M Micallef perfumes are about love. Martine Micallef and husband Geoffrey Nejman work together to combine art and perfume-making by creating beautiful compositions that are the true definition of niche. The fragrances are luxurious and complex, yet sensual and easy to wear. As Marine hand designs the bottles, Geoffrey does the chemistry for the combination of notes. The two explore ingredients and compositions with a unique artisanal voice that cannot be duplicated by a mass-market brand. I had the extreme pleasure of speaking with Martine on the phone and could completely feel her artistic passion with every word she said. It is this emotion that she brings to all of her creative work.
Ron Slomowicz: I read that you started off being a beauty person and doing massage. I was wondering how being a masseuse has affected your fragrance-making.
Martine Micallef: About sixteen years ago, I had a beauty salon and it was my dream to one day make and create perfume. I was also an artist. During my massages, I came up with some ideas and my husband and I decided to start the business. We started at our house, it was very small, and I decided to paint and create the bottles. The concept is really art and perfume- and all handmade. I started to paint in the cellar of my house, and we eventually made an exhibition. My husband is a lot more talented than me, speaking so many different languages, so he was in charge of developing the company and step-by-step we have made the business. Now we have a nice factory in Grasse, which is the capitol of perfume business.