Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, the perfumer whose clients include Donatella Versace, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Kate Hudson, will be in downtown Santa Cruz on Sunday. DSH, as she's known, will host "Smell and Tell" at Sky Meadow Apothecary & Spa, spending four hours matching skin to scents.

The perfumer, described by New York Times perfume critic Chandler Burr as a purist, has chosen Sky Meadow Apothecary as the exclusive "bricks and mortar" retailer for her newest collection. Spencer Hurwitz, 36, grew up in Dover Plains, a rural community two hours north of New York City. I had a chance to talk with her by phone from her home in Colorado.

Q You attended college in Boston. Did your studies relate to your career today?

A I went to Boston University to study art before I got into perfume. I got a Renaissance art degree, so I studied painting. A lot of that is chemistry. Since then, I've studied chemistry although I don't do a lot of very chemical perfumes. I make primarily natural perfumes. Making a perfume is a more profoundly artistic experience than chemistry. There are no scents that I tire of.

Q How do you find the right combination?

A There are hundreds of combinations. It's all a matter of proportion. I think it's very mathematical. It's sort of like architecture, sculpture and dressmaking, but it's its own thing.

Q Do you try to appeal to a certain age group?

A I don't think I have a real demographic. My clients range from high school students to grandmothers.

Q What did you find attractive about Chanel No. 5?

A I wore that in ninth grade. It was so avant garde when it was developed in the 1920s. Before then, perfumes were representational, like jasmine or rose. It was the first real modern perfume.

Q Why Sky Meadow Apothecary?

A I've known Deborah Schatan the owner. She used to have a place in Scotts Valley and she twisted my arm. Now people look forward to it. I like the cosmopolitan atmosphere of Santa Cruz. People are very interesting, artistic, educated, well-traveled.

Q How does "Smell and Tell" work?

A The first one was in 2004 for my custom clients. I test the skin, then I can recommend a family of fragrances that's best for you. Skin can be sweet, creamy, pudding sweet. It can be saltier. The question is what can you mix with it, not mask it, but add flavor. Why would you want something just because it's popular. I'd rather have something that fit me perfectly.

Q Do you have a favorite perfume?

A No. I don't get to wear perfume for pleasure. It's usually something I'm working on.