Perfume Bar FAQ, Plus Everything Else You Might Ask
This perfume bar FAQ gathers our answers in one place: pricing, the three bar formats, materials, kids parties, weddings and booking. If your question isn't here, email or text us, and we will reply within two business days.
- Perfumer-led
- Made in our New Lenox lab
- 5 to 5,000 guests
- From $500
Start here: the short version
Glitters and Grace brings perfume bars and beauty stations to events across Chicagoland, greater Milwaukee and the Indianapolis metro. There are no travel fees within those three areas. Adult and corporate events start at $500, and kids parties start at $475.
Our founder, Cheryl Gleason, is a trained perfumer and cosmetic and skincare formulator. She studied with master perfumer Karen Gilbert and at the Institute for Art and Olfaction in Los Angeles. Meet the founder.
Weekends are our busiest time, and the team is usually at events. We still reply to every inquiry within two business days.
Our stations at a glance
Five stations, mixed and matched to fit your guests.
Perfume Bar
Signature, Mini or Full. Every guest leaves with an eau de parfum. How a perfume bar works
Luxury Lip Lab
Guests mix a soft lip cream or a high-shine gloss from a 16-shade swatch board. Ages 5 and up. See the Lip Lab
Skincare Bar
Guests make a moisturizer, body butter, lotion and scrub for their skin type. See the skincare bar
Bath & Body Bar
A custom bath soak from salts, botanicals and fragrance, plus a hand-made bath bomb. See the bath bar
Luxury Candy Bar
Premium sweets in glass apothecary jars on our two candy carts, styled to your palette. See the candy bar
How far ahead should we book?
Most Saturdays need six to eight weeks. May, September and December dates, and weddings, need longer. If your date is sooner, reach out anyway. We have a large team of hosts and can often fit you in on short notice.
Formats and materials
- What's the difference between the three bars? The Signature bar is not a blending bar: guests choose from up to 12 in-house signature scents you select. The Mini bar is a blending bar with 60+ fragrance materials. The Full bar is a blending bar with 120+ fragrances, including a family of signature scents for guests who would rather not start from scratch.
- Which bar should we choose? The Signature bar moves about 85 to 100 guests per hour, so it suits big rooms. Blending bars move about 50 guests per hour. Choose one when the station is the entertainment and guests have time to play.
- How does blending work? Every blend starts from a base, the foundation a perfume is built on. There are six base styles: floral, masculine, fresh, musk, sophisticated and gourmand (sweet). Signage suggests combinations for guests who would rather not decide from scratch.
- What do guests take home? One product: an eau de parfum spray, made at 50% fragrance material to perfumer's alcohol. That is perfume strength. The perfume bar does not make lotions, oils, rollers or room sprays.
- What materials do you use? Absolutes, CO2 extracts and essential oils. In plain words, these are the concentrated natural extracts perfumers use. Some, like rose absolute, are among the most precious materials in perfumery.
- Can guests reorder their perfume? Individual formulas are not recorded at event perfume bars. Recording a formula is part of a one-to-one fragrance consultation, which is $650 at your home or, from January 2027, at our Mokena studio.
Lip Lab, skincare, bath and candy questions
- How does the Lip Lab work? Guests pick a soft lip cream or a high-shine gloss, choose a shade from our 16-shade swatch board, and we pour and package it on the spot. It suits ages 5 and up. Two to three hosts serve about 100 guests in roughly three hours.
- How many guests suit the Skincare Bar? It works best for 20 guests or fewer. A group of 10 to 15 runs about 1.5 to 2 hours. It is run by trained formulators, estheticians and cosmetologists, and guest formulations are kept on file for reorders.
- Are skincare ingredients safe for everyone? Guests formulate for dry, acne-prone or anti-aging skin. Bases are unscented, so guests add their own fragrance. Retinoids are only for guests 21 and over and not during pregnancy. Read more on our allergens and safety page.
Kids, weddings and corporate events
- What ages do you serve at kids parties? Ages 5 and up, with age-appropriate formulas. Our hosts are background-checked, all female and trained to work with children.
- How are kids parties priced? Kids parties start at $475, the event minimum, and are priced by guest count. The average kids party is 6 to 8 guests. More than 8 is a large group with adjusted pricing. Kids parties run at least 1.5 to 2 hours.
- Can we put our names on wedding bottles? Yes. Custom labels with names, dates or logos are a paid add-on, printed in advance and ordered at booking. Our wedding perfume bar cost guide covers the budget.
How booking works
- Share the basics. Send your date, venue, rough guest count and occasion through the booking form.
- Get your proposal. We reply within two business days with an itemized proposal. There is no charge and no obligation.
- Sign and set your count. After you sign, your guest count can go up but not down, so book your lowest expected count.
- Meet your team. A week before your event, you receive your host details and arrival time.
- Enjoy your event. We arrive one hour before start time to set up, host every guest, then pack out and clean up.
Glitters and Grace was founded by Cheryl Gleason, a trained perfumer and cosmetic and skincare formulator. Every perfume, lip color and skincare base is made by hand in our New Lenox lab. Meet the founder.
Perfume bar FAQ: booking, pricing and logistics
How do I check availability?
Send your date, venue, approximate guest count and occasion through our booking form. We confirm availability and return an itemized proposal within two business days, with no charge and no obligation.
What holds our date?
Your date is held once you approve and sign your contract. After that, payments follow the schedule in your contract, so nothing arrives unexpectedly in the final week.
Do you take more than one event per day?
We have a large team of trained hosts, but we limit the number of events per date in each market. That is why peak dates close early.
Can we change our guest count after booking?
After the contract is signed, your guest count can increase but not decrease. Book your lowest expected count.
What if we need to cancel or reschedule?
Cancellation and rescheduling terms are set out in your contract. Reach out as early as you can, and we will talk it through with you.
How much does a perfume bar cost?
Adult and corporate events start at $500, quoted as one price for the whole event. Kids parties start at $475. The final number depends on guest count, service length, number of stations and customization. See our pricing page.
What's included in the price?
Setup, hosting and pack-out, all materials and bottles, styling and station signage, trained hosts, and a certificate of insurance naming your venue. Linens, lace and customized signage are available as add-ons. Custom labels, extra stations or hours, and venue-specific or union labor fees are itemized separately.
Do you charge for travel?
There are no travel fees within Chicagoland, greater Milwaukee or the Indianapolis metro. Larger events beyond those areas are quoted in advance.
Is there a service charge or gratuity?
Any service charge is stated plainly in your proposal before you sign. Gratuity is never expected, though our hosts are always grateful when it's offered.
How can we lower the cost?
Shorten the service window, choose the Mini bar over the Full bar, run the station during cocktail hour only, keep to our standard styling, or pick an off-peak date. We won't cut staffing, because short staffing creates a line.
What does our venue need to provide?
Tables, or we bring them at $30 each. Linens are available as an add-on, and we suggest dressing tables to your theme. We arrive one hour before start time to set up.
How many guests can you serve?
From 5 to 5,000 guests. We scale hosts and stations to the room.
Where are you based?
Our address is 19060 Everett Blvd, Suite 107, Mokena, IL 60448, and our products are made by hand in our New Lenox lab. Our Mokena studio opens in January 2027 with a private party room for up to 40 guests.
Still have a question?
Send it our way, along with your date and venue if you have them. We will reply within two business days, and we are happy to help you choose.
perfume@glittersandgrace.com · 815.418.6740
With Grace,
Cheryl Gleason · Owner, Perfumer & Creative Director
Prefer to text? 815.418.6740 · or email us