered and complex. If you don’t think you like sweet perfumes (which I can relate to) but wish you did, try giving Superfluo a sniff. You won’t regret it!

Superfluo notes: Sicilian fruits, apple, candied fruits, rose, jasmine, caramel, peony, cedarwood, chocolate, vanilla, amber

perfumer: Maurizio Nazarevskaia

Do you have a fragrance white whale? Can you describe it?

Vanilla Plantifolia by Guerlain is my white whale…actually scratch that. I just tried Velvet Night 76 by Krigler. It’s insane. The price is ridiculous.

Let’s play perfume this or that

• sample first or blind buy?

  • sample first

• signature scent of fragrance wardrobe?

  • fragrance wardrobe

• beast mode or skin scent?

  • beast mode

• spring/summer or autumn/winter fumes?

  • autumn/winter!!

• florals or woods?

  • woods

• gourmands or freshies?

  • gourmands!!!

Anything else you’d like our readers to know?

Well… a fun fact about me is that I used to make slime and slime was my happiness mostly because of the scents and the texture.

Follow up question. What scents were you putting into the slime?

I was always inspired by food. I would make them inspired by drinks, like I had an apperol spritz one. I never sold them online. They would have slime conventions and I would have a booth and make friends. I was a crazy slime account! I haven’t made it in a long time but the scents came from skin-safe fragrance oils.

Extra follow up question. Did you make multiple textures?

Yeah! There were butters and crunchies and clears. My instagram account used to be a slime account so if you scroll far enough you’ll see the slimes! So yeah the slime account became eaudelainey and people were confused when they saw the slime :D

Thank you to Elaine for being willing to come in and spend time with me and allow me to pick your brain a little bit! This was so much fun and I loved learning about Elaine’s history with slime at the end there. It makes total sense to me (pun intended) that a fragrance lover would also love the tactile and soothing nature of slime. It actually made me feel seen and I confessed that back in 2020 I was watching a lot of ASMR slime content but never let myself pull the trigger on buying slime.

This was genuinely such a blast and I’m excited to continue to get to know our regulars better!

Please go give Elaine some love over on Instagram! Her handle is @ eaudelainey

Thank you for reading and we’ll smell ya later!

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