Terry de Gunzburg has many great characteristics, one of them is tremendous patience. After all, it took 12 years to perfect her five eau de parfums, which launches in October exclusively at Barneys New York. Terry has had a fascinating and successful career. The French born make-up artist-turned-scientific-cosmetic-mixologist originally studied medicine but swapped her stethoscope for a makeup brush when she was accepted into Carita’s beauty institute in Paris. While working for Yves St. Laurent she created the iconic Touche Eclat. In 1998, after 15 years with Mr. Laurent, she left to start her own company, By Terry. After 200 cosmetics and 21 skincare items, including her signature Baume de Rose healing balm and Light Expert foundation, Terry is making her first U.S. entry into the fragrance arena. (They launched in Harrods in 2012). Formulated by Maison Robertet in Grasse, her liquid concoctions are housed in classic, modern, glass bottles topped with her famed mercury drop.

Beauty Insider: Why did it take 12 years for your perfume to come to fruition?

TDG:

I tried twice before to launch the line with two different noses, but I stopped because the scents were either too average, too obvious or felt like something else that already existed.

BI: What was the process like?

TDG: Maison Robertet has the oldest machines with the newest technology available, which allows them to extract the fresh flower and keep it airtight, from pick to distillation. And they pair the finest ingredients with the highest quality. I was given 1,000 samples, which I dwindled down to 15. I asked them to tweak those and then I chose five.

BI:

What were you looking for in a scent?

TDG:

I wanted something to represent what I love deeply. I wanted to create a vintage inspiration of scent but not with an old fashioned sensation. I wanted it to remind you of your grandmother, but not create her version. Something to come from the past but jump to the future. Pure, simple, but not minimalistic. And I wanted to make it myself.

BI: What’s the difference between buying your cosmetics and your perfume?

TDG: When someone buys my cosmetics, she’s getting expertise. When she buys my perfume, she’s getting a part of me; a piece of my personality, which has been translated into the bottle.

BI:

Is the goal different as well?

TDG: The more innovative, the easier the product should be to apply while creating a luxurious experience, which presents the most benefits. I don’t want my customers to be make-up artists. I want them to get the makeup artist finish in just a few seconds. Fragrance is very personal. You either like it or you don’t.

BI: What was something fascinating you learned?
TDG: The difference from when a flower is still a bud, which is what I used, to when it’s ready to collapse, and the different scents the flower exudes. The buds were more sparkling and possessed a different energy and feel. One was bursting with life and the other already lived life.

BI: How did you know you’ve found what you were trying to create?

TDG: It’s impossible to describe. It’s like falling in love with someone; you can’t explain it. It’s intuitive. It speaks to me emotionally and psychologically. It’s personal and full of memory. I was caught up in the smell and I adored it – not just today, but today and the day after and the day after that…

Terry de Gunzberg’s scents will be available in October at Barney’s New York, including Rêve Opulent, Flagrant Délice, Parti Pris, Lumiére D’épices, Ombere Mercur and will sell for $195 per 3.4 oz bottle.