No. 20 Iman Mustafa
Isn’t it magical to have something that can represent you? Our club feature Iman Mustafa calls out to us for this reason. Read more as she talks about the sensory journey of finding her own scent.
Iman, can you introduce yourself to our Perfume Playground Community?
Defining who you are is so much harder than you expect. When I graduated high school, I thought I was going to University to become a lawyer. Instead I graduated University with a Bachelor of Laws, a Graduate Diploma of Family Mediation, and a number of retail and hospitality roles under my belt. When Covid-19 hit, I found it extremely challenging to find a job and launch my career as a lawyer. When I became pregnant at the start of 2021, I became even less employable and continued to struggle finding a job.
Blessings usually come in a disguise and I believe doors close only for other doors to open. It was during my pregnancy when the desire to become an entrepreneur and my own boss started so I can balance both the baby and my ambition to have a successful career. It was during one of my walks with my partner where we realised that no one has really launched a successful natural fragrance line that is non-toxic and safe. From there, my vision to launch my own natural skincare and perfume line started and that brings me to today.
My journey hasn’t been a clear journey with so many different stops across the way but I am grateful for every experience that brought me to where I am today. One thing I have realised this year is that you cannot box yourself within certain roles or expectations and allow others to do it for you. You need to hold space for yourself to grow and change, and adapt to different environments.
I’m forever changing and growing with each new experience; but for today, I am both a mum and an entrepreneur excited to launch my new projects.
How have you found your scent design journey so far?
I have followed Perfume Playground on my personal Instagram since the start of 2021 for no reason other than to see the creativity and projects PP embarked on. Along the way when I realised I wanted to create my own custom fragrance, I reached out to PP to help me understand the process and requirements. Samantha has been my beacon from the beginning, guiding me and helping me with my fragrance journey. I didn’t expect finding a scent to be so difficult but when it is a representation of yourself, you really want to make it perfect. Samantha has been so patient with me especially with my design changes mid-way. I’ve loved every meeting I have had. I have definitely learnt the value of scent – especially after coming to a meeting after recovering from a blocked nose (definitely don’t do this).
I cannot wait to get started on my next scent!
It was an honour to collaborate with you in the creation of your debut fragrance, 22! This is your chance to share your Eau de Parfum with our audience and what it represents…
For me, covid, not finding a law job and then falling pregnant unexpectedly really threw all my plans outside the window. I struggled a lot with coming to terms with all these unexpected changes in my life and for a long time lived in this sort of negative mindset to everything that was happening. I was forgetting to appreciate the blessings all around me despite these changes. I realised that your mindset is key to anything in life and I had to consciously alter the way I reacted and adapted to these changes.
My debut fragrance, 22, is a homage to the resilience that surfaces amidst difficult times. It is a representation of the life changes I experienced when I turned 22, and the new beginnings that came with 2022
How do you want those who wear your fragrance to feel?
Inspired and Empowered.
I want the person wearing my fragrance to feel inspired and empowered to overcome all and any challenges they face including the ones inside their head. If I could bottle up my experiences in the last two years and how I managed to deal with everything, this perfume bottle would be it. When you wear this perfume, believe that with hardship comes ease.
Is there a scent note in 22 which you never expected you would like?
I’ve loved Australian Sandalwood! It’s such a beautiful scent and I am so glad you added it to my perfume.
What’s the meaning behind your brand name Faithful Skin, and how does Perfume Playground align with this?
My name Iman is the Arabic word of faith – and coincidentally, it is such a strong value that underpins everything in my life. My brand ethos is to be faithful to yourself and who you are, and I’ve always believed in having a strong self-care routine. Being faithful to your skin means respecting your body and not exposing it to toxins, chemicals and anything harmful. Perfume Playground is helping me achieve this by providing myself and my customers with a clean perfume that stays true to my brand.
What was your biggest takeaway from our creative process together?
Trusting the process and being as transparent as possible with Samantha about the scent is so important to get that scent finalised. I’ve loved the entire experience and I cannot wait to continue this partnership and build Faithful Skin’s perfume collection.
What advice would you give anyone wanting to create their own fragrance / scented product?
Definitely come to meetings with a strong sense of smell and allow yourself the opportunity to smell each fragrance note individually before making a decision on what scent notes you’d want in your perfume. You’d be surprised which notes you enjoy more than others.
Fragrance aside, what brings you happiness?
Besides the occasional nutella pizza and indulging myself with a strong self-care routine, my family first and foremost and being able to have an outlet for my creativity and dreams.
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