Custom perfume
You don't need to be a celebrity to have your own fragrance. Yates Apothecary's monthly perfume blending workshop ($30) lets you play mixologist with more than 25 fragrance oils such as grapefruit and cedar. "[The class] gives the participants a chance to learn the delicate balance of perfumery and to experience the science behind blending oils," says owner Melissa Hale, who hosts the classes in her trendy loft on St. Clair Avenue. In addition to learning about formulating ratios (the trick is to use a ratio of light, medium and heavy scents), you'll get to experiment with how a fragrance note smells different on paper, in the bottle and on your skin. Try pairing peach blossom with leather, for example, for a balance of musky, yet bright and airy aroma. "Just one drop of oil will change the composition of a fragrance," Hale says. Your parting gift? Six vials of hand-blended scents created by you. 440-941-0398, yatesapothecary.bigcartel.com