Barrington · South Barrington · Inverness · North Barrington · Tower Lakes
A Barrington perfume bar priced the same in all eight villages
We bring a fully staffed perfume bar to homes, clubs and venues across the Barrington area. Every guest blends a custom fragrance and bottles it to take home — and whichever of the eight villages you are in, the quote is identical.
What is a Barrington perfume bar?
A Barrington perfume bar is a hosted fragrance station brought to your home or venue, where each guest blends a custom eau de parfum from a scent library and bottles it to take home. It runs one to two hours as an open station, so guests take part when they want rather than sitting down together.
Glitters & Grace brings everything — the scent library, equipment, styling and hosts. A Barrington perfume bar starts at around $500, with no travel fee across all four counties the Barrington area spans. Every fragrance is formulated by trained perfumers in our own Illinois lab.
The Barrington area is one community and eight separate villages, spread across four counties. Consequently a vendor quoting on a postcode can give two neighbours on the same road different numbers.
For example, Barrington, South Barrington, North Barrington, Barrington Hills, Lake Barrington, Tower Lakes, Deer Park and Inverness sit in Cook, Lake, McHenry and Kane. Meanwhile the families in them share one school district and one social calendar.
Therefore we price the whole area as a single market. There is no travel fee anywhere in it and no county line that changes the number.
In short, the activity is simple: one table, ninety minutes, and every guest leaves with a fragrance they blended.
One quote, whichever village.
First, send the address and the date. The number you get would be the same from any of the eight, which makes comparing venues considerably easier.
Start here
Why a Barrington perfume bar suits a spread-out community
Barrington-area properties tend to be large and set back, on long drives with plenty of room inside. Consequently space is almost never the constraint here.
What matters instead is arriving properly. We confirm the approach, the arrival window and the vehicle in writing before the day, and we bring our own tables, linens and coverings so nothing of the house is used.
In addition, the club and village-venue calendar runs alongside the household one, and member events are usually set a season ahead. Therefore the room tends to book before the vendor does.
Meanwhile the school calendar governs more than the weather does — the district 220 year shapes when families are entertaining.
"Eight villages, four counties, one school district. We price it as the one community it actually is."Cheryl Gleason, Owner & Perfumer
Where we set up
Where a Barrington perfume bar sets up
One table is all we need. Meanwhile, we work to whatever your venue requires.
At home
Barrington · South Barrington · North Barrington · Barrington Hills · Inverness
A dining room or great room is usually more than enough, and we bring our own tables. Because many properties here have a long drive and a service entrance, tell us how you would prefer us to arrive and we will follow it.
We arrive about an hour early, style the bar completely, and pack out with the room exactly as we found it.
- About 12 x 6 feet and a standard outlet
- We bring our own tables, linens and coverings
- Arrival and pack-out windows confirmed in writing
At a venue
Village venues · Private clubs · Deer Park & Lake Barrington
The Barrington area has a good spread of village venues, private clubs and event space, and hosts routinely book across village lines without thinking about it.
We issue certificates of insurance naming your venue at no charge and coordinate load-in with their team. Therefore the paperwork never decides which village you use.
- Certificates of insurance provided free
- No food service, so no F&B minimum applies
- Identical pricing in every village and county
Booked a venue already?
Send us the address and any vendor requirements. Then we will confirm the load-in and send an itemized quote.
How it runs
How a Barrington perfume bar works
Four stages, about ninety minutes end to end. Nothing needs preparing in advance.
We set up
First, we arrive about an hour before you want to start and style the bar completely. Nobody has to be ready when we get there.
Choose a base
Then each guest picks a base style to build on. Signage suggests combinations, so nobody stares at a blank page.
Blend and test
Next, layer from the scent library, testing on paper and adjusting. Two to four minutes each, and guests can return.
Bottle it
Finally, fill and cap your own bottle and take it home the same day. Afterward we pack out completely.
Every perfume made is an eau de parfum at 50–60% fragrance material to perfumer's alcohol. In other words, it is a genuine concentration rather than a scented water, which is why it is still with you at the end of the evening.
Match it to your room
Barrington perfume bar sizing, by guest count
Headcount changes the right answer more than budget does. So here is how we would scope it.
One station, one host. A dining room at this size gives everyone real time at the bar.
One station, two hosts. The most common Barrington booking, and the size where the room warms up fastest.
Two stations. Because one holds guests while the other moves them, a club room never queues at a single table.
Multi-station, expanded team. Placed across the floor plan with staffing scaled to your run of show.
What should you budget?
Barrington perfume bar bookings start at around $500. From there, pricing scales with guest count, station count, staffing and time on site. Meanwhile custom labels and additional branding are itemized separately, so nothing appears as a surprise on the invoice.
There is no travel fee across all four counties the Barrington area spans. In addition, there are no service fees and no automatic gratuity.
Areas we serve
Barrington perfume bar service area
All eight Barrington-area villages, across four counties, on identical terms.
Barrington & South Barrington
The village centre and the southern edge. In practice the majority of our bookings in the area.
North Barrington & Barrington Hills
Larger properties on long drives. Therefore we confirm the approach when you book.
Lake Barrington & Tower Lakes
North and west into Lake and McHenry counties, priced identically.
Deer Park & Inverness
South-east toward Palatine, all inside the no-travel-fee area.
Palatine & Lake Zurich
Neighbouring towns covered on the same terms. Meanwhile many hosts book across them.
Cary & Fox River Grove
Further north-west, same pricing and no surcharge.
Why Glitters & Grace
A trained perfumer, not a rented table
Cheryl Gleason has been building perfume bars and formulating fragrance for over a decade. She is a trained perfumer and a cosmetic and skincare formulator. Furthermore, every accord and formula we bring to Barrington was composed in her own lab in New Lenox, Illinois.
That matters for practical reasons. For example, a guest will ask what is in the bottle, and our hosts can answer. Someone will mention a sensitivity, and we have full disclosures ready. Finally, the host will ask what happens if everyone arrives at once — and we have already staffed for it.
We work with absolutes, CO2 extracts and essential oils rather than the pre-blended fragrance oils sold for candles and soap. As a result, what your guests make actually wears like a fragrance.
Before you ask
Barrington perfume bar: common questions
How much is a Barrington perfume bar?
From around $500, and identical in every village. Pricing scales with guest count, station count, staffing and time on site, never with which of the eight Barringtons you are in.
Do you charge differently for Barrington Hills or Tower Lakes?
No. Because the Barrington area spans Cook, Lake, McHenry and Kane counties, and we price it as one market. Therefore a county line never changes the number.
Which villages do you cover?
Barrington, South Barrington, North Barrington, Barrington Hills, Lake Barrington, Tower Lakes, Deer Park and Inverness, plus Palatine, Lake Zurich, Cary and Fox River Grove.
Do you need to use our tables?
No. We bring our own, with linens and coverings, so nothing of the house is used unless you prefer it.
We have a long drive and a service entrance. How should you arrive?
Whichever way you tell us. We confirm the arrival window, the vehicle and the route in writing before the day and follow it exactly.
Do you provide a certificate of insurance for our club?
Yes, naming the club or venue, at no charge and on their timeline. We also coordinate load-in with their events team.
How much space do you need?
About 12 x 6 feet and a standard outlet. Furthermore, several stations run without power at all.
Will this affect a club food and beverage minimum?
No — we serve no food or drink. Consequently a perfume bar sits outside the F&B minimum entirely.
How far in advance should we book?
Six to eight weeks for most Saturdays, and a season ahead for club dates. In practice May fills earliest.
What is actually in the perfume?
Absolutes, CO2 extracts and essential oils — the materials of fine fragrance, composed in our own lab. Full ingredient and allergen information is available in advance.
School-year dates fill first
We take a limited number of events per date. In practice the district 220 calendar governs the Barrington social year more than the seasons do, and May fills furthest ahead. Therefore secure the date early.